India: Chronology of major train accidents in recent years

Railways witnessed another train mishap on Sunday after a passenger train derailed on Konkan Railway route in Raigad district, killing 15 people and injuring 50 others.

The incident took place just outside a tunnel near Nidi village, when the engine of Diwa-Sawantwadi passenger train and four bogies derailed at around 10 AM between Nagothane and Roha railway stations.

Sunday’s train accident is the latest in a line of tragedies to have hit the Indian railways. Following is the chronology of major train mishaps in recent years:

February 17, 2014: Three passengers were killed and 37 others injured when ten coaches of a train derailed at Ghoti near Igatpuri in Nashik district. The mishap took place at around 6.20 am when 12618 Nizamuddin-Ernakulam Lakshadweep Mangala Express train was passing through the Ghoti-Igatpuri section, about 35 kms from Nashik.

January 08, 2014: Four persons were charred and five died due to suffocation after three sleeper coaches S2, S3 and S4 of the Bandra Dehradun Express were gutted in fire. The incident occurred between Dahanu Road and Gholvad station near Surat. While the cause of the fire was yet to ascertained, senior railway officers ruled out short circuit.

December 28, 2013: Twenty six people, including two children, were killed and 12 others injured when a fire broke out in the AC 3-tier B-1 coach of the Bangalore-Nanded Express train at Kothacheruvu near Puttaparthi in Anantpur district of Andhra Pradesh. According to Railway officials who inspected the gutted coach, the area near berth 64, where the coach’s power panel was located, did not seem to have been burnt. According to reports, the fire broke out at 3:10 am, when most of the 65 passengers were sleeping. Some managed to escape by breaking the window panes or running to the next coach. The train was stopped and the B-1 coach detached to stop the fire from spreading.

November 02, 2012: The Raigarh-Vijaywada train ran over 8 people at Gotlam railway station in Vizianagaram district in Andhra Pradesh. August 19: At least 37 pilgrims including women and children standing on rail tracks were killed when a speeding express train ploughed into them in Bihar’s Khagaria district. The ‘kanwarias’ (devotees of Lord Shiva) were on the tracks after alighting from the Samastipur-Saharsa passenger train when they were run over by the Saharsa-Patna Rajyarani Express travelling at 80 kmph.

June 30, 2012: Thirty-five passengers were charred to death and 25 others injured when a fire broke out due to a short circuit in a coach of the New Delhi-Chennai Tamil Nadu Express near Nellore in Andhra Pradesh. Thirty-two bodies were recovered from the charred S-11 bogie of the train. According to Nellore district officials, the fire was noticed by a gateman at around 4.15 A.M who alerted officials.

May 31, 2012: Howrah-Dehradun Doon Express derailed near Jaunpur killing seven people.

May 22, 2012: Twenty-five people were killed when the Banglore-bound Hampi Express collided with a stationary goods train in Andhra Pradesh’s Anantapur district.

March 20, 2012: Mathura-Kasganj passenger rammed a min bus at an unmanned level crossing near Hathras station killing 15.

January 11, 2012: Five persons were killed and nine others, including a child, injured in a collision between the Delhi-bound Brahmaputra Mail and a stationary goods train.

Nov 22, 2011: Seven people were burnt to death when the Howrah-Dehradun express caught fire in Giridih in Jharkhand.

July 10, 2011: Kalka mail derailed at Malwa station killing 71.

July 7, 2011: Mathura-Chapra Express rammed a bus at an unmanned crossing near Patiayali station killing 39.

May 22, 2011: Garibrath Express rammed a Bolero at an unmanned level crossing near Madhubani station killing 20.

Oct 20, 2010: Indore-Gwalior Intercity express collided with a goods train at Badarbas station killing 24.

July 19, 2010: Speeding Sealdah-bound Uttarbanga Express rammed into the Vanachal Express at Sainthia station in Bhirbhum district killing 66 people.

May 28, 2010: At least 150 people were killed after Gyaneshwari Express was derailed by Naxals in West Midnapore district of West Bengal.

January 2, 2010: Prayagraj Express collided with Gorakhdham Express from its rear portion near Panki station killing 12.

November 1, 2009: Gorakhpur-Ayodhya passenger train hit a truck at unmanned level crossing near Tikri station, killing 18 people.

October 21, 2009: 23 persons were killed when Goa Express hit Mewad Express from behind near Mathura station killing 23.

April 28, 2009: Tanakpur-Kasganj passenger train hit a bus at an unmanned level crossing near Ghatpuri station killing 11 people.

February 22, 2009: A local passenger-train hit a Bolero in an unmanned level crossing near Barapalli station killing 15 people.

January 25, 2009: Kanpur-Allahabad train rammed a truck near Unchahar station killing 12 people.

Sunday 04 May 2014

http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/chronology-of-major-train-accidents-in-recent-years/

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Mumbai train mishap: 12 killed, 30 injured as Diva-Sawantwadi passenger train derails near Mumbai

At least 12 people were killed and 30 injured when a passenger train derailed on Konkan Railway route in Maharashtra's Raigad district on Sunday.

The accident occurred just outside a tunnel near Nidi village, when the engine and four out of 20 bogies of Diwa-Sawantwadi passenger train derailed at around 10 am between Nagothane and Roha railway stations, about 120 kms from Mumbai.

Rescue operations were going on, police said, adding that workers were trying to extricate people trapped under bogies that overturned after derailment.

According to Raigad police control room, 12 passengers were killed and 30 injured in the mishap which occurred in a remote area. However, a Railway spokesperson put the death toll at nine.

Ten bodies have been sent to Nagothane primary health centre for postmortem. The bodies are yet to be identified.

Two bodies have been taken to government hospital at Roha for autopsy, police said.

Following the mishap, services on Konkan Railway route were suspended. Last month too, a goods train derailed on the route, affecting services.

The injured passengers are being rushed to Roha for medical treatment, police said.

Railways ordered an inquiry and Railway Minister Mallikarjun Kharge announced an ex-gratia of Rs.two lakh for those killed in the accident, Rs.50,000 for the grievously hurt and Rs.10,000 for passengers who suffered minor injuries.

Railway Board chairman Arunendra Kumar said Commissioner, Railway Safety, Chetan Bakshi will conduct the inquiry and has rushed to the site.

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/mumbai-train-accident-derailment-diwa-sawantwadi-express-roha/1/358961.html

Sunday 04 May 2014

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Bridge collapse in China kills 11

The death toll from the collapse of an uncompleted bridge in south China's Guangdong province has risen to 11 as of Sunday morning, said local authorities.

The stone arch bridge under construction in Liangkengkou village, Gaozhou city, collapsed at around 1:00 pm Saturday, said a publicity official of Gaozhou.

Rescuers pulled 27 people out of the debris, including five who were confirmed dead on the spot and eight others sustaining serious injuries, said the official, adding that six of the seriously wounded survivors later died in the hospital.

The unlicensed bridge was being built by the village itself. The local government ordered to suspend the project in April, but its construction resumed covertly during the past May Day holiday, said the official.

One other person had managed to get out.

He says the construction of the unlicensed bridge had been arranged by the village committee, and that three people were in police custody.

Sunday 04 May 2014

http://www.ecns.cn/2014/05-04/112159.shtml

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255 buried bodies identified in N. Afghan landslide: official

Up to 255 victims were identified out of hundreds of villagers buried under their collapsed houses in a deadly landslide Friday in northern Afghan province of Badakhshan, a provincial disaster official said Saturday.

"We have talked to relatives of victims. The disaster management department only find and registered the identification of 255 buried people out of hundreds trapped villagers in Aab Bareek village landslide of the Argo district ," Sayyed Abdullah Homayyon Dehqan, provincial director of disaster management department, told Xinhua.

He corrected earlier reports that 255 bodies were retrieved. Only three bodies were recovered, including a women and a child, he said.

The remote village located a four-hour drive from provincial capital Faizabad city, 315 km northeast of Afghan capital of Kabul.

The natural calamity was triggered by recent heavy rains in the mountainous province.

Earlier in the day, Afghan President Hamid Karzai issued an order announcing Sunday, May 4, as a national mourning day to observe the catastrophe, presidential spokeswoman Adela Raz said in her twitter account.

"There are around 1,000 houses in the village. Over 300 homes are buried. The rescue teams are still in the fear of mudsliding at the site until now," Dehqan noted.

More than 2,100 people were confirmed dead following two mudslides within an hour on midday Friday, provincial government spokesman Ahmad Naweed Froutan told local media.

No official statement was released by government to confirm the exact number of deaths as of Saturday night.

"Our estimates show that hundreds of people were buried under the mud and rubble triggered by landslide. It has been very difficult to give you a clear number of deaths and missing now," disaster official Dehqan said.

More than 4,500 villagers were evacuated to higher locations in the area surrounded by muddy hills and are living in tents. Rescue teams and security forces are distributing food and clean water to them, Dehqan said. Over 230 tons of flour had reached the village and would be distributed to villagers soon.

"I had gone to village bazaar. After I backed I could not find my home. My house turned to a grave for my four children and wife. They are under tons of mud. I cannot see their dead bodies. I do not know where to stay tonight," Peer Qual, the only survivor of a family, told Xinhua at the site.

Sunday 04 May 2014

http://english.cntv.cn/2014/05/04/ARTI1399162866729620.shtml

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Death toll rises to 10 in Colombia mine disaster

Rescue workers recovered more bodies Saturday of people killed in a landslide at an illegal gold mine in western Colombia, raising the death toll to 10, with an additional six feared dead.

Miners had been laboring with hand tools to extract gold from the open pit mine when it was hit by an avalanche of mud, rock and earth on Wednesday.

The mine employed local men and women, sometimes from the same families, but neither the workers nor the facility were properly credentialed.

"Today, we located seven bodies; those of four men and three women. And we still have six people missing," said Juan Sandoval, a civil defense spokesman in the Cauca department town of Santander de Quilichao.

Three bodies had been found earlier, so the fatalities stand at 10.

"The bodies all were located close to one another. Many of them were there with their shovels," Sandoval added.

Colombia has upwards of 14,000 mines, more than half of which operate without proper permits, officials said. The government even has confiscated heavy excavation equipment at some illegal sites.

It was the second mining accident in Colombia in less than a week.

Last Saturday in the northwestern department of Antioquia, four miners died from inhaling toxic gas in an unlicensed mine.

Colombia has upwards of 14,000 mines, more than half of which operate without proper permits, officials said. The government even has confiscated heavy excavation equipment at some illegal sites.

Sunday 04 May 2014

http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/death-toll-rises-to-10-in-colombia-mine-disaster-518003

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Death toll in South Korea ferry disaster rises to 236

Eight more bodies were recovered Saturday from the ferry that sank off South Korea last month, reports said, amid concern that some of the missing may never be found.

Divers focused on previously unopened rooms of the sunken South Korean ferry, pulling eight more bodies during a search effort Saturday hampered by strong currents.

“It took a while to develop routes, but after the routes were developed to some degree, opening up the rooms and getting inside worked out in a short period of time,” emergency task force spokesperson Ko Myung-seok told The Associated Press.

With the search of six rooms on the third and fourth levels of the Sewol ferry, which capsized on April 16, the death toll in the disaster has risen to 236 victims. The number of missing passengers fell to 66.

Officials said they’ve finished searching 58 out of 64 passenger cabins inside the ship. Some of those rooms have been difficult to enter because they’re blocked by floating objects.

Seventeen days after the 6,825-tonne Sewol capsized and sank, 236 people have been confirmed dead with 66 still unaccounted for, according to Yonhap news agency.

Earlier Saturday, the search had been suspended due to fast currents and high waves whipped up by gusty winds, according to a coastguard spokesman.

Dive teams have been working in challenging and sometimes hazardous conditions.

They have to grope their way down guiding ropes to the sunken ship, laying on its side on the seabed at a depth of 40 metres (132 feet).

They have to struggle through narrow passageways and rooms littered with floating debris in silty water.

Park Seung-Ki, spokesman for the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, said bedding materials from the ship were found as far as 30 kilometres (around 20 miles) from the disaster site on Friday.

As days go by, personal belongings and debris from the ship have been spotted further and further away, fuelling concerns that strong currents may have swept some bodies into the open sea.

One body was retrieved Friday by a fishing vessel four kilometres away from the recovery site, and another was found two kilometres away on Wednesday.

As a precaution, recovery workers put rings of netting around the site days ago.

The relatives of those still missing are insisting that all the bodies be recovered before efforts begin to raise the sunken ferry.

The Sewol capsized on April 16 with 476 people on board -- more than 300 of them from the same Danwon High School in Ansan city, just south of Seoul.

It is one of South Korea's worst peacetime disasters but public anger and frustration has been amplified due to greed and irresponsibility being blamed for the poor handling of the catastrophe.

The captain and 14 of his crew have been arrested for being the first to leave the ship without helping all passengers to safety.

The government has come under strong criticism over the initially slow rescue response as well as lax safety standards and collusion between industry and regulators, which were partly blamed for the scale of the disaster.

Sunday 04 May 2014

http://news.yahoo.com/recovery-bodies-korean-ferry-suspended-040027139.html

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Rescuers search for survivors and bodies after Afghanistan mudslide

Afghan rescuers and hundreds of volunteers armed with shovels and little more than their bare hands dug through earth and mud Saturday looking for survivors or bodies of loved ones killed by a massive landslide in the remote northeast.

Figures on the number of people killed and missing in the disaster Friday varied from 255 to 2,700 as officials tried to gather precise information. Fears of a new landslide complicated rescue efforts, and with homes and residents buried under yards of mud, officials said the earth from the landslide likely would be their final resting place.

"That will be their cemetery," said Mohammad Karim Khalili, one of the country's two vice presidents, who visited the scene Saturday. "It is not possible to bring out any bodies."

Though figures on the death toll varied, residents knew the toll the tragedy had taken on their own families.

From atop a muddy hill, Begam Nesar pointed to the torrent of earth below that had wiped out much of her village. "Thirteen of my family members are under the mud," she said, including her mother, father, brothers, sisters and children. She said she had been visiting relatives at a nearby village when the disaster struck.

The United Nations said Friday at least 350 people died, and the provincial governor said as many as 2,000 people were feared missing. On Saturday, the International Organization of Migration said information they gathered from provincial figures and local community leaders indicated that 2,700 people were dead or missing.

Part of the confusion lay in the fact that no one knew how many people were home when the landslide struck. At least 255 people were confirmed dead, Khalili said. Most of those were people who had rushed to the scene to help after a previous, smaller landslide. When a bigger landslide then struck the area, those people along with roughly 300 homes were wiped out. But since no one knows how many people were in those 300 homes, it remains difficult to account for the dead, Khalili said.

Mohammad Aslam Seyas, deputy director of the Natural Disaster Management Authority, said fears of new landslides had slowed the operation.

"Search and rescue operations are going on very slowly," Seyas said.

The ground on a hill overlooking the village was soaked from recent heavy rainfalls that officials believe triggered the slide. About more than half a mile away, government and aid groups had set up tents to care for people displaced by the disaster.

Sunatullah, a local farmer, was working outside when he felt the earth start to move. He said he ran toward his house, grabbed his wife and children and then ran to the top of a nearby hill. Minutes later, he said, part of the hill collapsed.

"The houses were just covered in mud," he said, adding that he had lost 10 members of his extended family, his house and his livestock.

Authorities distributed food and water to people displaced by the landslides, said Abdullah Homayun Dehqan, the head of Badakhshan province's National Disaster Department.

A memorial ceremony is planned for later Saturday, United Nations spokesman Ari Gaitanis said.

Rescuers have struggled to reach the remote area, where there is little development or infrastructure. The province borders Tajikistan to the north and China and Pakistan to the east.

"Badakhshan is a remote, mountainous region of Afghanistan, which has seen many natural disasters," said the head of the IOM's Afghanistan office, Richard Danziger. "But the scale of this landslide is absolutely devastating, with an entire village practically wiped away. Hundreds of families have lost everything."

In addition to the wars and fighting that have plagued Afghanistan for roughly three decades, the country has been subject to repeated natural disasters including landslides and avalanches. A landslide in 2012 killed 71 people. Authorities were not able to recover the vast majority of bodies and ended up declaring the site a massive grave.

Saturday 03 May 2014

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Latest-News-Wires/2014/0503/Rescuers-search-for-survivors-bodies-as-Afghanistan-grapples-with-mudslide-video

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Seven bodies found, 35 missing in Bangladesh ferry capsize

Seven bodies were retrieved from the river while around 35 people were still missing after a small passenger ferry sank in a river after it was caught in a storm Saturday afternoon, an official said.

Badrul Alam, port officer of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) who is supervising the rescue operation at the site, told Xinhua by phone that the small ferry was bound for the coastal district of Patuakhali from Rangabari.

The ferry, carrying around 55 passengers, sank in the Kalagachi river after it was caught in a strong storm at about 3.25 p.m.

Alam said around 20 passengers swam to safety. A ferry passenger said that over 25 people were in the cabin and the door was shut.

The local people immediately started a rescue operation and retrieved the bodies from the river. There might be more bodies inside the ferry, Alam said.

He added that salvage ship Rustam, stationed at Barisal, has departed for Patuakhali but it would take at least eight hours for it to arrive at the scene of the accident.

Saturday 03 May 2014

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/404082/seven-bodies-found-35-missing.html

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Swazi multi-vehicle crash kills 10

Witnesses searched in the dark for body parts with their cellphone lights after 10 people died in Swaziland’s worst multi-vehicle accident, on Tuesday night during rush hour. On Wednesday dozens of people remained in critical condition.

A truck carrying coal to South Africa crashed into two lanes of commuter traffic east of Mbabane.

“This is a national tragedy,” said Prime Minister Sibusiso Dlamini on Wednesday.

The prime minister promised that an official investigation into the accident would be held. Such probes into road accidents are almost unknown in the country.

A truck bearing iron ore for the Solgaocar mining company overturned along the median strip at the base of a highway after crashing at high speed into stalled rush-hour traffic.

Police are investigating whether the driver was caught by surprise while encountering the traffic jam or whether the truck suffered mechanical failure.

Travelling between lanes, the truck collided with 23 smaller trucks, cars and minibuses. Some were crushed or overturned, while others burst into flames.

“Bodies were thrown everywhere. Some were headless. Some didn’t have arms or legs. Drivers were trapped in burning cars. There were screams everywhere,” said Thomas Ndwandwe, a passenger in a minibus that was halted near the overturned truck.

Although the accident occurred along a dangerous decline on Malagwane Hill, which is cited in the Guinness Book of World Records as the most accident-prone stretch of road in the world, the Solgaocar trucks have been involved in numerous accidents since they began hauling iron ore in 2011. Five Salgaocar trucks overturned in a single day along Malagwane Hill in 2012.

Hindering rescue efforts was the absence of lights.

Ndwandwe said: “Most of the highway is dark because government does not maintain the lights from Mbabane to Manzini. The only light during the Malagwane accident was from flaming cars.

“Police asked us to help them find a woman’s head that was torn from her torso. We looked in the dark with our cellphone lights. Someone found it and put it in a sack.”

Friday 02 May 2014

http://www.iol.co.za/dailynews/news/swazi-multi-vehicle-crash-kills-10-1.1682854

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At least 7 killed in central Mexico landslide

Mexican authorities say at least seven people were killed in a landslide unleashed by heavy rain in the central state of Puebla.

Puebla state Gov. Rafael Moreno Valle says rescue crews have found seven bodies, including those of two children ages 5 and 11.

Moreno Valle confirmed the deaths Thursday on his Twitter account.

Moreno Valle said in a statement that heavy rain unleashed a river of water and mud that came down a street in the town of Huehuetlan El Grande, burying at least five vehicles late Wednesday.

He said soldiers and other rescue crews have been sent to the area.

Friday 02 May 2015

http://news.yahoo.com/least-7-killed-central-mexico-landslide-203906167.html

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Hundreds missing in Afghan landslide

At least 250 people are missing after a landslide buried villages in northern Afghanistan, as emergency relief teams rushed to the area to search for survivors.

"About 250 to 400 people are missing," Badakhshan province deputy governor, Gul Mohammad Baidaar said on Friday.

"About 350 to 400 houses were destroyed in Argo district as a result of heavy rains that triggered landslides.

He said the death toll isn't known but rescuers were heading to the scene where they would recover bodies and search for survivors.

"We don't have any more information for now, as the network connection is poor in that part of the province," he said.

Badakhshan is a remote province in northeast Afghanistan bordering Tajikistan, China and Pakistan.

"The information that we received from our offices says around 600 families live in Aab Bareek village of Argo," said Mohammad Daim Kakar, head of the National Disaster Management Authority in Kabul.

"Over the past couple of days there were rains in this remote village, and it was followed by landslides.

"As a result, 250 families in the village were affected, and our sources say 300 to 500 people are missing.

"Around 400 people were rescued, some left the area beforehand, fearing the risks of landslides."

Friday 02 May 2014

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2014/05/03/hundreds-missing-afghan-landslide

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Divers suffer growing fatigue from prolonged South Korea ferry search

Divers participating in the search of a sunken ferry face growing health risks from swimming in cold, murky waters for extended stretches, with several suffering from decompression sickness, officials said Friday.

Hundreds of Coast Guard, Navy and civilian divers have battled strong currents and high tides to bring a steady flow of bodies from the upturned ferry Sewol that sank in waters off the southwestern island of Jindo on April 16.

The confirmed death toll has risen to 226 and 76 still remain missing, with many of them believed to be trapped inside the ship.

The search and rescue operation has long since turned into a grueling recovery of corpses as no one has been found alive since the day of the ship's sinking. The work has been becoming even more difficult as divers have had to break through closed cabin doors blocked by debris.

As search efforts continued round-the-clock over the past several days amid growing pressure from grieving families, divers have increasingly suffered exhaustion, with some of them treated for decompression sickness after ascending from depths of over 30 meters.

On Thursday, a 31-year-old civilian diver fell unconscious after diving four times before daybreak to set guideline ropes around the ship, raising concern over the safety of divers.

He received treatment at a hyperbaric oxygen therapy center, but continued to complain of a severe headache and pains in his pelvis, typical symptoms of decompression sickness, according to hospital officials.

Decompression sickness is a painful and potentially dangerous condition that strikes deep sea divers who surface too quickly or stay in cold waters for a long time, causing paralysis, vomiting, and aching pains in joints, the ears and other parts of the body.

"For the first time in my 20 years of a diving career, I was seized by fear that I might not be able to return from underwater," a senior diver told Yonhap News after his colleague fell unconscious.

So far, dozens of divers have received treatment in the oxygen chamber that provides patients with pure oxygen in a sealed chamber that has been pressurized above normal atmospheric pressure.

As the search is expected to last throughout next week, the government disaster response team limited each diver to swimming only once a day to prevent decompression sickness.

The work is still tough as the difference between high and low tide is the highest at the disaster site during this time of year. Currents are stronger by about 40 percent during spring tides compared with the period of neap tides when the difference is the smallest.

"I become exhausted even after one diving a day due to strong currents and deep diving," another civilian diver said. "Figuratively speaking, it's like riding a roller coaster for dozens of minutes or up to one hour."

Families have also raised concern that rescue workers may not be able to retrieve all bodies from the upturned ship as several bodies have recently been retrieved from waters far from the disaster site.

One body, believed to be that of a female student, was found about 4 kilometers southeast of the disaster site. The location was in the opposite direction from a site where another body was recovered two days ago.

The government disaster response team has set up multiple nets around the area to prevent bodies from being swept away by strong currents, officials said.

Friday 02 May 2014

http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/national/2014/05/02/42/0302000000AEN20140502003400315F.html?5af5b3b8

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Photographer in India earns living taking pictures of the dead minutes before they’re cremated

It’s a job not many people would take on — but photographer Shankar Jha spends his day taking photos of families with their dead loved ones minutes before they’re cremated.

The 24-year-old earns a whopping 30,000 Rupees (about $500) a month fulfilling the requests of grieving families who want one last photo of themselves with their dead loved ones in the holy city of Varanasi, in northern India.

Most would decline such a career but Shankar sees it as a perfect business opportunity.

He said: “Initially I felt awkward doing this job but now I’ve got used to it it doesn't feel bad anymore.”

Shankar was just 12 when a man approached him for the first time at the river Ganges asking if he could photograph him and his family alongside his dead father.

“It was very odd but I realised that there was a need for this kind of thing so I set up my own shop on the Ghats of the river Ganges and soon people started ordering my services,” he added.

While most would find this job not only depressing but also distasteful; Shankar believes he’s giving hundreds of grieving families treasured photos.

He said: “I’m helping people have an affordable and treasured souvenir of their dead family member. It’s something to treasure forever when they’re gone.”

Families have to pass Shankar's shop as they carry the dead towards the river Ganges, the most sacred river to Hindus. It’s widely worshipped as the goddess Ganga in the Hindu religion.

Shankar said: “If I have a quiet day with just a few orders I do approach passing families asking if they want photos. Most accept; there’s only a couple that say no. I feel I’m helping people remember the last face of their dead relatives.”

It takes Shankar under three hours to develop the photos — the same time it takes the families to watch their loved ones turn to ash and leave.

According to Hindu traditions family members have to wait and watch until the cremation ceremony is over.

Financially, Shankar has been earning much more than an average worker in Varanasi but he now fears his business will begin to suffer as more people invest in phones with cameras.

“Times are changing and people don’t need a photographer any more, they have their own phones to do my work. And I have no particular skills, I’m just in the right place at the right time, offering a much needed service.”

But for now Shankar will happily continue delivering what he believes are treasured memories.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/indian-man-earns-living-pictures-dead-minutes-cremated-article-1.1775163

Friday 02 May 2014

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Illegal gold mine collapses in Colombia; 3 dead and 15 missing

Rescuers were searching for at least 15 people missing after an illegal gold mine collapsed in southwest Colombia. Authorities said three dead bodies had been recovered.

Cauca province Gov. Temistocles Ortega said the collapse occurred shortly before midnight Wednesday in a rural area near Santander de Quilichao, about 190 miles (315 kilometres) southwest of Bogota, the capital. He said illegal miners use machinery to open huge holes to extract gold, and one of the walls of a hole fell in.

By nightfall Thursday, rescue workers had recovered three bodies and three injured people, but were still searching for another 15 or so who were still missing. Police, troops, civil defence and the Red Cross were aiding in rescue efforts.

Mining accidents are common in Colombia, especially at wildcat mines in poverty-stricken areas dominated by criminal gangs with little state presence.

Less than a week ago, four people were killed inhaling noxious gases following an explosion at a mine in Antioquia province that continued to operate in defiance of an order to close.

Friday 02 May 2014

http://www.timescolonist.com/illegal-gold-mine-collapses-in-colombia-3-dead-and-others-missing-1.1018080

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Coal mine collapse in Afghanistan kills at least 15 workers, 2 others missing

A coal mine collapse in northern Afghanistan killed at least 15 workers on Wednesday, an official said.

Two other miners were missing in the collapse Wednesday morning in the remote district of Dara Seuf in Samangan province, provincial Gov. Hirullah Anush said . He said the bodies of the 15 workers were recovered from the rubble.

Anush said the province has about 2,000 coal mines that are technically legal, since they pay tax to the government. But the mines operate in difficult conditions with workers using shovels and pick axes.

He said the provincial government has tried to shut down some mines deemed unsafe, but those in remote areas simply reopen. Most of the coal extracted is burned for heat in the winter or exported to Kabul or Pakistan.

Also Wednesday, Taliban insurgents attacked a security checkpoint and killed one police officer in Badakhshan province in the northeast, the provincial governor said. The police fought off the attack and killed eight of the insurgents, Gov. Shah Waliullah Adeeb said.

One police officer and four Taliban were wounded in the fighting, he said.

The Taliban insurgency have been launching near daily attacks around the country as foreign forces prepare to withdraw with the end of the mission at the end of this year, 13 years after the U.S.-led invasion to drive the radical Islamic movement's government from power for sheltering al-Qaida's terrorist leadership.

Thursday 01 May 2014

http://www.startribune.com/world/257329901.html

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South Korean ferry disaster: 213 confirmed dead, 89 still missing

The toll rose Thursday to 213 in the South Korean ferry disaster in which the 6,825-ton passenger ship sank off the country’s southwestern coast.

As of Thursday afternoon, 213 people have been confirmed dead, leaving 89 others still missing, Xinhua reported. There has been no rescue reported since 174 people were saved from sea after the ship sank April 16.

On the 16th day into the search Thursday, only one more body was recovered from the submerged ship as search operations were hampered by swift currents and murky waters.

From 3 p.m., divers resumed search for bodies trapped inside as tidal currents became slower.

Divers completed search operations in 44 passenger cabins of the total 64 on the third and fourth floors of the five-storey vessel. The cabins were believed to have accommodated most of the remaining unaccounted for.

Search and rescue operations have been hampered by rapid currents and floating objects. Waters near the scene are known for the country’s second-fastest currents.

As the ferry tilted underwater to the port side at some 90 degrees to the surface, the search was wrapped up for the right and the middle sides of the ship.

A total of 47 divers were conducting search operations, while 198 rescue ships and 37 airplanes were deployed to help search possible bodies swept far away from the scene. One body was found in waters around two km from the scene.

Divers searching the sunken Sewol ferry might not be able to recover every missing body, said the South Korean coast guard yesterday.

The recovery of a body from South Korea's ferry disaster some distance from the submerged vessel fueled concerns on Thursday that many among the scores still missing may never be found.

More than two weeks after the 6,825-tonne Sewol capsized and sank, 213 people have been confirmed dead but 89 remain unaccounted for, much to the frustration and anger of the victims' families. On Wednesday, a fishing boat pulled a body from the sea about two kilometers (1.2 miles) away from the main recovery site off the southern island of Jindo.

"This made us even more aware of the importance of preventing the loss of victims' bodies," Park Seung-Ki, spokesman for the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, told reporters.

Recovery workers put a ring of netting around the site days ago, but there are concerns that powerful currents in the area may have pulled some bodies into the open sea.

The relatives of those still missing are insisting that all the bodies are recovered before efforts begin to raise the sunken ferry.

But the dive teams, working in challenging and sometimes hazardous conditions, have yet to access 22 of the ship's 66 passenger cabins in their grim search.

Thursday 01 May 2014

http://www.india.com/loudspeaker/south-korean-ferry-mishap-213-confirmed-dead-89-still-missing-48758/

http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/fears-that-south-korea-ferry-victims-may-never-be-recovered-516664

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Toll in DR Congo train crash rises to 74

The toll in a train crash in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has risen to 74 dead.

Many people were trapped for days in the mangled wreckage of the goods train that flew off the rails last week in a swampy region about 65 kilometres north of Kamina, in the southeast of the country.

"There are 74 dead on Sunday night" and a further 163 injured, minister Felix Kabange Mukwapa told AFP news agency, adding that about 20 bodies had been recovered from under one of two carriages that overturned and was still lying on the tracks five days after the accident.

Earlier tolls had been revised from 57 to 48 but later went up again.

A newly purchased locomotive hurtled off the track on Tuesday as the goods train, bursting with illegal passengers, rounded a bend.

Many seriously injured were taken to Lubumbashi, the capital of the mineral-rich Katanga province, some 600 kilometres from Kamina, where the train began its journey.

Its planned destination was Mwene-Ditu in the diamond-mining province of Kasai-Oriental.

Witnesses said the train was carrying hundreds of passengers both inside and on top of its carriages, many of whom had paid an illegal reduced fare to ride the train without a proper ticket.

Monday 28 April 2014

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2014/04/28/toll-dr-congo-train-crash-rises-74

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A 1956 plane crash in the Grand Canyon made flying safer

In 1956 two planes collided over the Arizona desert, killing all 128 people on board and scattering the debris deep inside the Grand Canyon. This week, the National Park Service designated the crash site a National Historic Landmark—even though they don't actually want you to go visit it.

At the time, the tragedy was the deadliest civilian plane crash on American soil. It also served as a devastating wakeup call to the fledgling airline industry, which was suffering from growing pains and lack of government support.

A United Airlines DC-7 and TWA Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation both left LAX on the morning of June 30, 1956, the United flight headed to Chicago Midway and the TWA flight headed to Kansas City. Both planes were flying at different altitudes in uncontrolled airspace when the TWA flight requested permission from air traffic control to fly at higher than normal altitudes due to thunderstorms. Air traffic control said no, due to the United flight nearby. Then the pilot requested to ascend above cloud level, operating under visual flight rules or VFR (instead of instrument flight rules). It was understood that at this altitude, the pilot would be employing the "see and be seen" principle—responsible for visually spotting and avoiding planes nearby.

The planes knew they would be sharing airspace but did not have any way of knowing they were in such close proximity. It's also likely that both planes were off-course slightly to show their passengers the scenic landscape below. As the two pilots headed over the Grand Canyon, clouds probably obscured their views, and the planes collided at a 25-degree angle.

Although there's a burial site for the TWA passengers in nearby Flagstaff, Arizona, the crash site itself has never been formally recognized. For one, they're not exactly sure where the crash itself happened. The planes hit the ground at 700 feet per second near the confluence of the Colorado and Little Colorado Rivers. Each ignited fires that were so hot they fused the body of the plane onto the canyon rocks. No bodies were recovered intact.

There are parts of the planes which remain at the bottom of the canyon; due to the treacherous terrain it was impossible to recover all the pieces. But also due to that treacherous terrain, the National Park Service is not revealing the exact location of the crash site because it doesn't want people hiking there.

So why even have a landmark at all? In this case, the landmark status is more about the changes this site brought about. Because of the crash, the country enacted sweeping reforms for communication and safety for the airline industry. Due to the heavy press coverage the crash received, the public was outraged, and there was a movement to demand congressional hearings about the case. Between 1950 and 1955 there had already been 65 mid-air collisions over U.S. airspace.



In 1957, a motion was introduced to boost air traffic control funding, both to modernize the system and hire and train controllers. This would include ways to better manage visual and instrument flight rules. Airports also added radar, which would prove invaluable for tracking planes. And a few years later, the Federal Aviation Agency was formed to oversee all American airspace.

Although memorials for crash sites are commonplace, this is the first time a plane crash site has been landmarked. And it's also the first landmark which technically honors something which happened in the air, not on the ground, National Historic Landmarks Program branch chief Alexandra Lord told The Atlantic Cities:

"We've never done an actual crash site," said Alexandra Lord, branch chief of the National Historic Landmarks Program in Washington, D.C. "In some ways we can argue that the crash itself—which led to the scattering of pieces over a huge debris field—is what's crucial. And it sort of doesn't matter if you think of it as on the air or on the ground."

Next time you're flying over the American Southwest and your pilot tells you to look out the window to see the Grand Canyon, know that the reason you're flying safely is because of that site somewhere below. A single tragic crash spurred along the technology that made the skies a better place for all. And for that, a landmark is very fitting indeed.

Monday 28 April 2014

http://gizmodo.com/why-a-1956-plane-crash-site-in-the-grand-canyon-was-nam-1568330158

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S Korea ferry disaster: Floating buoy used to spot bodies being carried away

Search teams say they'll use floating buoys in an attempt to stop bodies drifting away from the accident site.

The buoys will be used to detect various environmental factors such as the wind direction, speed, water temperature and water pressure to convey information in real time about the possible location of bodies that may have been carried away by strong sea currents.

Among the 188 bodies recovered so far, around 40 were found outside the vessel.

There's currently a net 13 kilometers long surrounding the site.

The search team is also expanding its operations to a 60 kilometer radius around the accident site.

Divers were battling atrocious weather conditions and powerful swell on Sunday in their grim search for bodies believed trapped in a sunken South Korean ferry, a coastguard spokesman said.

Rolling seas whipped up by strong winds were badly complicating efforts to find the remains of more than 100 people still unaccounted for 11 days after the Sewol capsized with 476 people -- many of them schoolchildren -- on board.

Despite waves up to three metres (nine feet) tall and near gale-force winds, teams of divers were still trying to get into the ferry.

"The situation is very difficult due to the weather, but we are continuing search efforts, using the occasional calmer periods," a coastguard spokesman said, adding 93 divers would take part in Sunday's operation.

Heavy seas prevented divers from getting into the ship on Saturday.

Forecasters warned wind and rain would pick up throughout the day.

"There is a possibility that a high wave advisory will be issued in sea areas around Jindo Sunday afternoon," Yonhap news agency quoted a weather service official as saying.

Frogmen -- who were unable to get inside the ferry for the first two days -- have battled strong currents, poor visibility and blockages.

The conditions each mission can be no more than a few minutes in length.

But even in this short time, they are coming across scenes of horror in the murky water, including one dormitory room packed with the bodies of 48 students wearing lifejackets.

Around a quarter of the dead recovered so far have been found in waters outside the sunken vessel, and there are fears that some of the missing may have drifted free from the wreck.

That could be exacerbated if the sea is churned by the gathering storm, scattering bodies.

Authorities -- wary of the anger among relatives about the time the search ios taking -- have mobilised trawlers and installed 13-kilometre-long (eight-mile-long) nets anchored to the seabed across the Maenggol sea channel to prevent the dead being swept into the open ocean.

South Korea has asked Japan and China to inform it about any bodies that wash up on beaches, reports said Monday, as fears grow that some of those who died when a ferry sank may never be found.

Park Seung-Gi, a spokesman for the government's Joint Task Force which is co-ordinating actions, vowed Monday to redouble efforts to prevent bodies getting lost in the sea.

Special teams have been set up to search underwater around the sunken vessel, as well on the sea surface, nearby islands and shores, he said.

"We will try our best to find bodies by using all our resources including helicopters, warships, patrol ships and search personnel," Park told reporters.

"We have asked China and Japan to contact us if they, by any chance, find any unidentified bodies washed up on shore," it quoted one rescue official as saying.

In deeply Confucian South Korea, the proper burial of bodies -- often in the deceased person's home town -- is considered a way to show respect for the dead and to allow their soul to rest in peace.

Waterlogged debris, cramped conditions and poor visibility is making their gruesome task very difficult, say officials, with several frogmen reporting injuries or decompression sickness.

Monday 28 April 2014

http://www.arirang.co.kr/News/News_View.asp?nseq=161586

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/storm-swell-hampers-s/1084776.html

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Tornado sweeps across southern US leaving at least 12 dead

At least 12 people have been killed after a powerful storm system wreaked havoc through the southern and central US on Sunday night.

A spokesman for the Arkansas governor, Mike Beebe, said 11 people were were killed in his state when a tornado carved through several suburbs north of Little Rock.

Local television station THV 11 said the local sheriff in Faulkner county had confirmed that six people died in the town of Vilonia.

"It's just devastating," Sheriff Andy Shock told THV 11. Shock said the town was facing a "mass casualty situation" and that nearby interstate 40 had been closed in both directions after cars and trucks were overturned.

Emergency workers and volunteers went door-to-door to look for victims. "It turned pitch black," said Mark Ausbrooks, who was at his parents' home when the storm arrived. "I ran and got pillows to put over our heads and ... all hell broke loose."

"My parents' home, it's gone completely," he said.

The large tornado stayed on the ground as it moved north-eastward for at least 30 miles (48km). Television footage showed badly damaged buildings and vehicles.

The neighbouring town of Mayflower was also badly hit. About 45 homes were destroyed and a lumberyard was damaged, said Will Elder, an alderman in the town of 2,300 people. He said at least one person was injured.

The tornado passed through the east side of town, tearing up trees and bringing down powerlines, making it difficult for the emergency services to find stricken areas in the the darkness.

"It's extremely hazardous here right now," said Elder. "The power lines are down, roads are blocked and they will have to proceed with caution."

In the western part of the state, Pulaski county sheriff's lieutenant Carl Minden said three people were killed when a tornado hit the area. Minden said several others were injured at the scene.

"I'm standing on the foundation of the house now. It's totally gone," Minden told the Associated Press.

The storm system passed through Arkansas at about 7.30pm as around a dozen twisters were reported across the region.

At least one person was killed in a tornado in the small Oklahoma town of Quapaw.

A police dispatcher in Ottawa County, Oklahoma, said a search and rescue effort was under way in Quapaw, but could not confirm reports of fatalities.

Tornadoes were also reported in Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska and Missouri on Sunday afternoon and evening, causing some damage but no known injuries, according to local officials and the weather service.

Monday 28 April 2014

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/28/tornado-kills-two-in-oklahoma-as-sheriff-reports-mass-casualties

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