Concordia victims want the truth

SURVIVORS and relatives of victims of the Costa Concordia shipwreck clamored for truth at a pre-trial hearing in Italy yesterday, with some still waiting for identification of the remains of their loved ones one-and-a-half months after the disaster. The giant cruise liner capsized off the Tuscan island of Giglio after hitting a rock on January 13, killing at least 25 people. Seven people are still unaccounted for, and eight of the bodies found have yet to be identified. Prosecutors have accused captain Francesco Schettino of causing the accident by bringing the Costa Concordia, which was carrying more than 4,200 passengers and crew, too close to shore. Eight other officers and executives of the ship's owner, Costa Cruises, are also under investigation. "We want to know the truth, what happened, and what we are supposed to do now. That's all we are asking," said Hilaire Blemand, a French national whose 25-year-old son Michael was onboard...

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Around 200 dead in Congo Republic blasts - official

BRAZZAVILLE, Republic of Congo - Blasts rocked the capital of the Republic of Congo Sunday morning after a weapons depot caught fire, officials said, killing and wounding unknown numbers people and forcing 2,000 to flee their homes. Around 200 people have been killed and many more injured in a series of explosions in Brazzaville, the capital of Congo Republic, according to a senior official in the presidency, citing hospital sources. "According to sources at the central hospital we're talking of around 200 dead and many injured," Betu Bangana, head of protocol in the president's office in Brazzaville, told Reuters by telephone. Another explosion struck the area early in the afternoon, causing panic among those gathered there, including journalists. The explosions shook houses in Brazzaville and echoed across the Congo River to the capital of the neighbouring country. Didier Boutsindi of the presidential office said the explosions...

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Fifteen killed and scores injured as two trains collide head-on in worst Polish rail disaster in living memory

Two trains running on the same track collided head-on in southern Poland last night, killing 15 people and leaving 56 injured. The accident, which is the worst train disaster in Poland in more than...

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Learn Morse code to help disaster victims, radio hams told

JOHOR BARU: Amateur radio enthusiasts should learn Morse code so that they can respond to emergencies better. South Johor Amateur Bandwidth Radio Association patron Tunku Abdul Jalil Tunku Osman said such a skill was useful, especially during natural disasters. “During the 2004 tsunami, the emergency response teams that were deployed to Aceh used Morse code to find victims as phone lines were damaged. “In the major flood that hit Kota Tinggi and several other districts in the state, our members used two-way radios to help,” he said after attending the association’s annual general meeting here yesterday. There are two categories for the amateur radio operator’s certificate: Class A and Class B from the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission. A ham radio operator needs a Class B licence to keep and operate a wireless radio. “The Class A licence requires that the holder learns Morse code,” he said, adding that a higher frequency...

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Southern Poland train crash leaves 14 dead

Two trains have collided in southern Poland, leaving 14 people dead, local officials say, and 50 hurt. The accident occurred on Saturday evening on the Warsaw-Krakow mainline at the small town of Szczekociny, according to Polish TV. Two express trains, one of which was on the wrong track, collided head-on, a senior railway official said. Prime Minister Donald Tusk arrived at the scene early on Sunday morning, with three other cabinet ministers. "This appears to be one of the most serious railway accidents in recent years," Transport Minister Slawomir Nowak told the TVN24 news channel. Some passengers remain trapped in the wreckage, police say. Helicopter ambulances from Warsaw and Wroclaw are helping to take the injured to hospitals. "The rescue is difficult and complicated," firefighter Jaroslaw Wojtasik told Polish television. "The damage to the wagons is huge. We have contact with victims. We are approaching very cautiously." Engineering...

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Guyana’s air and river transport disasters

…volumes of ‘cold cases’ as families still seek closure Guyana compared to the rest of the countries in South America is small in size and in comparison to its sister Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries has a negligible transportation air and sea fleet. But it’s not without its fair share of air and river disasters. In 2009 Prometheus Resources Guyana had a plane conducting aerial surveys as part of a mineral mapping programme. That plane has disappeared along with its crew and despite valiant searches is yet to be found. The following year the ‘Captain Sunil’ went down with its crewmembers in the Atlantic. They included, 44-year-old Teserdeen Lochan, called ‘Paulin’ of Lot 70 Madewini, and brothers, Jairam Surujpaul, 42, and ‘Foman’ Surujpaul, of Lot Five Bladen Hall, East Coast Demerara. Fortunately, the crew on this vessel was discovered two weeks later some 123 nautical miles from the location where the boat was believed to have...

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