Vehicle loaded with maize crushes 14 children, injures nine in Barkin Ladi

Tragedy struck in Barkin-Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State on Saturday as fourteen children were killed and nine others seriously injured when a vehicle, heavily loaded with maize ran into a group of Boys/Girls Brigade who were on a road walk.

Dailypost gathered Barkin-Ladi Local Government which is over 60km from Jos, was thrown into mourning due to the accident. An eyewitness told our correspondent that the children were members of Boys and Girls Brigade from three different Churches within the locality. The churches include; Church of Christ in Nations(COCIN), Assemblies of God Church and Baptist Church.

He added that, traffic along the highway was paralyzed for nearly two hours as motorists plying the said route stopped to catch a glimpse of the children whose bodies were seen beside the road.

It was further revealed that the children, forty in number were between the ages of 12 to 16 years and were out as early as 6:00 am for their routine walk to keep fit, but while on their way back, precisely at Tundun Maza, a wagon skidded off the road and rammed into them, killing 14 of them instantly.

It was further gathered that, immediately the incident occurred, both the driver and the owner of the maize, which the vehicle was conveying from Bokkos to Bukuru market, in Jos South Local Government, took to their heels, to avoid being lynched.

Meanwhile, the three affected Churches have suspended their weekend programmes and meetings to mourn the children who also doubled as security boys to the sad Churches during sunday services.

Their corpses have since been deposited at an undisclosed mortuary, while the injured have been transferred to Plateau State Specialist Hospital for further treatment.

Confirming the incident, the Police Public Relation Officer in the State, DSP. Felicia Anslem said the police have commenced investigation on the accident and as well making frantic efforts to track down the driver of the vehicle.

Saturday 3 August 2013

http://dailypost.com.ng/2013/08/03/vehicle-loaded-with-maize-crushes-14-children-injures-nine-in-barkin-ladi/

Over 40 die in Surobi flash floods in Kabul province

Dozens of people including women and children lost their lives, and hundreds of houses were destroyed following flash floods in Surobi district of Kabul province.

Local government officials said flash floods hit at least four villages due to heavy rains in Surobi district, and at least 96 people including women and children were hit by the floods.

According to reports , the dead bodies of at least 40 victims have been recovered while the remaining are still missing.

A member of the provincial council, Allah Mohammad warned that the casualties could rise as the floods had damaged hundreds of houses and destroyed a large area of agricultural and residential lands.

He said the government hospital in Surobi district was also destroyed.

In the meantime, officials in Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority said that preliminary reports suggest around 430 houses and shops were destroyed in flash floods.

Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority officials also said that flash floods have been reported in eastern Nangarhar and Kunar provinces of Afghanistan, however there are no reports regarding the casualties.

The officials further added that an Afghan national army helicopter has been sent to Surobi district to provide assistance to local residents who have been affected by flash floods.

Saturday 3 August 2013

http://www.khaama.com/over-40-die-in-surobi-flash-floods-in-kabul-province-2309

9 missing after boat sinks off Vietnam metro coast

One person is confirmed dead and eight other are still missing after a boat carrying 30 passengers, including two foreigners, capsized off the coast of Ho Chi Minh City on Friday night.

Big waves are believed to have overturned the boat, which was designed to carry just 18 people.

Staff of the Area III Marine Rescue and Research Center in the southern coastal province of Ba Ria – Vung Tau said they were informed of the accident that happened near Can Gio beach at around 9 p.m.

Rescue boats that were rushed to the site managed to save the lives of 21 people, including an American married couple.

The survivors were admitted in hospitals in HCMC’s Can Gio District, and Ba Ria – Vung Tau Province.

As of early Saturday morning, nine people, including helmsman Pham Duy Phuc, were still nowhere to be found, although rescuers have located the ill-fated boat.

A senior staff member of the rescue center who wished to stay unnamed told Thanh Nien that they could not approach the boat because of big waves.

The boat’s location is 10-21N; 106-57E, about eight sea miles from Vung Tau town, an online newspaper reported.

Initial information is that the boat belonged to an agency of the Ba Ria – Vung Tau coast guard. The accident happened when it was on its way back from the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang, where the passengers had attended a wedding.

Huynh Cach Mang, chairman of the Can Gio District People’s Committee, said the passengers are with the PetroVietnam Steel Pipe Joint Stock Company.

The search continues for the nine missing persons.

Saturday 3 August 2013

http://www.thanhniennews.com/index/pages/20130803-vietnam-shipwreck-leaves-9-missing.aspx

Rescuers yet to find more survivors of capsized boat off Johor coast

The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) has yet to find any survivors or bodies of the 40 people who were onboard a boat which sank off Tanjung Siang in Sedili Besar here on Thursday night.

MMEA Maritime Commander Amran Daud said they feared the worst when the search and rescue operations failed to find any traces of the passengers over the past two days.

The boat carrying 44 Indonesians including women and children, en route to Batam in Indonesia for the Hari Raya festival, capsized at 12.7 nautical miles off Tanjung Siang at 10pm on August 1.

Four men, aged between 26 and 31, were rescued about 15 hours after the boat capsized.

Amran said the bad weather and choppy waters due to the approaching northeast monsoon season made the task harder.

Amran said the boat was believed to be carrying the people illegally out of the country.

"The four survivors are still traumatised and we are trying to locate and identify the tekong (skipper) of the boat for further investigations," he said.

Amran said the operation was also carried out jointly with help from the Royal Malaysian Navy, the Marine police and the Royal Malaysian Air Force.

Malaysia is a hot spot for thousands of illegal workers from poorer neighbouring countries.

It is thought the Indonesians travelled by boat in order to bypass border controls on their way home.

Two ships, four speedboats and two helicopters are involved in the search for survivors, an official with the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) told the AFP news agency.

It is the second incident in Malaysian waters in two weeks after one woman drowned and 27 were rescued when a boat sank on 18 July.

Shipping accidents off Malaysia's coast are relatively common as illegal migrants try to find work in the relatively affluent country.

It is also a key transit hub for asylum seekers fleeing unrest in their own countries, such as in Burma (Myanmar).

The authorities are trying to clamp down on the number of people entering the country illegally by stepping up patrols and stopping boatmen from taking bribes.

Saturday 3 August 2013

http://www.nst.com.my/latest/rescuers-yet-to-find-more-survivors-of-capsized-boat-off-johor-coast-1.332158

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-23558833

Punjab bus mishap: 13 bodies recovered so far

Bodies of 13 people, who were on board the ill-fated bus which fell into Bhakra canal on July 31, have been recovered so far.

Eight deceased have been identified, SHO Sirhind S S Virk said today.

At least 27 persons were feared drowned after a Punjab roadways bus on way from Delhi to Amritsar fell into a canal near Sirhind in Fatehgarh Sahib district of Punjab in the wee hours of July 31.

District administration is making all efforts to locate the bodies of the missing persons, Fatehgarh Sahib Deputy Commissioner Arun Sekhri said.

Most of dead bodies were recovered from Patiala and Sangrur districts and kept at the mortuary of Rajindra Hospital, Patiala, he said.

Amloh Naib Tehsildar Nirpal Singh Tiwana has been made nodal officer at Rajindra Hospital to update the family members of missing persons about any development, Sekhri said.

The Deputy Commissioner said help line numbers at district administrative complex, SSP office and Civil Hospital, Fatehgarh Sahib is providing regular information.

Saturday 3 August 2013

http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/punjab-bus-mishap-13-bodies-recovered-so-far-113080300909_1.html