Scores feared trapped after train derails in Nairobi's Kibera slum

A cargo train derailed in a sprawling Nairobi slum Sunday, crashing into makeshift homes where scores of people are feared trapped, the Kenyan Red Cross said.

"One patient has been evacuated ... scores are feared trapped," the organisation said.

Transport Minister Joseph Kamau, who was at the scene, told journalists that six injured had so far been taken to hospital.

"The rescue efforts are underway, we cannot talk of the number of those injured at the moment," Nairobi Police chief Benson Kibue told AFP.

One of Africa's largest slums, Kibera's tin-roofed shacks are home to an estimated quarter of a million people, according to an NGO that carried out a population study there.

Kamau said the government has long warned the residents of Kibera not to put up houses right next to the railway, which crosses the settlement.

"We have always warned people against encroaching on the line," he said.

Sunday 22 December 2013

http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/?articleID=2000100625&story_title=scores-injured-after-train-derails-in-kibera

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Colombia seeks answers in unmarked graves

It wasn’t a happy ending, but for one Colombian family who wondered what had happened to a young girl missing for more than a decade, forensic identification at least provided answers.

The girl was just 14 when she taken by leftist rebels from her home.

It wasn’t until 2012, more than 10 years later, that she was found — a victim of a bombing at a camp run by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the main guerrilla group in Colombia that has recruited child fighters, often by force.

“We have a slogan: life took them from us and death brings them back to us,” said Pedro Morales, the deputy director of Colombia’s Institute of Forensic Medicine.

He said the analysis identifying the remains was done at the request of her family, who suspected she had been taken by the FARC and might be among the dead.

Inspired by the success, the institute has embarked on a massive project to identify the remains of children from mass graves, hoping to find answers for some of the families of the more than 17,000 children who have gone missing during Latin America’s longest-running insurgency.

Around a half dozen forensic experts — with the latest technology at their fingertips — compare DNA profiles obtained from remains of victims with samples provided by possible relatives. The team already is conducting anthropological and genetic analysis on around 500 bodies from unmarked graves.

In one case, a girl was conscripted by the far-right United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) paramilitary group and murdered in 2003, according to testimony from an demobilized fighter.

Her remains, partially decomposed after eight years in a grave, are resting on the table of anthropologist Lauro Polo, of the institute’s laboratory in the central Colombian city of Villavicencio.

“She was executed between August and October 2003 by members of the AUC with a shot to the head,” and she was “dismembered to hide the evidence,” explained Polo, while holding the destroyed skull of the young girl in her gloved hands.

A sample was taken from one of the bones to compare the DNA with that of her paternal grandmother.

In most of the cases Polo has worked on, she said, the child was taken from his or her village by armed groups, and their families didn’t see them again until they appeared years later in mass graves or unmarked graves in cemeteries.

The experts in Villavicencio emphasize that identifying remains through DNA is far more difficult than television shows make it seem, particularly in Colombia, where acidic soil and a hot and humid climate speed up the deterioration of the bones.

Children also have a lower concentration of the minerals that protect bones than adults, which leaves them more vulnerable to decomposition.

Further complicating the project, there is no national database of genetic information.

“As soon as the government approves the existence of a gene bank (in the coming months), we are prepared to call families to ask them to give blood to compare with the children’s bones,” said Morales.

Meanwhile, the experts are piecing together a database of genetic data for those children whose parents are unknown.

Sunday 22 December 2013

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/foreign/23-Dec-2013/colombia-seeks-answers-in-unmarked-graves

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Lockerbie bombing: Memorial services mark 25th anniversary

The victims of the Lockerbie bombing are being remembered today on the 25th anniversary of the tragedy in services across the UK and the US.

Memorial services attended by politicians, officials, families and members of the community will be held in Lockerbie, London and in the United States.

Pan Am flight 103 was on its way from London to New York when it exploded above Lockerbie, in southern Scotland, on the evening of 21 December 1988, killing 270 people. Eleven people on the ground died when wreckage from the plane hit the area.

The flight was just over half an hour into its journey when the atrocity occurred, killing all 243 passengers and 16 crew. The majority of the victims aboard the aircraft were US citizens.

Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond and Lord Wallace, Advocate General for Scotland, will attend a wreath-laying ceremony at Dryfesdale Cemetery in the Dumfries and Galloway town.

Scotland Office minister David Mundell and Scotland's Lord Advocate, Frank Mulholland, will be present at a memorial event at Arlington National Cemetery, near Washington DC.

Scotland's Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will join Scottish Secretary Alistair Carmichael and Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland the Right Reverend Lorna Hood at a service in Westminster Abbey.

Scotland's Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill will attend an evening service at Dryfesdale Church in Lockerbie.

Mr Salmond said: “On this 25-year anniversary, and as the country prepares once more to relive the harrowing events of that terrible night, it is important that we remember that the pain and suffering of the families and friends of those who died has endured since that winter night in 1988.

“As the community of Lockerbie marks the milestone, memorial events will be held in Westminster Abbey, Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia and at Syracuse University which lost 35 students in the bombing.

“But, inevitably, a focus of the day will be on the memorial in Lockerbie and it is there that I will pay my respects and condolences on behalf of the people of Scotland.”

Prime Minister David Cameron said: “To families, friends, neighbours, loved ones and all those caught up in the painful process of recovery, let us say to them: our admiration for you is unconditional; for the fortitude and resilience you have shown; for your determination never to give up. You have shown that terrorist acts cannot crush the human spirit. That is why terrorism will never prevail.

“And even in the darkest moments of grief, it is possible to glimpse the flickering flame of hope.”

Speaking on behalf of the Scottish prosecution service, Lord Advocate Frank Mulholland and solicitor general Lesley Thomson said: “Saturday is a time to remember those who lost their lives on 21 December 1988 and the impact it had on so many lives then and since that tragic night.

“On behalf of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, our message is simple: Always remembered, never forgotten; forever in our hearts.”

A remembrance service will be held at Hendricks Chapel of Syracuse University in New York state, where 35 of its students who had been studying at its London campus died. Another service will also be held at the university's Lubin House in New York, according to the BBC.

Only one man, Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, was convicted of the bombing. He was found guilty in January 2001 and given a life sentence. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2008 and was freed under compassionate release rules.

Mr MacAskill took that decision on 20 August the following year, sparking a row among politicians on both sides of the Atlantic.

Megrahi died in Tripoli, Libya in May last year.

Despite the guilty verdict and Megrahi's decision to drop a subsequent appeal against conviction, politicians, campaigners and families of victims are still dealing with the impact, with some of the British relatives considering another appeal against his conviction when they meet with lawyers in the new year.

Saturday 21 December 2013

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-25364127

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Death toll in Peru bus crash climbs to 16

The death toll from a bus plunging off a highway and down a slope in northern Peru climbed to 16 and the number of injured to 59, police in the Ancash region said Friday.

A police spokesman told Efe that the injured have been admitted to five hospitals in the region and that the bodies of the fatalities will be delivered to their families.

The accident occurred at 10:50 a.m. Thursday in the Cajacay district on the highway that leads from the city of Huaraz to Pativilca, the spokesman said.

The bus, which was headed for Lima, crashed down a 30-meter (98-foot) slope at a spot known as the "devil's curve," apparently because it was speeding and the driver was exhausted, the spokesman said.

The Health Ministry said Thursday that sent to the scene of the disaster were five ambulances plus doctors, nurses and members of the medical centers in the towns of Cajacay, Catac, Chasquitambo, and from the Regional Hospital of Recuay and Cajatambo.



Saturday 21 December 2013

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/agencia-efe/131220/death-toll-peru-bus-crash-climbs-16

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Typhoon Haiyan: 15 ships blown ashore slow down recovery of bodies

The continuing presence of 15 ships vessels that were washed or blown inland by Supertyphoon Yolanda’s storm surges and high winds in Eastern Visayas have been slowing down the recovery of more bodies in the disaster area, the heads of government agencies under Task Force Yolanda agreed this week.

The Philippine Coast Guard reported that nine mostly cargo ships, two tugboats and a barge were still stuck in the coastal villages of Tacloban City while three other ships were grounded in various places in Guiuan, Eastern Samar.

PCG Tacloban station commander Lieutenant Paul Gonzales said they were still trying to coordinate with the shipowners on how to refloat the vessels.

He said that the still ongoing assessment by insurance companies and lack of equipment were holding them back in putting the ships back to sea.

Senior Superintendent Pablito Cordeta, regional director of Bureau of Fire Protection in Eastern Visayas and head of the body collection group of Task Force Yolanda, said the presence of these ships in residential areas slowed down the progress of his group in searching for bodies that might still underneath the debris and the vessels themselves.

“We are hoping that the shipowners will start work on retracting these vessels before the end of this year. Some owners have been sending engineers to assess and determine the materials and equipment needed,” Gonzales said by phone on Friday.

He said that the possibility of oil spills was also a factor to consider in the removal of the stranded vessels.

The regional Coast Guard command, in its report to Task Force Yolanda, said the ships stranded in Tacloban included two tugboats and a barge owned by Vicente Lao Construction based in Davao City.

The passenger/cargo ships were M/V Star Hilongos, owned by Roble Shipping Lines Inc. based in Cebu City; M/V Jaguar, owned by Tacloban Oil Mills (TOMI) of Tolosa, Leyte; M/V TOMI Elegance, also of TOMI; M/V Eva Jocelyn, of Eva Shipping Lines in Mandaue City; M/V Gayle, of Unilink Shipping Lines in Mandaue City; M/V David, of Candano Shipping Lines in Tabaco City, Albay; M/V Rosman, owned by Richmond Ng of Quezon City; M/V Ligaya-V, of Avega Brothers Integrated Shipping Corp.; and M/V Eastern Star, of Lilygene Shipping Lines Inc.

In Guiuan, still stuck on land were M/V RKK Uno, M/V Lancer, M/V Lady of Fatima, whose owners had apparently not yet been identified.

Saturday 21 December 2013

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/550369/15-ships-blown-ashore-slow-down-recovery-of-bodies

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10 killed as car falls in River Ghizer

At least 10 persons including two women and five children were killed when a car plunged into a river here on Friday.

The accident took place in Sherpur Qilla, some 30 km from district headquarters Gahkooch.–INP, where a Dalnatti-bound car coming from Galapur fell thousands of metre down in River Ghizer while negotiating a sharp turn.

As a result, 10 people including two women and five children were killed while one person was rescued in injured condition.

Two among the deceased were identified as Ghulamullah and Sher Muhammad.

The police, district administration officials and rescue personnel rushed to the scene and started rescue operation.

Some of the bodies were retrieved while the operation for others was stopped till Saturday (today) morning due to darkness.

Saturday 21 December 2013

http://www.nation.com.pk/national/21-Dec-2013/10-killed-as-car-falls-in-river-ghizer

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Rana plaza disaster: Over 100 victims to remain unidentified

More than 100 ill-fated victims of the Rana Plaza tragedy are likely to remain unidentified forever, as the second phase of the DNA sampling nears its end at the National DNA Profiling Laboratory in Dhaka Medical College.

Following the identification of 157 victims from the 322 unidentified bodies in the first phase of the process, laboratory chief Dr Sharif Akteruzzaman told the Dhaka Tribune: “Among the 165 [still] unidentified victims, we would finally be able to identify 50 to 60 of them.”

Although a total 548 DNA samples from victims’ relatives had been submitted to the laboratory against the 322 unidentified bodies, more than 100 victims’ DNA did not match with any submitted samples.

After the Rana Plaza collapse, more than 800 bodies were handed over to relatives without having any DNA samples kept from either the victims or the relatives – a procedure which Dr Akteruzzman said was unscientific.

“The Rana Plaza disaster was a new experience for us. So we failed to follow the principle rules,” he said.

The team from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which came to install the Combined DNA Index System (Codis) at the DNA laboratory, also said the handover of bodies was inaccurate as no DNA sample had been collected. The handover of any dead body from the disaster is strictly prohibited in order to identify the unknown body.

“It’s possible that people received bodies without confirming the identity,” said Dr Akteruzzaman.

For example, he said four bodies – from which DNA had been collected for the lab – were taken and buried by people claiming to be those victims’ relatives, without completing any scientific identification procedure. It was later found that three of the four samples actually matched with DNA samples from other people who gave samples to the lab to find their missing relatives.

However, Dr Akteruzzaman said there was still some hope in identifying the 100 victims were the government to take an initiative in collecting DNA samples from each of the relatives who had earlier collected the bodies of the victims, as those samples could match with the 100 unidentified.

Most of those who remain unidentified are female.

With the DNA from 50 to 60 bodies already partially matched with relatives’ samples, the doctor said a supplementary chromosome (X and Y) test was needed to verify the relation between the victim and the person claiming to be the relative.

Although the laboratory was running low on chemical reagents to run the final test, the lab chief expressed hope that a supply of those reagents would reach their hands soon.

He informed that in most cases the relatives – who claimed their family member was missing – gave one sample for the DNA test. But to ensure the relationship, it was mandatory to collect samples from three people (victim/son/daughter).

At least 1,134 people were killed and thousands more were injured when the nine-storey Rana Plaza in Savar collapsed on April 24 this year.

Saturday 21 December 2013

http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2013/dec/21/over-100-victims-remain-unidentified

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22 killed in Kano road accident as seven die in tanker fire

A road accident along Marke village in Takai Local Government Area of Kano State yesterday killed 22 passengers of a Ford, marked XA671 NNG. Several people were injured even as another tragedy hit Rivers State yesterday when a loaded fuel tanker crashed at about 1am in Elele, Ikwere council area, barely 24 hours after fire razed the popular Mile One market in Port Harcourt.

A resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the loaded tanker upturned at an area known as ‘roundabout’ and exploded. Seven died in the inferno, which also burnt about 30 houses, both residential and business buildings, six cars, three trailers and a police van parked around the area.

The state police command’s spokesman, Ahmad Muhammed, a Deputy Superintendent, confirmed the incident. on Tuesday, at about 2am, fire razed the Port Harcourt market and destroyed inestimable goods and property. Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has urged the police command to investigate the cause of the fuel tanker fire, according to a Government House statement. He visited the scene yesterday.

He said: “The police should investigate the cause of this fire. We hear a life was lost and properties have been damaged. We need to hear from the police and know what happened before the government can decide on what to do.”

Meanwhile, a more devastating tragedy occurred in Kano yesterday along Marke village in Takai Local Government Area, killing 22 passengers. The victims of the auto crash, include 10 women. Nine injured victims, who survived the crash, were rushed to Takia General Hospital.

Some of the deceased were burnt to death in the crash which happened at about midday.

According to the Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Alhaji Garba Mohammed Ibrahim, the bodies were given mass burial at the scene of the crash by the community. They were buried at about 3.00 pm. Eyewitness said that the heavily-loaded Ford vehicle was also carrying bags of foodstuffs when it somersaulted and burst into flames following a suspected mechanical fault.

The sector commander appealed to motorists to drive more carefully even as he prayed for the repose of the souls of the victims. The Information Officer in the area, Malam Muntari Usman Romi, journalists that funeral prayer was conducted at the graveyard side by Malam Ibrahim Usman, adding that the burial was attended by the local government officials and traditonal rulers in the area.

He said the passengers were coming from Magami village in Takai local government and were travelling to the state capital.

Friday 20 December 2013

http://www.osundefender.org/?p=138722

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December 17, 1983: Alcalá 20 nightclub fire

On the morning of December 17, 1983 Madrid awoke to terrible news. A fire at the Alcalá 20 nightclub in the heart of the capital had left 78 people dead. The lack of safety measures at the establishment and the padlocking of emergency exits led to a complete overhaul of safety and security protocols in Spain. Now, 30 years later, the victims and some of the people responsible for the tragedy prefer to forget. The images of that night still haunt them today.

The Alcalá 20 disaster completed a black month for the region of Madrid, where two fatal air crashes had also recently taken place at Barajas airport and Mejorada del Campo: in total, 355 people were killed in the space of a few days. The initial death toll at Alcalá 20 rose to 81 after a person died in intensive care and the bodies of two youngsters were discovered in an elevator shaft inside the building.

It is thought that the fire might have been caused by a short circuit in the electrical system. At around 4.30am that Saturday morning, the stage curtains went up in flames. Cries of "fire, fire" were initially taken as a joke by many clubbers, who remained on the basement dance floor. According to the owners of the club there were 150 people inside at the time, although customers said the figure was closer to 1,000.

The flames created a thick blanket of smoke, causing people to run up the stairs to street level. But the hallway and coat check area were too narrow to cope with the dozens of people rushing madly to escape death. The desperation to get out led to a human stampede in which many people were trampled. The locked emergency doors converted the night spot into a death trap from which dozens of people were unable to escape in time through the one available exit.

It has been a long time, and many people have tried to move on. Purificación A. P. lost a sister in the tragedy. Her father was the janitor of the building located right above the nightclub. She had been sleeping when her parents pulled her out of bed. The house was filling up with smoke.

"It's been very tough. It's been 30 horrible years," she says, tears welling up. "Every single day I remember what happened and it is never out of my mind."

She prefers not to go on. Many other victims and family members did not even let the reporter finish his question: the conversation was over as soon as Alcalá 20 was mentioned.

One of the first people to go inside the nightclub after the fire had broken out was firefighter Francisco Gallego Clavero, who says the place was absolute chaos. One of the first things he remembers about that night is that as soon as he walked in, he saw three bodies lying on a staircase. Later he went downstairs and found "a bunch of people piled up" next to the coat check.

"I was using a vest pocket flashlight of the kind we used to carry back then to light up the place while my colleagues took out the bodies. Outside there were friends and relatives waiting," recalls Gallego, who was 35 at the time. "It was a huge blow, because nearly everybody died of asphyxiation."

Technical reports showed that the staircase leading up to the entrance door turned into a chimney draft that sucked out all the smoke even as customers attempted to escape through it.

Meanwhile, news about the fire spread quickly through the emergency services' radios. Sitting inside one of the patrol cars that reported to Alcalá 20 was Mateo Rivas, a 24-year-old officer who had also recently been to the site of the air crash in Mejorada del Campo. He and his colleague, who were driving a Seat 131 station wagon, picked up a young woman who was injured and drove her to the Provincial Hospital [now the Gregorio Marañón].

"When we were driving by Puerta de Alcalá, they warned us that this center was over capacity, so we ended up driving to La Paz [hospital in the north of the city]," recalls Rivas, who now works in the traffic accident department.

"What struck me the most was all the smoke coming out and the fact that you couldn't even stand at the front door of the nightclub. The firefighters had to go down with breathing equipment."

The investigation was overseen by a very young judge, the 28-year-old Jacobo López Barja de Quiroga, whose work was later described by other jurists as "masterful" and "textbook perfect."

The four club owners were arrested and the trial, which took place 10 years later, found them guilty, as well as the electrician in charge of the installation and the Interior Ministry inspector who should have checked the club's safety measures.

The state took four years to pay damages to the victims.

Friday 20 December 2013

http://elpais.com/elpais/2013/12/19/inenglish/1387459694_048856.html

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28 bodies discovered at hidden burial ground in El Salvador

Four more bodies have been found in the hidden burial ground that was discovered in El Salvador last month, bringing the total number to 28, the country’s justice minister said Wednesday.

“There are already 28 (bodies) found” at the site on the El Limon ranch in Colon, a city 19 kilometers (about 12 miles) west of San Salvador, Ricardo Perdomo told a press conference.

The burial site includes more than 14 graves in an area of some 200 square meters (about 2,100 square feet), according to the Attorney General’s Office, and investigators estimate that there could be as many as 44 bodies in all interred there.

Investigators began digging on the El Limon property on Nov. 19 and made the “first discoveries” three days later, the head of the organized crime unit in the AG’s office, Rodolfo Delgado, said last week.

Militant members of the Pandilla 18 gang were behind the killings, the AG’s office says.

Perdomo announced that “probably investigations will be begun in other places” around the country to determine if there are more clandestine burial sites.

Between January and Dec. 15, at least 2,391 people have been murdered in El Salvador, according to official figures.

But national police director Rigoberto Pleites said Wednesday that the force is “analyzing” the number of disappearances, which have almost doubled this year, since “possibly many of them may have been murdered.”

Between January and Dec. 1, 1,070 people were reported missing, compared with 545 during the same period last year.

The increase has called into question the ostensible 52 percent reduction in murders due to a cease fire declared among gangs in March 2012.

Friday 20 December 2013

http://www.hispanicallyspeakingnews.com/latino-daily-news/details/28-bodies-discovered-at-hidden-burial-ground-in-el-salvador/28454/

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Himalayan 'Village of Widows' struggles after flash floods kill 57

The Indian government still doesn't have a final toll for the thousands of people killed in massive flash floods earlier this year, but in the Himalayan hamlet known as the Village of Widows, the loss is all too specific: 57 people killed, about a quarter of its population.

Six months after walls of melted glacier, mud and debris came crashing down the mountainside, the village officially named Deoli-Benigram has 37 widows from the floods, making up about a third of its remaining inhabitants and giving the town its grim new name.

Along with their loved ones, the grieving women's livelihoods were also lost, and they say the state's help is not enough.

"Just six months ago, we were the richest family in this village, and now we do not know where our next meal will come from,'' says Bijaya Devi, tears rolling down her face as her orphaned one-year-old grandson reaches up to touch her cheek.

Mrs Devi lost her husband, three of her sons and a nephew in the June 17 floods, which devastated the temple town of Kedarnath where most of the men in the village made their livings.

At age 64, Mrs Devi is the village's oldest widow. The youngest is her 22-year-old daughter-in-law. Both their husbands worked in the family's small lodge and grocery store in Kedarnath which catered to pilgrims to the shrine.

The Indian government has been criticised for its slow response to the floods in the northern state of Uttarakhand, near Tibet. In all, about 1000 bodies were found and some 5700 people are missing.

The early monsoon floods struck near the end of the summer Hindu pilgrimage to the Kedarnath shrine - one of four major temple towns in the area 3500 metres high in the Garhwal Himalayan mountain range.

Many of the surrounding people depend on temple tourism to make their livings, either as priests, innkeepers or guides with mules to take pilgrims up the steep trails.

The Kedarnath temple - dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva - was not badly damaged itself but the area around it is still strewn with piles of debris up to 4 metres high.

The government has distributed 500,000 rupees (about $8000) to families in the area who lost a breadwinner, but the villagers say what they need are jobs, and for roads and electricity to be restored.

They worry that next summer's pilgrims won't come to the devastated area, even if they did have a way to rebuild their businesses.

But with the harsh Himalayan winter setting in, many are concerned just with surviving.

"Earlier, the life in the hills was dangerous, but now it is hell. There are no roads, no water, no electricity and no jobs,'' said Vinod Kumar in the village of Bhatwadi, also near Kedarnath.

"People in many villages are still living in make-shift tents. How can they survive in tents? How will they keep themselves warm?''

Friday 20 December 2013

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/world/himalayan-village-of-widows-struggles-afer-flash-floods-kill-57-critics-say-not-enough-govt-help/story-fni0xs63-1226787074245

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Namibia: Nine plane crash bodies identified

Police this week identified nine bodies, after examining 609 human remains recovered from the site of the Mozambique plane crash.

The examination of the remains, which included comparison of dental DNA and fingerprints, is part of the Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) process that was completed on Thursday last week.

The bodies are still with the Namibian police awaiting repatriation to their respective countries.

"These nine individuals are some of the passengers who were in the aircraft and thus their families will be notified individually through their governments," police deputy Inspector General James Tjivikua said.

Tjivikua also said families of the deceased requested to wait until the process is completed before the remains are repatriated.

The police are in process of obtaining more data and samples from five counties where the victims originated and once these samples have been received, further analyses will be done.

The Director of the Institute of National Forensic Science, Paul Ludik, said the institute received additional support from 10 countries in addition to those where the victims came from.

Ludik said the investigators had to overcome a number of challenges in the examination of the bodies including the state of the remains.

"Chemicals in the plane also affected the bodies and thus making it hard to identify the bodies at a faster pace," said Ludik.

Friday 20 December 2013

http://allafrica.com/misc/forms/sendpage.html

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11 Killed in Peru bus crash

Eleven people were killed and 35 others injured Thursday when a bus ran off the road and tumbled 30 meters (98 feet) to the bottom of a ravine in northern Peru's Ancash region, police said.

The accident occurred shortly before 11:00 a.m. in Cajacay district on the road linking the cities of Huaraz and Pativilca, a police spokesman told Efe.

Authorities are still working to recover the bodies of the dead, he said.

The 35 injured survivors were taken to several different hospitals in Barranca, Huaraz and Cajacay.

Bus accidents are all too common in Peru, especially in mountainous areas. Most crashes are attributed to excessive speed, driver fatigue or the poor condition of the vehicle.

Friday 20 December 2013

http://www.laprensasa.com/309_america-in-english/2345235_11-killed-in-peru-bus-crash.html

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Ethanol tanker explosion victims identified

The 13 victims of the Chisumbanje ethanol tanker explosion of October 30, 2013 have been identified through DNA profiling conducted by a team of medical experts in Harare.

Health and Child Care Minister Dr David Parirenyatwa yesterday confirmed the development.

"The DNA profiling was successful and all the bodies were positively identified. I received the report yesterday (Monday)," he said.

"Although it was a sad case, it is a relief to the families as they will now be able to bury their relatives since all the bodies have been identified."

He said the Ministry of Home Affairs was helping relatives collect the remains from Mutare Provincial Hospital for burial. Early last month, samples were transferred to Harare from Mutare for tests.

The team, led by Africa Institute of Biomedical Science Technology (AiBST) founder Professor Collen Masimirembwa, took tissue and blood samples from 19 relatives of the victims. The team required six weeks to conduct the tests.

Wednesday 18 December 2013

http://www.bulawayo24.com/index-id-news-sc-national-byo-40417.html

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45,000 missing people in Colombia may be buried in mass graves

The Colombian General Prosecutor's Office said it is investigating the disappearance of 45,154 people who may be buried in mass graves.

Officials said Monday that 4,189 graves with 5,390 bodies have been found since May 2006.

The discoveries came after the demobilization of the paramilitary group AUC, which is allegedly responsible for most of the disappearances, Colombia Reports said.

Authorities have identified 2,483 of the remains, and 2,338 bodies have been delivered to the victims' families.

Former AUC members have informed authorities of 1,025 graves.

Wednesday 18 December 2013

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2013/12/17/45000-missing-people-in-Colombia-may-be-buried-in-mass-graves/UPI-83581387289653/

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'Yolanda' death toll stops rising

The official death toll from super typhoon "Yolanda" is stuck at 6,069, even as retrieval operations continue in areas ravaged by by the deluge.

The death toll has been stuck at 6,069 since December 17, Tuesday, based on the latest update from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).

Majority of the fatalities were from Eastern Visayas at 5,715 (5,220 in Leyte; 265 in Eastern Samar; 224 in Samar; and 6 in Biliran).

In Tacloban, 2,454 bodies have yet to be identified.

The number of missing remains at 1,779: 1,671 in Leyte; 38 in Samar; 24 in Palawan; 20 in Eastern Samar; 15 in Antique; 5 in Cebu; 4 in Iloilo and 1 each in Guimaras and Capiz.

Wednesday 18 December 2013

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/regions/12/18/13/yolanda-death-toll-stops-rising

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Geslacht onbekende watersnooddoden staat vast

Article in Dutch. Please use the Google translate function on the right to tranlate into English.

Onderzoekers van de politie en het Nederlands Forensisch Instituut (NFI) hebben een belangrijke stap gezet in het achterhalen van de identiteit van 25 onbekende doden van de watersnoodramp in 1953. Van hen zijn DNA-profielen opgesteld waaruit blijkt dat het om 11 mannen (waarvan twee jongens) en 14 vrouwen (waarvan een meisje) gaat. Dat heeft de politie woensdag gemeld.

De doden werden in september opgegraven in de gemeente Schouwen-Duiveland in een ultieme poging 60 jaar na de ramp alsnog de identiteit van hen te achterhalen. Inmiddels heeft de politie van 50 nabestaanden van rampslachtoffers wangslijmvlies afgenomen. De onderzoekers hopen dat een vergelijking van hun DNA met het DNA van de slachtoffers een ‘match’ oplevert. De politie verwacht de eerste resultaten daarvan in januari te hebben.

Profiel In totaal werden 28 mensen in september opgegraven. Van 3 bleek het vooralsnog niet mogelijk om een DNA-profiel te maken. Het gaat om een volwassene en twee kinderen. De onderzoekers voeren op dit moment aanvullende onderzoeken uit om te kijken of alsnog een profiel kan worden gemaakt.

Een woordvoerder van de politie vertelde dat dinsdag nog een watersnoodrampdode is opgegraven. Na de opgravingen in september kwamen er sterke aanwijzingen dat onder het watersnoodrampmonument op de begraafplaats in Ouwerkerk nog een slachtoffer moest liggen. ,,We hebben in alle rust onderzoek gedaan en in de archieven inderdaad aanwijzingen gevonden. Vorige week zijn we met een grondradar gaan zoeken en zagen dat er een graf was, vlak naast het monument’’, vertelde hij. Het NFI onderzoekt nu of van dit slachtoffer nog een DNA-profiel kan worden opgesteld.

De politie graaft niet alleen onbekende doden van de watersnoodramp op. Deze opgravingen zijn onderdeel van een breder programma waarin deskundigen de identiteit van onbekende doden in het hele land willen achterhalen. Zo werden op Schouwen-Duiveland in september ook 11 onbekende doden opgegraven, waarvan vaststaat dat zij niet door de watersnoodramp omkwamen.

Wednesday 18 December 2013

http://www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/22148145/__Geslacht_watersnooddoden_bekend__.html

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December, 16: 1960 NYC air disaster

December 16, 2013, marked the 53rd anniversary of the 1960 New York mid-air collision, which was considered the worst disaster in aviation history at the time.

At 10:21 am, United Airlines flight 826 left Chicago's O'Hare airport and headed for Idlewild airport (later renamed to JFK) in New York.

At around the same time, TWA flight 266 was heading to La Guardia airport from Dayton, Ohio.

On that snowy day, flight 826 flew 11 miles off course over Staten Island. And at 10:30 am, it collided with flight 266.

All 128 passengers on board were killed except for one.

Six people on the ground were also killed.



A young boy, Stephen Baltz, 11, was discovered in a snow bank in Park Slope. He was taken to the hospital where he died 27 hours later.

This event is not only historic for being one of the worst air disasters in history. It also marks the first time black box recorders were used to investigate an aviation disaster.

Tuesday 17 December 2013

http://digitaljournal.com/news/world/today-in-history-1960-nyc-air-disaster/article/364095

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Flash floods kill at least 12 in southeast Kenya

At least 12 people have been killed by flash floods in Kenya's southeastern region, local police reported on Monday.

Divisional police commander Mohammed Farah said the heavy rains have also caused widespread destruction of property and infrastructure in Kajiado County, where the 12 victims died in the past two days.

The county was flooded after seasonal rivers burst their banks in heavy rains.

"Two women travelling from Isinya along the Pipeline road in a Toyota Corolla saloon car were swept by raging floods near Dawamu School on Saturday at Oltepes area near Kiserian," Farah said.

The two were flashed into a raging seasonal river and their bodies were recovered on Sunday evening trapped in their car.

The 10 others lost their lives while travelling on Sunday night in the same region. The police said the victims include seven girls and two boys.

"We retrieved their bodies and took them to Shalom Hospital in Athi River to await postmortem," he said. The local police boss said they were unable to retrieve the vehicle because of the speed of the water flow.

Several parts of the country have been affected by flooding following an increased heavy downpour.

He appealed to residents and motorists in the area to avoid crossing streams at night because it is not easy to determine the speed of the flowing water.

Authorities have put areas near major rivers on high alert and advised local residents to move to higher ground.

Tuesday 17 December 2013

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/xinhua/2013-12-16/content_10829370.html

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Manila bus crash leaves at least 17 dead

A passenger bus plunged off a wet, elevated highway in suburban Manila and fell onto a van passing below Monday morning, killing at least 17 people and injuring some 16 others, police, hospital and mortuary staff said, revising higher tolls.

TV footage showed a number of bodies strewn around the bus wreckage with police officers nearby. The van was an unrecognizable pile of smashed white metal.

The bus veered off the Skyway, as the elevated road is called, and crashed onto the van 9.6 metres below in suburban Paranaque city at dawn, said police superintendent Elizabeth Velasquez.

It wasn't immediately clear what caused the accident but the highway was wet from rain, said Ivy Vidal, a spokeswoman from Skyway Operations and Maintenance Corp.

Irene Sisperes, a motorist who witnessed the accident, said she was driving with her daughter at 80 kilometres per hour when the bus overtook her car. She estimated that the bus was travelling at between 100 and 110 km/hour.

She said it was still dark and it was raining when the accident happened.

"After a few metres, I saw the bus fall and I shouted, `The bus fell, the bus fell,'" she told DZMM radio, adding there were no other cars nearby.

Sisperes said she saw the damaged railing of the highway and some debris and reported the incident at the toll gate.

Velasquez earlier reported 21 died and 20 others were injured but later said there appeared to have been double counting amid the confusion. She said she was verifying reports 17 perished and a several others were injured.

Angelo Dequina, an employee of a funeral parlour, said 17 bodies from the accident were brought to their mortuary from hospitals and from the crash site.

Calls to five hospitals where the victims were rushed showed at least 16 people injured from the accident have been admitted.

Velasquez earlier said the van's driver was killed and the bus driver was in serious condition in a hospital. But Dr. Carmencita Solidum, medical director of the Paranaque Doctors' Hospital, said the two drivers were among the 10 injured who were at her hospital.

The bus driver was critically injured and the van driver had minor injuries, she added

Ryan Bresa, a passenger who survived, said the bus may have been travelling too fast and the driver to tried control the vehicle's swerving before it fell from the highway.

Winston Ginez, chairman of the government's Land Transportation, Franchising and Regulatory Board, said all the 78 buses of Don Mariano Transit Corp. have been ordered suspended for 30 days.

Two years ago a bus from another company also fell from the Skyway near the same area, leaving three people dead and four others injured.

Tuesday 17 December 2013

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/manila-bus-crash-leaves-at-least-17-dead-1.2465393

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