19 die as bus rolls into gorge in Himachal

Nineteen people, including eight women, were killed Friday and 13 injured when a private bus carrying them skidded off a road and fell into a gorge in Himachal Pradesh’s Sirmaur district, police said.

Gross human negligence was behind the accident, said the officials.

All nineteen bodies have been recovered, Superintendent of Police Sumedha Diwedi told IANS.

The bus was carrying at least 35 passengers at the time of the accident. The police officer said the injured were being treated at hospitals in Solan and Shimla towns.

The bus, ferrying people from Purandhar to Solan town, met with the accident near Bharari village in Sangrah subdivision, 130km from district headquarters Nahan.

“The driver was throwing bottles out of the bus. This led to the driver losing control over the vehicle,” one of the survivors told the police.

Most of the accident victims came from the Nohradhar and Purandhar areas.

The government has ordered an inquiry into the accident.

Governor Urmila Singh and Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh have expressed grief over the incident.

Sirmaur is one of the most remote places in the state. This was the second major accident in the state in less than a month.

Thirty-nine people were killed when a private, overloaded bus carrying 70 passengers skidded off the road and plunged into the Beas river near Kullu town May 8.

Police records say over 800 people die every year in the state in road accidents.

Police have identified 556 accident-prone spots, including 210 on national highways. Friday 7 June 2013

http://gulfnews.com/news/world/india/19-die-as-bus-rolls-into-gorge-in-himachal-1.1194064

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Over 181 lives lost in Victoria Day disaster of 1881

For the past few weeks we have been looking at the terrible tragedy that occurred on May 24, 1881 in the usually placid waters of the Thames River between downtown London and Springbank Park.

Last week we were there when the over loaded paddle wheel excursion steamer the Victoria tipped over in the Thames and the upper deck crashed onto the lower deck and the boat sank in 17 feet of water in a remarkably short period of time.

Some survivors managed to escape the horror and make it to shore and then returned to the waters to help pull bodies from beneath the wreckage and place them on board another excursion steamer. The Princess Louise had quickly transformed itself from a boat of pleasure to a morgue.

Many of the bodies brought ashore showed terrible signs of the terrible struggles, open wounds that were bleeding profusely. Many of the faces were terribly disfigured while others in death showed the terror on their faces.

The late afternoon was quickly filled with heroic actions in brave attempts to save others. Stories about the immediate aftermath of the sinking abound and many were saved due to superhuman efforts on the part of fellow passengers and passersby. However, there were other tales to be told as well.

Many of the bodies were not identified properly causing much grief to people when they were told of the loss of a loved one, only to discover that the rescuers had made an error in identification. And so the stories went on, each as terrifying and bizarre as the next one. Entire families were wiped out and people watched in horror as loved ones died before their eyes.

Between the hours of 8-9 p.m. the Thames gave up one victim almost every minute. In that hour 59 bodies were retrieved. By 10 p.m., 152 lifeless bodies had been taken from the muddy waters.

As darkness closed in, bonfires were lit to assist rescuers in their gruesome task and in a mistaken interpretation one European newspaper drew sketches that indicated the bodies taken from the Thames were for some odd health reason being burnt on the spot!

Thieves, as in any other time past or present, also worked through the night stealing watches, jewelry or money when the overworked police officers were not looking.

Hearses, carriages for hire and wagons were in short supply as were the drivers. Many of them charged exorbitant prices and one driver in a hurry to carry even more corpses took a body to its home, found no one there and decided to open a window and gently slide the corpse through the window onto the floor and then he quickly returned for another gruesome load. Another driver left a lifeless body sitting up in a chair in the family home with only a brief hastily scribbled note.

Funerals went on for a full week and a general pall of gloom hung over the city. In London South, on one city block, five funerals were held from six homes. In total it is believed that at least 181 people lost their lives that day in the tranquil waters of the Thames.

By Aug. 8, the hulk of the Victoria which had remained not far from her dock for over two months was finally dismantled before the winter set in. The machinery and boiler were sold for scrap and no one in London wanted any reminders of a pleasure craft that, on a glorious May morning a short time before, so many had wanted to clamor on board and celebrate a time that seemed so full of life, promise and joy.

How quickly life can change from absolute joy to utter despair. Such was life in 1881 and such is life today.

Friday 7 June 2013

http://www.chathamdailynews.ca/2013/06/07/over-181-lives-lost-in-victoria-day-disaster-of-1881

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6 Bangladeshis among 9 killed in UAE factory fire

Six Bangladeshis are among the nine workers killed in a devastating fire at a pesticide factory at Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Bangladesh Embassy in the Gulf state says.

Nasrin Jahan, labour affairs official at the mission, confirmed bdnews24.com on Wednesday night of the causalities on June 2.

The official said the fire broke out at the godown of the pesticide factory from a cylinder explosion on Sunday night. The workers succumbed to the injuries later.

The Gulf News reports that the fire erupted at the factory in the Al Sajja industrial area at around 9pm last Sunday.

All 6 Bangladeshi workers are identified.

Of the eight injured workers, four succumbed to injuries in the hospital on Wednesday while police recovered two charred bodies of workers from the site the same day.

The report says the dead are of Pakistani and Bangladeshi nationalities.

Investigation into the incident is still going on.

“The intensity of the fire was very strong because the materials being burned were extremely flammable,” Gulf News quoted Brigadier Abdullah Al Suwaidi, Director-General of Sharjah Civil Defence, as saying.

“The fire broke out at the pesticide factory and spread to the adjacent wood workshop but the exact cause has not been established until we carry out an investigation. We were able in six hours to get the fire under control,” Brigadier Al Suwaidi said.

All roads were cordoned off by Anjad patrols and the area was evacuated.

Al Sajja Police station is investigating the incident, the report said.



The other four injured workers were receiving treatment at Al Qasimi and Al Kuwaiti hospitals. On Feb 4 this year, at least 22 expatriate workers including 13 Bangladeshis died and many others were injured when the bus they were travelling in collided with a lorry in the city of Al Ain.

And on Jan 12, 13 Bangladesh nationals were killed in a devastating fire in Manama, the capital of Bahrain.

Thursday 6 June 2013

http://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2013/06/05/6-bangladeshis-among-9-killed-in-uae-factory-fire

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7 killed‚ 4 missing after landslides hit rural Taplejung

Seven including six members of a family are reportedly killed, and four other are missing when a landslide buried a house at Thukimba-6, Taplejung on Wednesday mid-night.

The deceased are identified as Astha Bahadur Siwa (69), his wife, son Salman Siwa (40), daughter-in-law Manamaya Siwa (36), grandsons Nasiram Siwa and Khagendra Siwa.

Also, 10-year-old Naina Siwa, daughter of Tej Man Siwa got killed in the mud-slide.

It is said that the incessant rainfall in the region caused the mud to bury the house resulting in the fatalities.

In the meantime, a team of police from Area Police Office, Dovan , Nepal Army, and locals are carrying on the rescue process.

Likewise, a team under command of Police Inspector Yam Bahadur Paudel have left for the disaster area which is about a day walk from the district headquarters.

In another incident in the same region at Thukimba-6, Taplejung, three persons got injured when the landslide buried the house of Kuber Singh.

Sukman Siwa is rescued in the critical condition. However, five other survived as they were able to run away when the disaster hit the house.

According to the police, the continuous rainfall in the region has been hindering the rescue process.

Thursday 6 June 2013

http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=7+killed%E2%80%9A+4+missing+after+landslides+hit+rural+Taplejung+&NewsID=379035

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Death toll hits 120 in deadly China fire; 90 percent of victims women; 17 unaccounted for

Authorities raised the death toll Wednesday by one to 120 in this week’s disastrous fire at a northeast China poultry processing plant, with another 17 people unaccounted for.

The State Administration of Work Safety said a total of 395 people were at work during Monday’s tragedy, the country’s worst industrial accident in almost five years.

State media reports said about 90 percent of the victims were women recruited from nearby farming villages to work part time at the sprawling Jilin Baoyuanfeng Poultry Co. plant.

Workers said all but one of the plant’s exits were locked at the time of the fire, in a clear violation of Chinese laws and safety regulations.

Authorities have detained the plant’s owner and managers, and a special commission appointed by China’s Cabinet is investigating the fire. Initial reports said it appeared to have been sparked by an explosion caused by leaking ammonia, a chemical kept pressurized as part of the cooling system in meat processing plants.

The provincial government in northeast China's Jilin Province announced on Tuesday that it will form a work team to help bereaved families following the fire that claimed at least 120 lives in Jilin's Dehui City on Monday.

Psychologists have been sent to counsel the workers.

A team of officials from Dehui arrived at the plant on Monday evening to comfort relatives of the deceased, according to officers at the scene.

Some victims' families have arrived at the scene and have demanded a government investigation into the cause of the accident as soon as possible.

Wang Rulin, secretary of the provincial Party Committee, said the government will deal with the aftermath of the accident, in part by forming a working group for each family to provide compensation and grief counseling and cater to their needs.

The disaster highlighted continuing worker safety problems in China, where about 70,000 people are killed on the job each year, due partly to corruption, poor training and lax enforcement by regulators.

It came almost 20 years after a similar fire in a toy factory in the southern city of Shenzhen where 87 young workers were killed because exits also were locked, allegedly to prevent theft.

Thursday 6 June 2013

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/locked-doors-that-trapped-fire-victims-show-work-safety-failings-in-chinas-mighty-economy/2013/06/04/f2fa4982-cd85-11e2-8573-3baeea6a2647_story.html

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2013-06/04/c_132429912.htm

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9 killed in Egypt's traffic accident

At least nine people were killed and six others injured on Wednesday when a microbus collided with two trucks on a main road in Giza governorate near Egypt's capital Cairo, state-run MENA news agency reported.

The security forces rushed to the scene, and the injured, as well as the bodies of the dead were taken to nearby hospitals.

Over the past two days, similar accidents have left at least 15 people dead and scores injured nationwide in Egypt.

Traffic accidents are common in Egypt, killing at least 10,000 people each year, according to recent official statements.

Lack of highway monitoring systems, poor road maintenance and negligence of traffic rules are behind the high rate of road accidents in Egypt.

Thursday 6 June 2013

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/article_xinhua.asp?id=145747

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New study shows that migrant deaths remain high in Arizona

When people’s bodies, often merely skeletons, turn up in the remote and harsh reaches of southern Arizona’s desert, it can be hard to say how or when they died, let alone who they were or where they were from.

But a comprehensive new study of 2,238 migrant deaths in Arizona over the past 23 years tackles such questions head-on and tracks the ways the answers to these questions have changed over the past two decades.

Among other findings, the study, which was released Wednesday by the University of Arizona’s Binational Migration Institute and the Pima County Medical Examiner’s Office, found that:

• One in eight migrants who have died trying to cross the border into southern Arizona since 1990 were under 19 years old.

• Many deaths are among the relatively young. About 43 percent of those who died were under 29 years old.

• Migrants increasingly are likely to die.

• Migrants in Arizona were twice as likely to die last year as in 2009, when deaths are compared with the rate of apprehensions by the Border Patrol. In the patrol’s Tucson Sector, migrants were five times as likely to die last year as in 2004.

An increasing proportion of those dying are from Central America. Over the past six years, 17 percent of migrants who died were from Central America and countries other than Mexico, up from 9 percent of those who died from 2000 to 2005.

In recent years, migrants are dying in more remote areas. Consequently, their bodies are more often decomposed when they’re found, making it harder to figure out why they died. In 46 percent of the deaths since 2006, medical examiners couldn’t determine the cause of death. By contrast, from 2000 to 2005, examiners couldn’t determine the cause of death in 20percent of the cases.

The proportion of migrants dying in auto accidents has dropped from 20 percent of deaths in the 1990s to 7 percent.

“Has there been another time in our history when government agencies have had to deal with this level of death outside of disasters?” Raquel Rubio-Goldsmith, an adjunct professor at UA and one of the study’s authors, asked rhetorically. “In a sense, we are dealing with a disaster ... but politicians don’t like to talk about it. How many politicians in Washington right now are discussing deaths on the border?”

She noted that measuring or ameliorating deaths hasn’t been a major topic in the ongoing immigration-reform and border-security debate. An immigration and border-security bill is expected to be taken up on the floor of the U.S. Senate next week.

Border-crosser deaths in southern Arizona began rising sharply in 2000 as increased enforcement pushed migrants to more remote areas.

More fencing and border security was supposed to deter crossings by making them more difficult, said Robin Reineke, coordinator of the Missing Migrant Project, another of the six co-authors of the study.

“(But) they haven’t been deterred,” she said. “They have taken long, dangerous treks through the desert, and they are dying in very high numbers.”

The Medical Examiner’s Office and the Binational Migration Institute started collaborating in 2005 to track migrant deaths. Gregory Hess, Pima County’s chief medical examiner, said his office works to identify remains found in the majority of southern Arizona counties but not, with some exceptions, Yuma County.

Medical examiners work to identify the cause of death (if it hasn’t been determined by a doctor) and to identify remains. Medical examiners and forensic anthropologists use a coding system to label unidentified remains as border crossers and compare them to missing-persons reports from foreign consulates or families.

About two-thirds of remains are identified, Reineke said.

The office is a national leader in tracking bodies found in the desert. There is no federal effort to systematically collect data across counties or states, Hess said.

He said the Border Patrol does cooperate with his office and the Binational Migration Institute in compiling the data and has regularly requested data from the study’s authors to help the agency record migrant deaths, many of which are reported by local law-enforcement officers.

In response to queries from The Arizona Republic, the Border Patrol’s Tucson Sector office issued a written statement that its information-sharing with the university and Medical Examiner’s Office “is useful in helping us to determine where to dedicate resources specifically aimed at reducing migrant deaths and injuries along the Arizona-Mexico border.”

By contrast, Texas has nearly four times as many border counties as Arizona, each of which tracks migrant deaths separately, if they are tracked at all.

Migrant death counts from Texas are considered less reliable because of the lack of coordination among the counties, several of the study’s authors said.

Across the entire southwestern U.S. border last fiscal year, 463 migrants died, the second-highest total in the previous 15 years.

But, based on Border Patrol apprehensions, only one-third as many people crossed last year as in 2005, when 492 bodies were found.

The Tucson Sector, with 102 migrant deaths reported since the beginning of October, is still the deadliest.

Just last week, Border Patrol agents discovered the remains of five people near the town of Sells on the Tohono O’odham Reservation. Hess said that they may have been homicide victims and that personal effects found at the scene suggest they were migrants.

But rising death counts in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley may soon lead that sector to overtake the Tucson Sector.

Last year, while deaths in the Tucson Sector fell by 18, to 177, deaths in the Rio Grande Valley jumped to 150 from 66 the year before. Texas is seeing significant increases in border crossers from Central America, according to Border Patrol data.

Rail routes from southern Mexico make Texas the most direct crossing point for migrants from Guatemala, Honduras and other Central American countries.

Although the study doesn’t recommend specific steps to reduce migrant deaths, other human-rights advocacy groups have done so.

Thursday 6 June 2013

http://www.azcentral.com/news/arizona/articles/20130605arizona-border-deaths-report-migrants.html?nclick_check=1

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Jilin slaughterhouse blaze site off limits as relatives mourn

Police in Dehui, Jilin, have tightened security around a poultry slaughterhouse where at least 120 workers were killed in a fire, as bereaved relatives prepare to mark a burial day without the bodies of their loved ones.

Much of the main road leading to the Jilin Baoyuanfeng Poultry Co in Mishazi town had been off limits since yesterday. Authorities were wary of social unrest breaking out today - the third day after the deaths, which is considered a day to lay the dead to rest, according to traditions in much of northern China.

Quoting official sources, state-run media outlets such as Xinhua reported that authorities had identified 67 of the 120 bodies recovered as of late Tuesday, and nearly 80 people had been taken to hospital. Many people were still frantically searching for their loved ones yesterday.

Business owner Niu Fubiao , 36, went to the site for the second day yesterday, seeking information about his wife, Liu Fang . But riot police beat him up and detained him for several hours, Niu's brother-in-law Liu Biao said.

"We just want to talk to someone to get information about my sister to get some peace of mind, but no one is willing to talk to us," Liu said. "What did we do to deserve this? We have already lost a loved one."

The State Council yesterday vowed to conduct a thorough investigation into the tragedy, after hearing from Minister of Public Security Guo Shengkun , who had just returned from a visit to the site.

As authorities made slow progress in identifying victims' remains amid the public's frantic scramble for answers, the tragedy could be seen taking a heavy toll on the victims' relatives.

Some family members were so traumatised that they had to be admitted to hospital for problems such as heart attacks and hypertension, said Jiang Xiuling , who was tending to his elderly mother at Dehui People's Hospital. He said his daughter, a line worker in her early 20s, remained unaccounted for.

Jiang said he was angry at the authorities for not approaching families about counselling or compensation. But he added that he was currently focused on caring for his mother, who suffered a heart attack after learning that her granddaughter was among those missing.

Line worker Zhao Yaqin , 40, was fortunate to survive Monday's blaze. She was admitted to Dehui's Fuyang Hospital with a sore throat. Zhao said she and several co-workers in the hospital had not received medication for nearly a day, and had been told to wait indefinitely for respiratory equipment to be shipped in for treatment.

"We've been told not to worry about anything, including our hospital bills. But how could we possibly not worry if they start treating us like this just two days after our ordeal," she said.

Thursday 6 June 2013

http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1254382/blaze-site-limits-relatives-mourn

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6 confirmed dead in Philadelphia building collapse

A woman was found alive in the rubble 13 hours after a building collapsed in Center City -- killing at least six people and injuring more than a dozen others.

The collapse at 2140 Market Street happened around 10:40 a.m. on Wednesday when a four-story building came down on top of a two-story building, which housed a Salvation Army Thrift Store. Early reports from Philadelphia Police indicate that the collapse may have been the result of an industrial accident, as construction crews were working on the nearby structure.

One woman was found dead and 13 people were rescued from the rubble during the day. Mayor Nutter says the woman was 35-years-old. Sources close to the investigation say the woman was a cashier at the thrift store and that Wednesday was her first day on the job.

"I ask all Philadelphians and all who care to keep that Philadelphia woman and her family in your prayers," Nutter said.

Crews continued to dig with the help of search dogs to see if anyone else remained trapped beneath the rubble. They found five more people dead, a man and four women, in the rubble Wednesday night. According to officials, all six people who died were inside the store at the time of the collapse. Darby Borough Police Chief Robert Smythe identified one of the victims as 68-year-old Borbor Davis of the Darby Borough. Davis, originally from Liberia, West Africa, worked at the thrift store and spoke to his wife on the phone at 10:30 a.m., 15 minutes before the building collapsed.

As crews continued to search the rubble, officials say 61-year-old Myra Plekam, who was trapped underneath, reached out and grabbed the hand of a firefighter. She was pulled out around midnight, making her the 14th person rescued. She was taken to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania where she is currently in critical condition.

"She was talking to the firefighters as they were recovering her," said Michael Resnick of the Philadelphia Fire Department.

Nutter said the search is still active and will continue until crews are absolutely certain no one else is inside the rubble.

The fourteen rescued victims were taken to local hospitals. Most of the injuries are minor. The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania treated six of the 14 victims. A spokeswoman from the hospital says five of those victims are stable while Plekam is in critical condition. Two of those victims have been released.

Rescue crews could be seen digging through the debris and brought in at least two pieces of heavy machinery to help move debris.

"I've never encountered anything like this before anytime in my life, and I don't want to see it again," said Vey, who was driving down 22nd Street right before Market and saw the building come down. "I feel really lucky. That brick landed in my passenger seat. Lucky for the rainguard on my window that saved me from getting hit."

Ordinary people took part in the rescue efforts as well. Roofers from a nearby building hustled over after the collapse and started pulling people out of the basement.

Documents "They were pretty banged up," one of the roofers said.

The Salvation Army sent its own disaster response team to the site to help survivors and first responders. The organization sent out a statement saying, "Our number one concern is for the safety of our customers and the employees who were involved."

Market Street is closed from 18th to 30th Street right now.

Thursday 6 June 2013

http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/national_world&id=9128223

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More remains of genocide victims found in Bugesera

A mass grave containing remains of eight Genocide victims was discovered in a residential area in Nemba Village in Bugesera District on Monday.

Vincent de Paul Rukonge, a resident, said the victims could have been killed while fleeing the pogrom to Burundi.

"This area was not a habitant at the time of the Genocide. It was a woodland, so the victims could have been intercepted while fleeing to Burundi," he said.

Nemba Sector neighbours two districts in Burundi.

"This is disheartening. The remains were dug out by tractors upgrading village infrastructure. I am struggling to come to terms with what I saw. I'm one of those who gathered the remains; I still feel a chill in my body," Rukonge said.

He prayed government to give such victims, whose relatives cannot be traced, a special cemetery.

"The clothes and bodies of the victims could be identified if they had relatives, but it is next to impossible tracing relatives of unidentified remains," Rukonge said.

Identify mass graves

Bugesera mayor Louis Rwagaju confirmed the incident and urged those who know where remains of victims yet to be found were buried to tell authorities so they (the victims) are given a decent burial.

Rwagaju said there were many unknown places where victims were buried in 1994.

"This is one of the challenges we face; not all places where the Tutsi died are known. It is thus our challenge to continue challenging Genocide perpetrators or witnesses to be courageous enough to tell us the truth," Rwagaju said.

Bugesera is one of the districts where the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi started from.

Wednesday 5 June 2013

http://allafrica.com/stories/201306051143.html

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38 dead in Sudan road crash

At least 38 people died in Sudan Tuesday in one of the country's worst road accidents in years when a bus collided with a truck, police said, blaming the accident on speeding.

"Because of a crash this morning between a bus and a truck south of El Gutaina town in White Nile state, 38 people died and others were injured," a police statement said.

It did not give the number of people hurt but said they were taken to hospital in El Gutaina, about 100 kilometres (62 miles) south of Khartoum, to be treated for various injuries.

The bus was travelling from Khartoum's twin city of Omdurman to El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan state, when it collided with the truck heading the opposite way, police said.

"The accident happened because of the high speeds of the two vehicles," said traffic police General Abdurahman Hassan Abdurahman.

After the crash, Abdurahman said police would step up enforcement by distributing 25 additional radar units to monitor speeds on the impoverished nation's highways.

Last December 33 people were killed and 24 injured when two inter-city buses collided about halfway between Khartoum and Wad Medani, southeast of the capital.

That crash followed complaints by city bus drivers in Khartoum that Sudan's surging inflation and sinking currency had driven maintenance costs out of control.

Last October 13 people died and 26 were injured when a passenger bus blew a tyre and collided with a minibus on the road to Wad Medani.

A crash between a bus and a truck south of Khartoum killed 21 people in April 2009.

Wednesday 5 June 2013

http://www.nation.co.ke/News/africa/38-dead-in-Sudan-road-crash/-/1066/1872780/-/6vkcq6/-/index.html

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Red Cross demonstrates disaster app

The Red Cross has a free app that alerts you to all types of disasters (tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, wildfires), plus information on first aid and where to find shelter.

From your mobile phone, call **REDCROSS (**73327677) and you will receive a link to download the iPhone / Android app or visit iTunes or Google Play app stores.

The applications feature step-by-step instructions to help you know what to do even if the cell towers and TVs are down.

You will also find safety tips for everything, from severe weather to what you need to know if you are ever in a situation where someone may be drowning or choking.

"We're really trying to focus on making skill training more available," says, Gary Striar, Chief Executive Officer of the Northeastern American Red Cross.

You can prioritize actions for before, during, and after emergency situations, and it requires no mobile connectivity.

The applications also come with flashlights and audible sirens that go off automatically even if the app is closed. There are currently six separate apps you can download:

1) Tornado App
2) Hurricane App
3) Shelter Finder App
4) First Aid App
5) Earthquake App
6) Wildfire App

You can also let friends and family know you're safe with one touch. The "I'm Safe" notification allows users to broadcast reassurance to loved ones that they are out of harms way. This notification is easily sharable through social media, text and e-mail.

The applications provide an opportunity to prepare for the worst by learning how to assemble an emergency kit in the event of power outages or evacuations.

It also allows you to learn how to make and practice an emergency plan. "It's free, it's easy and it doesn't take too much time," adds Striar. "People can just go to these apps and very quickly learn basic skills in terms of first aid and how to prepare for disasters. There are great video tutorials and check lists available."

The applications are available for iPhone, iPad, and Android devices.

Wednesday 5 June 2013

http://www.cbs6albany.com/news/features/featured/stories/red-cross-demonstrates-disaster-app-836.shtml

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Amnesty Int'l: Disappearances in Mexico a 'crisis'

The number of unsolved disappearances in Mexico constitutes a human rights crisis, Amnesty International said Tuesday, citing what it called a systematic failure by police and prosecutors to investigate thousands of cases that have piled up since 2006.

Rupert Knox, Amnesty's Mexico investigator, said relatives are often forced to search for missing loved ones themselves, sometimes at considerable risk.

Adding insult to injury, Knox said police and prosecutors often don't even bother to use the information that relatives dig up. Instead, police routinely assume that the missing are caught up in Mexico's drug cartel conflicts.

"They are stigmatized, they are treated with disdain, and the typical thing is to say the victims were members of criminal gangs," Knox said. "That is a demonstration of the negligence that has allowed this problem to grow into a national scandal and a human rights crisis."

The federal government says some 26,000 people have been reported missing since the government launched an offensive against drug cartels in late 2006, though officials have said the true number is probably lower, because some people reported missing have since been found or accounted for but never taken off the list.

Brenda Rangel is the sister of Hector Rangel, who disappeared along with two friends in 2009 after being stopped by police for a traffic violation and was never seen again. She is sure her brother wasn't involved in criminal activity. A young businessman, he had gone to the northern state of Coahuila, which is a hotbed of the Zetas drug gang, to collect a payment from a client.

Rangel says her brother last called to say he was in police custody, and she said the family has given authorities the number of the squad car, and even the names of the policemen involved in the detention. But she said prosecutors told her the officers were fired from the local police force in Monclova, Coahuila, and couldn't be located. In Mexico, it is not uncommon for local policemen to work for drug gangs.

Nearing the fourth year in her brother's disappearance, that kind of shrugging response is driving Rangel and her family to desperation, and into danger, since they can't let it rest.

"We have received death threats," she said, adding: "I have run risks, I have gone into safe houses, I have had to disguise myself in different ways to look for my brother."

One by one, other parents and siblings of missing Mexicans stood up and recounted their horror stories: cases in which authorities themselves, police or the military, appear to have been involved in the disappearances.

Mexico's government announced last week that it is creating a special unit to search for missing people. But the unit has only 12 federal investigators and a group of federal police agents to cover all the cases.

Knox said such agencies have been tried before in Mexico but have accomplished little, in part because they have lacked the resources, manpower and authority to really perform their task.

"The authorities have always seen them (the special units) as a way to reduce public pressure and blow off steam," Knox said.

While Rangel and the other victims' families maintain faith that their loved ones are still alive, perhaps subjected to forced labor by the drug cartels, Mexico's National Human Rights Commission has received information on 15,921 unidentified bodies that have passed through morgues in Mexico, some of which could belong to the missing.

A recent case in Mexico City has highlighted the difficulties surrounded cases of suspected disappearances.

On May 26, 11 young people disappeared from a Mexico City after-hours bar just off the city's main Reforma boulevard, a block and a half from the U.S. Embassy.

The young people were from the rough-and-tumble Tepito neighborhood and their disappearance only came to light after their parents and other Tepito residents held a protest that blocked a major road. Media reports later said that the fathers of two of the missing young men were suspected former Tepito crime bosses currently doing time in prison.

A witness who apparently escaped from the abduction said the young people were taken away by gunmen in masks after partying through the night at the bar. But Mexico City's prosecutor's office has said that surveillance video reviewed so far by police hasn't shown a mass abduction.

Now the witness can no longer be found, nor can the bar's owner or any of the staff who were working that night.

The families have put up missing-person posters with photos of their loved ones throughout the area, and say that almost 10 days later they still have not come home.

Wednesday 5 June 2013

http://www.islandpacket.com/2013/06/04/2528632/amnesty-intl-mexico-disappearances.html

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India: Unclaimed bodies pile up at OGH mortuary

Delays in shifting unclaimed bodies from the Osmania General Hospital (OGH) mortuary have been cause for discomfort not only for hospital staff but also patients and attendants visiting the hospital.

As the bodies lie unclaimed, the stench from the morgue begins to spread, and at times reaches the nearby blocks of the hospital. Visitors and patients apart, even hospital staff can be seen holding their noses to escape the stench.

On Friday, more than 30 unclaimed bodies piled up at the morgue, awaiting clearance from authorities.

The morgue has a single room with freezer facilities, which can accommodate only 32 bodies at a time. Bodies are preserved here pending identification, while the old ones are shifted to an adjacent room that is devoid of proper facilities.

Of the 10 to 15 bodies that come in daily, of which three to four are of unknown persons. While identified bodies are handed over to the relatives after the autopsy, unclaimed ones are kept at the mortuary until the GHMC facilitates a cremation.

Mortuary authorities intimate the Afzalgunj police station of unclaimed bodies and after receiving a go-ahead from the police, they write to the GHMC, who then shift the bodies for cremation or assign the job to an NGO.

Mortuary officials say the list of bodies is handed over to the GHMC at regular intervals but there are delays in clearing the bodies. As a result, they pile up at the mortuary, leading to unhygienic conditions.

In mid-May, authorities lifted about 120 bodies in one go and in the month of March, 63 bodies were moved out at once. The prescribed period for preserving unclaimed bodies is about 72 hours but in the last few months, bodies were around lying for more than two months, the staff said.

Most bodies come to the mortuary are already in a bad state and after lying here for days at a stretch, one can imagine the conditions, they added.

When contacted Y. Venkata Ramana, GHMC Circle IV, Assistant Medical and Health Officer, said he was not aware of any delays. “I will look into the matter,” he said.

Wednesday 5 June 2013

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/unclaimed-bodies-pile-up-at-ogh-mortuary/article4782217.ece

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67 fire victims identified in China's Jilin

Sixty-seven bodies from a deadly fire accident in northeast China's Jilin province have been identified, according to local authorities.

Additionally, The Beijing Times newspaper reports on Wednesday that DNA samples have been taken from the remaining unidentified victims in order to be matched with that of their relatives.

The fatal fire, which broke out on Monday morning at a poultry processing workshop owned by the Jilin Baoyuanfeng Poultry Company, has killed 120 people.

Seventy-seven wounded people are being treated in local hospitals, including seven who are in critical condition.

Meanwhile, China's judicial officials are investigating whether dereliction of duty played a role in the accident.

Wednesday 5 June 2013

http://english.cri.cn/6909/2013/06/05/191s768597.htm

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In Afghanistan, grief over attack on ICRC's Jalalabad compound.

Whenever Bibi Laila heard the all-too-familiar sound of a bomb blast in Jalalabad, she did not worry - her husband worked for the famously impartial Red Cross, and would never be a target.

Laila's husband, Bashir Khan, worked in one of the world's most dangerous vocations, a gate guard in war-wracked Afghanistan. Despite that, she believed no one would dare attack the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), given its history of working with all sides.

"My husband gave us assurances that he worked at a humanitarian organization and whenever there was fighting, they (the ICRC) collect dead bodies and help both sides, so no harm would come to him," Laila told Reuters in the family's two-room home outside the eastern city of Jalalabad.

Her confidence was shattered on May 29 when her husband opened the front gate of the ICRC's Jalalabad compound.

He was greeted by an aggressive man in traditional clothes who pulled out a pistol, yelled "Allahu Akbar!" (God is Greatest) and shot Khan dead.

"Whoever killed him, may Allah pour out his wrath upon them," wept Laila, covering her face with a long black scarf.

Khan was the only person to die in the attack, the first of its kind on the agency since it arrived in Afghanistan in 1987.

"We have decided to reduce the number of expatriates in the field and in Kabul simply because we don't understand what happened in Jalalabad," ICRC spokesman Robin Waudo told AFP.

"This is a temporary measure that impacts on operations, but we will maintain our humanitarian services for those affected by conflict," he said, declining to give the number of staff being withdrawn or the affected services.

"It was a serious security incident. We are trying to understand how it came about that we were attacked."

The ICRC, which has 1,800 employees nationwide, had 36 staff in Jalalabad, seven of them foreigners who were rescued from the compound.

The aid group maintains strict neutrality in Afghanistan and was thought to be protected from attack by its working relations with the Taliban and other insurgent groups.

The Taliban have since denied any responsibility for the attack, saying they never target those who "truly serve" the Afghan people.

However, senior officials from NATO's International Security Assistance Force and the Afghan government told Reuters they had intelligence that suggested the Taliban was indeed behind the attack.

The ICRC has since decided to remove some international staff and curtail its operations, which - at $90 million a year - are some of its biggest in the world. Some 1,800 ICRC staff work on projects from providing orthopedic limbs and treating war wounded to visiting militants in Afghan jails.

While the attack has sent shockwaves through the international community, for Laila and her seven children it destroyed any notion of a serene family life.

Khan began working with the ICRC during the hardline Taliban regime that ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to late 2001 before it was ousted by a U.S.-led invasion in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks.

Khan left behind seven children aged between 10 and 20 who live with Laila and Khan's younger brother, Ezatullah, who has three children of his own. They all live in a two-room house in a poor district.

They had relied on Khan's 12,000 Afghani ($220) monthly salary. Both families must now survive on the younger brother's $10 a day income from driving a taxi.

"I may not be able to earn enough to feed all of them," Ezatullah said of Khan's children, as they looked on.

The attack, which involved a suicide bomber, Khan's killer and two other gunmen, prompted the closure of the ICRC's Jalalabad office. Hundreds of residents held a protest on Sunday against the decision.

ICRC administrative officer Mohammad Hanif Durani was in the agency's compound when the attack was launched.

"I was in my office upstairs when I heard a single shot, a cry of pain, and (someone yelling) 'Allahu Akbar'," he said.

"I ran downstairs to see what had happened and ran into one of the attackers. He pointed his pistol at me but it jammed, so he threw the gun on the ground and pulled out a grenade."

Durani said he turned, ran back upstairs and managed to avoid the blast of the grenade. He then jumped out of his office window onto a rooftop, fracturing an ankle and an elbow.

The suicide bomber blew himself up in the compound parking lot, setting fire to five vehicles and damaging a building.

His body was scattered across the compound, and police later told ICRC staff who had witnessed the attack to collect the body parts.

One staffer, who asked not to be identified, said the police told them that since the ICRC's work involved collecting bodies of Taliban fighters and sending them on to their families, they should "take care of this mess too".

Tuesday 4 June 2013

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/04/us-afghanistan-icrc-guard-idUSBRE9530IH20130604

http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/red-cross-pulls-some-staff-out-after-afghanistan-attack-375248

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Relatives scuffle with police after China fire kills 120

Relatives of workers killed as fire engulfed a chicken processing plant in rural northeast China blocked traffic and scuffled with police on Tuesday, demanding answers to one of China's worst industrial disasters in recent years. At least 120 people died, and more than 70 were injured.

A handful of men and woman knelt in the middle of the road in Dehui in Jilin province to stop cars, while a crowd of more than 100 people gathered around them. Police dispersed the protesters after about an hour.

Zhao Zhenchun, who lost both his wife and his sister in the fire, said human error was to blame for the death toll. "I don't think safety was being managed properly. This should never happen again. They paid the price with their blood. So many of these big disasters in China are caused by lax supervision," he said.

The world's second-largest economy has a poor record on workplace safety. Fire exits in factories are often locked to prevent workers taking time off or stealing things, or blocked entirely. "The rationale behind the locked doors boils down to efficiency. With the doors locked, workers cannot wander about freely, and therefore concentrate on their work," the official Xinhua news agency said.

Safety regulations are also easily skirted by bribing corrupt officials, and in any case China has relatively few fire safety inspectors.

"Tragically, most of the inspections usually come after a disaster like this," said Geoffrey Crothall, a China labour expert with Hong Kong-based advocacy group China Labour Bulletin. "There's very little proactive or routine inspections of factories to make sure everybody's up to code and that's largely because there are too many factories and too few inspectors."

LOSS OF FACE

The disaster is also a major loss of face for a country which seeks to project a global image of a modern, rising power, different from developing countries like Bangladesh where such industrial disasters are frequent.

Ironically, Monday's fire in a building that was just four years old coincided with China announcing its latest manned space mission, a multi-billion dollar scheme designed to showcase the nation's technological prowess and arrival on the world stage after decades of isolation and poverty.

"Many countries have the basic ability to avoid one-time disasters in which more than 100 people die ... China has reached this point," the Global Times, a widely read and influential tabloid, said in an editorial about the fire.

"It is ... a blow to China's modernisation and the latest proof that Chinese society is unable to balance development and safety risks."

Fearful of further unrest - Tuesday marks the sensitive 24th anniversary of China's bloody 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators - Beijing has ordered tight reporting controls.

"Strengthen guidance of public opinion ... strengthen management of the Internet and other new media, resolutely prevent the malicious stirring up or spreading of rumours and gossip," Xinhua said, citing a government meeting.

A Xinhua report said ammonia gas leaks could have caused the explosions at the plant, which is owned by Jilin Baoyuanfeng Poultry Co, a small local feed and poultry producer. Jilin is a largely agricultural province and an important producer of corn and soybeans.

Despite a series of food safety scandals in recent years, there have been relatively few large-scale fatal disasters in China's fast-growing but fragmented food processing sector. Twenty-one people died in 2003 at a meat processing plant in Qingdao, and the China Labour Bulletin said in a report then that management prevented some staff from fleeing until they had "moved the stock to a safe place."

PREMISES LOCKED

More than 300 workers were in the plant at Dehui on Monday, with employees saying they heard a bang and then saw smoke, Xinhua reported. Around 100 workers managed to escape from the plant, whose gate was locked when the fire broke out, it added. Nearby houses were evacuated.

On Tuesday, Yang Xiuya sat cross-legged in front of a car and shouted angrily at police, insisting the doors of the slaughterhouse had been locked at the time of the fire. "My daughter worked there. They haven't given us any explanation. It was time for my daughter to leave work, but the door was locked, so they all burned to death," she shouted.

Another relative screamed at a line of dozens of unarmed SWAT police officers and tried to attack them before women pulled him back. "We can't see our family members and there's no information. We can't see the survivors or the bodies of the dead. They need to let us see the bodies," he shouted, wiping away angry tears.

Many of China's deadly industrial accidents happen in the huge coal mining industry, in which more than 1,300 people died last year from explosions, mine collapses and floods. China's worst fire disaster in recent times was in 1994 when 325 died in a theatre blaze in the far western region of Xinjiang in 1994.

Tuesday 4 June 2013

http://in.reuters.com/article/2013/06/04/china-fire-idINDEE95206Q20130604

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Death toll rises in Oklahoma storms

The death toll from deadly tornadoes and severe flooding that struck Oklahoma on Friday and Saturday has risen to 18, including 12 adults and six children, with the bodies of seven people still unidentified, according to the state's chief medical examiner.

Officials on Monday added five victims – three adults and two unidentified children – to the tally of confirmed deaths, said Amy Elliott, a spokeswoman for the medical examiner's office.

At least five tornadoes touched down in Oklahoma on Friday, catching motorists stuck in traffic on roadways around Oklahoma City and its suburbs.

The storms also caused flash flooding throughout the Oklahoma City area. The Oklahoma County sheriff's department said it conducted several water rescues on Friday and Saturday, helping dozens of people stranded by the flooding.

A 64-year-old man drowned on Saturday morning when he drove off a washed-out bridge in eastern Oklahoma County. His body was recovered a quarter of a mile from where his vehicle was found, the sheriff's department said.

Of the 18 confirmed fatalities, nine were in Oklahoma City while six were in its western suburbs, four in El Reno and two in Union City. Luther, Wewoka and Clearview, east of Oklahoma City, each recorded one fatality.

Three storm chasers who died in El Reno were among those identified by the medical examiner.

The National Weather Service in Norman, Oklahoma, said that to its knowledge they were the first documented "scientific storm intercept fatalities" in a tornado.

Tuesday 4 June 2013

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/04/us-oklahoma-tornado-toll

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15 people killed in vehicle overturn near Sudan-Libyan Border

A total of 15 people were killed and 5 others injured on the Sudanese-Libyan border when their vehicle overturned in a border guard chase, said Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In a statement, the ministry said 12 Sudanese citizens and three people from other countries were killed when their vehicle overturned chased by Libyan border guards on a crackdown on human smugglers, Xinhua reported.

“7 of the victims have been identified and efforts are being made to identify the rest,” added the statement, noting that the injured “are receiving medical treatment at Al-Kufrah hospital.”

The Sudanese diplomat mission in Libya have made contacts with the Libyan authorities to learn the circumstances of the incident, said the statement, noting “the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs will summon the Libyan charge d’affaires for the same purpose and demand conduction of a an investigation into the case. “

The ministry warned citizens planning to travel to Libya against choosing illegal traffic means and associating with human smugglers, pointing to the great risks illegal migrants might face in the desert between the two countries.

According to labour ministry figures, almost 100,000 Sudanese left the country illegally in 2002, with Libya as a top destination for efforts to transit to Europe.

Tuesday 4 June 2013

http://www.nzweek.com/world/15-people-killed-in-vehicle-overturn-near-sudan-libyan-border-65129/

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10 killed in colliery gas explosion in central China

At least 10 miners were killed and 15 others injured when a gas explosion ripped through a coal mine in central China, the latest deadly incident to hit the country's troubled mining industry.

The blast occurred around 7:55 p.m. on Sunday at Simachong coal mine in Shaodong County of Shaoyang City, an officer with the publicity department of Shaodong said.

At least 10 miners were killed and 15 others injured when a gas explosion ripped through a coal mine in central China, the latest deadly incident to hit the country's troubled mining industry.

Thirty-nine miners were working underground when the accident happened. Twenty-nine were rescued, state-run Xinhua news agency quoted the official as saying.

All 15 injured miners were rushed to a local hospital, where two remain in critical condition, the official said.

Police have detained eight people believed to be responsible for the blast, including the mine's legal representative and managers.

A further investigation into the accident is under way.

On May 25, at least nine people were killed after a coal mine was inundated with water in China's eastern Shandong province.

China's mines are considered among the world's deadliest due to lax safety regulation, corruption and poor operating procedures.

Tuesday 4 June 2013

http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90882/8268486.html

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/336366/10-killed-15-injured-coal.html

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Update - Fire death toll at poultry plant in northeast China rises to 119

Fire raged through a poultry plant in northeastern China on Monday, trapping workers inside a cluttered slaughterhouse and killing at least 119 people, reports and officials said.

Several dozen people also were hurt in the blaze in Jilin province's Mishazi township, which appeared to have been sparked by three early morning explosions, the official Xinhua News Agency said. The provincial fire department, on its microblog, attributed the blasts to a leak of ammonia, a gas that is kept pressurized as part of the cooling system in meat processing plants.

State broadcaster CCTV quoted unidentified workers as saying the fire broke out during a change of shifts and may have originated in a locker room at a time when about 350 workers were at the plant, owned by Jilin Baoyuanfeng Poultry Co.

It wasn't clear how many workers had been accounted for and a provincial government media official, who refused to give his name, said he expected the death toll to rise further as more bodies were recovered from the charred building.

The plant's "complicated" interior, narrow exits and a locked front gate made escape difficult, Xinhua quoted survivors as saying.

Some employees raised the alarm shortly after a shift began at 6 a.m., and then the lights went out, boosting the level of panic as workers rushed to find an exit, employee Wang Fengya told Xinhua.

"When I finally ran out and looked back at the plant, I saw high flames," Wang, 44, was quoted as saying. Xinhua said she and three other workers were sent to a hospital in the nearby provincial capital of Changchun.

Another worker quoted by Xinhua, 39-year-old Guo Yan, said the emergency exit at her workstation was blocked and she was knocked to the ground in the crush of workers seeking to escape through a side door.

"I could only crawl desperately forward," Guo was quoted as saying. "I worked alongside an old lady and a young girl, but I don't know if they survived or not."

The disaster killed 119 people, and 54 people were being treated in hospitals, the provincial government said on its microblog. Calls to fire and rescue services rang unanswered and hospital administrators said they had no information about the injured.

By about noon, the fire had been mostly extinguished by about 500 firefighters and bodies were being recovered from the charred buildings. CCTV footage showed dark smoke billowing up from the prefabricated cement structures topped with corrugated iron roofs.

The environmental watchdog has begun monitoring the environmental impact of the fire.

People living nearby said they could smell a pungent odor and some suffered headaches.

Some victims' families have arrived at the scene and demanded the government investigate and announce the cause of the accident as soon as possible.

The fire highlighted the lax safety standards at many Chinese workplaces, despite efforts to compel improvements through regular inspections and fines.

It could also focus renewed scrutiny on China's biggest pork producer, Shuanghui International — unrelated to the poultry plant — as it aims to buy U.S. food giant Smithfield in what would be China's biggest takeover of an American company.

The poultry plant is one of several in the area where chickens are slaughtered and then quickly cut up into pieces and shipped to market. The entire process takes place in near-freezing conditions and such plants are usually built with large amounts of flammable foam insulation to maintain a constant temperature.

Jason Yan, technical director in Beijing of the U.S. Grains Council, said safety considerations usually take a backseat in China to features designed to maximize production and energy efficiency.

"I'm sure they consider some aspects of safety design. However, I think safety, to me, is not the first priority in their design plan," Yan said.

Jilin Baoyuanfeng produces 67,000 tons of processed chicken per year and employs about 1,200 people. The plant is located outside the city of Dehui, about 800 kilometers (500 miles) northeast of China's capital, Beijing.

Established in 2009, the company serves markets in 20 cities nationwide and has won numerous awards for its contribution to the local economy, according to introductions posted online.

The area where the fire occurred is an agribusiness center, especially for poultry. Nearby is one of the biggest producers of broiler chickens in China, Jilin Deda Co., which is partly owned by Thailand-based conglomerate Charoen Pokphand Group.

Monday's fire hit a company that is much smaller than Jilin Deda. Though it's unlikely to have an impact on China's chicken supply, the accident came as chicken producers were seeing sales recover after an outbreak of a deadly new strain of bird flu, H7N9, briefly scared the public in April and early May.

Tuesday 4 June 2013

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/feedarticle/10821455

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2013-06/03/c_132427775.htm

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Britain's first UNDERWATER sniffer dog can find submerged bodies up to 100ft away

A sniffer dog has become the first in Britain to be specially trained to search for bodies underwater.

Sasha, a three-year-old border collie, uses her incredible sense of smell to locate a drowned victims from 100ft away.

She will be using her skills to help Bolton Mountain Rescue, in Greater Manchester.

Handler Dave Marsh, 62, has spent the last 12 months teaching her to become a Drowned Victim Search Dog.

Dave, who has worked as a volunteer member of the team for 28 years, was given Sasha at just seven months old by a dog expert, Neil Powell, from Northern Ireland, who spotted her potential for sniffing things out.

But due to her remarkable progress, Mr Marsh has found himself in 'deep water' with his dog - teaching her the art of finding victims under water.

Just two weeks ago the wonder dog completed her first successful staged mission from a boat, detecting her 'victim' from 100ft away.

Mr Marsh, who also works as a contracts manager, believes it will change the future of mountain rescue operations and is proud to be involved with her.

He said: 'Sasha is great to work with. She's the first of her kind in Britain and if she passes her assessment in August she'll be a valuable member of the team.'

Sasha, who turns four in July, was initially trained as a mountain rescue dog, helping out with land searches.

Mr Marsh said: 'I picked her up as a seven-month-old puppy from a trainer who said she'd make a good underwater dog. 'Nothing like that has been done in Britain before - only Neil has done it.'

To train Sasha, the team have to set the scene by staging 'bait' - usually a dead pig which emits a similar scent to that of a human - in the water around 24 hours before the exercise.

Mr Marsh said: 'The pigs we use are stillborn, there is nothing unethical about how we operate.

'We take Sasha out on our four-man rigged inflatable boat and wait for her to bark when she has the scent.

'Then we map the place and give a 50 square meter area for the police divers to look.'

Mr Marsh is confident Sasha will pass her assessment in August with 'flying colours', making her a fully qualified water dog.

And the mountain rescue team member was keen to stress the huge scope of their work.

He said: 'A lot of people think that we just deal with mountains but we also help the police find missing children, for example.'

Monday 3 June 2013

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2335020/Sniffer-dog-trained-search-UNDER-WATER-bodies-100ft-away.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

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Dana Air crash cenotaph unveiled in one year anniversary

The Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, and some family members of the victims of last year’s ill-fated Dana Air mishap, unveiled a cenotaph at the site of the crash at Iju-Ishaga, Lagos.

They also unveiled a tomb block engraved with 157 names of the victims of the plane crash.

“This cenotaph which we are unveiling here today will ensure that their memories never die,” said Mr. Fashola.

“This monument will stand as a permanent memorial to these family men, women and children; and we will cherish each of their stories – stories of potential and of fulfilment, stories of true heroes,” he added.

On June 3, 2012, a Dana MD-83 aircraft crashed into a two storey building in the crowded suburb killing all 153 people on board. The horrific air disaster also claimed the lives about 10 people on the ground.

However, Lagos State government’s records at the anniversary stated that there were four ground victims who perished in the crash.

Mr. Fashola urged the victims’ families not to be crest fallen.

“A year may seem like a long time, but for the families and friends of the men women and children we lost, that day does not feel like history,” Mr. Fashola said. “The memories of that day are probably as fresh as they are painful; particularly today when you are forced to confront the thoughts you may have pushed to the innermost recesses of your minds, just to enable you get from one day to the next.”

“What does one say at a time like this? What does one say when words will never be enough?

“Many of us cannot even begin to imagine how great your suffering must have been this last one year,” he added.

For the victims’ family members who attended the ceremony, it was a reminder of the pains of the last year’s accident.

Chizoba Mojekwu, whose sister was aboard the ill-fated flight, said that attending the memorial was “difficult” for her because she is standing at the place where “it happened.”

“I’ve been living a life that maybe my sister was on holiday,” said Ms. Mojekwu, Director of Human Resources at the Central Bank of Nigeria, who also lost eight colleagues to the crash.

“They say time heals all wounds. Sometimes I believe that because I’ve lost my mum and for 14 years we still feel some of that pain.

“But this is very raw and we are still grieving,” Ms. Mojekwu added.

Ms. Mojekwu called on aviation authorities to take steps to forestall a recurrence of the incident.

“There is still much to do. Issues of what really happened to this flight remain unanswered,” Ms. Mojekwu said.

“Also the issue of compensation. It is easy to blame the insurance companies but Dana Air has to step up and ensure that people are treated with respect and with dignity,” she added.

Another family member of the victims, Ben Anyene, said that those who were directly affected “were pained, angry, and despondent.”

“The crash could have been avoided if human lives are valued in this country,” Mr. Anyene said.

“We should not throw up our hands in resignation that the plane crash was an act of God. God does not kill his own,” he added. Mr. Anyene frowned at the restoration of the operational licence of Dana Air despite that the details of what caused the crash has not been revealed.

“Among us (victims’ families) we have the reach and competence to engage those in the aviation industry. The blood of our loved ones must not be shed in vain,” said Mr. Anyene.

On plans by the Ministry of Aviation to unveil a cenotaph in Abuja to commemorate the one year anniversary, the families said that they were not informed.

“I never heard about the plan by the federal ministry of Aviation to unveil a cenotaph. A lot of the families here were not told,” said Mr. Anyene.

The families also expressed gratitude to the Lagos State government for its assistance and making “a huge difference in the lives of the families here present.”

“The state government provided mortuary, ambulances, pathological services including DNA analysis to ensure that our people’s bodies were identified and properly buried,” Mr. Anyene said.

Mr. Fashola said that the state, in the aftermath of the crash, has improved its response capacity, trained and continued to train its first responders as well as developed response protocols and acquired necessary equipment.

“As a Government we have learnt some painful lessons and we have grown from them,” said Mr. Fashola.Dana crash cenotaph - laying wreaths

“We convened a Disaster and Emergency Management Summit for all the States in the South West, at which we shared our experience and information.

“The entire incident is properly documented for posterity, with copies in the Attorney General’s office and the Governor’s office, with details of what we did well and what we could have done better to avoid our past mistakes.

“God forbid it, if such a disaster should recur, we are much better prepared to respond,” Mr. Fashola added.

In his speech, Stella Oduah, the Aviation Minister, said “every effort” is being made to prevent the errors of the past.

“We are in touch with Dana on the issue of compensation to the various families and they have assured us that they are doing everything that is possible to hasten the payment, apart from certain problems within families that are impeding,” said Ms. Oduah, who was represented by George Afamefuna, Permanent Secretary at the ministry.

“I assure the governor of Lagos State that sooner than later, we shall conclude the issue of compensation”

Monday 3 Juni 2013

http://premiumtimesng.com/news/137381-governor-fashola-victims-families-unveil-dana-air-crash-cenotaph-in-emotional-one-year-anniversary.html

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Death toll in Oklahoma rises to 16; hunt for 6 missing continues

Oklahoma had barely started clearing the rubble from a monstrous tornado two weeks ago when another rash of twisters plowed through this ill-fated swath of Tornado Alley.

At least 16 people are dead across the state after a vicious storm tore through the area Friday evening, Oklahoma City Fire Chief Keith Bryant said Monday morning.

That number may continue to rise.

Authorities will resume their search Monday for six people still missing, including four who sought shelter in storm drains, Bryant said.

The storms left not only a trail of death and destruction, it also sent floodwaters surging. And the damage wasn't confined to Oklahoma.

In Missouri, a twister left more than 10 miles of significant damage "that caused dozens and dozens of houses to be literally blown up," Gov. Jay Nixon told CNN affiliate KSDK.

No one was killed in that tornado, but three people drowned in Missouri, Nixon said.

And in Arkansas, flooding killed at least four people: a sheriff's deputy, a wildlife officer and two women they were trying to save from a deluged home, officials said. The house collapsed in the middle of the rescue attempt, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission spokesman Keith Stephens said.

The flash flooding that accompanied Friday night's storm swept some bodies up to five miles downstream, Oklahoma City Deputy Fire Chief Marc Woodard said.

Two parents and a young child who sought refuge in a storm drain were among those killed.

Samuel Cifuentes, his wife Florinda Santos and their 5-year-old son, Alex Cifuentes, died in the Oklahoma storm, said Byron Cifuentes, Samuel's brother.

Officials had been searching for the three family members in a storm drain after the family had sought shelter from the storm on Friday. Oklahoma City officials were not able to confirm the identities or where the three bodies were recovered.

A trio of storm chasers who devoted their lives to hunting powerful storms died in the middle of a pursuit.

Tim Samaras, his son Paul Samaras and Carl Young were killed Friday while chasing a tornado in El Reno, Oklahoma, relatives told CNN on Sunday. Their work tracking tornadoes was featured on the former Discovery Channel show "Storm Chasers."

At the intersection where authorities believe the men were killed, crews hauled away a mangled white truck that had been crushed like a tin can. The metal frame of their storm-chasing vehicle was twisted almost beyond recognition.

"They all unfortunately passed away but doing what they loved," Jim Samaras wrote in a statement posted on his brother's Facebook page.

Friday's tornado took a sudden turn that surprised many observers, CNN meteorologist Chad Myers said.

"It was a wobbler. And it was big. ... I think the left-hand turn made a big difference on how this thing was chased as well and why people were killed and why people were injured in their vehicles," he said. "A vehicle is not a place to be in any tornado, especially a big one like that, and those men doing their job, those field scientists out there doing their jobs, were killed in the process."

Tim Samaras founded TWISTEX, the Tactical Weather Instrumented Sampling in Tornadoes Experiment, to help learn more about tornadoes and increase lead time for warnings, according to the TWISTEX website.

Samaras had received 18 grants from the National Geographic Society for his research, said Terry Garcia, the organization's executive vice president of missions.

Doug Kiesling, a fellow storm chaser, said the three men were bona fide researchers.

"A lot of times the storm spotters out there serve a very valuable purpose. They give ground truth to what meteorologists from the National Weather Service are doing," he said. "But seeing it in person, seeing it for real, and giving that real time information, I think really supplements the warning. It helps people take shelter ahead of time."

Monday 3 June 2013

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/06/03/us/midwest-weather/

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China poultry plant fire kills at least 55 workers

A fire at a poultry slaughterhouse in north-eastern China has killed at least 55 people, with more believed to be trapped, state media reported.

The fire broke out just after dawn in Mishazi township, near Dehui in Jilin province, Xinhua news agency said.

"About 100 workers have managed to escape from the plant, whose gate was locked when the fire occurred," Xinhua said.

"The complicated interior structure of the prefabricated house in which the fire broke out and the narrow exits have added difficulties to the rescue work," it said.

The fire appeared to have been sparked by three early-morning explosions in the plant's electrical system, Xinhua said. State broadcaster CCTV quoted unidentified workers as saying the fire broke out during a change of shifts and may have originated in a locker room when about 350 workers were at the site.

The provincial fire department said on its microblog that the fire was caused by a leak of ammonia.

The death and injury toll was given by a Jilin provincial government spokesman who gave only his surname, Ma. He declined to give further details. Calls to fire and rescue services rang unanswered and hospital administrators said they had no information about injuries among the dozens of people reportedly sent for treatment.

Rescue workers found the bodies in the charred buildings, and rescue efforts were continuing. CCTV footage showed dark smoke billowing up from the cement structures.

Xinhua quoted survivors as saying that the plant's `'complicated" interior, narrow exits and a locked front gate made escape difficult.

The plant's owner, Jilin Baoyuanfeng Poultry, is a major producer of processed chicken and employs about 1,200 people. The plant is outside the city of Dehui, about 800 km north-east of Beijing.

Monday 3 June 2013

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/03/china-poultry-farm-fire

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Calamity planning - Bangladesh role-plays quake response

As Bangladesh armed forces retrieve bodies from the country’s worst ever industrial disaster, a garment factory collapse killing over 700, contingency planning is taking place for something worse - a long-predicted earthquake striking the mega-capital of Dhaka.

“We can’t have people just showing up with a shovel,” said Pete DeFelice, a disaster response exercise designer for the US Pacific Command (US armed forces stationed in Hawaii to promote regional security and disaster response in the Asia-Pacific), which is co-hosting a planning workshop from 5-14 May with the Bangladesh Armed Forces.

Government officers, armed forces and humanitarian organizations working in Bangladesh and other parts of the Asia-Pacific who may be among the first responders post-quake, are being presented with the following scenario: a 7.1 Richter scale earthquake 25km northwest of Dhaka, along the Modhupur Fault.

Loose sediment holding together much of the city caves in, leads to the collapse of 100,000 buildings; ATMs are ransacked, looting begins, mobile phone communications are down, and most of the city's hospitals and 1,000 clinics are damaged or destroyed.

Some 400,000 people have gathered at national sports stadiums (with another 150,000 camped out in front of the national parliament); 100,000 are pronounced dead in the earliest days; railway tracks throughout the city have buckled, twisted or are torn from their rail beds. The capital’s international airport cannot accept fixed-wing aircraft; none of the electronic navigation aids work and a nearby military airfield is closed due to cracks in the runway. Seaports are operating at half-capacity, and “tortuous, single lane detours” have reduced traffic by 95 percent.

The government declares a national state of calamity during the first 72 hours.

The workshop’s goal

The goal of the workshop, co-facilitated by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, is to improve disaster relief coordination; lay out a “real estate” plan plotting humanitarian relief during such a mega-disaster; discuss forming a regional disaster coordination centre for South Asia (along the lines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management); and answer questions on how foreign militaries can support the country as well as how the government can request international assistance.

While the country has a general National Disaster Management Plan, extending to the year 2015, and drafted its first earthquake contingency plan in 2009, these plans are largely “stove-pipe” plans developed by one ministry which are poorly disseminated and understood, DeFelice said.

In December 2009 the government created an inter-ministerial, multi-agency Earthquake Preparedness and Awareness Committee - enshrined in the country’s 2010 Standing Orders on Disaster - that was meant to meet twice a year to review preparedness and awareness.

As of 2013, the committee is still not operational.

On the workshop agenda is the need to boost airport and seaport capabilities to handle humanitarian relief. David Eisenberry, a major and air logistics expert with the US Air Force, said previous US military simulations of a Bangladesh quake left questions unanswered.

“People look to air power to get the job done, especially in the first part of the disaster response. How will the country schedule aircraft? How to distribute relief with few planes? How to manage air space?”

Civil-military relations

World Vision’s national coordinator for humanitarian emergency affairs in Bangladesh, Farhana Islam, said Bangladesh’s military would be key in an earthquake response. “We [NGOs] are more equipped to respond to rural disasters, but in recent years, it is the military here that has taken the lead and has the expertise to handle the growing number of urban crises.”

Col J.M. Emdadul Islam with the Bangladesh Armed Forces told IRIN even though the military has led annual earthquake simulation exercises in Dhaka since 2010, “preparation has no limit” and handling disaster relief in the densely populated mega-city would be, at best, “complicated”.

Four large earthquakes (measuring at least 8.0 on the Richter scale) have struck Bangladesh since 1897, with the most recent in 1950.

The US Pacific Command’s DeFelice acknowledged the challenges of bringing together NGOs and armed forces. “The military folks are trained to solve problems on their own. We are here to help the military stay in its own lane and not to occupy every lane [in disaster relief].”

Thirty-one countries participate in the Multinational Planning Augmentation Team, which was established in 2000 by the US Pacific Command to improve multi-nation military operations and coordination with aid groups to respond to crises in the Asia-Pacific.

Monday 3 June 2013

http://www.irinnews.org/report/97990/calamity-planning-bangladesh-role-plays-quake-response

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Bodies of Myanmar migrants found near islands in Ranong province

The bodies of at least 12 migrant workers from Myanmar have been found in the sea off Thailand's west coast after their boat sank during bad weather.

Marine Police Division 8 inspector Niran Chuayjit said officers on Sunday found nine bodies, six men and three women, floating near Chang Island in tambon Koh Phayam of Ranong's Muang district.

A day earlier, the bodies of three Myanmar females were found in the sea in same area, near Myanmar territorial waters.

Police Major General Taweeporn Churin added that 38 people were rescued.

Ranong is 460 kilometres south of Bangkok and borders Myanmar. Police say it is common for migrant workers to travel by boat to illegally enter Thailand.

Police are in the process of contacting Myanmar officials, asking that they beef up measures to prevent people travelling to Thailand illegally by boat, Pol Lt Col Niran said.

Monday 3 June 2013

http://i1.tribune.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/393729-RohingyaMuslimsAFP-1339687488-249-640x480.jpg

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Fierce rain, winds kill 17, injure several across Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa

At least 17 people, including seven minors, were killed and several others were injured in separate incidents as heavy winds followed by rainstorms hit Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa on Sunday.

Strong winds blowing at 75 kilometres per hour caused heavy destruction across the province, inflicting losses to livestock and property.

Walls and roofs collapsed killing two minors in Lady Sarak Charsadda Road. Similarly, a child, identified as Sher Ali, was killed in Naugaman, Daudzai.

Three bodies were also brought to a hospital in Takht Bhai, Shergarh where an emergency was declared. They were identified as Hikmat Khan, a resident of Qudratabad, Saleh Gul, a resident of Moi Bhanda and a minor girl whose identity could not be ascertained.

A house on Harichand Road collapsed on three passenger vans, injuring 30 people. The wounded were taken to the tehsil Headquarters Hospital. In Hathian, a house collapsed injuring two teenagers and a wall fell on a car in Maikh Kohi injuring three others.

A woman was killed and a minor was injured when a wall collapsed storms in Risalpur, Nowshera.

Chaman was on her way home with her granddaughter when a wall fell as a result of heavy winds.

In Shabqadar, heavy downpour killed two persons in separate incidents in Mian Kallay and Rawal Kor.

According to an official of the agency’s political administration, Ahmad Ali was sitting against a wall in an attempt to shield himself from the storm when the wall collapsed, killing him on the spot.

Twelve-year-old Amreen was killed when a wall in Panjigram Village, Mingora, collapsed. In Amankot, seven people were injured where another wall fell while three others were injured in Shagai, Qambar and in Gogdara.

A teenager was killed while another sustained severe injuries after a wall collapsed in Yadgar Mohallah, the capital city of Gilgit. “Two boys, between the ages of 14 and 16, were playing when the roof collapsed due to the storm,” said Maysoor, a resident. One of them died on the spot while the condition of the other is critical, he added.

In Lower Dir, a house in Qadafi Village collapsed. Muhammad Shoaib was severely injured as a result and seven buffaloes tied near one of the walls of the house were killed.

In Katlang, four houses turned to ash when fire erupted due to storms in the area. However, no loss was reported. Three people were killed in Peshawar, three in Shergarh, one in Risalpur, two in Shabqadar, one in Mingora and one in Gilgit.

Six people were killed in Charsadda as a result of the harsh weather. Alamzeb was killed in Daryab Korona, Ali was killed in Umerzai Sabir when a tree fell on him, in Sheikhan Bari a wall fell causing the death of a minor and injured two others.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Met Office Director in Peshawar Mushtaq AlI Shah said the dust storm continued for an hour. “The temperature has dropped to 24 degrees Celsius in Peshawar,” he added.

The main Indus Highway remained blocked for the third day leaving hundreds stranded in vehicles after landslides near Speena Morh on Thursday.

Muhammad Ghani, an official of the Bhanda Daud Shah police, said they had informed the district government and National Highway Authority to clear the highway but no one had showed up. On Sunday morning, he and residents of the area gathered to clear a side of the road to allow vehicles to pass.

Dust storm and gusty winds hit the twin cities on Sunday evening. Strong winds created a dust storm which made conditions difficult for motorists on city roads.

The Met Office said that a shallow westerly trough was expected to affect upper parts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and adjoining areas from Monday.

It said that further gusty winds were expected in Islamabad and Rawalpindi during the next 24 hours.

The weather will remain hot and dry in most parts of country during the next 24 hours, the Met office said.

The maximum recorded temperature in Islamabad was 39° Celsius, while in Rawalpindi it was 40° Celsius.

Monday 3 June 2013

http://tribune.com.pk/story/557983/dusty-day-fierce-rain-winds-kill-17-injure-several-across-k-p/

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Archaeologists unearth the bones of at least 20 French First World War dead after chance discovery by hikers in the forests of Verdun

Archaeologists have uncovered the remains of at least 20 soldiers killed during the First World War after a chance discovery by a group of tourists.

The bones were pulled from the earth at the scene of the destroyed village of Fleury-devant-Douaumont, in Meuse, north-east France, after hikers spotted a bone sticking out of the ground.

Many personal belongings belonging to the deceased have also been uncovered, including ammunition, rings, watches, scissors, military books and wallets.

It is believed the location where the remains were found was a first aid station located in the basement of a house, which was completely blown apart by the impact of an artillery shell in June 1916.

Watches found amongst the bones set the time of the artillery strike to just after 11am.

A group of German tourists found the remains entirely by chance as they took a walk through the forest of Verdun on Tuesday, prompting a full-scale dig to recover more bones.

The site where they were found is an ancient village which was completely destroyed in 1916 during the Battle of Verdun and never rebuilt.

The remains of the soldiers are mixed up and estimates of how many bodies have been found range from 13 to 26.



Experts say that the place were there soldiers were discovered is not the place where they were killed.

Rather it is believed they were killed or injured on the battlefield and kept there ahead of their planned burial.

However, the German artillery shell which struck the first-aid station hastened that process.

Seven of the soldiers have already been identified through the military identification tags they wore. According to official records, these soldiers were killed in combat between March 28 and April 5.

Investigations have already begun to find the descendants of the men.

In cases where the family does not want to recover the body, the soldiers will be buried in the Fleury military cemetery under a white cross.

Where no identification can be made the bones will be kept at the the Douaumont ossuary, a memorial containing the remains of soldiers who died on the battlefield during the Battle of Verdun



During the 300 days of the Battle of Verdun, which lasted from February 21 1916 to December 19 1916, approximately 230,000 men died on a battlefield covering less than eight square miles.

Most were killed by artillery.

The battle became known in German as Die Hölle von Verdun, or in French as L'Enfer de Verdun. Both names translate to English as 'the Hell of Verdun'.

It was the longest and one of the most devastating battles in the First World War and the history of warfare.

Sunday 2 June 2013

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2334354/Archaeologists-unearth-bones-20-French-First-World-War-dead-chance-discovery-hikers-forest-Verdun.html?ico=news^headlines

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Nine killed during tornado outbreak in central Oklahoma

The Medical Examiner's Office confirmed Saturday morning that nine people, including two children, were killed during the tornado outbreak in the Oklahoma City metro area Friday evening.

According to the Medical Examiner's Office, four victims have been identified, and five others have not been identified.

In addition to the fatality numbers released by the medical examiner's office, two other victims were identified by the Oklahoma and Okfuskee county sheriffs' offices in towns east of the metro.

The Oklahoma County Sheriff's office identified a man who died when his vehicle ran into high water in Harrah, Okla. and the Okfuskee County Sheriff's office identified the body of a woman who also drowned after driving into high water.

Authorities have not released the victims' identities pending notification of family members.

The bodies of a mother and her baby were found at I-40 and Cimarron Rd. in Canadian County. Two other victims were found in a car near S.W. 15th St. and Choctaw Rd. in Union City.

One other person near N.W. 10th St. and Radio Rd. in El Reno.

Hospital officials said at least 75 people were hurt.

If you are missing a loved one from Friday night's tornado, you are encouraged to call the Medical Examiner's office at (405)-239-7141. Officials say they need help identifying the five unidentified victims.

Sunday 2 June 2013

http://www.newson6.com/story/22475903/9-killed-including-2-kids-during-tornado-outbreak-in-okc-metro

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Skeletal remains uncovered In Arizona desert

Five sets of skeletal remains were uncovered in the Arizona desert on the Tohono O’Odham reservation. The Pima County Medical Examiner announced that they will examine the remains.

While the remains were found in an area commonly used for smuggling between the United States and Mexico, authorities have said they were hidden in unusual circumstances.

US Border Patrol agents discovered the five sets of remains, partially covered by rocks, on Tuesday near Sells. Chief Medical Examiner Gregory Hess explained:

“It’s not a typical migrant death site. Usually that’s people laying under a tree because it got too hot, and they’re on the surface of the ground and nobody tried to bury them.”

He added, “The remains were partially covered with rocks and we’re not sure if that’s an attempt to hide [them] or if somebody just buried them there for some other reason.” Hess added that foul play is a possibility that has not yet been ruled out.

The Tohono O’Odham Police Department is heading the investigation, since the skeletal remains were discovered in their jurisdiction. The Tucson sector Border Patrol also confirmed the discovery, though it did not comment on the investigation.

Arizona is home to a well trafficked corridor for both drugs and humans from Mexico. While border crossing deaths are fairly common, the circumstances in which the desert remains were found is unusual. It was not clear what state of decomposition the bodies were in when they were discovered on Tuesday. It is also not known if they had any marks on them that flagged the deaths as suspicious.

Border crossing deaths are more common in the summer months when the heat causes dehydration and migrants do not carry sufficient water to make it through the desert.

Hess added that he has not yet determined the gender or age of the skeletal remains found in the desert. He has also not determined their causes of death. Hess explained that autopsies will be performed on the remains next week.

Saturday 1 June 2013

http://www.inquisitr.com/683314/skeletal-remains-uncovered-in-arizona-desert/

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'Dozens of bodies found at mass grave in Jaffa'

An official at a Muslim cemetery in Jaffa said Friday that the remains of dozens of Palestinians killed in the 1948 War of Independence were discovered in a mass grave on Wednesday, AFP reported.

The discovery of six chambers full of skeletons was made during renovations at the cemetery, according to the report.

AFP quoted Jaffa fisherman Atar Zeinab, 80, as saying he had helped collect the bodies of those killed in fighting south of Jaffa during the 1948 war and bring them to the cemetery for hasty burial without ceremony.

“I carried to the cemetery 60 bodies during a period of three or four months,” AFP, quoted Zeinab as saying. “We used to find the people in the street and most of the time we didn’t know who they were.”

Zeinab added that because of the danger of ongoing fighting, the bodies were piled on top of each other in already existing burial plots in the cemetery, rather than in accordance with Muslim custom.

“We carried them early in the morning or in the night,” he added. “We put women, children and men in the same place... nobody prayed for these people.”

Arabs make up around a third of the 46,000 residents of Jaffa, where they were a majority before the 1948 War of Independence.

Saturday 1 June 2013

http://www.jpost.com/National-News/Dozens-of-bodies-found-at-mass-grave-in-Jaffa-315073

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