Police: 2 bags from Missoni plane found in Bonaire

Police on the tiny island of Bonaire said Thursday that two pieces of luggage from a missing plane that was carrying the CEO of Italian fashion house Missoni has washed up on a local beach.

In Curacao, Bonaire police spokesman Hans Baltus confirmed that two bags found earlier this week on a rocky beach were from the missing plane carrying Vittorio Missoni, his wife and four others. Baltus declined to provide information about the nametags on the battered bags, citing an ongoing investigation.

However, Missoni family friend Claudio Verna in Italy said that authorities in Bonaire phoned him Tuesday to tell him that two bags were found that belonged to the missing CEO. He said the bags were discovered Tuesday by a local newspaper reporter on the tiny island off Venezuela.

Baltus said police were in contact with Verna as a family representative.

The BN-2 Islander plane carrying Missoni and the others vanished shortly after takeoff on Jan. 4 from Los Roques, a tiny archipelago that is a dependency of Venezuela. It was destined for Caracas, the South American nation's capital.

Late last month, a bag belonging to a tourist who missed that flight washed up in nearby Curacao, which lies some 200 miles (320 kilometers) west of the resort islands of Los Roques. It was the first sign of debris from the missing plane.

From Italy, Verna said the Missoni family and friends of the missing couple are still hoping that the plane did not plunge into the ocean.

"You cannot exclude that someone could launch bags in the sea. We are not in the condition now to exclude any other option," he said.

Verna said he will fly to Venezuela next week and try to advance plans to hire a boat to search for the missing plane.

Baltus said the two bags found in Bonaire are expected to be sent shortly to authorities in Venezuela.

Italy's air safety agency has said the pilot of the vanished plane had an expired medical fitness certificate and that the company operating the aircraft wasn't yet authorized to fly. However, the National Flight Safety Agency has said that neither factor is being blamed for the disappearance at this time.

Seven minutes after takeoff, the pilot reported that he was at 5,000 feet and 10 nautical miles from the Los Roques airport, according to the agency. The last radar readings showed the aircraft accelerating at 5,400 feet before it quickly lost altitude and speed, veering to the right until it disappeared from the radar.

Friday 15 February 2013

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20130214/cb-curacao-venezuela-missing-plane/

Bureau to trace missing people in mysore

"Based on the guidelines of the Supreme court and the Union ministries of social welfare, home affairs and women and children we have now decided to give special attention to tracing missing persons," said Mysore city police commissioner, K. L. Sudheer, adding that the missing persons bureau in Mysore , only the second of its kind in the state, would be set up in the next four or five days at the Mysore City Crime Records Bureau.

It will store both hard and soft registers of missing persons, accident victims and even unidentfied bodies. The bureau would be expected to coordinate with all police stations and ranges both in Mysore district and neighbouring districts, including Bengaluru, said the commissioner blaming love affairs and emotional disturbances in nuclear families for many of the people going missing in the city.

Of those who went missing last year, 94 minor girls and 85 women have already been traced, but the hunt is on for the others. In 2011, of the 114 minor girls and 214 women who went missing, 89 girls and 170 women were traced and returned to their families .

In all of the 678 people who went missing from Mysore in 2012, only 468 people have been traced so far. And in 2011, of the 634 people reported missing, the police has managed to find 479.

Friday 15 February 2013

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/130215/news-current-affairs/article/now-bureau-trace-missing-people-mysore

More bodies found in Semirara landslide

The bodies of a still undetermined number of miners trapped when a mining pit in Antique collapsed Wednesday have been found, but they have yet to be retrieved after operations were halted because of the stench, police said.

In a phone interview, Senior Inspector Rico Andaza, Caluya police chief, said reports reaching his office said that rescuers have already identified the exact location of the missing miners, but he could not say if all five missing miners have been found.

“Basta ang sabi sa report is natukoy na daw iyong location noong mga nawawala pero hindi alam kung ilan at kung buhay o patay mga nakita,” he said, adding that operations were halted to wait for doctors called in by the Semirara Mining Corp. to ascertain the condition of the victims.

In its latest report, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council identified the remaining missing victims as Leovigildo Porras, jan Riel Planca, Randy Tamparong, Richard Padernilla, and Junjie Gomez.

Disinfectants were said to have been sprayed at the area to clear the stench.

Andanza earlier said that rescue operations continued all through the night at the mining pit in Barangay (village) Semirara in Caluya, Antique.

Thirteen miners were initially trapped when the mining pit collapsed while they were reportedly taking a break.

Three were immediately rescued, and five were later found, but already dead.

The NDRRM identified the rescued miners as Marjun Catoto, Adrian Celmar, and Leonardo Sojor. Catoto has been released from the hospital, it said.

The fatalities were identified as George Bragat, Abner Lim, Joven Hocate, Efren Equiza, and Anthony Sibet. The NDRRM earlier reported that missing victim Porras was among the fatalities, and fatality George Bragat was among the missing victims.

The Semirara Mining Corp. said it was investigating the cause of the landslide.

“The management is in the process of determining the cause of the accident in coordination with relevant government authorities. Meanwhile, it has stopped operations to ensure the safety of all its personnel,” George San Pedro, Semirara Mining Corp. resident manager said in a statement, adding that the company is to extend full support to the families of affected personnel.

Superintendent Marloe Marfil, Antique provincial director-officer-in-charge, has said that the area has been declared as a “danger zone.”

Wednesday 15 February 2013

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/359125/more-bodies-found-in-semirara-landslide

At least 18 killed in Afghan bus crash, say officials

Afghan officials say at least 18 people have been killed in a traffic accident in the country’s southeast.

Deputy provincial governor in Ghazni Ahmad Ali Ahmad said the accident took place on Thursday on Afghanistan’s main north-south highway, when a bus with more than 50 passengers on board rammed into a truck. He added that here were also numerous injuries.

The deputy provincial governor further said the accident was due to reckless driving on the part of the bus driver, who was speeding on a narrow part of the highway in the Qarabagh district.

The main hospital in Ghazni province confirmed the death toll.

Thursday 15 February 2013

http://dawn.com/2013/02/14/at-least-18-killed-in-afghan-bus-crash-say-officials/