Tuesday 31 December 2013

5 deadliest disasters in the Philippines in 2013


The year 2013 proved to be one of the most challenging years for the country because of the sheer number of fatalities the Philippines had sustained from earthquakes, cyclones and even a military crisis.

But the year only tested our capacity as Filipino people. Truly, we are resilient, our spirit remain disaster-proof.

Here is a list of the deadliest disasters the country has been through this year:

Skyway bus accident

A speeding bus toppled over Skyway in Bicutan, Taguig City, fell over a closed van underneath the highway, and claimed 18 lives in an instant.

The video footage looks like it was taken from a movie scene. Only, there were no actors.

Who would have thought that in an instant, by simply riding a bus, 18 lives will be taken?

One thing is for sure, their families will be spending their Christmases and New Year longing for them.

The authorities suspended the Don Mariano Bus company and inspected every single bus unit it owns. The driver, who supposedly had to face criminal charges, died a few days after the incident.

Maritime mishap

A collision of two sea vessel happened on the evening of August 16 at the vicinity of Lawis Ledge, Talisay City in Cebu, killing more than a hundred people.

The cargo ship M/V Sulpicio Express 7 bound for Davao City and the passenger ship M/V St. Thomas Aquinas 1 of 2Go Shipping bound for Cebu were involved in the incident.

M/V St. Thomas Aquinas was about to reach the Cebu port when it collided with M/V Sulpicio Express 7, which was about to leave the port.

The passenger ship carried 870 passengers, while the cargo ship had 38 crew onboard.

M/V St. Thomas Aquinas sank 30 minutes after the collision, which happened at night while some passengers were asleep. Some, thus, found it hard to find their way out because of darkness. Many did not survive.

As of now, several bodies are still missing.

Zamboanga attack

On September 9, before dawn, a faction of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) infiltrated Zamboanga City and engaged in a series of firefight with government troops.

The 30-day crisis in Zamboanga took 140 lives. Twenty-four were reported dead in the defense team, 11 were civilians and 105 were from the MNLF faction allegedly led by MNLF founding chair Nur Misuari. [See the related story.]

Civilians were taken hostage while the MNLF rebels took over some houses, buildings and barangays and exchanged gun shots with the defense team.

Some victims died of bullet strains amid the encounter and some hostages were intentionally killed.

People in the area were helpless, everyone was rushing to evacuate. Relief was immediately sent to address the affected population’s needs.

As of now, there were 117 MNLF members under the custody of the government, though their Misuari has not been captured yet.

The trauma and experience will stay in the victim’s heart and mind, especially to the young children who experienced and witness violence.

Bohol quake

Two hundred twenty-two people died after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit Bohol and nearby provinces, including Cebu, in the morning of October 15.

The earthquake occurred around 8:12 a.m. with the epicenter located in Sagbayan, Bohol.

As reported, 209 people were confirmed dead in Bohol, 12 in Cebu and 1 in Siquijor.

Buildings collapsed in a second and claimed the lives of many and some were buried alive in a landslide.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) recorded 3,198 aftershocks from the 7.2 magnitude quake, 94 of which were felt in the areas nearby.

Around 700 families were affected by the tremor and the cost of damage went up to P3 billion.

Until now, people were tensed with the threat that another strong earthquake can happen again.

Megastorm

But ultimately, the deadliest disaster the country has experienced this year is Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan).

Yolanda flattened the Visayas area, destroying houses, uprooting trees, toppling down electrical posts, and leaving more than 6,000 people dead.

Most of the victims died in storm surges, while some were killed by falling debris.

Storm surges were unbelievable; houses were like a toy being carried and crushed by angry waves and strong winds.

Typhoon Yolanda made landfall six times in the provinces of Samar, Leyte, Cebu (Bantayan Island and Daanbantayan), Iloilo and Palawan.

On November 11, President Benigno Aquino III placed the country under a state of calamity due to the massive effect of the super typhoon.

The National Risk Reduction Management Council’s (NDRRMC) latest report showed that the number of affected people is at 17 million. Yolanda left 6,155 dead and the number of families who remained in the evacuation centers remained at 890,895.

Tuesday 31 December 2013

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/breaking-news/2013/12/31/5-deadliest-disasters-philippines-2013-321102

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Trailer, minibus collision kills 10 in Bolivia


At least 10 people were killed and another five were seriously injured Monday in Bolivia when a minibus collided with a trailer, media reported.

The accident occurred at an exit along the highway linking the capital La Paz with El Alto, when the minibus rear-ended the trailer, the press said, citing Juan Luis Cuevas, chief of the Police Departments' Traffic Division.

The driver of the minibus, belonging to public transportation line 233, died in the crash.

Cuevas said 15 passengers were on board the minibus, and five were seriously injured in the incident.

Initial police reports suggest the crash may have been caused by speeding or mechanical failures, but an official report is not expected until the investigation is completed.

Tuesday 31 December 2013

http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90777/8500334.html

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Ghana: Road accident at Antado claims 15 lives


15 people lost their lives on the spot Monday afternoon when a Mercedes Sprinter Benz Bus landed in a ditch in an attempt to swerve an articulated truck that has blocked its way at Antado near Komenda Junction in the Central Region.

The bodies made up of six females and nine males including both drivers have since been deposited at the Central Region Hospital Morgue for identification, according to the police.

Elmina Motor Transport and Traffic Unit (MTTU) commander, DSP Godfred Asare who confirmed the accident in a telephone interview with the Ghana News Agency said the articulated truck was heading towards Takoradi from Cape Coast direction while the Mercedes Sprinter Benz Bus was heading towards the opposite direction.

He said the driver of the articulated truck in an attempt to overtake some vehicles sighted the Mercedes Benz approaching from the opposite direction and applied a break which made the head of the truck turn, blocking the lane of the Mercedes Benz Bus.

An effort by the driver of the Mercedes Sprinter Benz Bus to swerve the truck ended up in a ditch leading to the accident.

As at the time the story was filed, the registration numbers of neither vehicles nor the exact number of passengers in them were yet unknown.

Tuesday 31 December 2013

http://vibeghana.com/2013/12/31/accident-at-antado-claims-15-lives/

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Philippines: NBI to resume identifying Yolanda victims


Forensic experts from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) are cutting short their vacation to attend to the thousands of corpses rotting in the open in Tacloban City, two months after the devastation of Super Typhoon Yolanda.

This was according to Health Secretary Enrique Ona, who revealed they were making arrangements with the Department of Justice for the immediate resumption of processing of the bodies. The NBI is under the DOJ.

“This has been discussed with them. I hope as soon as possible they will go back there. We want the bodies to be buried soon,” Ona said in a telephone interview.

The corpses are being processed by NBI for possible identification by their relatives before they are buried in mass graves. The NBI procedures generally involve the collection of DNA samples from the victims.

Ona said more forensic experts would be dispatched to the calamity zone to speed up the identification and burial processes.

He reiterated that while dead bodies themselves do not pose a health hazard, they have to be buried as soon as possible so that they don’t contaminate water supply or get eaten by stray animals.

The onslaught of Yolanda left more than 6,000 people dead and close to 2,000 missing, based on official estimates.

Tuesday 31 December 2013

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/regions/12/30/13/nbi-resume-identifying-yolanda-victims

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Andhra Pradesh: Bodies of all Nanded Express fire victims identified


The confusion over the identity of passengers charred to death onboard the Bangalore City-Nanded Express was ended on Monday with the Railway authorities confirming the identity of all the 26 deceased passengers, including two children.

Additional Chief Medical Superintendent of Bangalore Railway Hospital Dr. Vasudev said the families of the all the deceased passengers had identified the bodies.

Anil Kumar, a resident of Adoni, who was listed among the dead, was on Monday found to be alive. Also, Kishore Kumar from Vijaywada, who had been listed as missing or feared dead, was also contacted by the authorities.

But Pratap Vinay, 43, an engineer with Cement Corporation of India in Rangareddy district of Andhra Pradesh and Sreenivas from Bangalore, who had been listed as “missing”, were confirmed dead.

A total of 42 have been declared safe, the officials added.

Pratap’s body was among the three more that were claimed by their relatives on Monday, taking the total number of claimed bodies to 14. R.P. Singh, a family friend of Pratap Vinay, said the body was identified through a ring he was wearing.

While 14 bodies have been claimed, the remaining 12, including those of five women, will be claimed by the families after the DNA report is obtained by Tuesday evening.

The officials said the families had decided to wait for the DNA reports before claiming the bodies. The police have directed the relatives not to cremate the bodies until the DNA report is received.

The officials said the transportation of the bodies would be taken care of by the railway department.

The families of the deceased are being given Rs. 50,000, out of the Rs. 5 lakh ex-gratia announced by the Railways, after identification, while the rest of the compensation will be provided after a formally application is submitted to the Railway Claims Tribunal.

Four of the victims, who had sustained serious injuries in the train accident, have been given Rs. 50,000 and another victim with minor injuries was given Rs. 5,000 for medical expenses,” said Gopinath, Divisional Commercial Manager, South Western Railways.

Tuesday 31 December 2013

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/bangalore/bodies-of-all-nanded-express-accident-victims-identified/article5519973.ece

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