Thursday 3 October 2013

Disused factory building collapses in northern China, burying 16 people sleeping inside


Sixteen people remained missing as of Wednesday morning after a factory building collapsed on Monday in north China's Hebei Province, according to rescue headquarters.

Over 200 rescuers were excavating debris at the accident site near the village of Houshan in Wu'an City, said the rescue headquarters.

The isolated building near the village collapsed early on Monday morning.

The buried, all construction workers for Fengshanbao Iron Mine, were staying in the building for the night.

A Wuan propaganda department official confirmed a state media report that the 16 were construction workers for an iron mine and had been staying in the building near the village of Houshan for the night. The official refused to give his name, as is common with Chinese officials.

The subsidence depth was estimated at about 15 to 20 meters, and the complicated geological conditions and the building's narrow foundation made the rescue work even harder, according to headquarters.

An investigation into the cause of the collapse is under way.

Construction workers are often migrants who have left their homes in search of a better life. They are sometimes forced to use makeshift housing, including tents and abandoned buildings, to be close to their temporary work sites.

Thursday 3 October 2013

http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90882/8415938.html

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Italy migrant boat: '92' bodies recovered after ship sinks off Lampedusa


A pregnant woman and a three-year-old child are believed to be among the 92 bodies recovered after a migrant boat ran aground off the coast of Sicily, the coast guard has reported.

The incident is the second deadly grounding this week, after 13 men drowned on Monday just a few metres away from Southern Sicily's shore.

Pietro Bartolo, the top health official on Lampedusa, told Sky Tg24 that over 200 were still unaccounted for. He expected the toll to rise as search operations continue.

Lampedusa Mayor Giusi Nicolini told Tg24 earlier that 82 bodies had been found and that search and rescue operations were continuing.

Ms Nicolini told reporters that the death toll was rising as bodies were being laid out in the harbour.

"It's horrific, like a cemetery, they are still bringing them out", she said. "It's an immense tragedy."

Ms Nicolini said the ship had caught fire after those on board set off flares so it would be seen by passing ships.

So far 141 people have been rescued, but the boat is believed to have been carrying as many as 500 people, according to reports.

Coast Guard ships and helicopters from across the region, as well as local fishing boats, were on the scene trying to find survivors in the sea, said Coast Guard spokesman Marco Di Milla. The operation was taking place off the Isola dei Conigli, or Rabbit Island.

The migrants aboard the boat were from Eritrea, Ghana and Somalia, he said.

A fishing boat raised the alarm at around 7:20 a.m. (0520 GMT) and began pulling people out of the water before coastguard vessels arrived on the scene.

Lampedusa is closer to Africa than the Italian mainland and is a frequent destination for smugglers' boats.

Thursday 3 October 2013

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/italy-migrant-boat-92-dead-after-ship-sinks-off-lampedusa-8855735.html

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Plane crashes after take-off in Lagos, Nigeria


A plane carrying 27 people has crashed shortly after take-off from Lagos airport in Nigeria, officials say.

A rescue operation is ongoing. At least five bodies have been recovered and one person is being treated for serious injuries.

The Associated Airlines plane was bound for Akure, which lies about 140 miles (225km) north-east of Lagos.

The plane's engine appeared to fail and the aircraft plunged to the ground and burst into flames, officials said.

The charter flight took off at about 09:30 local time (08:30 GMT) from the domestic terminal at Lagos's Murtala Mohammed International Airport.

Officials said the plane crashed on to open land within the airport complex, close to a fuel storage depot.

It is not yet clear whether the fuel caught fire.

Eyewitness Ahmad Safian told the BBC: "I heard a loud bang and then there was lots of black smoke. The security forces rushed straight to the scene. I saw three bodies removed from the wreckage."

Mr Safian said the road to the airport was blocked for a short time but operations were continuing as normal at the airport.

Aviation ministry spokesman Joe Obi said there were seven crew and 20 passengers on board.

Akure is the capital of Ondo state. Local media reported that the plane was carrying the body of the former state governor, Olusegun Agagu, who was to have been buried this weekend.

Although Nigeria's air safety record has improved in recent years, the country has a history of major passenger plane crashes.

In June 2012, more than 150 people were killed after a dual engine failure caused a plane to crash in Lagos.

Lagos airport is a major hub for West Africa and saw 2.3 million passengers pass through it in 2009, according to the most recent statistics provided by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria.

Thursday 3 October 2013

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-24381066

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25 people killed in traffic accident in central Sudan


Twenty-five people were killed AS several others were injured on Wednesday in a traffic accident in Al-Bagair area of Gezira State in central Sudan.

Police said the accident was caused by the wrong overtaking.

Several ambulances and civilian vehicles rushed to the scene and took the bodies of the victims to the hospital, Maj. Gen. Al-Tayeb Babikir Ali, Director of Gezira State Police said.

Traffic accidents are on the rise in Sudan. In July in Iyssa Al-Haj area in Kassala State of eastern Sudan, killing 37 people and injuring 40 others in a road accident.

Thursday 3 October 2013

http://www.africareview.com/News/25-people-killed-in-traffic-accident-in-central-Sudan/-/979180/2015944/-/assov6/-/index.html

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Cambodian flood death toll rises to 39


Floods from Mekong River and heavy rainfall have claimed at least 39 lives and affected 100,334 families in Cambodia in less than three weeks, the National Committee for Disaster Management (NCDM) said Thursday.

About 10,000 families have been forced to flee their houses for higher grounds as some 89,200 houses, 533 schools and 291 Buddhist pagodas have been submerged, a NCDM's report said.

In addition, approximately 100,000 hectares of rice seedlings are also inundated, the report said.

Thirteen out of the kingdom's 24 cities and provinces are being hit by the Mekong River and flash floods, it added.

Disaster control officials could not be reached for comments on Thursday.

Prime Minister Hun Sen ordered the authorities last Friday to closely monitor flood situation and prepare to evacuate affected people to safe grounds.

The country has suffered from the impact of low pressure system and tropical storm Wutip that had caused heavy rainfall in the Mekong River basin and in Cambodia.

"The government would like to advise concerned ministries and authorities to be on high alert and prepare rescue measures to evacuate people to safe grounds so that fatalities and property damage by floods will be reduced," he said in a directive.

Floods usually hit Cambodia between August and October. In 2011, the country was hit the worst from floods, killing up to 250 people, according to the NCDM.

Last year, floods killed only 14 people.

Thursday 3 October 2013

http://www.china.org.cn/environment/2013-10/03/content_30195350.htm

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Deadly hornets kill 42 people in China, injure over 1,500


Swarms of aggressive hornets, in their fall mating season, are inflicting a deadly toll in a central Chinese province.

Hornets have killed 42 people and injured 1,675 people in three cities in Shaanxi province since July, according to the local government. Thirty-seven patients remain in critical or serious condition.

Over the summer and early fall, hornets have invaded schools full of children and descended upon unsuspecting farm workers in China.

One of them is Mu Conghui, a woman who was attacked in Ankang City while looking after her millet crop.

"The hornets were horrifying," she told Xinhua, the Chinese state-run news agency. "They hit right at my head and covered my legs. All of a sudden I was stung and I couldn't move.

"Even now, my legs are covered with sting holes."

Two months, 13 dialysis treatments and 200 stitches later, Mu still remains hospitalized and unable to move her legs.

The influx of venom to the human body can cause allergic reactions and multiple organ failure leading to death. Patients like Mu have been receiving dialysis to remove the toxins from her body. In photos, patients bore deep dark craters scattered across their limbs, the size of bullet wounds.

Government authorities say these attacks are from a particularly venomous species, the world's largest hornet, known as the Asian giant hornet or vespa mandarinia.

The giant hornet extends about 3.5 to 3.9 centimeters in length, roughly the size of a human thumb. It has an orange head with a black tooth used for burrowing, according to an animal database at the University of Michigan.

Dr. Wang Xue, director of the intensive care unit at First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University and an expert of the provincial hornet sting treatment guidance unit, warned in a Shaanxi government release that hornets tend to be aggressive and more active during September and October -- their breeding season. The hornets do not go into hibernation until December, according to local government authorities.

Local authorities have deployed thousands of police officers and locals to destroy the hives. So far, about 710 hives have been removed and at least 7 million yuan (about $1.1 million U.S.) sent to areas affected by hornets, according to a government press release.

The spate of attacks could be caused by the unusually dry weather in the area, authorities say. The arid environment makes it easier for hornets to breed. Urbanization could also be a contributing factor, as humans move into hornets' habitats.

Some experts cited in Xinhua stated additional factors such as increased vegetation and a decrease in the hornets' enemies, such as spiders and birds because of ecological changes.

Humans can inadvertently irritate the hornet hives, as most are tucked away in secluded places, such as tree hollows or even underground.

The provincial government has warned residents to wear long sleeves when outdoors, and not to attempt driving away the swarms or removing their hives.

Vespa mandarinia are known as formidable, carnivorous killers, found in eastern and southeastern Asia, especially in Japan.

About 30 to 50 deaths are reported each year in Japan from such attacks, according to Japanese studies. Most of the deaths are due to allergies to the venom, said Shunichi Makino, director general of the Hokkaido Research Center for Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute.

"It's very difficult to prevent the attacks because hornet nests are usually in hidden sites," he said.

Makino, who specializes in entomology, warned that the sting from an Asian giant hornet was severe compared with those of other insects.

"The venom of an Asian giant hornet is very special compared with other hornets or yellow jackets," he said. "The neurotoxin -- especially to mammals including humans -- it's a special brand of venom."

The giant hornets are also destructive to western honey bees. Research in Japan suggests tens of thousands of honey bee hives are damaged by the giant hornets each year.

The species feed their young with the larvae of other insects and use their mandibles to sever the limbs and heads of their prey. The hornet's venom sting is a neurotoxin so powerful that it dissolves human tissue, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.

The giant hornets are attracted to human sweat, alcohol and sweet flavors and smells. They are especially sensitive to when animals or people run, according to Xinhua.

One victim told local media earlier this month that "the more you run, the more they want to chase you." Some victims described being chased about 200 meters (656 feet) by a swarm.

Every breeding season, the giant hornets produce an average of 10,000 offspring. They feast on other insects such as wasps and bees, launching coordinated attacks on the hives of their prey.

Thursday 3 October 2013

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/10/03/world/asia/hornet-attack-china/

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At least 62 migrants killed as boat sinks near Lampedusa


At least 62 people have died after a boat carrying migrants sank off southern Italy, reports say.

Rescue operations are continuing and officials warn the toll may rise.

Passengers reportedly threw themselves into the sea as the vessel got into trouble and Italian officials were quoted as saying that dozens of people were still in the water.

Earlier this week, 13 migrants drowned while trying to reach the coast of Sicily.

There are reports that a fire broke out on board, before the boat sank. There are believed to have been around 500 people on board.

More than 140 have so far been rescued.

Local media reports say that at least one child and a pregnant woman are among the dead.

Those rescued came from sub-Saharan Africa, the mayor of Lampedusa said.

The boat sank just four days after 13 migrants drowned when their boat foundered off eastern Sicily.

Lampedusa is closer to Africa than the Italian mainland and is the frequent destination for smugglers' boats.

Thursday 3 October 2013

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24380247

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Mexico finds more bodies, raising toll from storms


The Mexican government says searchers have found eight more bodies of victims from twin storms that struck the Pacific and Gulf coasts at the same time last month.

The Interior Department says the death toll now stands at 155.

Statistics of civil protection authorities sent to The Associated Press on Wednesday say that nearly 175,000 homes were affected by floods and landslides, mostly in the southern state of Guerrero.

The biggest known tragedy was a mudslide that swept into a remote mountain village in Guerrero and left dozens missing. Only some of their bodies have been recovered.

President Enrique Pena Nieto has ordered an investigation to find which officials gave permits for building homes in banned areas such as riverbeds, which put residents in danger during the storms.

Thursday 3 October 2013

http://www.wral.com/mexico-finds-more-bodies-raising-toll-from-storms/12952961/

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8 dead in Tennessee church bus crash with tractor-trailer, SUV


A church bus from North Carolina was involved in a fiery crash on I-40 Wednesday afternoon that killed at least eight people and injured 14.

According to a preliminary report from the Tennessee Highway Patrol, six of those killed were passengers on the bus, one was in the tractor trailer, and one in an SUV.

"We hope and pray that there will be no more," said THP Spokesperson Sgt. Bill Miller. He added that the agency's thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families.

UT Medical Center said they have are treating all 14 injured in the crash. As of 6:45 p.m., the hospital reported that eight of them were in critical condition, two were in serious condition, and four were in stable condition. The final two patients arrived by personal vehicle.

THP says a passenger bus was traveling eastbound on I-40 near mile marker 423 when, according to their preliminary investigation, its left front tire blew out. The driver lost control and the bus crossed the median and crashed into a tractor trailer and clipped a Tahoe SUV that was heading westbound. They say the tractor trailer immediately caught fire and the bus overturned. The accident happened around 2 p.m.

Within five minutes, the first emergency crews from Jefferson County arrived, and began helping the victims while sending out the call for more help.

Brad Phillips, EMA director of Jefferson County, said the local rescue squad extricated several passengers from the bus, which was very close to the burning tractor-trailer. He could not say how many people had to be rescued, but said most of them were out within 15 minutes of the squad's arrival. He could not confirm the ages of any of the victims, but said there were no minors involved.

The rescue crews did a "valiant" job, according to Phillips, who asked people to pray for the victims of the crash, their families, and the first responders.

An EMS official told 10News 20 ambulances and five helicopters responded from multiple counties, including Knox, Sevier, Jefferson, Hamblen, and Grainger Counties.

The Tennessee Highway Patrol is the lead investigating agency on the accident. Their Critical Incident Response Teams (CIRT) have special training and equipment to respond to and reconstruct fatal accidents.

"It takes a lot to reconstruct that. Fall Branch has a team, Knoxville has a team and we'll help each other with that. As far as resources, we've sent a lot of our troopers up there to help them, and we'll help each other out," said THP Lt. Don Boshears.

CIRT teams from Knoxville, Nashville, and the Fall Branch Districts were on the scene Wednesday night, according to Sgt. Miller.

No names of the victims have been released, and Sgt. Miller said no family notifications have been made. The fatalities will be taken to the UT forensic center to be identified.

The bus was from Front Street Baptist Church in Statesville, North Carolina. Dionne Stutts from the church confirmed the bus was on its way back from an event called Fall Jubilee in Gatlinburg. She says the group on board is called "The Young at Heart" and they're mostly ages 55 and up. They have several church members on the way to the scene.

The Red Cross is assisting the victims and their families. If you believe you have an immediate family member involved in the crash, you can call the Red Cross at 865-305-5716 for information.

Interstate 40 has been closed since the accident, and likely will be for a while. Drivers heading east will be detoured onto I-81, then to I-26 into North Carolina. Westbound traffic is being stopped at the Newport exit and taken on alternate routes.

Thursday 3 October 2013

http://www.wbir.com/story/news/local/hamblen-jefferson-cocke-greene/2013/10/02/bus-rollover-closes-i-40-in-both-directions-in-jefferson-co/2909779/

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Second find of body remains made at Concordia wreck


More body remains have been found at the Costa Concordia shipwreck after bones were found last Thursday, Civil Protection Chief Franco Gabrielli said on Wednesday.

Gabrielli said the identities of both sets of remains are awaiting the results of DNA examination.

When asked if the first find had been identified, Gabrielli said in the Tuscan coastal town of Massa, where he was attending a Civil Protection event, that: ''We are awaiting the results of scientific analyses. Among other things, other (remains) have been found that are under DNA examination.

Beyond jumping to easy conclusions, we must wait for the results which will or will not give confirmation of the remains of the missing''.

Doubts remained over the weekend about whether bones found at the site of the massive cruise-ship wreck last Thursday were from one of the two bodies still missing after the January 2012 disaster which killed 32, after sources close to the disaster commissioner's office said they were not. ''It is still not possible to say they are of human origin, still less to say they belong to someone in particular,'' the commissioner had said.

The bodies of Italian passenger Maria Grazia Tricarichi and Indian crew member Russel Rebello are still missing. The other 30 corpses were recovered soon after the huge cruiseliner went down after hitting a rock off Tuscany's Giglio Island.

DNA tests are being carried out in a hospital in Grosseto, the largest nearby city.

The lurching, semi-submerged wreck of the Concordia was finally hauled upright upright last month, making the search for the bodies and new inspections possible.

''In the next few days, we will terminate the inspection of the (ship's) bottom and we will begin that of the interiors.

Thursday 3 October 2013

http://www.gazzettadelsud.it/news/english/63810/Second-find-of-body-remains-made-at-Concordia-wreck.html

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