Tattooed body hints at foreign fighters in action

One of the 10 terrorists involved in Saturday night's brazen attack on Peshawar airport had Western-style "tattoos" on his body, raising questions about the identities of those behind the assault.

Security officials said at least five of the 10 attackers involved appeared to be Uzbek nationals. But counter-terrorism officials are perplexed by the discovery of a demonic "tattoo" on the back of one of the terrorists.

"It's the first time I have seen tattoos on the bodies of terrorists," added the official, who has been part of several counter-terrorism operations in the tribal regions.

The image, though incomplete, appears to be a rendition of a Boris Vallejo character. In the militant's case, the tattoo on his back is unfinished. One entire limb, strands of flowing hair and a smaller-headed monster appear to be missing.

Vallejo, a Peruvian-born American painter, works almost exclusively in the fantasy and erotica genres. Swords and monsters are some of his recurrent themes.

The outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has already claimed responsibility for the attack. That is why this aspect has now added significance because according to religious scholars having tattoos on the human body is against the spirit and teachings of Islam.

"You cannot perform religious duties if you have tattoos on your body," said Prof Khursheed Ahmed, who has written several books on Islam.

Associated with Jamaat-e-Islami, Khursheed maintained that the Peshawar airport attack confirmed "our fears that some foreign hands are carrying out these terrorist attacks in the name of Islam." "A practicing Muslim cannot have such images on his body," he argued. Mufti Naeem of Karachi's Jamia Binoria seminary told The Express Tribune that there was no exception to drawing tattoos in Islam as shariah has clearly imposed restrictions on it.

"Yes, you can offer prayers but Islam does not permit drawing tattoos on bodies and has banned it," he said.

The head of Pakistan Ulema Council Allama Tahir Ashrafi also endorsed the view. "It was astonishing to see the body with a horrible face tattooed on his body. Islam does not allow drawing tattoos," he added. "This cannot be the body of a Muslim."

But a security official pointed out that tattoos on the bodies of terrorists exposed the TTP claims that they were fighting for Islam.

"We know their (TTP) true face. We have raided their dens and even found pornographic films and male potency drugs from there," he said.

When approached, the director general of the Inter-Services Public Relations, Maj-Gen Asim Saleem Bajwa, said the authorities investigating the airport attack would certainly look into all possibilities.

"But it is premature to draw any conclusion at this point," Maj- Gen Bajwa said Tattoo experts say the image on the militant's body symbolises evil. "Skulls, in my opinion, are demonic representations, but only in visualisation. They represent strength, rebelliousness and serious drawbacks," said a Lahore-based tattoo artist.

"Mostly people who get such tattoos want to give out a message that they defy death, those who have seen death very closely, including criminals, gangsters and even rock stars," he said on condition of anonymity.

About the tattoo on the militant's body, he said, "It looks ten to 12 years old. The outlines, curves and shading clearly tell that it has not been made by an expert."

Tuesday 18 December 2012

http://www.timesofoman.com/News/Article-4048.aspx

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Number of missing in New Bataan may exceed figure on list, says mayor

Compostela Valley, Philippines–The number of missing persons here, many of whom now have slim chances of survival, could actually be more than what is reflected in the list of those who disappeared in the aftermath of typhoon “Pablo,” this town’s mayor said.

“What we have is the list of missing persons as reported by relatives, who were looking for them following the onslaught of the typhoon,” Mayor Lorenzo Balbin told the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

But Balbin said the local government learned that there were transients who arrived here to find work before Pablo made landfall and they too might be missing.

“We just don’t know because no one could make a report about them,” he said.

Balbin said to make the list of missing persons, currently nearing 400, as accurate as possible, the local government has been conducting a survey of each family, especially in hard-hit areas of the town, to find out if they have kin or neighbors who remained missing but unreported.

“We don’t want to make guesses,” he said.

Balbin said close to 500 dead victims had already been found and many of them remained unidentified.

“Our search and retrieval operation is still on going,” he said.

As to burial of the recovered unidentified bodies, Balbin said “we will give each a decent burial.”

He said they have constructed a large tomb, where the unidentified dead victims would be interred in individual coffins.

For those already identified, Balbin said their relatives would take care of burying them while the town government will provide them with free coffin and burial assistance.

In Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur, relatives of at least 33 fishermen, who have disappeared at the height of Pablo’s wrath, have sought the help of local officials in a bid to locate them.

Adelaida Badilla, municipal social welfare officer, said the missing fishermen went out to sea hours before Pablo made landfall in Southern Mindanao.

Badilla said they had started coordinating with other local government agencies to trace the missing fishermen.

In General Santos City, the Task Force Search and Rescue-GenSan told relatives of the more than 300 fishermen–who went missing off Surigao del Norte and Davao Oriental when Pablo made landfall–that the chances of finding any of them alive had become so slim but that its operatives remained in “search and rescue mode.”

“We don’t want to give you false hope, but let’s keep on hoping and praying. The Task Force until now is still in search and rescue mode,” Navy Capt. Lued Lincuna, task force operation officer, told about 100 relatives of the missing fishermen during a debriefing on Monday.

Lincuna said the focus of the massive search and rescue operation is the sea area some 300 kilometers off Davao Oriental, or towards the Celebes Sea and the Indonesian waters.

“The chief of staff of the Armed Forces of Indonesia had given our search and rescue teams a clearance to operate even inside their territorial waters,” he said.

At least 22 boats from the Philippine Navy boats, the Coast Guard, the United States Navy and fishing group are involved in the effort, Lincuna said.

Out of the 372 reported missing in the seas off Surigao and Davao Oriental, so far only 25 had been found, 7 of whom are alive.

In explaining why the number of missing fishermen was so large, authorities said there were 47 fishing vessels composed of mother boats, carrier boats and light boats, which set out to sea from this city before Pablo made landfall. Out of the number, only three vessels had been retrieved.

“On Dec. 17, a US naval aircraft scoured the fishing grounds in the boundary of the Philippines and Indonesia but no sighting of survivor, only floating debris,” Lincuna said.

In Tagum City, the devastation wrought by Pablo to banana and mining industries in Compostela Valley could cause economic ripples in the city, Mayor Rey Uy warned.

Uy pointed out the massive loss of revenue and employment in these sectors, which the city’s economy was quite dependent on.

Tagum gets at least P5 billion in indirect revenues from these sectors annually, represented by purchases banana plantation and mining workers in Compostela Valley make from the city’s businesses, Uy said.

He said city economists had projected that the local economy would shrink by about 30 percent as a result of Pablo’s devastation of Compostela Valley.

“Those from Compostela Valley do their marketing here. Just imagine if that four people could no longer buy needed goods due to the loss of income

Tuesday 18 December 2012

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/326405/number-of-missing-in-new-bataan-may-exceed-figure-on-list-says-mayor

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Update: With 23 bodies found, ‘Pablo’ dead now 1,043

The death toll from Typhoon “Pablo” has reached 1,043 as government workers with the recovery of 23 more cadavers in Compostela Valley, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said Monday.

In its latest report, the NDRRMC said the typhoon destroyed more than P24.1 billion worth of properties, including close to P16.4 billion in agricultural crops and products.

The agency said searchers found and identified 22 bodies in Monkayo town and another cadaver in Compostela town, both in Compostela Valley province.

Of the total number of recovered bodies, it said 645 had been identified.

Benito Ramos, NDRRMC executive director, said rescue teams were still searching for 844 people, among them over 300 fishermen, who went missing when the typhoon hit Mindanao on Dec. 4, flattening villages and plantations.

Ramos said 6,608 families composed of 25,953 persons were still staying in 63 evacuation centers in southern Mindanao.

He said 701,224 families, or 6,203,826 persons, in 40 cities and 34 provinces were affected by the typhoon, which also damaged 167,295 houses.

Tuesday 18 December 2012

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/326029/with-23-bodies-found-pablo-dead-now-1043

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Marinedivers search wreck in North Sea

Divers of the Royal Navy from tuesday search for missing sailors of the Baltic Ace. That ship sank last week after a collision in the North Sea.

The wreck lies at 40 meters depth, approximately 65 kilometers from the coast of Zeeland. The divers use include an underwater robot to the ship and seabed mapping. Then they search for bodies in the wreck.

Six crew members are still not found. Five bodies have been recovered and 13 people survived the accident.

Monday 17 December 2012

(Translated from Dutch using Google Translate)

http://www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/21163921/__Marine_zoekt_lichamen_wrak__.html

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Indonesia tsunami survivor says 'tourism' can educate coastal residents

A survivor of the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 says the best way to save lives in a tsunami is not by building sea walls but by showing residents what happens--and the need to get to high ground.

Rahmadhani, 42, who goes by only one name, helped recover bodies in his neighborhood after the tsunami hit the northwestern coast of Indonesia's Sumatra island. He now works as the director of the Tsunami Museum in Banda Aceh.

He recently spoke of what he called "tsunami tourism" in an interview with The Asahi Shimbun. He was visiting Japan to give an address at a symposium in Osaka Prefecture organized by the National Museum of Ethnology. The conference explored ways of coping with disaster and rebuilding stricken communities.

The museum in Banda Aceh opened last year, honoring the victims and survivors of the Dec. 26, 2004, disaster. In Aceh province alone, more than 160,000 people were recorded dead or missing. The total number of casualties--around the Indian Ocean--will never be known, but is believed to be more than 220,000.

The museum has photo displays and a diorama showing residents frantically trying to flee. It also explains earthquake and tsunami science. It urges survivors to tell children of their experiences. It also uses picture cards to illustrate what they went through.

About 300,000 people have visited the museum since it opened.

Elsewhere in the city of Banda Aceh, some items washed inland have been left there as reminders of the flood. In one case, a fishing boat rests on the upper story of a house.

Rahmadhani's house stood eight kilometers from the coast, but not even that neighborhood was safe: the water there was two meters deep. He and his family could make it because they fled to a small rise of land. Afterward, Rahmadhani joined other survivors in searching for victims. He helped retrieve more than 10 bodies.

The death toll was high in Aceh province because few people there had been aware that a tsunami can follow an earthquake.

By contrast, there were only a handful of victims on the nearby island of Simeulue because islanders fled to higher ground. The island community had been hit by a tsunami in 1907--and its lessons had been passed down through the generations.

Rahmadhani says he could clearly imagine conditions in northeastern Japan when the giant earthquake and tsunami struck on March 11, 2011.

"We are seeking solidarity with the Japanese as fellow victims," he says.

Rahmadhani studied tourism at a graduate school in Australia. Back home, officials noticed his eagerness to combine education with tourism and tapped him to run the provincial museum.

Monday 17 December 2012

http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201212180006

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10 Samoan fishermen missing after cyclone

New Zealand searchers are now looking for 10 fishermen off Samoa since Cyclone Evan hit the island nation after a fourth boat was discovered to be missing.

As the destructive cyclone crossed Fiji, a New Zealand Air Force Orion continued its search for the missing Samoan fishermen.

It was initially thought eight were missing from three boats but Rescue Coordination Centre search and rescue mission co-ordinator Kevin Banaghan says they now know of a fourth boat.

“We have now been advised that a fourth fishing boat has been confirmed missing, with a total of 10 men still to be accounted for,” he said.

“Each boat had three crew aboard, but two men, from different boats, have made it to shore.”

A French Navy guardian aircraft is helping with the search.

Meanwhile, the cyclone has now reached Fiji, running one bulk carrier ship aground and causing destruction in Rakiraki, the Fiji Times website reported.

Monday 17 December 2012

http://www.newzealandtimes.co.uk/news/nz-news/10-samoan-fishermen-missing-after-cyclone.htm

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Delays in disposal of bodies at GMC mortuary

Although a new larger morgue is being readied for Goa medical college (GMC) and hospital, Bambolim, there is no guarantee that it would help put right the existing problem; provide adequate space for all bodies brought to the GMC morgue.

The reason being most of the time, GMC morgue cabinets remain occupied by unidentified bodies being not disposed on time as police and civic bodies wrestle over the matter of disposal.

The police inspector attached to the respective police station has to assume responsibility for an unclaimed body found in his jurisdiction, and though he may be willing to do his duty, many a time he is left helpless for alleged lack of cooperation from the village panchayat.

"There is clear instruction from the collector to the police that a body has to be disposed off within 15 days, but it is rarely done," a doctor from the forensic department said, seeking anonymity.

The village panchayat has to bear expenditure for burial or cremation of a person who has died in the village if the body remains unclaimed.

Some police officers, however, complained that most of the time, village panchayats are just not willing to shell out money. A police officer claimed that the Curca-Bambolim panchayat has been "the most adamant" and till date, has not paid him expenditure incurred for disposing four bodies.

"I have written several letters to them over the past few months but they have not paid me till date,"said a police officer, even as he claimed that it was the prime responsibility of the panchayat to give at least 1000 per body, and arrange for a hearse van.

When contacted, sarpanch Ghanashayam Vernekar, however, claimed during the last panchayat meeting, they had passed a resolution and some money was sanctioned to be paid to police.

He was unable to spell out how much amount was sanctioned and how much they paid per body. At the time of writing this article, there were two bodies attached to Agasaim police station, lying at the morgue but coming under the domain of Curca-Bambolim-Talaulim village panchayat.

The police officer also complained that Curca village panchayat only pays 750 per body while actually they need to give 900 per body like other panchayats.

A body of a Russian national, Tatiana, 27, has been lying in the morgue ever since March, 2010.

Anjuna police inspector Vishwesh Karpe said he was helpless as there has been no response from the Russian embassy. "We have written six to seven letters to them but they are yet to trace relatives of the deceased," he said.

He also complained that most of the time, delays also occur as a result of non-cooperation by the civic bodies, especially panchayats.

"If they arrange things on time we can dispose off bodies immediately," he added.

The GMC morgue has been compelled to hold bodies for a longer duration as police fight with civic bodies to compel them to adher to their civic responsibility.

The head of forensic medicine, Dr Silvano Sapeco, claimed that they are constantly after respective police stations to take the bodies.

The existing capacity of the morgue is 62 (cabinets) while at any given time 35- 40 cabinets remain occupied with 35-40 unidentified and unclaimed bodies and sometimes from medico-legal cases.

When all cabinets are full, the department is left with no option but to keep new bodies in the morgue without the cabinet facility. "As a precaution, we have to post an attendant there, when a body is not kept in the cabinet, lest rats do not eat parts of the body," said a forensic department official.

Forensic and Toxicology department receives on an average five -six bodies for autopsies whereas various hospitals send eight-ten bodies in connection with non-police cases everyday.

Sometimes, there are requests from individuals to keep a body in the morgue till the final rites are arranged for. The new morgue will have 200 cabinets and certainly be bigger than the existing one. But it won't matter if police and civic bodies do not resolve their issues over disposal of bodies.

Monday 17 December 2012

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/Police-pyats-squabble-delays-disposal-of-morgue-bodies/articleshow/17644733.cms

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Adverse weather affects rescue operation to in Siachen

Very adverse weather condition has hampered the operation to rescue a soldier, still missing after a snow avalanche hit a post in Turtuk near the Line of Control (LoC) at Siachen in Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir.

Seven soldiers of One Assam Regiment were buried alive under a huge snow avalanche when a forward post at a height of over 17000 feet came under an avalanche in Sub Sector Hanif, in Turtuk area of Siachen yesterday morning.

Bodies of six soldiers were recovered and seventh went missing.

The chances of his survival were very bleak as the area received fresh snowfall.

Defence ministry spokesman Lt Colonel J S Brar said this afternoon that the rescue operation had to be halted due to adverse weather conditions yesterday afternoon.

“We could not start the operation even today as the weather was still bad,” he said, adding the rescue operation would be started as soon as the weather improves.

This was the first major tragedy during this winter.

India and Pakistan Army had suffered causalities in Siachen, the highest battle field in the world, since both the countries decided to deploy troops there.

On April 7, 2012, 135 Pakistani soldiers were buried alive in Siachen area on other side of the LoC.

Monday 17 December 2012

http://www.dailyexcelsior.com/newsite/adverse-weather-affects-rescue-operation-to-in-siachen/

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One more dead body discovered in the rubble

The body of a dead man was discovered by a Police and Rescue team about 5pm this afternoon in the debris behind the CCCS Church at Vaiala.

Police could not identify the deceased but suspect he could have been washed from the inland villages of Maagiagi and Lelata during the flooding.

The body has been taken to the National Hospital at Moto’otua.

Police say the man has a tattoo on his arm and they will be putting out notices for families and relatives to come and identify the victim.

It places the death toll at 5 while search continue for the others missing since last weeks Cyclone Evan.

Monday 17 December 2012

http://www.talamua.com/one-more-dead-body-discovered-in-the-rubble/

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At least 5 killed, 12 injured as building collapses in Russia's southwest

A three-story building under construction has collapsed in the port city of Taganrog, killing at least five people and wounding twelve. Nine people are still missing, RIA Novosti reports, quoting the Ministry of Emergency Situations.

"Fourteen people have been pulled out of the rubble; five of them have died," the Ministry says. "Up to nine people may remain in the debris."

Twelve people have been taken to hospital; according to the local Health Ministry; condition of seven of them is serious to critical.

Around 30 construction workers, some of them foreigners, were reportedly at the scene when the building crumbled. Some of the workers were evacuated in the wake of the incident.

Up to 300 people are working at the scene searching for those missing and removing the debris.

The cause of the collapse remains unclear, but local authorities suspect errors in construction. The construction cite is reported to belong to a local investor who was planning to build a small-sized appartment house.

A criminal case has been opened into the deaths, citing charges of security violations at construction sites which lead to deaths of two or more people. Police are also checking if migrants working at the site have job permits and visas.

Taganrog is a port city of over 250,000 people on the northern coast of the Sea of Azov.

Thursday 13 December 2012

http://rt.com/news/russia-south-building-collapse-995/

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Chandigarh 7 dead as fog causes road crash near Narwana

Seven people, including six of two families from Chandigarh, died when their tempo collided with a mini-truck amid fog in the early hours of Sunday at Dhakal village, around 7km from Narwana in Jind district.

At least nine people were injured in the mishap, which occurred around 5.30am when the families were on their way to Sirsa to attend a weekly congregation of a spiritual programme at Dera Sacha Sauda in Sirsa.

The Jind police have started investigation after registering a case of rash and negligent driving against the truck driver in this regard. "The driver of the mini-truck managed to leave the accident spot. We are trying to arrest him," said Narwana deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Rameshwar Singh.

Of the victims, all of the deceased and seven injured were relatives, including Pala Ram, 50, and his wife Phooli Devi, 45, whose son and two daughters were injured. Ved Pal, 40, and his wife Raj Bala also died, and their son also suffered injuries. Two sisters, seven and 12 years old, also died, while their parents and five-year-old brother escaped with injuries.

The injured were provided first aid at Narwana's civil hospital and then shifted to the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) at Chandigarh. The condition of two patients is serious.

Police said the villagers heard a loud boom after the collision and had started the rescue before approaching them. Dense fog that marred visibility on the road is seen as the plausible reason.

The stretch of National Highway 65 - a 3-km straight patch between Dhakal and Hathoi villages -- where the collision occurred has seen several such mishaps. Hisar additional sessions judge Pardeep Kumar had died in an accident barely a kilometre from Sunday's crash site on December 5.

Monday 17 December 2012

http://www.dailypioneer.com/city/116121-head-on-crash-snuffs-out-eight-lives-near-jind.html

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Eight die after PNG boat capsizes off East New Britain

Eight people, including six children, have died in Papua New Guinea after their boat capsized in rough seas in East New Britain province last Thursday.

The newspaper, The National, reports that the eight were part of a church group travelling to Lassul Baining to attend a youth convention.

The group was travelling aboard a 20-foot banana boat on a short journey to Lassul Bay from another provincial port when big waves filled the boat with water and caused it to sink.

The acting Gazelle district administrator Ekonia Walom, who indicated the boat was overcrowded, said the bodies of the eight were washed ashore.

He said police at Kerevat and provincial disaster officers conducted an assessment last Friday and are due to file a report.

Monday 17 December 2012

http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=72917

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Elementary school shooting victims' bodies identified and names released

Thirty-one hours after their lives were ended when a 20-year-old man forced his way into their school and opened fire on some of the youngest pupils and their teachers, the names of those who died in the Connecticut school rampage were released on Saturday.

The nature of the tragedy is told perhaps most poignantly not through the list of 26 names of the victims published by police, but through their dates of birth. Sixteen of them were born in 2006 – they were six years old; four more were seven. The list of the dead also revealed the names of all the six adults who were killed.

Now that the names have been made public, the first glimpse can be gained of the agony of families whose lives were overturned when Adam Lanza, for reasons that are yet to be disclosed, set out for Sandy Hook elementary school after killing his mother on Friday morning.

The names of the dead were released after the Connecticut chief medical examiner, Dr Wayne Carver, and his team had identified all 26 bodies in the school. Carver said he had shown pictures of the children's faces to the parents to avoid having to bring families into direct contact with the bodies of their children.

Carver said he had seen a "devastating set of injuries. I believe everybody was hit more than once." Of the seven victims he examined personally, each had three to 11 gunshot wounds and two had been shot at close range.

He also indicated that early examinations suggested that all of the shootings had been carried out with a Bushmaster semi-automatic rifle, one of three weapons recovered close to the gunman who killed himself. Should the exclusive use of the Bushmaster be confirmed by investigation, it could prove significant in any ensuing debate over tightening up gun laws in the wake of the catastrophe.

President Obama said on Saturday that he wants to see "meaningful action" to prevent further such tragedies, and one option already being debated widely is to bring back the federal ban on semi-automatic assault rifles that was introduced by Bill Clinton but allowed to lapse in 2004 by George Bush. The Bushmaster would fall under that category, whereas the other two weapons in Lanza's possession, Glock and Sig Sauer handguns, would not.

While the list of the victims has now been released, police say that a positive identification of the shooter has still not been completed. There are also two adults who were injured in the rampage but are expected to make full recoveries, a police source said.

A stream of visibly distressed families have been calling to pay their respects for the dead at the voluntary fire station located just next to Sandy Hook elementary school. A makeshift memorial comprising balloons, a wreath, bunches of flowers and a large heart made from 20 teddy bears, one for every child victim, grew steadily through the day.

A line of 26 Christmas trees for the 26 victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre were put up today in a poignant reminder of those who will miss this holiday season.

The trees were donated by an anonymous benefactor from North Carolina who was moved by an advert for a Christmas tree sale at the Sandy Hook volunteer fire department he saw watching the harrowing coverage of the shooting.

Decorated by women and children helping out at the fire station, the five-foot trees were lined up leading towards the tragic school.

The list of names can be found at: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/list-conn-school-shooting-victims-names-released-article-1.1221098

Sunday 16 December 2012

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/dec/15/newtown-shooting-victims-names-released

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6 fishermen die in Lake Victoria mishap

Six fishermen have drowned in Lake Victoria after their boat capsized in Bumbe beach in Funyula constituency.

Only one fisherman was rescued in the 8pm incident.

Initial reports said strong waves hit their boat tipping it over, but the surviving fisherman blamed the accident on an inexperienced coxswain.

It took local fishermen and the provincial administration almost eight hours to retrieve the bodies.

The surviving fisherman was treated at a local hospital and discharged.

Those who died were aged between 15 and 21 years.

The area MP Paul Otuoma grieved with family members and cautioned parents against allowing their young sons to venture into the lake.

Sunday 16 December 2012

http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/news/2012/12/6-fishermen-die-in-lake-victoria-mishap/

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Three bodies, boat found adrift off Japan

Three bodies and a partially capsized wooden boat have been found drifting off central Japan, the coastguard says, with a report suggesting the boat originates from Korea.

The almost-submerged boat was spotted off the city of Wajima early on Sunday and the coastguard found the bodies in the sea nearby.

The Asahi Shimbun newspaper said the craft was marked with the Hangeul alphabet used in North and South Korea.

"The bodies have been recovered but we are still checking details" including their gender and time of death, a coastguard official said.

Several boats have recently been found drifting in the Sea of Japan (East Sea) which separates Japan and the Korean peninsula.

A wooden boat containing a dead man wearing Korean-made boots was found near Japan on December 1, three days after another vessel with five corpses was discovered in the same area.

There was speculation that the five might have been North Korean fishermen who had weather or technical troubles and drifted out to sea.

Sunday 16 December 2012

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/breaking-news/three-bodies-boat-found-adrift-off-japan/story-fn3dxix6-1226537958999

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Update: Philippines typhoon death toll tops 1000

The death toll from a typhoon that devastated the southern Philippines earlier this month has topped 1,000 as hundreds more remain missing, the government said on Sunday.

Typhoon Bopha killed 1,020 people, mostly on the southern island of Mindanao where floods and landslides caused major damage on December 4, civil defence chief Benito Ramos said.

A total of 844 people remain missing, about half of them fishermen who ventured out to sea before Bopha hit, Ramos said, adding he feared many of the missing were dead.

"The death toll will go higher. We found a lot of bodies yesterday, buried under fallen logs and debris," he told AFP.

He added the toll from Bopha, the worst natural disaster to hit the country this year, would exceed the 1,268 confirmed dead after Typhoon Washi struck the southern Philippines in December 2011.

"We prepared. We were just simply overwhelmed," said Ramos.

"They did not expect this intensity. The last time (this part of the country) got hit by a strong storm was 1912," he added.

He added that many evacuation centres were destroyed by the typhoon.

More than 27,000 people remain in such centres almost two weeks after Bopha hit as the search for the dead and missing continues, the civil defence office said.

Colonel Lyndon Paniza, spokesman of the military forces in the worst-affected region, was less optimistic of finding any survivors.

"We are on (body) retrieval mode already. We are done with search and rescue," he told AFP.

Paniza, who oversees the hardest-hit regions which suffered over 960 dead, said he expected the death toll to rise further.

"It has been 12 days already so it looks like (survival chances) are doubtful," he said.

Among the casualties were seven soldiers who were killed and four who remain missing after they were hit by flash floods while doing relief work, he said.

In the southern town of New Bataan, which suffered over 500 dead, including 235 bodies that are still unidentified, people still struggled to recover, building makeshift shelters out of scrap wood and rags.

Town Mayor Lorenzo Balbin said the toll of the dead may even be larger than the official lists because many transients, who pass through the town of work on small-scale mines and plantations, do not even register as residents

With no one to report them missing, their deaths may go unnoticed, he said.

The situation in the town, which was largely flattened by the typhoon, had improved slightly as more relief aid was reaching the area.

Trucks from government and private relief agencies were seen entering New Bataan, handing out much-needed food to villagers still stunned by the storm's fury.

Balbin said the focus now was on finding new crops to replace those destroyed by the typhoon.

The storm has caused massive damage to infrastructure and agriculture, destroying large tracts of coconut and banana trees.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council initially estimated damage to crops and public infrastructure at 7.16 billion pesos ($174 million).

The Philippines is hit by about 20 major storms or typhoons each year that occur mainly during the rainy season between June and October. Bopha was the strongest typhoon to strike this year.

Sunday 16 December 2012

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iERQSoDcJ99ZFPVq6pF64VAy_OQw?docId=CNG.0d2431c1c2409249262564389a484fcc.1d1

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Samoa cyclone damage worse than 2009 tsunami

Disaster officials in Samoa say the damage from Cyclone Evan is worse than that caused by the tsunami in 2009.

Most of the country is without power and more than 4500 people are homeless.

Flood waters still surround villages and homes along the southern coast. The situation there is desperate, the damage extensive.

Matautu Tai Lefuga resident Shirley Sera spent the day sifting through what remained of her home.

“This is where I live and thank God I was able to stay alive with my daughter and my family,” says Ms Sera.

Disaster officials say on the south coast alone more than 1000 homes have been destroyed.

“It [the 2009 tsunami] was focussed on the southern coast of Upolu, but for this one the whole country is affected,” says Filomena Nelson, response coordinator for the tsunami.

Apia and the surrounding areas didn't fare any better, and it’s not surprising with the amount of water that rolled through there four days ago. The people were prepared for the wind but not for the devastation. It’s left thousands in evacuation centres.

The building of the Ministry of Health has been transformed into a shelter for those in need.

“It’s very sad,” says Health Ministry assistant chief executive Sosefina Talauta-Tualaulelei. “I think the emotional part hasn’t really hit us yet, but we are just glad we are able to help.”

Staff say they are dealing with an increase in cases of people with respiratory illnesses.

“It’s a very serious health situation, in fact worse than the tsunami,” says Health Ministry director general Talanutina Tupunatagi Toelupe. “With this situation these are people who are displaced and their homes are no longer there.”

Samoa has endured many disasters, but as always the people remain resilient. But they know this won’t be a quick fix. A search for the missing is ongoing, with the death toll likely to rise to 12.

Early this afternoon an Air Force Orion arrived in Samoa from New Zealand. Five of those who are still missing and presumed dead were out in Apia Harbour on two fishing boats when the cyclone hit. The first job for the Air Force crew will be to search for the bodies of those victims

Sunday 16 December 2012

Read more: http://www.3news.co.nz/Samoa-cyclone-damage-worse-than-2009-tsunami/tabid/1682/articleID/280594/Default.aspx#ixzz2FEWdAIpO

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Nigeria governor, 5 others die in helicopter crash

A navy helicopter crashed Saturday in the country's oil-rich southern delta, killing a state governor and five other people, in the latest air disaster to hit Africa's most populous nation, officials said.

Nigeria's ruling party said in a statement that the governor of the central Nigerian state of Kaduna, Patrick Yakowa, died in the helicopter crash in Bayelsa state in the Niger Delta. The People's Democratic Party's statement described Yakowa's death as a "colossal loss."

The statement said the former national security adviser, General Andrew Azazi, also died in the crash. Azazi was fired in June amid growing sectarian violence in Nigeria, but maintained close ties with the government.

The crash occurred at about 3:30 p.m. after the navy helicopter took off from the village of Okoroba in Bayelsa state where officials had gathered to attend the burial of the father of a presidential aide, said Commodore Kabir Aliyu. He said that the helicopter was headed for Nigeria's oil capital of Port Harcourt when it crashed in the Nembe area of Bayelsa state.

Yushau Shuaib, a spokesman for Nigeria's National Emergency Management Agency, said four other bodies had been found.

They were said to have been badly burnt and only identified by the shreds of their clothes.

Azazi and Yakowa’s mobile phones rang out continually without any response when several calls were put across to them by some top government officials.

Our correspondent gathered that the naval helicopter was heading for Port Harcourt, Rivers State, but developed a fault and crashed in the village, which also shares a boundary with Nembe Local Government Area.

The Director of Information of the Nigerian Navy, Commodore Kabir Aliyu, confirmed that a Nigerian Navy helicopter was involved in the crash which occurred around 3:30pm.

Aliyu who was silent on the identities of those involved in the crash said a rescue operation comprising personnel of the Joint Task Force, Operation Pulo Shield, the Navy, the Nigerian Air Force and the National Emergency Management Agency, were at work in Bayelsa.

A police source who pleaded anonymity said he was scheduled to board the helicopter but that there was a last minute change in the schedule.

The source said, “Two helicopters took off at the same time. After sometime, we saw the one behind us wobbling and nosediving into the swamp.

“The helicopter took off and was already stabilised on air. It had gained balance and started flying but unfortunately it came crashing.

“We are not suspecting any sabotage because the burial ground was well policed. There were gunboats surrounding the place and many security operatives at the burial ground.”

The former Chairman of the Okoroba Community Development Committee, Mr. Hitler Adunion, told SUNDAY PUNCH that he was the first person to locate the site of the incident.

Adunion said “We sighted the chopper wobbling and crash-landing. By the time we got to the scene, the helicopter was in flames. We tried to put out the flame but it was difficult. We saw the roasted bodies of those inside it.”

Around 7pm on Saturday, NEMA said it had activated its search and rescue team.

“NEMA has activated its search and rescue team in collaboration with other response agencies at the crash site,” Yushau Shuaib of NEMA headquarters was quoted as saying.

Aviation disasters remain common in Nigeria, despite efforts in recent years to improve air safety.

In October, a plane made a crash landing in central Nigeria. A state governor and five others sustained injuries but survived.

In June, a Dana Air MD-83 passenger plane crashed into a neighborhood in the commercial capital of Lagos, killing 153 people onboard and at least 10 people on the ground. It was Nigeria's worst air crash in nearly two decades.

In March, a police helicopter carrying a high-ranking police official crashed in the central Nigerian city of Jos, killing four people.

Sunday 16 December 2012

http://www.theitem.com/news/ap_news/nigeria-governor-others-die-in-helicopter-crash/article_b45b130a-472a-11e2-b949-0019bb2963f4.html

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Six jawans dead, one missing in Siachen avalanche hit

At least six army personnel were killed and another went missing after a snow avalanche hit their posts on Siachen Glacier near Line of Control(LoC) on Sunday morning at 6:15 a.m.

"In a tragic incident today, six soldiers were killed and one went missing when their posts at a height of over 17000 feet were buried under an avalanche in Sub Sector Hanif, Turtuk area of the Siachen Glacier.

Immediately the avalanche rescue teams along with rescue dogs were pressed in to retrieve the bodies," Lt. Col J S Brar, army spokesman in Srinagar, said.

So far six bodies have been retrieved from the snow while as the body of another soldier was missing.

Brar said that the rescue operation was halted due to adverse weather conditions in the area.

Meanwhile, the Disaster Management Cell has issued a medium danger avalanche warning advising people residing in upper reaches not to venture in avalanche prone areas.

"A medium danger avalanche warning for the snowbound areas of Banihal, Chowkibal, Tangdhar, Machil, Keran, Gurez, Sonamarg, Drass and higher reaches of Kargil and Gulmarg has been issued. People living in snow bound areas are advised not to venture in steep avalanche prone slopes," Aamir Ali, coordinator Disaster Management Cell.

This is for the first time in several years that an avalanche has hit an Indian position in the glacier area, the sources said.

The Assam unit is part of the 102 Siachen Brigade and is located at altitudes of around 15-16,000 feet, they said.

An avalanche had hit a Pakistani Army camp in the glacier area last year killing over 100 troops. India has deployed its troops in Siachen for close to 30 years now and has lost more people to the weather and terrain than to enemy bullets.

Sunday 16 December 2012

Read more at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/avalanche-in-siachen/1/238061.html

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Update: Death toll in Greece migrant boat disaster rises to 21

The death toll in the sinking of a makeshift boat carrying migrants off a Greek island near the Turkish coast rose to 21 Sunday after another body was found on a beach, police said.

Six people are still missing, a press officer with the Lesbos island police told AFP.

The latest victim, a man, was found on the island's Thermi beach like all others before him.

Police continued to search for those missing on Sunday.

Rescuers on Saturday had found the bodies of 20 other men on the northern Lesbos beach, but their age was not given.

Only one 20-year-old survivor has been plucked out of the water and was hospitalised in the island capital Mytilene. He told investigators all those on board the boat which also carried women and children were from Afghanistan.

Greek public television Net said two women and two children had been among the passengers.

The group set sail from the western coast of Turkey on Thursday but ran into bad weather that sank their boat during the night, about two miles off Lesbos.

The island is one of several in the eastern Aegean that lie near mainland Turkey and are frequent targets for migrants trying to reach Western Europe.

Migrants often perish trying to make the crossing in makeshift boats, particularly in winter.

Sunday 16 December 2012

Read more: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/International/2012/Dec-16/198697-death-toll-in-greece-migrant-boat-disaster-rises-to-21.ashx#ixzz2FEQM0kPg

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