18 killed in bus accident in Pakistan's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.

At least 18 people were killed today when the driver of a passenger van lost control and the vehicle plunged about 150 metres into a ravine in the mountainous region of Pakistan's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.

The van was on its way from Thakot to Battagram in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province when it plunged into the ravine near Kotgala village.

Eighteen passengers on board the van were killed when the driver lost control and the vehicle fell about 150 metres into the ravine, Noor Wali, a police official, said.

He said the rescue teams struggled to retrieve the bodies due to steep slopes and thick foliage.

The dead bodies were shifted to district headquarter hospital Battagram.

Road accidents are common in Pakistan where hundreds are killed every year due to traffic accidents.

At least 12 people were killed in a similar incident in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir over the weekend.

Careless driving, bad roads and faulty vehicles are common causes of such accidents.

Wednesday 16 July 2014

http://www.outlookindia.com/news/article/18-Killed-in-an-Accident-in-Pak/849938

Phuket journalists saved 3000 lives but Tsunami death toll error continues

The Boxing Day tsunami was one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history. It caused serious damage to Thailand's west coast and killed more than 8000 people in Thailand.

THE TSUNAMI did not kill 8000 people in Thailand. The toll was just under 5400.

Sadly, an official Thai government document, published to mark the first anniversary of the tsunami that struck Phuket and the Andaman coast on December 26, 2004, carried the wrong figure of 8000 . . . and the inaccuracy has been repeated over and over again ever since.

Working in the aftermath of the tsunami, a colleague and I clearly established that the author of the government document had simply made the mistake of adding the known death toll and the so called total of ''missing.''

The author failed to take account of the wonderful work of the Thai Tsunami Victims Identification unit.

As the police, dentists and pathologists identified nameless body after nameless body, the names should have come off the ''missing'' list.

Unfortunately, because of the lack of coordination between Thai government departments at the time, that didn't happen.

So the mistake was carried in Associated Press and other international news organisations. The false figure even appeared in the closing credits of the the film, 'The Impossible,' last year.

It really is time that Thailand celebrated the work of the international and Thai team that identified the vast majority of the victims, leaving only 388 people who have yet to be identified.

Their bodies are buried in a special cemetery in Phang Nga, north of Phuket, each in a concrete tomb and a metal coffin, to preserve as much DNA as possible.

After nine years of this mistake being repeated over and over again, without journalists checking it properly, if there is one thing we wish for the tenth anniversary this December, it's for the Thai Government to finally correct the mistake.

Restore Thailand's reputation for accuracy.

Wednesday 16 July 2014

http://phuketwan.com/tourism/phuket-journalists-saved-3000-lives-tsunami-toll-error-continues-20633/

Toll rises in boat accident off Malaysia

Malaysian maritime authorities have found two more bodies floating in the sea after a boat carrying illegal Indonesian migrants sank, raising the confirmed death toll to four with seven still missing.

The fibreglass boat, believed to be carrying 72 people, capsized late Monday off the southern state of Johor.

The Indonesians on board were trying to return home to celebrate the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

A total of 61 including the two boatmen were rescued.

Two more bodies - both men - were found in the water on Wednesday, said Aminuddin Abdul Rashid, an official with the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency.

He said the search for the seven still missing would continue.

The boat, heading to Indonesia's Batam island, sank while being pursued by a maritime patrol vessel.

Aminuddin had said the boat rammed into the agency's vessel when trying to escape, causing it to be damaged.

Boat accidents off Malaysia are common as migrants from Indonesia and other poorer regional countries flock to the relatively affluent Southeast Asian nation in search of work.

An estimated two million foreigners are believed to be in the country without valid papers, with many sneaking in and out along the long coastline.

Malaysian authorities have stepped up patrols this month as many Indonesians seek to return to celebrate Eid al-Fitr, Islam's biggest festival, which marks the end of the fasting month.

Wednesday 16 July 2014

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2014/07/16/toll-rises-boat-accident-malaysia