268 victims’ remains found in Bosnia mass grave

The Bosnian prosecution said on Thursday that the complete remains of 200 people and the incomplete remains of 68 more, as well as some of their personal belongings, had been found at a depth of ten metres in the mass grave, more than 20 years after they died.

The victims are believed to have been killed by Bosnian Serb forces in 1992. The mass grave was only found after a tip-off from a former Bosnian Serb soldier, and exhumations began in August.

“We are currently digging out bodies at various depths of the pit. Most of the exhumations are being carried out at three micro-locations several metres from each other, whose depth is ten metres,” the prosecution said in a statement.

“In the meantime, another two micro-locations have been discovered, and exhumations will start there soon too, which is why it is assumed that the total number of mortal remains to be found at this site could be bigger,” it said.

The remains found so far have been moved to the Sejkovaca Identification Centre in Sanski Most, where forensic examination and identification will be carried out.

The Hague Tribunal and the Bosnian state court have handed down several verdicts for crimes against Bosniaks and Bosnian Croats in Prijedor. Former Bosnian Serb military and civilian leaders Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic are on trial for genocide in Prijedor in 1992.

Thursday 24 October 2013

http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/over-260-remains-found-at-tomasica-mass-grave-site

Indonesia: 33 Lebanese migrant boat victims identified

The bodies of 33 Lebanese who drowned off the Indonesian coast in a tragic boat accident last month have been identified following DNA analysis, the National News Agency reported Thursday.

A boat carrying around 80 migrants trying to illegally cross from Indonesia to Australia foundered off the Indonesian coast last month killing over 30 people. Only 18 survived.

Most of the Lebanese victims hailed from the underdeveloped area of north Lebanon and mainly from the Akkar village of Qabeet.

The NNA said two Lebanese who were on board of the boat, a man and a child, were still missing.

A search is under way for the remaining two, the state-run agency said, adding that the bodies would be returned to Lebanon as soon as possible.

The 18 survivors from the boat accident have already returned to Lebanon.

Thursday 24 October 2013

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Lebanon-News/2013/Oct-24/235631-33-indonesia-boat-victims-identified-nna.ashx

21 killed, 19 injured when chartered bus plunges into roadside ravine in Lampang

A chartered bus taking merit makers back home from a temple plunged into a roadside ravine Sunday night, killing 21 people and injuring 19 others.

Police said the accident happened at 7 pm on the Wang Nua-Phayao Road in Tambon Wangthong in Lampang's Wang Nua district.

The bus driver lost control of the vehicle before it fell about 30 meters (98 feet) into the ravine on a curvy rural road, police Col. Somdet Tossaporn said.

Rescue workers had to tie ropes to the guardrail before they could climb down to rescue the injured passengers.

Police said all the killed passengers were women.

The bus was one of three buses taking Buddhists from Chiang Mai's Sarapee district to make merit at the Mai Charoen Temple in Wang Nua. The accident occurred while the buses were returning home.

Lampang is a mountainous area 600 kilometers (372 miles) north of Bangkok.

Up to 26,000 people are killed in road accidents every year in Thailand, according to the Interior Ministry.

Thursday 24 October 2013

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/21-killed-19-injured-when-chartered-bus-plunges-in-30217865.html

Search for two Concordia missing might resume in drydock pending ID of found remains

The search for the remains of two people still missing from the Costa Concordia shipwreck has been completed, the disaster commissioner's office said in a note Wednesday.

The crash off Giglio Island led to the deaths of 32 people on January 13, 2012. Thirty bodies were recovered almost immediately.

Those of Indian crew member Russel Rebello and of Italian passenger Maria Grazia Tricarichi are still missing.

''The search has turned up the remains of one body and a set of bones, which are being identified through DNA testing.

As soon as we ID the remains, we will know whether we will need to continue the search once the ship has been drydocked'', the note explained.

The lurching, semi-submerged wreck of the Concordia was finally hauled upright upright on September 24, making possible the search by a joint task force of Coast Guard, firefighters, Navy, Carabinieri military police, Finance Guard and state police. ''(The team) resumed the search that had been left off in spring 2012.

They inspected all accessible areas on board, both above and below surface, as well as the seabed near the Concordia'', the note added.

A body found on October 8 is probably that of Indian crew member Russel Rebello, sources said.

Thursday 24 October 2013

http://www.gazzettadelsud.it/news/66327/Search-for-two-Concordia-missing-might-resume-in-drydock.html

Kenya: Beef mystery in 'body parts' at Westgate Mall

Forensic investigators analyzing ten 'body parts' recovered from the rubble of the collapsed Westgate Mall have discovered that some of the samples are beef. The body parts were collected by police who are still combing through the rubble as they continue with their investigations into the September 21 terror attack.

They have so far collected ten body parts which were stored in carefully sealed plastic bags which were sent to the City Mortuary for analysis last Thursday. A group of forensic pathologists who have been analyzing the samples detected that two of the 'body parts' were actually beef. The two samples -- sample number 2530 and 2531-- were discarded and have been disposed of.

Chief Government pathologist Dr Johanes Oduor said he could not speculate about the origin of the meat but said: "Human meat and beef is the same". He added: "The only notable difference is when it comes to a mammal's meat and meat of say chicken or fish. "

Odour said the remaining body parts were extremely charred and mutilated and said they were possibly from three to four different people. The Star visited City mortuary yesterday and sat through as Dr Odour and a team of foreign experts analyzed and painstakingly recorded their findings on note books. The body parts are being held in a separate and newly acquired freezer which is kept in a separate room at the mortuary and is always locked thereby limiting access to Dr Oduor and the team of foreign and local experts.

A police source hazarded a guess and explained that the beef samples could have been taken up with the other body parts by the team of policemen who were combing through the rubble and who gathered and tagged everything they thought could be of interest. The policeman said the police did not have any field equipment which could help them conduct preliminary analysis.

The officer who cannot be named because he is not authorized to speak to the press said:"You are safe collecting everything from the scene. Then we let the expert tell what these things are," he said.

The police and forensic experts said the body parts were found at one corner of the lower basement. Police also recovered a AK 47 riffle close to the area where the bodies were found.

The tests at the City Mortuary will help establish the identify of the four or five terrorists captured on CCTV footage who are responsible for the deaths of ale at least 70 people. The government reports said five terrorists were gunned down but their bodies have never been shown to the public. The analysis is meant to establish whether the body parts at the mortuary are from some of the 23 people who are still listed as missing or they are the remains of the terrorists.

Thursday 24 October 2013

http://allafrica.com/stories/201310240369.html

Search team recovers body of last Thai air crash victim

The last Thai victim among those who perished in the Lao Airlines plane crash last week has now been recovered and identified, a senior Thai Foreign Ministry official said yesterday.

The fifth victim is Nipol Mengsee, an employee with PTT Pcl, said Russ Jalichandra, the Thai consul-general in Savannakhet, Laos.

The find has increased the number of bodies recovered from the Mekong River to 44, with 30 body parts also recovered.

However, Lao authorities are continuing their search for the rest of the missing bodies.

Mr Russ said the body of Nipol was recovered around 1pm while Lao officials and divers yesterday retrieved other parts of the wreckage of the Lao Airlines plane from the river. "When his body was recovered, he was still wearing his PTT uniform," Mr Russ said.

Mr Russ added the Disaster Victim Identification team had confirmed his identity. He said the body will be returned to Thailand today on a Bangkok Airways flight.

Nipol was among five Thai passengers on board Lao Airlines Flight QV301 that crashed into the Mekong River near Don Khor islet in Laos' Pakse district of Champassak province last Wednesday.

The plane crashed while attempting to land at Pakse International Airport. The airline announced that bad weather from the Nari storm was partly to blame.

Forty-four passengers and five crew on the flight died. They included foreigners from some 10 countries.

Among them were Phakkawat Atiratanachai, Kanueng Chartkasamchai, Veekij Busarawuthanu, Yanyong Apaanan and Nipol, the five Thai passengers killed.

The bodies of Phakkawat, Kanueng and Veekij arrived in Bangkok on Tuesday by a C-130 transport plane. A fourth body, that of Yanyong, arrived in Bangkok about 3.30pm yesterday. On Tuesday, search teams retrieved the main cabin of the plane.

Attempts to salvage the two black boxes and other parts of the wreckage are continuing. The teams found the area where the black boxes were located but have yet to bring them to the surface. Lao authorities said the teams found it hard to reach them because of strong river currents and muddy water.

Thursday 24 October 2013

http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/aviation/376062/search-team-recovers-body-of-last-thai-air-crash-victim