Remains of 2 South Korean victims in Laos plane crash repatriated

The remains of two South Korean victims who were killed in a Lao plane crash were brought home on Saturday, government and airport officials said.

The French-made ATR-72 jet crashed into the Mekong River while attempting to land in bad weather on Oct. 16, killing all 49 passengers and crewmembers on board, including three South Koreans.

The remains of Lee Jae-sang and Lee Kang-pil, whose bodies were identified days after the accident and then cremated, arrived at Gimhae International Airport in Busan, a port on South Korea's south coast, separately at 9:00 a.m. and 11:18 a.m., they said.

Information on the third victim, Lee Hong-jik, was unavailable. The three victims were reportedly all in their 40s.

The exact cause of the plane crash has not been determined yet, with Lao authorities still working on recovering the flight data and cockpit voice recorders of the plane, South Korean officials said.

Saturday 26 October 2013

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/yonhap-news-agency/131026/remains-2-s-korean-victims-lao-plane-crash-brought-homs

Odisha cyclone death toll rises to 60

Authorities yesterday confirmed seven more deaths in flood-related incidents in Odisha, taking the toll due to cyclone Phailin and subsequent floods in the state to 60.


The districts of Nayagarh, Jajpur and Bhadrak reported two deaths each while one casualty was reported from Mayurbhanj district, an official from the state relief commissioner’s office said. The deaths occurred either due to house collapse or drowning. The situation remains grim as rain continued to lash many parts of the state for the sixth consecutive day even though water in major rivers was receding.

The cyclone and flood victims are likely to face more difficulties as the weatherman here predicted more rain during the next two days.

Although the Bhubaneswar meteorological centre lowered the storm warning signal, it however said rain or thundershowers would occur at many places and heavy to very heavy rainfall would lash some areas.

“Yesterday’s (Friday) well marked low pressure area over Telangana and adjoining Rayalseema and coastal Andhra Pradesh has weakened and now lies as a low pressure area over Telangana and its neighbourhood. It will weaken further gradually,” an official of the centre told IANS.

Although all ports in the state have been asked to lower the storm warning signal, fishermen have been asked to be cautious while venturing into the sea as its condition would be moderate to rough, he said.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said the state was experiencing heavy rainfall and flooding first due to the cyclone and now because of the low pressure over the Bay of Bengal. “These rains have been continuing since October 10 and besides causing heavy damage to public and private property, the loss to the standing crop has been severe,” he told reporters here.

Saturday 26 October 2013

http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/india/258545-odisha-cyclone-death-toll-rises-to-60.html

Central Visayas quake death toll rises to 213

Seven more bodies were found in the rubble following a 7.2 magnitude earthquake that hit Central Visayas last week, the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council said.

This brought to 213 the number of people who died as of 6 a.m. Saturday in the hardest hit provinces of Bohol, Cebu, Iloilo, and Negro Oriental, the NDRRMC said it its latest bulletin.

In Bohol alone, 199 bodies have been found while eight remain missing.

A total of 742 were injured in Central Visayas, it added.

The October 15 tremor, which was even felt in some parts of Mindanao, affected over three million people.

Saturday 26 November 2013

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/514601/central-visayas-quake-death-toll-rises-to-213