Bodies of 13 immigrants wash up on shore of Italy after boat smuggling 200 migrants from Africa runs aground

The bodies of 13 immigrants have washed up on the coast of Sicily after a boat carrying 200 people ran aground as it approached the shore.

When the boat ran into difficulties in rough seas near the coastal town of Scicli this morning, the migrants it was carrying jumped into the sea.

Most made it to shore and ran away, but a number of men were unable to swim strongly enough and drowned.

Rescue boats and divers are now combing the waters looking for more bodies.

Two alleged leaders have been arrested on suspicion of people-trafficking, according to Italian newspapers.

One of the rescue workers said that the Scicli beach was within reach of the migrants at the time, who had travelled packed very closely onto an eight-metre long, cabin-less fishing boat for several days to get this far.

Witnesses say the traffickers showed no qualms about beating the migrants to force them to dive into the water.

According to an initial reconstruction of the events, the coast guard received an emergency phone call around 10 AM from a swimmer on the Scicli beach, who had seen the migrants in the sea after the boat ran aground some 100 metres from the coastline.

Police, carabinieri, and medical teams were mobilised, while three coast guard vessels took off from Pozzallo.

Once at the location of the sighting - San Piei di Modica, a few kilometres from the Scicli beach - they saw some corpses had been washed ashore while others were subsequently recovered a few metres from the shoreline.

The bodies of an overall 13 North African adult males were found. The other migrants had swum to shore only a few moments before, and only a few of them were stopped by the authorities.

Most instead managed to escape on foot. Searches are underway to find them.

One of the alleged smugglers is said to have lashed out at a swimmer who tried to rescue him from the water.

As well as the 13 men who drowned, a number of other immigrants had to be rescued, and several - including a pregnant woman - were taken to hospital for treatment.

One immigrant who tried to escape after reaching the shore was hit by a car on a nearby road and suffered serious injuries.

In addition, 20 children are among the 70 migrants apprehended so far, most of whom came from Eritrea in East Africa, according to Corriere Della Sera.

However, Sicily and surrounding islands are notorious hotspots for immigrants arriving by boats from Tunisia, Libya and sub-Saharan Africa.

The region has also attracted a large number of Syrian immigrants in recent weeks following the continued violence in the country's civil war.

This is not the first time in recent months that illegal migrants making the desperate journey to Italy have drowned on the way.

Last month six Egyptians died after they jumped out of their trawler, thinking they had reached land, while in July seven immigrants drowned while trying to hold on to a fishing cage being towed to shore.

Monday 30 September 2013

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2439311/Bodies-13-immigrants-wash-shore-Italy-boat-smuggling-200-migrants-Africa-runs-aground.html

http://www.ansamed.info/ansamed/en/news/sections/generalnews/2013/09/30/Thirteen-migrants-pushed-boat-off-Sicily-drown_9385317.html

Mumbai building collapse: confusion over bodies

Several families were unable to identify the bodies of their near and dear ones at JJ Hospital because they had swelled up and unrecognisable. Lack of coordination between the hospital and the cops added to the confusion.

The Jadhavs were not sure whether the body handed over to them was that of their daughter Pallavi (20).

Pallavi was brought in at J J Hospital at 8 pm on Saturday night after which her maternal aunt Reshma Jadhav identified her body and were given her necklace and bracelet after the due process.

The family said that they filled up a form with the police as well as the senior medical officer present at the time.

Reshma said, “I went up to identify the body of Pallavi’s mother Chitra for around 10 minutes and returned to the hospital on Sunday morning to claim Pallavi’s body after the post-mortem was conducted.”

“I learned that another family called the Gaikwads had taken the body and performed the last rites assuming it was their 17-year-old daughter Komal Gaikwad,” she added.

Reshma went to the medical officer after the mix up and was shown the list in which Pallavi’s name was crossed off and instead Komal Gaikwad’s entry was made.

The family then exchanged heated words with hospital officials as to why they handed over the body to the Gaikwad family.

Hospital officials began to run around to confirm the identity of Pallavi after which J J Dean Tatyarao Lahane, ex-corporator Yeshwant Jadhav and BMC union leader Sanjay Baperkar met with the family for around 10 minutes.

The family who had assumed that they were given Komal Gaikwad’s body was taken back to the morgue along with officials after which the Jadhav family were convinced that it was Pallavi.

Yeshwant Jadhav said, “When we calmed the family down and took them to the morgue, they recognised her earrings as well as a ring that Pallavi wore on the middle finger of her left hand.”

Pallavi’s paternal uncle, Suresh Jadhav confirmed the identification, he said, “Yes we saw the body and are convinced that it is Pallavi.”

The 24-hour drama ended at 8 pm on Sunday, the family is awaiting for the body of Pallavi’s brother Sanket who is yet to be identified. Pallavi’s sister Mansi and her mother Chitra were found dead on Saturday evening. The only survivor is her father Chandrashekar Jadhav (50) who was found with minor injuries after 32 hours of the collapse.

Chandrasheakar is also admitted in J J Hospital, but has not been told about the death of his family members, said his brother Suresh Jadhav.

Monday 30 September 2013

http://freepressjournal.in/now-the-bungle-over-bodies/

Private jet bursts into flames after 'unsurvivable' crash on runway

A private jet has exploded into flames after sliding off the runway in Santa Monica, California, Sunday night in a crash that authorities are calling 'unsurvivable.'

Smoke could been seen billowing high into the sky above the Santa Monica Airport, where the twin-engine Cessna Citation jet crashed into a hanger about Sunday afternoon.

It is unknown how many people were aboard the jet and no fatalities have been confirmed.

However, Santa Monica Fire Captain John Nevandro told reporters 'I was an unsurvivable crash.'

KNBC-TV reports that the plane crashed about 6.20pm Pacific Time.

The plane was landing in Santa Monica en route from Hailey, Idaho, a resort town the boasts celebrity residents like Tom Hanks, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis.

However, neighbors reported hearing a thunderous boom before the fire started.

Dozens of Twitter users posted pictures of a large cloud of smoke coming from the airport.

The aircraft then caught fire. Firefighters are currently battling the blaze, which sent a cloud of smoke billowing above the city 15 miles east of downtown Los Angeles.

The cloud could be seen from miles away, including on Venice Beach.

The plane belongs to Creative Real Estate Exchange LLC, an real estate company whose owner lives in Malibu.

The jet has taken eight flights since September 15.

Monday 30 September 2013

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2438413/Crash-Santa-Monica-Airport-twin-engine-plane-slides-runway-landing.html

Nigeria boat capsize (update) : 42 bodies recovered

Over 40 persons are feared dead after a boat carrying about 150 traders and wedding guests capsized last Friday in River Niger, about four kilomtres offshore near Malale village in Borgu local government area of Niger State.

The boat was ferrying people from Tungar Na'illo from neighbouring Kebbi State to a local market in Malale, when it hit a stump and broke into two, official of the Nigerian Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and locals told Sunday Trust last night. NEMA said further that about 100 persons were still missing as at press time.

At least 42 dead bodies were said to have been recovered from the river, even as search for more bodies was continuing at nightfall yesterday.

Residents said the body of the Village Head of Tungar Na'illo, Malam Garba Maigari, who was in the boat, was also missing in the waters.

One of the men involved in the rescue efforts who was interviewed by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Hausa Service yesterday, said fishing nets had been used to bring out about 16 bodies from the river.

He said the mishap occurred during an attempt by operators to repair the boat's engine, which went off, adding that no government agency had taken part in the rescue operation at the time of the interview.

Most of the passengers were on their way to the market to sell smoked-fish, while others were returning from a wedding ceremony in a neighbouring community in Kebbi State, it was learnt.

The spokesperson of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), Malam Ibrahim Hussaini, said the boat's driver, one Dauda Santere Abubakar, and 15 others had survived the accident, adding that the driver had disclosed that only 80 people were onboard at the time the boat sank. However, other persons from the community who spoke variously claimed that the boat was overloaded and suffered from age-related mechanical problems.

Hussaini, earlier told Sunday Trust that details at his disposal were still sketchy, and that "the boat was believed to be carrying over 150 passengers, mostly traders [when it] capsized midway into its journey resulting in the drowning of the passengers."

"Efforts are being made to rescue possible survivors along the bank of the river or [to recover] the corpses of victims that were drowned. At the moment search and rescue is ongoing on the river and I will make the details of the incident available later as the agency has dispatched its officers to assist the villagers in the rescue efforts", he said.

A road safety official, however, told Sunday Trust in Kebbi State that about 30 people were rescued with two bodies of infants floating.

Similarly, an eyewitness, Ibrahim Yauri, told Sunday Trust that the incident occurred around 12 noon and that it took over three hours rescue operation to recover 42 bodies.

Ibrahim said the boat took off from Niger State to Warra when it met its waterloo.

"The boat left Tungan Na-IIlo village in Niger State with traders and those attending a wedding ceremony. The boat broke into two as a result of overload and most of the victims are from Niger State. So far we have recovered about 42 bodies including two babies and many women," he said.

Another witness, Malam Adamu, said the rescue operation was still ongoing at the time of filing this report, "but it is very difficult because of the lack of equipment and adequate manpower."

A former vice chairman of Borgu local government, Saifullah Haruna Umar, told Sunday Trust that over 60 people, including women and children, were believed to have died in the mishap.

Haruna said reports from eyewitnesses had indicated that the ill-fated boat was pierced by a tree stump that was lying on the riverbed, breaking it into two and causing people to drown.

He said apart from carrying passengers beyond its capacity, the boat was equally overloaded with luggage and other personal effects.

"We will want to call on government to clear the river of these deadly stumps which have been causing accidents, especially for canoe riders who are not familiar with the route," he said.

But a source in Borgu Emirate said four bodies were initially removed from the waters on Friday, adding that another 17 were recovered yesterday.

"Some of them tried to swim to shore, but gave up later and died after getting exhausted because of the distance," he said.

"It is too early to know the exact number of people that have drowned at the moment, because most of the bodies will remain under the water until after about two or three days," he added.

He said the boat was old and rickety even before the accident.

It was gathered that though the villagers raised the alarm over the mishap at New Bussa, the local government headquarters, which is about 30 kilometres from Malale district market, effective rescue efforts were too late by the local divers who were mobilized by the local government officials arrived.

The Secretary to the Niger State Government, Saidu Ndako, was also quoted as confirming the boat mishap, saying 42 people had perished "I received the information late in the night that a boat had capsized and 42 persons have drowned in the incident, while rescue operation is ongoing," the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), quoted him as saying.

"We believe that the boat was overloaded because its capacity was put at 60 passengers, but over 150 passengers were said to be on board during the incident. The debris in the swollen river may also have been responsible for the incident," he said.

Meanwhile, the Niger State governor, Mu'azu Babangida Aliyu yesterday commiserated with the families of the victims of the boat mishap.

Aliyu, in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Malam Danladi Ndayebo, described the accident as disheartening "at a time when government was grappling with the challenges of bettering the lot of the people."

He "urged those involved with water transportation to be more careful, especially during raining season when water level is usually high," the statement said, adding that "the state emergency management agency had since deployed its officials to the scene of the mishap to ascertain the extent of losses incurred with a view to compensate families of the victims."

Monday 30 September 2013

http://allafrica.com/stories/201309290124.html

Mexico's disappeared continues to rise

A helicopter with five people on board crashed near Murbad, about 75km from Mumbai, on Sunday morning. All the five, including two pilots, were found dead.

The Bell 212 helicopter took off from Juhu aerodrome at 7.47am for Nagpur via Aurangabad for a refuelling break. The Mumbai ATC took charge of the chopper’s navigation about five nautical miles from Juhu. The helicopter was expected to reach Aurangabad at 9.30am.

Around 9.10am, the ATC’s Aurangabad division informed Mumbai about the loss of contact with the helicopter. The Mumbai ATC immediately launched a search operation along with several agencies.

After a while the Thane police informed the ATC about a chopper crash around 2,000ft above the ground on a hilly terrain in Murbad’s Naneghat area.

The dead were identified as captain SS Bhaduria, co-pilot captain Allen Martin, captain Anshu Matta, engineer Yatin Wakade and technician Dean D’Souza.

“The bodies will be handed over to the families after post-mortems,” NK Balakrishnan, CEO of United Helicharters Pvt Ltd, which owned the helicopter, said.

Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) officials visited the spot and an investigation is on.

“So far, we suspect the aircraft touched the high tension electric wires and that could have led to the accident,” a senior Mumbai ATC official said.

Aviation industry experts say high tension wires are generally at about 80-100 metres from the ground. And helicopters generally fly in the range of 7,000-15,000 feet above the ground.

They talk of two possibilities: the chopper might have had a faulty altimeter. In that case it would have shown the wrong altitude — a possible reason for the copter touching the high tension wires. Or, the pilot might have tried to land the helicopter because of some mechanical problem.

The search and rescue team found it difficult to reach the crash site because of the hilly terrain and bad weather. The charred bodies were brought down to the plains manually and then taken to the primary health centre in Tokavade, close to Kalyan.

Monday 30 September 2013

http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/1895746/report-5-dead-in-helicopter-crash-near-murbad

Typhoon Wutip: Many missing as Chinese boats sink

At least 70 people have been reported missing after a typhoon caused three fishing boats to sink in the South China Sea, Chinese state media say.

Five boats carrying more than 150 people encountered strong winds from Typhoon Wutip on Sunday, Xinhua news agency says citing maritime officials.

A rescue operation is under way and reports say 14 people have been found.

The storm is expected to make landfall in central Vietnam on Monday and thousands have been evacuated there.

The boats ran into strong winds near the Paracel islands, around 330km (200 miles) from China's southern coast, officials were quoted as saying.

Two of the boats, from southern Guangdong province, sank on Sunday, and contact was eventually lost with a third boat, the Associated Press news agency says.

At least 10 ships and six planes are involved in rescue operations. Officials have advised local fishing boats to berth to avoid rough waters.

On Monday, Vietnam was anticipating widespread flooding and landslides - Typhoon Wutip is said to be the most powerful to hit the country this season.

The country's weather forecaster is expecting the typhoon to bring heavy rain and sustained winds of up to 93mph (150km/ph).

More than 40,000 villagers from areas that were expected to be affected by the typhoon have been moved to safety, reports say.

Last week, another typhoon, Usagi, left more than 25 people dead in China and affected tens of thousands of people on the mainland.

The storm hit just as millions were travelling for China's mid-Autumn festival - a national three day holiday when many visit family - leading to cancellations of transportation.

Monday 30 September 2013

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-24296117

33 bodies found in Indonesian boat sinking

Rescuers have found 33 dead bodies and keep searching for dozens of others feared missing after the sinking of an Australian-bound asylum seeker boat off West Java island, Indonesia, on Friday, local rescuer said Monday.

As many as 28 people have been rescued safely by the rescuers, said Maman Padmono, rescuer in charge at West Java Search and Rescue Office.

But he could not confirm the number of missing people. According to information from a local military command, the number of missing people reached 59 among a total of 120 passengers from the Middle East. "The search and rescue is underway now to find scores other missing people,"he told Xinhua by phone from West Java.

Rescue officials, police and military have searched waters along Cianjur coast to find the missing ones, said Maman.

Indonesia has been a favorite transit-point for those from the Middle East or other countries willing to seek asylum in Australia.

The asylum seekers have often risked their lives by making a long journey passing Ocean by boat, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of people.

Monday 30 September 2013

http://www.neurope.eu/news/wire/33-bodies-found-indonesian-boat-sinking