DNA tests to identify nine who died in chopper crash

Grief-stricken families of nine ITBP/NDRF rescuers who died in an IAF chopper crash in Uttarakhand will have to wait longer before they receive the bodies of their near ones. Unable to identify these...

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Uttarakhand: Trafficking of unclaimed children and disposal of dead bodies pose fresh post-disaster challenges

With over a lakh been rescued from the flood-ravaged Uttarakhand, the bigger challenge now lies in reconstructing the lives which were shattered during the flashfloods in the state. People in Uttarakhand...

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Dozens killed in Uganda fuel tanker explosion

A fuel tanker explosion in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, has killed 29 people and left at least 20 others injured, police have said. The accident happened on Saturday evening on the outskirts of...

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Mine collapse toll in CAR rises to 62

The number of people killed when a gold mine in the Central African Republic caved in at the weekend has risen to 62, local officials said on Friday. The previous toll from the disaster, which occurred...

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Lab will identify Hammerl’s remains

The family of slain Saturday Star photographer Anton Hammerl are hopeful that his remains will be identified by a Sarajevo DNA laboratory which has set out to identify the remains of some of the thousands...

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1,000 still missing in ‘Himalayan Tsunami’

At least 1,000 people remain missing almost two weeks after devastating floods struck India's Himalayan region, killing hundreds and leaving tens of thousands of people in need of aid and rehabilitation,...

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Relatives identify missing loved ones at display

Sisters Sangita Jadhav and Asmita Yadav spent almost two years searching for their brother Deepak Zende, who had been missing since September 2011. Their search met a tragic end on Friday when they...

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Mass graves of babies scandalize Greece

The unresolved issue of mass graves of babies has made Kaliopi Spanou, Ombudsman in Athens, file a complaint against the administration of Athens cemetery. In 2008, the Ombudsman had prepared a special...

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'Go slow on last rites, bodies don't spread disease'

A group of senior scientists from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) has warned the Uttarakhand government, under pressure to finish mass cremations at Kedarnath, against the consequences...

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Death toll rises to 52 after Ndassima mine collapse

The number of people killed when a gold mine in the Central African Republic collapsed at the weekend rose to 52, local officials said. The previous toll for the disaster, which occurred on Sunday...

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No DNA samples, chopper crash victims hard to identify

The bodies of 17 out of 20 IAF, ITBP and NDRF personnel who were killed in Tuesday's helicopter crash are badly mutilated and burnt, and they are still lying at the accident site near Kedarnath, officials...

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Authorities cremate hundreds of flood victims in northern Indian state of Uttarakhand

Authorities in India on Thursday conducted mass cremations of hundreds of people who were killed by devastating floods and landslides that struck Uttarakhand nearly two weeks ago. Army helicopters...

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Venezuela: Italy fashion CEO Missoni’s missing plane found; disappeared in January

The underwater wreckage of a plane that disappeared off Venezuela with the CEO of Italy’s iconic Missoni fashion house and five other people on board has been found, government officials and family...

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Historic Schooner Nina and crew of seven missing off New Zealand

A text message asking for advice about sailing on in bad weather was the last communication from missing schooner, Nina. The message was sent to a meteorologist on June 4, six days into its voyage...

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Body of storm victim found dead months after Hurricane Sandy

In the chaotic days after Superstorm Sandy, an army of aid workers streamed onto the flood-ravaged Rockaway Peninsula looking for anyone who needed help. Health workers and National Guard troops went...

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Understanding the role of local culture in disaster victim identification

Culture can be defined as the predominating attitudes and behaviour that characterize the functioning of a particular group or society. This may include belief systems, religion, (ancestral) traditions...

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7 yr norm to declare missing person 'dead' must be relaxed

The Kedarnath tragedy has killed thousands of devotees and death toll is likely to go up as thousands of people are still missing. The relatives of the missing persons are praying day and night for...

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Kinect-guided cockroaches could map disaster zones

Connecting Microsoft's Kinect system to an electronic cockroach interface could create insects capable of mapping out collapsed buildings and other dangerous areas. Remote controlled cockroaches...

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Remembering the victims of 1950s Stalinist regime

A ceremony was held on Wednesday at Prague's Ďáblice Cemetery to remember those killed or incarcerated by Czechoslovakia's communist regime. Organised by the Confederation of Former Political Prisoners,...

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Online database of all the recovered bodies on cards

A team of forensic officers was deployed by the Uttarakhand Government on Wednesday to collect DNA samples of unidentified bodies, after flash floods and landslides ravaged the hill State earlier this...

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Uttarakhand floods: Identifying the dead proving to be a daunting task

After saving most of those who survived the Uttarakhand floods, authorities are facing a daunting task in establishing identities of hundreds of bodies by way of photographs and DNA samples before...

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All 20 bodies found in helicopter crash in north India

Paramilitary soldiers on Wednesday recovered 20 bodies from a steep hillside in northern India where a helicopter crashed while on a mission to rescue people stranded in monsoon floods, the country's...

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Delhi Police mistakingly uploads living guru's photo in category of unidentified bodies

The ZIPNet or the Zonal Integrated Police Network is one project which is key to Delhi Police plans for the future. The aim is to share crime and criminal information in real-time with police forces...

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Govt braces for DNA profiling as hope fades for the missing

Before the first lot of mass cremations of the Uttarakhand flash flood victims on Wednesday, the government is getting ready to undertake one of its biggest DNA profiling of the dead. DNA profiles...

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More feared dead as 37 bodies recovered after Central African Republic mine collapse

The Presidency of Central African Republic has confirmed that 37 people died in the recent gold mine collapse and expressed fear that the toll could be even higher. "More bodies could not be found....

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All bodies of Romanians who died in Montenegro bus crash identified

The bodies of the 18 Romanians who died in a bus crash on the weekend in Montenegro were brought to Romania on June 25, two days after the crash, and all of them were identified. Meanwhile, the 29...

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Indian Air Force helicopter crashes; four more bodies found

An Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopter on a rescue mission crashed in Uttarakhand this evening. Government sources say 20 people were on board and there are no survivors. But twelve bodies have been...

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Indian Air Force helicopter crashes, eight bodies found

An Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopter on a rescue mission crashed in Uttarakhand this evening. Government sources say 19 people were on board and there are no survivors. But the Air Force said eight...

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Inquest starts into Christmas Island asylum tragedy

A Coroner for Western Australia will today begin an inquest into the deaths of more than 100 asylum seekers on a boat which sank north of Christmas Island last year. Coroner Alastair Hope will preside...

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India floods: Bad weather delays rescue and mass cremations

Bad weather has halted rescue operations in flood-hit northern India and forced authorities to delay mass funerals for those killed. Air force officials said they were unable to fly helicopters to...

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Deadly Ottawa train crash 100 years later

The Winnipeg Express chugged out of Montreal at 9:45 a.m. ET on June 25, 1913, hauling 10 cars. It was shaping up to be a warm, early-summer day and a pleasant trip west. Engineer Albert Chapman...

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