31 killed as Indian train derails

Rescuers were using cutters to rip apart the mangled wreckage to search for trapped people.

Rescue workers pulled 31 bodies from the wreckage, said Ashwini Srivastava, a spokesman for the railways, and at least 50 more were injured.

The engine and two coaches of the Janata Express jumped off the tracks near Bachhrawan village in Uttar Pradesh state.

Several people were feared trapped in the wreckage, and rescue efforts were focused on bringing them out alive, said Ram Murath Yadav, a police official at the site of the accident.

One of the derailed coaches was crushed by the impact and most of the casualties were in that coach, he said.

The federal rail ministry has ordered an inquiry.

The driver of the train escaped unhurt and was being questioned, Mr Srivastava said.

Friday 20 March 2015

http://www.independent.ie/world-news/31-killed-as-indian-train-derails-31081682.html

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New World Trade Center Victim Identified by Medical Examiner

A New Jersey executive of technology at a Wall Street financial firm was identified Thursday as the latest victim of the 9/11 attacks, the Medical Examiner's office announced Thursday.

Matthew David Yarnell, 26, of Jersey City, N.J., became the 1,640 victim identified in the World Trade Center disaster in 2001.

Yarnell worked as an assistant vice president for the technical group of the Fiduciary Trust Co. and was remembered as a prankster who used to call his mother as a salesman trying to sell her random products, according to the New York Times.

The Medical Examiner identified Yarnell after they retested DNA samples from remains recovered during the recovery efforts in 2001 to 2002. There's still 1,113 victims from the attacks reported missing but have not been identified, the Medical Examiner said.

The remains of the unidentified victims were placed in a repository in the basement of the 9/11 Memorial Museum, which 17 families fought to stop in 2012.

The repository is only accessible to workers from the Medical Examiner's office, who periodically retest the DNA samples off-site to identify them, according to the 9/11 Memorial.

Friday 20 March 2015

http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20150319/financial-district/new-world-trade-center-victim-identified-by-medical-examiner

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Argentinian passenger plane crashes in Uruguay,: 10 killed, 3 bodies recovered

An Argentinian plane carrying eight passengers and two pilots crashed in Uruguay late Thursday, killing all 10 people on board, media reports said, citing Uruguay's air force.

The small passenger plane crashed shortly after taking off from the Laguna del Sauce International Airport in Punta del Este, Sputnik News reported. The aircraft reportedly caught fire after going down in a shallow lake near the airport.

The twin-engined Beechcraft B-90 King Air was carrying executives of an Argentinian company to Buenos Aires following a business meeting in the eastern resort city, Canal 10, an Uruguayan network reported, citing a fire services spokesperson.

Three bodies have so far been recovered from the wreckage.

Friday 20 March 2015

http://www.ibtimes.com/argentinian-passenger-plane-crashes-uruguay-all-10-board-killed-3-bodies-recovered-1853436

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More than 600,000 migrants expected to get ID cards ahead of Thai deadline

Interesting article on how the Thai Government aims to address the issue of undoumented migrant workers. It it thought that the majority of the still unidentified Thai victims of the 2004 tsunami were undocumented workers from Myanmar. Family members did not report their relative missing in fear of arrest and prosecution for being in Thailand illegally (editor).

The government hopes to dole out more than 640,000 “certificates of identity” in a new attempt to legalise undocumented Myanmar migrant workers in Thailand ahead of an impending deadline, according to officials from Myanmar’s Department of Labour.

Department of Labour director general U Myo Aung said the Thai government has warned Myanmar workers to get the identity certificates before March 31 or face possible arrest.

The number eligible for the certificate – which remains valid for two years – represents just a fraction of the estimated 3 million Myanmar migrants who work in Thailand, however.

Only holders of temporary residency cards, known as “pink cards”, that were given to migrants during a registration period that ended in October can apply.

After Thailand’s May 22 coup, the newly installed junta began tightening restrictions on the country’s foreign labour force, which is largely undocumented. Migrants lacking passports, residency cards and work permits were allowed to register for temporary documents during a June to October 2014 window. In order to extend the temporary documents, migrants’ embassies were tasked with verifying nationality and issuing identification documents by the end of March.

Of the 1.6 million total migrants who registered in Thailand by October, more than 640,000 were from Myanmar, according to the Thai Ministry of Labour figures.

The Myanmar embassy in Bangkok is making preparations to handle 600,000 applications from workers and their dependents during March, U Myo Aung said last month.

The migrant workers will be able to apply for the certificate in 21 different cities in Thailand.

Migrants who already hold a national ID as well as a Myanmar household registration document can apply directly for a passport however, U Myo Aung added.

Filing an application for the certificate will cost 30 baht (about US$1) per worker. Those who qualify will be charged another 400 baht (US$13).

However, migrant rights’ advocates said the process will not be straightforward because many pink cards contain incorrect information, including misspelled or incorrect names.

“The employer’s name might be listed as the broker’s name and that will be the problem as Thai police can arrest [the migrant] if the real employer’s name doesn’t match,” said said U Ko Tun, a coordinator for the Myanmar Migrant Workers Rights Network.

U Myo Aung confirmed this would slow down the process. He said even the names of migrant workers are sometimes spelled incorrectly on the Thai-issued cards.

“For example, we spell Myint Aung, but Thai officials might spell it Myn Ang. Then we don’t know which spelling to put on the certificate,” U Myo Aung said.

Migrant rights groups said the system, which follows several earlier attempts to register undocumented workers, will make it more difficult to work legally in Thailand.

“The registration policy generally changes with politics, so it is inconsistent. This time around it is very bureaucratic and detailed. It makes migrants and their employers have to spend time they don't feel they have,” said Brahm Press, the director of MAP Foundation in Chiang Mai.

Friday 20 March 2015

http://www.mmtimes.com/index.php/national-news/13324-more-than-600-000-migrants-expected-to-get-id-cards-ahead-of-thai-deadline.html

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Overloading blamed for ferry accident, as death toll hits 63

As teams of volunteers recovered the remains of those lost in the Aung Takon 3 ferry disaster of March 13, further details have begun to emerge of the events immediately surrounding the tragedy, including eyewitness accounts.

The death toll late on March 17 reached 63 as the recovery teams, led by young members of a local philanthropic organisation, continued their search and the disposal of the remains. Combined with the 169 people officials say were rescued, this means there were at least 232 people on board – 18 more than the official manifest – but survivors said there could have been up to 400 on the ferry when it went down.

Amid allegations the ferry was severely overloaded when it sunk, the Rakhine State government has formed an investigation commission and instructed the team to complete its report no later than yesterday, March 18. An earlier government statement blaming the weather has been dismissed.

Volunteer members of Duwunkyel free funeral service in Kyaukpyu are leading the search for the deceased.

On March 15, they found two bodies, which were buried in Myebon. A further 20 bodies discovered the following day were also buried in Kyaukpyu township.

“The bodies we found on [March 16] could not be identified because their state of decomposition was too advanced,” U Tun Kyi, a member of the Duwunkyel free funeral service, told The Myanmar Times yesterday. “We will find more bodies if we can search the sunken ferry itself.”

The volunteers found seven more bodies on March 17, at about 5:30pm. They were cremated on Myauk Kyein Island, the place nearest to where they were discovered, because it was too difficult to carry them to Kyaukpyu, said U Myo Myint Naing, one of the searchers.

“One of them was the captain. Some people recognised him. The bodies of two monks from Kyaukpyu were also found, and we cremated them here at once,” he said.

Captain U Hla Maung Thein was listed as missing as of March 17, but 10 crew members survived, rescuers said.

Of the 169 people the authorities say were rescued, most have gone home, and 33 were accommodated temporarily at the Basic Education Middle School 4 Kyaukpyu, while some of the injured are in the local hospital.

It has emerged that the ferry left Kyaukpyu port bound for the state capital, Sittwe, at about 4:30pm. Flooding began at about 7pm as it entered the waters between Naung Daw Gyi and Naung Daw Lay islands, which are notorious for treacherous currents. Attempts to stem the flooding failed, and the vessel sank at 8:15pm.

Preliminary reports estimated the death toll at 34, out of 214 passengers and crew officially listed. But ferries in these waters are known to be chronically overcrowded, as passengers pay only K2500 per ticket, instead of the K15,000 charged by private ferry companies. The Aung Takon line was owned by the government.

Survivor U Tin Win, of Toungup township in southern Rakhine State, told The Myanmar Times that the waves were just 60 centimetres (2 feet) high when the flooding started, just after the vessel had passed Naung Daw Gyi island.

“The crew asked the passengers to help bail out the water, but it just kept pouring in. Crew members were trying to lighten the load by throwing 80-pound [36.3-kilogram] bags of lime overboard. It was no good,” he said. “When I went looking for my little daughter, the ferry tilted to the left. Within 10 seconds, it went down.”

The government said the ferry was authorised to carry 120 tonnes of goods and 176 people. Survivors have told reporters there were about 400 passengers on board. Survivors have said they witnessed excessive loading on board, including bags of lime and other goods stacked on deck, as the ferry left port.

U Maung Maung Ohn said that the ferry sank because it was overloaded. Meteorologist U Tun Lwin has questioned a government statement issued on March 14 that the ferry sank due to bad weather, dismissing this claim as impossible.

The Rakhine Chief Minister said the regional government would take responsibility for the care of children who had lost their parents, and had also assumed responsibility for helping survivors now staying in Kyaukpyu to return to their families and jobs. The regional government has also paid K1.2 million to the families of the deceased and K500,000 to each survivor.

Friday 20 March 2015

http://www.mmtimes.com/index.php/national-news/13609-overloading-blamed-for-ferry-accident-as-death-toll-hits-63.html

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Majority of Yemeni minors lack birth certificates

Interesting article from a DVI point of view.

For many people around the world, a birth certificate is a person’s first legal recognition by the state that they exist. In Yemen, 83 percent of minors remain without one, leaving them vulnerable to a number of abuses.

For parents, the first time most are asked to produce a birth certificate for their children is when they register them for school. Registration for first grade begins in Yemen at age six.

Abdulnasser Al-Jaberi, 45, is a mechanic and owns a car shop. He is also the father of seven, and says he gets birth certificates for his children right before they begin primary school.

“Why should I get these certificates right after they are born when I don’t need them until they register for school?” he asked.

A lack of Civil Status Authority offices in rural areas complicates the registration process, forcing families to put it off until they can no longer do so.

Often, children who never attend schools will not bother with getting their certificates.

Saeed Saleh Othman, a 30-year-old street vendor in Sana’a, does not have a birth certificate. Othman was born in a rural village in Wesab district, Dhamar governorate. His parents never registered his birth and he never attended school. Instead he travelled to Sana’a at an early age to work and help support his family.

“At that time people weren’t aware about the importance of birth certificates and other official documents. I didn’t get a certificate like other students because I never attended school. I came to Sana’a when I was eight to work and help my father,” Othman said.

Officials at the Civil Registration Authority say that applying for a birth certificate years after a child is born has become the norm in Yemen.

Colonel Ahmed Al-Harazi, office manager for the deputy head of the Civil Registration Authority, told the Yemen Times that most people come to claim a certificate once an occasion requesting one arrives.

“Many people come to us and request birth certificates for their children who were born years ago and want to start school. Several of those people don’t even know the exact date of birth for their children,” he said.

“Parents are unaware that without birth certificates their children lose several of their rights and may face problems in the future,” he added.

He says the Civil Registration Authority has established registration units in all public hospitals to help alleviate the problem, “but people still leave these hospitals after their children are born without registering.”

A March 2013 report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) entitled, “Look at Us with a Merciful Eye: Juvenile Offenders Awaiting Execution in Yemen,” said that Yemen has one of the lowest birth registration rates in the world.

“Between 2000 and 2010, the state registered only 22 percent of all births,” read the report.

Soraya Abu Monassar, a child protection officer at the UN Children’s Agency (UNICEF), told the Yemen Times that the latest nationwide survey conducted by UNICEF in 2013 indicated that 83 percent of children lack birth certificates.

Children in Yemen are only required to register with the government when they enrol at school, which begins at age 6. Those who do not receive an education can go a lifetime without certification.

Risks to children without birth certificates

HRW’s report said the lack of birth certificates posed an increased risk against juvenile offenders.

“Most juvenile offenders lack official birth certificates to prove their age. Yemen’s judiciary lacks impartial and accurate mechanisms to determine the age of youths in criminal proceedings, increasing the risk that juveniles are sentenced to death,” added the report.

According to HRW, while prosecutors ordered forensic examinations in some cases, the tests, “relied on error-prone and outdated methods. In some cases, both prosecutors and defense lawyers ordered age examinations that yielded different results, but courts relied on the prosecution’s examinations that estimated defendants were over 18.”

Ahmed Al-Qershi, head of Seyaj Organization for Childhood Protection, said that both parents and the Civil Registration Authority in Yemen are to be blamed for this issue.

“While most parents are unaware of the importance of such official documents, the concerned bodies fail to take the issue seriously,” Al-Qershi said. He says registration at the time of birth should be mandatory and come with fines for those who fail to do so.

Regarding juvenile offenders who lack birth certificates, Al-Qershi said that the Seyaj Organization has recorded 52 juvenile offenders nationwide who face execution because they lack birth certificates that prove their age.

“Those convicted of murder while still children are unable to prove they were under 18 years of age at the time of the crime and have received death sentences.”

Because many registrations occur years after the child was born, some parents register their children as older than they actually are, in order to enroll them in the military, Al-Qershi claims. Project to promote birth registration

In September 2013, UNICEF, the European Union and the Civil Registration Authority launched the project “Promoting Equity and Legal Identity for Children in Yemen by Improving Civil Registration.”

The project aims to offer birth certificates to the largest possible number of children in Yemen.

Abu Monassar told the Yemen Times that the four-year project aims to improve birth registration in order to promote equity among the population and legal identity for children.

“[Through this initiative], about 51 children in rural areas in Yemen were registered and received birth certificates in 2014. Children in several governorates such as Hodeida, Taiz, Lahj, Al-Dhale, Sana’a, Sa’ada and Al-Mahweet were targeted,” she said.

On Feb. 8, 2015, the project launched a campaign to offer free birth certificates for children in five rural districts of Sana’a governorate, including Al-Teyal, Khawlan, Al-Aroush, Nihm and Manakhat Haraz.

Abdullah Mohsen Daban, deputy governor of Sana’a governorate, told the Defense Ministry’s September 26 news website that the campaign eases the process of getting birth certificates for children living in rural areas.

Thursday 19 March 2015

http://www.yementimes.com/en/1869/report/4978/Majority-of-Yemeni-minors-lack-birth-certificates.htm

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Forensics identify victims of helicopter accident in Argentina

Argentine and French forensic experts have identified 10 people, two Argentine and eight French nationals, who died on March 9 when two helicopters crashed in the northern Argentine province of La Rioja, court officials told Efe.

The team used an odontological method and DNA samples given by the French victims’ families, Daniel Herrera Piedrabuena, the judge leading the investigation, told Efe on Tuesday.

The court will retain the victims’ DNA samples to confirm the findings.

The bodies would be sent to Buenos Aires and from there to Paris once the forensic process is completed.

Among the victims were three top French sports athletes: champion sailor Florence Arthaud, former 2012 Olympic gold medalist swimmer Camille Muffat, and 2008 Olympic bronze medalist boxer Alexis Vastine.

The fatal accident occurred in Villa Castelli, a remote area in the foothills of the Andes, more than 300 km (186 miles) from the provincial capital of La Rioja.

The cause of the accident is still unknown.

The two Argentine victims were the helicopters’ pilots while the French victims were participants of a new reality show that was going to be filmed in that area.

Thursday 19 March 2015

http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2379679&CategoryId=14093

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1992-1993 Georgia-Abkhazia armed conflict: ICRC helps to clarify the fate of Missing Persons

Problem of people missing during and after armed conflicts unfortunately relates to Georgia too. According to various sources, there is significant number of people who got missing during and in relation with armed conflicts of last decades in our country.

It is known that the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is actively involved in the process of searching of those people.

Ms Jelena Milosevic Lepotic, who coordinates the work related to issues of missing persons and their families, tells us more about the role and activities of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Indeed, there are over 2000 persons missing from the conflicts of the last decades and families are still waiting for answers,. Families are ageing and they told us many times that all they want is to have an answer and be able to give a proper burial to their relatives.

The ICRC initiated a "Missing project" which aims at addressing the issue of people who were unaccounted for as a result of armed conflicts in order to prevent disappearances, locate missing persons, and also to address the needs of their families. It is important to recall that the families of the missing persons should also be seen as victims of conflicts. An international conference was organized in Geneva in 2003, which led to recommendations and best practices on various issues linked with the disappearance of people, which unfortunately excessively occurs in conflict affected countries all over the world. Georgia has, unfortunately, not been spared. Thus, it is extremely important to try to implement and put into practice what has been recommended following the Conference. Aside from the various needs the families of missing persons are facing, the most crucial one is their need to know the whereabouts of their loved ones. In Georgia, we are actively working with all the parties involved in order to address this issue of the missing people in a purely humanitarian manner in order to find their whereabouts and if deceased, to identify and hand over the human remains to the families to allow them have a proper funeral ceremony and do their mourning.

In 2010, we succeeded to set up two humanitarian mechanisms: one addressing the issue of persons who disappeared in relation with the 1989-1992 and 2008 conflicts and the other addressing the issue of persons who went missing in relation to the 1992-1993 conflict. Both mechanisms are chaired by the ICRC.

It is important to mention that the authorities are actively involved in the process. I would say we see that the Georgian, Abkhaz, South Ossetian and Russian participants to the process do realise their responsibility in getting answers for the families of missing persons.

You mentioned the two coordination mechanisms that were established and work under the auspices of the ICRC. How successful is the work of those mechanisms? What are the results achieved by now?

The two mechanisms that we established are: the Bipartite Coordination Mechanism for Clarifying the Fate of Persons Missing in Relation to 1992-1993 Armed Conflict and after and the Tripartite Coordination Mechanism for the Clarification of the Fate of Persons Missing from the August 2008 armed conflict and earlier hostilities.

Despite the complexity of the process, the work of the two mechanisms does bring concrete results. The participants to the Bipartite Coordination Mechanism keep on meeting on regular basis and exchanging information relevant to the work. The ICRC provides support with technical expertise within the framework of its mandate of a neutral humanitarian organisation. The Tripartite Coordination Mechanism is presently facing some difficulties, yet the ICRC continues providing support to the participants to overcome present difficulties and continue successful bringing of answers to the families that await them.

So far, the following results have been achieved:

Following the decision made by the Bipartite Coordination Mechanism, experts from the Argentine Forensic Anthropology team were invited by the ICRC to support exhumations and analysis of 64 sets of human remains of unidentified persons that died during the 1992-1993 armed conflict and who were subsequently buried in the site of Park Slavy in Sukhumi. . Remains of 21 individuals have been identified and returned to their families since December 2013. In 2014, exhumations of 2 sites containing remains of persons who died in the 1993 plane crash at the Babushera Airport took place. Remains of 55 individuals were exhumed and analysed. Following the DNA and anthropological analysis, remains of 9 persons have been identified.

In parallel to work of the two mechanisms, we have also initiated a project in favour of the families of the missing people.

What kind of support do you provide to families of missing individuals?

Under the project Accompaniment of Families of Missing Persons, local non-governmental organizations, Georgia Red Cross Society and a number of enthusiastic individuals in cooperation with the ICRC provided psychological, legal, social, economic and psychosocial support to the families of missing. The aim of the project is to address their various needs, and assist them to live with their ambiguous loss.

Based on their feedback this work seems to be very much appreciated. These people feel that they are not forgotten and that their specific needs are taken into consideration.

You informed about exhumations in Babushera, Sukhumi and Tbilisi. According to various media sources, some other graves might as well be exhumed. What additional information could you give us on that issue?

As mentioned previously, the participants to the Bipartite Coordination Mechanism agreed and carried out exhumations at the sites of Park Slavy (Sukhumi), Babushera and Digomi (Tbilisi). So far, remains of 30 persons have been identified and handed over to their families both in Sukhumi and in Tbilisi. The first identifications of remains exhumed from Babushera were reached in December 2014 when one family received remains of its four missing family members. Identification of 5 more individuals exhumed from Babushera has been reached and Georgian participants to the Bipartite Mechanism (Ministry of IDPs and Refugees and the National Forensic Bureau Medical Department and Morgue), with support of the ICRC, organised the handover of the identified remains to the families in February 2015. More identifications can be expected as the process of identification using anthropology and DNA analysis continues.

What ensures accuracy of identification of human remains? What are the standards applied in this complex activity?

A multi-disciplinary approach is taken towards the identification of human remains. This includes using different types of information such as data about the missing person when they were alive, the circumstances of disappearance, DNA reference samples from family members and reliable information about the location about where the bodies may have been buried. This information is compared against data collected during the scientific recovery and analysis of the human remains as well as DNA samples that are taken from the skeletal material. In this way, multiple lines of enquiry and all supporting evidence is used for a positive identification. This approach follows international best practice in the identification of human remains and ensures confidence in the results.

What are the plans for the future?

The Bipartite Coordination Mechanism and its Forensic Working Group will continue meeting regularly. The next meeting is preliminary agreed to take place sometime in the spring in Istanbul. The dates are still not confirmed. It is expected that the participants will continue working on the collection of information about potential burial places to enable future exhumations, identifications and hand overs to the concerned families.

In order to have the process running smoothly, it is expected that all institutions directly and indirectly supporting the process fulfil their agreed roles: e.g. The Ministry of IDPs and Refugees continues collecting and managing information through its department for missing persons, the National Forensic Bureau DNA laboratory continues assisting the ICRC-led and financed process of collection and storage of biological reference samples and the Georgian government continues financing the process of DNA profiling of the biological reference samples collected from family members of missing persons, etc.

At the same time, safeguarding this humanitarian process from political agenda is highly important. The ICRC together with the Georgian and Abkhaz participants will continue ensuring that the nature of the coordination mechanism – non-politicized, non-reciprocal, and humanitarian – is maintained in the future.

The ICRC will recommend to the Georgian government to form a state commission on missing persons that will facilitate a standardised and centralised management of data on missing persons, their families, potential gravesites, and other relevant data. It is hoped that this will in turn facilitate clarification of the fate and whereabouts of those registered as missing and provide long-awaited answers to their families.

Wednesday 18 March 2015

http://www.messenger.com.ge/issues/3330_march_17_2015/3330_interview.html

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Myanmar ferry accident death toll climbs to 61

The death toll in a ferry accident last week off northwestern Myanmar rose to 61 as two more bodies were recovered Tuesday, state television reported.

The report on the evening news said that the bodies of 14 males and 47 females had been found so far, and efforts were continuing to recover victims from the ship about 30 meters (90 feet) underwater.

The Myanma Ahlin newspaper reported earlier Tuesday that the number of known survivors was 169.

The crowded government-run double-decker ferry was carrying more than 225 passengers when it left the coastal town of Kyaukphyu. The ferry had travelled about 80 kilometers (50 miles) north near Myebon in Rakhine state Friday night when it hit rough seas and capsized after taking on water.

Boat accidents due to overcrowding and bad weather are common in Myanmar's river deltas and coastal regions. People rely on boat transport because of the lower cost and the inaccessibility of many areas by road.

Wednesday 18 March 2015

http://news.yahoo.com/myanmar-ferry-accident-death-toll-climbs-61-143714417.html

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South Africa: 100 bodies recovered from unmarked grave on sugar cane farm

South African authorities on Tuesday said they have discovered a suspected mass burial site containing around 100 bodies at a sugarcane farm near the southestern port city of Durban.

The bodies buried at the unmarked site are suspected to be those of former prison farm labourers.

The Vulamehlo municipality mayor and senior local government officials visited the farm last week and "discovered that there were indeed graves ... where close to 100 people were buried," municipality manager Msizi Zulu told.

"We are not quite sure if they were buried in coffins or were just dumped there." A traditional sangoma, or witchdoctor was last year "prompted by the spirits about the grave" and led the authorities to the derelict site, he said.

It is not yet clear how old the burial site is and authorities have not yet started procedures to determine the identities of those buried. Glenroy Farm, situated less than 100 kilometres south of Durban, is now owned by leading sugar conglomerate Illovo, which bought it in 1989.

A statement from a provincial cabinet meeting last week said the farm was known as having used prison farm labourers years ago. Illovo said until now, it was unaware of the existence of the graves and "has never used, and does not use, prison labour at any of its operations".

"We have been informed that a broken-down and derelict building, which was previously hidden ... by thick and overgrown vegetation on an uncultivated section of the farm, was in fact a prison building many years ago, and that the graves recently discovered may well be those of prisoners," said Illovo.

It said it had no knowledge on whether the prisoners may or may not have worked on the farm prior to its ownership of the property 26 years ago.

Wednesday 18 March 2015

http://nation.com.pk/international/17-Mar-2015/100-bodies-recovered-from-unmarked-grave-in-sugar-cane

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The worst storm of all: Tri-State Tornado holds records 90 years later

Wednesday, March 18, 1925, was a comparatively slow news day in Cape Girardeau.

Among the headlines on the front page of the Southeast Missourian's evening edition: "College not likely to get new building." "Girl, 18, makes second trip to the altar." "Left-hand turn into driveways now prohibited."

And this: "Small town obliterated by cyclone."

Annapolis, Missouri, about 100 miles west of Cape Girardeau, was nearly wiped out by a tornado that passed through the area about 2 p.m. that day, the story stated.

The paper also said a little damage had been reported at Appleton and Perryville, Missouri, but a line of the Cape Girardeau Telephone Co. was down between towns, making communication impossible. But the storm had been "barely noticeable" in Cape Girardeau, "there being only a brisk wind."

No doubt the town went to bed gossiping about the 18-year-old divorcee. Little did they know of the extensive damage and losses their neighbors had suffered.

March 19, 1925

Thursday's headline across the top of the front page revealed a reality few had considered: "STORM TOLL IS NEAR 1,000."

The tornado -- known today as the Tri-State Tornado -- had, indeed, touched down at Annapolis, the first of many landing spots. The tornado went on for more than 200 miles, touching down at Biehle, Missouri; Gorham, Murphysboro, De Soto and West Frankfort in Illinois; and Griffin, Owensville and Princeton in Indiana, setting records along the way that still stand 90 years later.

The National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office website, which categorizes the Tri-State Tornado as an EF5, said it had an average path width of three-fourths of a mile, traveled 219 miles and caused 3 1/2 hours of continuous devastation.

The twister caused 695 deaths, a record for a single tornado.

A record 234 deaths were reported in Murphysboro, the most for a single community from such a disaster. And 33 people died at the De Soto school -- only bombings and gas explosions have caused more deaths at high schools, according to the website.

The site said modern research suggests such a long-lasting tornado is the result of an evolving supercell, in which one storm cell leads to the development of another.

Because the Tri-State Tornado's path was continuous, however, it's believed it could have been one rare, massive storm.

Five people in Cape Girardeau and Perry counties were known to be dead and 14 injured.

But across the river, the early death-toll numbers being reported were much higher: 35 killed at Parrish, 200 at West Frankfort, 500 at Murphysboro.

Dr. G.S. Cannon of Fornfelt, who had been helping treat the injured, told the Missourian: "Several carloads of injured were placed on board trains there at midnight to be taken to a Cairo hospital, and rescue workers were still searching the ruins for more injured and dead."

March 20, 1925

Somber news of the storm's toll on the area continued to roll in Friday. It was time to bury the dead.

A revised list of those killed was printed, with one more than previously had been thought after a report came in by phone after communication was re-established.

The paper said the "latest figures indicate the death list will be more than 600 in final and official compilations."

Hundreds of mourners gathered for triple services at Whitewater Presbyterian Church near Lixville in Bollinger County, Missouri, and a double service was held in the wrecked Catholic church at Biehle.

The tales of devastation seemed endless. One 35-year-old farmer, Joe Blechle, was laid to rest even as his wife lay injured at a neighbor's house in Biehle.

The prognosis was not good for 9-year-old Hazel Statler, who was fighting death at a Cape Girardeau hospital after she sustained a depressed skull fracture when the storm stuck her school at Lixville.

Ida Steuve, who with her sister, Concordia, was injured when wind damaged the Rich parochial school in Frohna, was expected to be taken to a Cape Girardeau hospital for surgery -- if she could withstand the trip.

In Indiana, 92 were reported dead, the United Press reported.

Murphysboro

The tornado had set a record speed of 73 mph between Gorham and Murphysboro, where the death toll continued to rise. One-hundred-fifty bodies were recovered the morning of March 20; 250 people were reported injured.

The Murphysboro power plant was damaged, leaving the city without water or light. One hundred city blocks were destroyed, and 70 more, including residential areas, were swept by flames.

Five students died when the storm ripped through the high school. Four other public schools were damaged, as well, killing 12 students.

Cape Girardeau visitors to Murphysboro urged others to stay away: "The city is under martial law, with state militiamen guarding the ruins. Everywhere there were tragic signs of the disaster."

The city of Murphysboro said it welcomed aid, but urged visitors to stay away. "Raise money; send supplies, but keep the people away," one story read.

So many rescue workers flocked to Illinois towns, a general order was issued to stop the flow of people into the cities.

Supplies had been rushed to the area, but apparently some of the curious visitors had been taking advantage, and townspeople were worried food would run out.

Recovery

Over the week following the Tri-State Tornado, recovery efforts began to take shape.

The Red Cross organized to help in Biehle and Sedgewickvile.

Two representatives worked out a program to help nearly 100 left homeless in the communities, the Southeast Missourian reported March 25, 1925.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency would not be created for another 54 years, but calls were made for government intervention.

"An application will likely be made to Gov. Sam A. Baker for funds from the state appropriation, now pending in the legislature" for relief work, one story read, because local monies weren't going to be enough.

Locally, $1,400 was raised and used to help tornado victims. That equates to just over $18,600 today.

In Illinois, Gov. Lennington Small ordered immediate construction of Highway 13 north from Murphysboro to St. Louis, the newspaper reported.

Isaac Levy, chairman of the general rehabilitation committee in Murphysboro, had asked Small to order the work completed by state labor so Murphysboro citizens could get employment.

Three thousand men from the area were expected to be employed on the project within a few weeks, beginning to rebuild for their communities and their families.

Wednesday 18 March 2015

http://www.semissourian.com/story/2176506.html

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Turkey: Migrant boat disaster in the Aegean Sea kills six, 2 missing

A small boat carrying illegal Syrian and Iraqi immigrants sank off the Aegean coast of Turkey early on Tuesday. Six aboard were killed while two others are missing in the latest tragedy that befell migrants hoping to cross into Europe via Turkey A small boat carrying 16 illegal Syrian and Iraqi immigrants from Bodrum, a popular vacation resort in southwestern Turkey, to Greece's Kos Island in the Aegean Sea, sank off the Turkish coast around midnight on Tuesday. The bodies of six migrants were recovered from the sea while eight others were rescued by the Coast Guard. Search and rescue crews continue to scour the area for two unaccounted migrants.

The incident was discovered when a Syrian man was found half-conscious off the coast by a Coast Guard patrol. The man told authorities they were sailing to Kos, some 5 miles from Bodrum when their boat started taking in water and sank. He said 15 others were aboard, including Iraqi citizens. Coast Guard boats and helicopters combed the area and rescued seven others who were found alive, while six bodies were found floating near the site where the boat sank.

As search and rescue efforts were underway, the Coast Guard stumbled across another group of immigrants boarding a 7 meter-long rubber boat near the area. Immigrants are suspected of sailing together with those aboard the sunken boat. Forty-six immigrants crammed on the boat were rescued minutes before their dinghy started taking on water and was taken to shore.

The Aegean Sea is a hotbed for illegal immigration, according to figures indicating more than 12,000 immigrants were caught by the Coast Guard last year. Undocumented immigrants from Middle Eastern and Asian countries increasingly head to Europe from Turkey via the Aegean Sea despite the ever-present risk of death in overcrowded dinghies.

In the first three months of 2015, teams rescued 1,497 migrants and captured six smugglers in about 60 incidents in operations in the Aegean Sea.

The Coast Guard captured 12,872 illegal immigrants in 2014 in 524 cases as they were trying to cross into Greece via the country's islands located near Turkish territories by boarding small boats. An average number of 35 people were captured daily while the Coast Guard managed to apprehend only 74 smugglers. Immigrants pay large sums to smugglers who often abandon them halfway through the trip to escape capture.

The number of illegal immigrants captured in 2013 by the Coast Guard was 8,047, with 6,937 of them captured in the Aegean Sea. Figures rose considerably in three years, from 2,531 in 2012.

Syrians who were displaced by four years of civil war in their country make up the majority of captured migrants. Although Turkey offers a safe haven for some 1.8 million Syrian nationals, many look to travel to Europe in pursuit of better employment. Immigrants from Myanmar and Afghanistan are also among the immigrants captured most often in the Aegean Sea during their journey of hope.

Almost all trips end up with the sinking of the boats carrying immigrants, as most travel in small rubber boats that are not built for long-distance travel. The boats are generally boarded by about two dozen people despite their capacity being far below that. According to 2014 figures by the Coast Guard, the bodies of 154 people were found in 842 operations against illegal immigrants throughout 2014, but this figure might be higher since most migrants enter Turkey illegally from the country's southern and eastern borders before reaching its western shores.

Wednesday 18 March 2015

http://www.dailysabah.com/nation/2015/03/17/turkey-migrant-boat-disaster-in-the-aegean-sea-kills-six

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Indonesia ends search for AirAsia Flight #8501 crash victims; 56 people still missing

The search for remaining bodies from a plane crash in the Java Sea ends on Tuesday night, the head of Indonesia's rescue agency has confirmed.

The ships involved in the search will then be pulled out on Wednesday, Bambang Soelistyo told the BBC.

AirAsia lost contact with flight QZ 8501 on 28 December as it was flying from Surabaya in Indonesia to Singapore with 162 people on board.

The search effort has recovered 106 bodies, with 56 unaccounted for.

The families of those missing are disappointed but understand that the search cannot go on indefinitely, reports the BBC's Alice Budisatrijo in Jakarta.

Frangky Chandra, the older brother of Gani Chandra, an Indonesian man who was on board the plane, and whose body has not been found, said it was difficult for his family to move on.

"We will never stop waiting," Mr Chandra told the BBC.

He said "the most important thing" was that DV1, the official search team, has said it will help with the identification process if any more bodies are found.

Tony Fernandes, the CEO of AirAsia, told reporters last week that he was satisfied with the search operation

"We have been successful... To get more than 50% is considered a huge success," he said.

But he added that the search could not "go on indefinitely".

The fuselage of the crashed plane was located in the Java Sea in mid January and the final part of it that was recoverable was removed at the end of February. Divers established that those elements of fuselage that had to be left in the sea did not contain any bodies.

The bodies that were recovered were mostly found in and around the wreckage, with a few discovered some 1,000km away, off the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. Three were found as recently as 14 March.

Wednesday 18 March 2015

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-31925944

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Migrant boat capsizes near Bodrum, 5 drown, 3 missing

A boat crammed with migrants capsized on Monday in the Aegean sea off the coast of bodrum in Turkey, leaving five people dead and three missing, according to news agencies.

According to the private Doğan news agency, the boat, which had Syrian refugees among its occupants, had been trying to enter Greece illegally when it overturned early Tuesday off the coast of the Greek island of Kos near the Turkish coast. The five dead were all Syrian men, Doğan said.

Coast guard vessels, fishing boats and search and rescue helicopters combed the area for survivors or bodies. So far, eight migrants, including one woman, out of 16 Syrians on the boat have been rescued by the coast guard teams dispatched to the area. The Syrians who were saved were hospitalized and were suffering from hypothermia.

The boat reportedly capsized around 2:00 a.m. when it started to take on water due to windy weather conditions. Fatal accidents are frequent in the area as migrants risk the dangerous sea crossing from Turkey to Greece.

Tuesday 17 March 2015

https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3169324430853717798#editor/src=dashboard

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Bodies identified in Argentine chopper crash

Forensic experts have identified the bodies of the 10 victims killed when two helicopters filming a French reality show collided in Argentina, including three of France's top sports stars.

'The bodies of the eight French nationals and two Argentine pilots have been identified,' the Argentine judge leading the investigation, Daniel Herrera, said Monday.

The helicopters were filming an episode of Dropped, a reality show in which sports stars were taken blindfolded into inhospitable environments, when they collided in mid-air in a mountainous region of northwest Argentina.

The accident killed Olympic champion swimmer Camille Muffat, renowned yachtswoman Florence Arthaud and Olympic boxer Alexis Vastine, as well as five French television crew members and two Argentine pilots.

It took French and Argentine forensic experts a week to identify the bodies, which were badly burned in the crash.

Herrera said they had relied on dental and medical records and X-rays.

'The bodies are still at the morgue (in the city of La Rioja). I will sign the authorisation for them to be taken to Buenos Aires,' he said.

Tuesday 17 March 2015

http://www.skynews.com.au/news/world/sthamerica/2015/03/17/bodies-identified-in-argentine-chopper-crash.html

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Myanmar ferry accident death toll climbs to 59

The death toll in a weekend ferry accident off Myanmar's northwestern coast has increased to 59 as more bodies were recovered, state-run media reported Tuesday.

The Myanma Ahlin newspaper said that rescuers pulled 23 more bodies out from inside the ship in about 30 meters (90 feet) of water, but that the number of survivors increased to 169 from 167.

The crowded government-run double-decker ferry was carrying more than 225 passengers when it left the coastal town of Kyaukphyu. The ferry had travelled about 80 kilometers (50 miles) north near Myebon in Rakhine state Friday night when it hit rough seas and capsized after taking on water.

Boat accidents due to overcrowding and bad weather are common in Myanmar's river deltas and coastal regions. People rely on boat transport because of the lower cost and the inaccessibility of many areas by road.

Tuesday 17 March 2015

http://news.yahoo.com/myanmar-ferry-accident-death-toll-climbs-59-032848877.html

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AirAsia Flight 8501: More Bodies Recovered From Crash Site

The search for AirAsia Flight 8501, which crashed in the Java Sea on Dec. 28, will end in the next “four or five” days, Tony Fernandez, the airline’s CEO, told BBC on Monday. The news comes the same day authorities revealed that more bodies of the crash victims were recovered from the sea.

Fernandes reportedly said that the search for those on board the Airbus A320-200 could not go on indefinitely and that authorities are in constant communication with the next of kin. Last week, Fernandes said that the Malaysian low-cost airline would give "one last shot" at recovering the missing bodies.

Suryadi B. Supriyadi, director of Indonesia's search and rescue agency, said Monday that three bodies were found about nearly 130 feet from where the main fragment of the plane’s fuselage was retrieved, Sputnik News reported, citing local news website Detik.com.

So far, over 100 bodies of the 162 people on board the flight have been recovered, while the plane’s debris and flight data recorders have also been retrieved from the bottom of the Java Sea, where it went down in stormy weather. Flight 8501 was on its way to Singapore from Surabaya, Indonesia. The body of the plane’s pilot, Captain Iriyanto, is yet to be found.

Investigators are reportedly analyzing flight data recorders to determine the cause of the crash.

In January, Indonesia's transport minister said, citing radar data, that the plane made an abnormally steep climb before stalling and crashing into the Java Sea.

Tuesday 17 March 2015

http://www.ibtimes.com/airasia-flight-8501-search-end-next-few-days-more-bodies-recovered-crash-site-1849148

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18 dead in Julma bus accident

Eighteen people have been killed and fourteen injured in a bus accident at Raralihi, Jumla. The passenger bus carrying 29 people was en route to Kalikot when it overturned at Raralihi, and plunged 200 meters down the road into Tila River at 8.30AM Monday morning.

According to Police Inspector Indra Bahadur Saud, 13 people were killed on the spot while five others died during treatment. Three of the critically injured have been taken to Kohalpur Hospital in Banke for treatment while remaining passengers are being treated at Karnali Academy of Health Sciences. Only one passenger was unhurt in the accident.

Police have identified all eighteen deceased including bus driver Sagar Buda and conductor Harka Buda.

Police suspect the bus may have overturned due to slippery road but the full detail of the accident is yet to come out. Passengers say that the bus was over speeding and lost control at a turning.

Road accidents are common in the highways of Nepal. Most of these accidents are blamed on reckless driving, overcrowding, poorly maintained roads and the terrain of the country.

Tuesday 17 March 2015

http://www.nepalitimes.com/blogs/thebrief/2015/03/16/17-dead-in-bus-mishap/

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10 killed in bus accident in Chhattisgarh

At least 10 persons died, including three women and a six-year-old girl, in a road accident on Monday morning when a passenger bus crashed into railing of a small over bridge near Korba. The passengers fell into a canal from the broken windscreen, about 30 feet down in water, resulting in their death.

More than 30 persons were said to be injured in the accident. The incident took place at village Madanpur on Badni nullah, main road, inspector in charge KS Tiwari told.br>
According to eyewitnesses, the accident took place at 9.30am about 100km from Vishrampur and a team of police reached the spot for rescue operations two hours after the incident.

The bus, belonging to Hindustan bus service, was headed to Korba from Surajpur district, carrying passengers of Korba, Vishrampur, Katghora, Ambikapur and few from Palamu district of Jharkhand.

Prima facie evidence indicates that there were more women and children travelling in the bus. While nine died on spot, one woman died in hospital during treatment. The bus driver, who was said to be in inebriated, fled after the accident.

Eye witnesses said that the bus was running on a very high speed and made a huge noise when it crashed. While the left side of bus remained hanging in air, passengers sitting in the front cabin fell from bus' broken windscreen.

Police said that the bodies were sent for autopsy. A woman and her two daughters were identified among the deceased while two persons of same family were also reported dead.

Chief minister Raman Singh expressed condolence to the bereaved families and ordered Korba district administration to assist those injured.

Tuesday 17 March 2015

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/raipur/10-die-in-bus-accident-near-Korba/articleshow/46591284.cms

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Cyclone Pam: Vanuatu rescue effort as bodies collected after monster storm

A corpse in the main street, another floating in the harbour, reports of dozens dead elsewhere, and buildings and whole villages blasted into pieces.

These were some of the scenes that greeted dazed Vanuatu residents and tourists on Sunday as the rescue effort and clean-up started in the tiny Pacific island nation which was devastated by Cyclone Pam. The monster category-5 storm, which brought wind gusts of 300km/h, has weakened to a category-3 cyclone as it heads towards New Zealand's North Island

On Sunday, the country's National Disaster Management Office reported at least eight people were confirmed dead and 20 had suffered serious injuries.

Advertisement But the death and injury toll was expected to rise as search and rescue efforts ramp up. The first flights bringing outside aid landed at the newly cleared airport near the capital Port Vila about midday on Sunday.

Unconfirmed reports were circulating of more than 40 people killed in northern Penama province, according to the United Nations Office of Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs for the Pacific. The province is about 120 kilometres from Port Vila.

Two foreign nationals were thought to have drowned when their sailing boat sank in the rough seas, but their nationalities have not been confirmed.

Australian tourism operators in Port Vila on Sunday confirmed they saw bodies around the capital.

Resort project manager Bernie Millman said he had gone outside on Saturday morning to find a Vanuatu national dead in front of a resort on the main street.

It looked like some local person had been stranded during the night. Perhaps he'd had too much to drink and had been trying to get back to his home and fallen asleep," said Mr Millman.

"And he's been hit by something. They called the ambulance and the police and they came and got the body."

Charter boat operator Australian Peter Phillipps said the body of an unidentified expat had been removed from the harbour in front of his mooring in Port Vila.

He was a fellow who had been living on a yacht and got into strife. He got into the tender and was drowned. They found his body in the tender [on Saturday].

"I couldn't tell you where he was from. We used to see him standing on his yacht waving to people."

Tom Skirrow, country director for Save the Children, said the Vanuatu Government's National Disaster Management Office co-ordinating the emergency response has confirmed the eight deaths.

The victims had been recovered from Port Vila, and its surrounding areas.

"It's without doubt a small number now and it will increase significantly as we start looking around. The problem at the moment is that no one can phone, no one has any communication or any power, so it's very difficult to get accurate numbers," Mr Skirrow said in a phone interview from Port Vila on Sunday.

Thousands more are believed to be homeless across some of the country's 83 islands after the cyclone's 300km/h gusts were reported to have leveled entire villages.

Monday 16 March 2015

http://www.smh.com.au/environment/weather/cyclone-pam-vanuatu-rescue-effort-as-bodies-picked-up-after-monster-storm-20150316-144nlp.html

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