Thursday 11 December 2014

South Korea to take over search after Bering Sea fishing disaster


South Korean officials are expected to take over on-scene control of search efforts following the deadly sinking of a fishing vessel in the western Bering Sea last month.

The U.S. Coast Guard has been overseeing the effort with the cutter Alex Haley on site. But with the scheduled arrival of the South Korean vessel Sambong this weekend, the Coast Guard plans to take on a role of search and rescue planning, Rear Adm. Dan Abel, commander of the Coast Guard in Alaska, said on Wednesday.

Abel said two South Korean aircraft will be based out of Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage as part of the response. There are daily briefings on the matter, as well.

Moon Duk-ho, consul general for the republic of Korea in Seattle, was scheduled to tour the Coast Guard command center and get an update on the agency's response Wednesday, but his plane was unable to land in Juneau, due to foggy conditions.

Seven people survived the sinking of the Oryong 501, which occurred in Russian waters but was close enough to a boundary line that the Coast Guard was allowed to respond.

Abel said the remains of 27 people have been recovered. Another 26 remain unaccounted for, he said.

Russian officials, according to the Coast Guard, reported that the vessel had been hit by a wave that flooded the boat's storage chambers with seawater.

The Coast Guard was alerted that the vessel had sunk the evening of Nov. 30. After speaking with rescue coordination officials in Russia and South Korea, the Coast Guard deployed its largest search aircraft from Kodiak, about 850 miles from the scene. It arrived at first daylight, Abel said.

Good Samaritan Russian fishing vessels that also responded recovered the survivors, as well as remains, debris and rafts, he said.

Officials are hopeful they might still find survivors, but Abel said with the most optimistic of assumptions — that the person is dry, in a raft and wearing winter clothing like a parka, boots and glove — survivability is about 168 hours. That ended last weekend.

The search area has covered 7,400 square miles, he said.

Thursday 11 December 2014

http://www.thestate.com/2014/12/10/3865511_skorea-to-take-over-search-after.html

continue reading

Malaysia: JAKIM can handle bodies of Muslims at disaster sites


The Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) is always ready to provide assistance in handling bodies of Muslims who die in tragedies or disasters.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Jamil Khir Baharom said although there was no specific unit to handle bodies of victims in disaster areas, the agency had a standard operating procedure practised by its staff.

“We have an SOP where our officers and staff handle the bodies at all the mosques and major hospitals in the country, including accident victims. “So when there is a need following a disaster, we can use our officers who are always ready.

“This means that the existing SOP is applicable (in case of disaster),” he told reporters after attending a ceremony to present certificates of appreciation to Jakim officials who were involved in the handling of the bodies of Muslim victims in the Malaysia Airlines MH17 flight tragedy, at the Parliament House here today.

The certificates were presented by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak.

Thursday 11 December 2014

http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2014/11/19/jakim-can-handle-bodies-of-muslims-at-disaster-sites/

continue reading