Edo State: Motor Accident kills 15

A ghastly motor accident that occurred on Ewu Hill at the Benin/Auchi Road in Edo state has reportedly claimed the lives of 15 persons.

The accident occurred when a trailer loaded with a consignment of beer reportedly developed break failure and crashed into an 18-seater Toyota Hiace commercial bus with registration number LFA 137 XB, killing all the passengers on board, with only three passengers surviving the crash.

According to a witness, the trailer and the bus which were heading in the same direction, were descending the hill towards Auchi when the accident occurred.

The witness said it took the combined effort of the men of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), the Police and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps to dismember the mangled bus to retrieve the survivors and dead bodies.

Following the incident, heavy traffic gridlock was said to have occurred for several hours on the road, as the police tried frantically to control the long queue of vehicles on both sides of the busy express.

Sympathizers at the scene of the accident appealed to the relevant authorities to find lasting solution to frequent motor accidents on Ewu hill, saying that many lives have been lost since the construction of the road in 1973.

Friday 23 May 2014

http://www.pmnewsnigeria.com/2014/05/22/motor-accident-kills-15/

Human remains found at Oso mudslide site

Two families are waiting for DNA test results to learn if remains found Thursday in the Oso debris fields belong to loved ones they lost in the March 22 mudslide.

The Snohomish County Sheriff's Office made the announcement Thursday afternoon, but did not say if the person found is a man or woman.All but two of the 43 known slide victims had been found and identified.

The remaining two are Steven Hadaway, 53, of Darrington and Molly Kristine “Kris” Regelbrugge, 44, who lived in the Steelhead Haven neighborhood of Oso. “It has not been confirmed that the body found today is that of Steven Hadaway or Molly Kristine “Kris” Regelbrugge,” sheriff's office spokeswoman Shari Ireton said. “Identification of the deceased, as well as cause and manner of death, will be determined by the Snohomish County Medical Examiner's Office.”The medical examiner's office on Thursday did not know how long it might take to make a positive identification.

John Hadaway is Steven's brother. He has been in frequent contact with the sheriff's and medical examiner's offices since the slide. He was given advance word Thursday about the discovery.Hadaway said it is too early to get his hopes up. He knows that some bodies found earlier were not intact and that it is possible the remains discovered Thursday could belong to someone who already has been identified.“Until they do a DNA test, it could be someone they found three weeks ago,” he said.

Steven Hadaway was a father who served in the Marine Corps and lived in Darrington. He was installing a TV satellite dish at the home of another slide victim when mud carried him away.Kris Regelbrugge was a mother to grown children and the wife of John Regelbrugge III, an active duty Navy commander. His body was found.The remains found Thursday were discovered by sheriff's Sgt. Danny Wikstrom, who oversees search-and-rescue operations in the county.“He was not out there on an active search,” Ireton said.The discovery was not related to cleanup work being done along Highway 530, which was buried in the slide, said Travis Phelps, a spokesman for the state Department of Transportation.“It's not from our part of the slide,” Phelps said.

John Hadaway said he hopes that the remains are either his brother or Regelbrugge.“Do I get my hopes up? I try not to,” Hadaway said. “When you are out there and you see, you understand.”Even so, he likes to think that all of the slide's victims eventually will be recovered.“It could be a week. It could be a month,” he said. “It could be six months from now, but I am going to believe they will find them.”

Friday 23 May 2014

http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20140522/NEWS01/140529652/Human-remains-found-at-Oso-mudslide-site

Identifying the Dead in Rana Plaza Collapse, Tazreen Fire: DNA sampling not enough

Along with DNA sampling, the authorities should use other methods like conducting investigation through interviewing relatives and neighbours to identify the bodies of the Rana Plaza collapse and Tazreen Fashions fire victims, said speakers at a roundtable yesterday.

The DNA profiling lab will not be able to identify all the dead victims, as the collection of the samples following the two industrial disasters was not appropriate, they said.

Hameeda Hossain, convener of Sramik Nirapotta Forum, urged the authorities concerned to conduct the investigation using the local government bodies and representatives to identify dead workers' families and compensate them. “The DNA lab could have identified all the bodies if DNA samples had been taken from all victims of Rana Plaza collapse and Tazreen fire," said Prof Sharif Akhtaruzzaman, chief of the National Forensic DNA Profiling Laboratory (NFDPL) of Dhaka Medical College.

The roundtable titled "No Grave to Grieve: The Search for Missing Garment Workers and the Challenges of DNA Technology in Bangladesh" was organised by a group of researchers under the banner of Activist Anthropologist at The Daily Star Centre in the capital.

Around three-fourths of the Rana Plaza victims were handed over to families based on visual identification marks like shoes, clothes or mobile phones, said Prof Sharif.

"It is very likely that family members of the victims took away the wrong bodies as they identified those based on visual identification marks only," he said, adding that the NFDPL had so far identified 206 Rana Plaza victims, while 105 bodies were still unidentified.

In the case of tragedies like the abovementioned two, the authorities concerned should set up makeshift morgues at the site to collect DNA samples, he suggested.

Prof Anu Muhammad of Jahangirnagar University; Syed Sultan Uddin Ahmed, assistant executive director of the Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies; Khushi Kabir, coordinator of Nijera Kori; Tanzim Uddin Khan, teacher of Dhaka University; Moshrefa Mishu, president of Garment Sramik Oikya Parishad; Roy Ramesh Chandra, general secretary of Industry All Bangladesh Council; Zonayed Saki, convener of Gonosanghati Andolon; among others, spoke. On April 24, 2013, Rana Plaza building in Savar, housing five garment factories, collapsed leaving, according to government estimates, 1,134 people dead, and 2,515 people injured.

A devastating fire at Tazreen Fashions Ltd in Ashulia killed at least 112 workers and injured many others on November 24, 2012.

Friday 23 May 2014

http://www.thedailystar.net/city/dna-sampling-not-enough-25291

Soldiers lead Korean War remains excavation

Nearly 40 Soldiers from units across Camp Carroll, participated in an excavation in support of the Republic of Korea Army 50th Infantry Division in Chilgok May 14.

It was the first time the ROKA conducted excavation operations in Hill 487. One of the citizens living near the hill, who engaged in the battle the Nakdong River defense line, witnessed that he buried a lot of dead Soldiers on this hill.

The excavation was conducted from May 12-16. For five days, 174 unnamed dead bodies and several remains, including bullets, badges and other equipments were found. Near this site, it has been estimated that a U.S. Soldier was found.

The heart of the Nakdong River defense line, Hill 487, was a fierce battle field during the Korean War. The U.S. Army 23rd Regiment and ROKA 1st Infantry Division fought together against North Korea Military to protect the line.

“It’s a rare case to find so many dead bodies and remains during five days.” said Lt. Col. Kwon Seung, Ho, Commander of the Chilgok Brigade, ROKA 50th Infantry Division.

The Commander of Materiel Support Center – Korea, Col. Johnny K. Matthews emphasized the meaning of the today’s participation with ROKA.

“64 years ago, U.S. Soldiers and the people from this country fought together against North Korea.” said Matthews. “They walked up this mountain together as we did today and sacrificed their lives for freedom for this country. I’m much honored to be here side-by-side.”

From the entrance of the Hill to the excavation sites, it took over one hour to walk. Soldiers carried equipment, like a shovel, pickax and water. Fort Soldiers and 120 ROKA Soldiers worked together and detected remains and dead bodies for five hours.

Maj. Justin E. Day, field service chief of the 19th ESC SPO, found bullets and bones by himself.

“I was first shocked that both the bone and bullet casing was only inches down in the soil.” said Day. “As I looked at the bone I was honored to have had the opportunity to help search for remains and objects on such a special piece of ground where Soldiers fought and died over 60 years ago.”

Although the operation was tough and required a lot of effort, both ROKA and the U.S. Soldiers sincerely contributed themselves to find more remains, sharing same experience and collaborating for excavation that made the relationship between the U.S. Army and ROKA be stronger.

Cpl. Park, Gyu Hwan, a senior KATUSA of the ROKA Staff Office, 6th Ordnance Battalion, said ,“I could really appreciate the unnamed Soldiers who fought for the freedom and our country as I volunteered for the excavation operation. By working together with the U.S and ROKA Soldiers, it gave us unforgotten memories.

The Military of Defense Agency for KIA Recovery and Identification (MAKRI) has conducted the Korean War remains excavation since 2000. Until last year, 8,756 fallen Soldiers were found and 10 U.S. Soldiers returned to their home. In Area IV, over 2,000 fallen Soldiers were excavated.

“This site and every attendant reveal the strong alliance between South Korea and the U.S.” said Col. Yoo Cha-young, commander of the MAKRI.

He wished to find every fallen Soldier, who might be buried in DMZ and North Korea including over 8,000 U.S missing Soldiers.

The effort to find missing Soldiers will not stop no matter how huge obstacles disturb, like the Soldier’s creed. “I will never leave a fallen comrade.”

Friday 23 May 2014

http://www.dvidshub.net/news/130902/soldiers-lead-korean-war-remains-excavation