Nigeria: Living, dying on the Niger

Two weeks ago, Alhaji Garba Mashaya of Tungar Na'illo in Kebbi State, his two wives and granddaughter set out for Malale village in Borgu Local Government Areaof Niger State via a boat on the River Niger. He was going there for business while his wives were going there for wedding.

The boat carrying them was travelling light; it had about 80 passengers, less than the over 100 it used to carry. It had only sheep and goats, but no cows. The best swimmer in the area, Alhaji Garba Maigari, the village head of Tungar Na'illo, was also onboard. Midway into the journey, the boat's engine went off. Efforts to re-start it failed. "The boat said 'gum', then 'ka-ka-kas.' The boat had broken," recalled Khadijatu, Mashaya's wife.

Since she doesn't know how to swim, she decided to stay in the broken boat with the hope that she will be found there. Then she lost her balance and fell into the river. She struggled up and began praying, thinking that she would drown. She saw a plank and held onto it. She moved to a woman who was struggling to stay afloat alone and gave her the plank; and started struggling afresh. She was tired and her hope of safety was fading.

Her granddaughter Aishatu (whom she fondly calls Jamila) swam along calling her, but Khadija told her what she wouldn't be able to tell her under normal circumstances: "Don't hold onto me, Jamila. For God's sake, go your way and let me go my way. Whoever God rescues among us will be saved, let us resign to our fate."

She didn't know where the swimming skills came from. She just saw herself afloat after going under. Then a rescuer came and asked her to hold on to his back and carried her to safety.

Twelve-year-old Aishatu could swim and therefore didn't give up. She met her grandmother's co-wife, Lamishe, and they started swimming together. After a while, however, Lamishe went under and didn't come up again, Aishatu went on until she reached safe grounds.

Meanwhile, Aishatu's grandfather, Mashaya was also swimming for his dear life. "After the boat broke into two," he told Weekly Trust, "I concluded that my two wives were drowned. I had lost hope on Khadijatu, because she doesn't know how to swim. My thinking was that Lamishe, who could swim, would survive, but fate had planned otherwise. Khadijatu, who could not swim, survived, but Lamishe, who could, drowned."

Mashaya went on to say that "I was in the river for more than 40 minutes without help, just swimming my way to safety. At a point, I also I thought I would not survive. When I saw the village head on a pole used to push the boat, I asked whether it could help the two of us. He said it probably wouldn't. As we were going, he just changed course and drowned."

Hajiya Maimuna Ahmadu also of Tungar Na'illo said she thought the boat had hit a tree. "While trying to calm people down, youths started jumping into the river. The next thing I realized was that the river had reached my chest. Some passengers held on to me before I started swimming with them. When the weight became too much for me, I broke loose and swam alone resting on a plank from the broken boat once in a while, even as I look back every now and then, expecting help to come my way. Then a boy came and took me to a tree before the rescue party came to me.

"As we were going, we just heard that the boat, made a sound as if it had hit a stump. Then I heard people saying that this boat had broken. And by the time I looked back, I saw the boat sinking. I said Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi rajiun! (Verily, we are from Allah and to him we shall all return!). I took off my robe and jumper and started shouting. Six of us started for the river bank shouting. We saw some people who held on to trees in the river and others struggling to stay afloat. Then the call for help reached them in the village here, and they went to our rescue."

"By the time we got there, we saw some of the victims holding on to trees while others were going up and below the river," said

Abubakar Adam, a younger brother to the village, Malam Garba Maigari and Alhaji Garba Mashaya's wife, Lamishe, who paddled a canoe towards the broken boat with other rescuers.

"We told those who had held on to trees that we were more concerned with those who were still floating. There is a boy called Sani. He held two women. We put one in the boat and took the other one, who has died, also. We went on and saw another boy called Surajo helping one Fulani woman. We took her and put her on the canoe. Others had gone under. I asked Kabiru, the son of Alhaji Garba, to go and help a woman who was going up and under the river. He eventually rescued her," he said.

The Chief Imam of Tungar Na'illo, Liman Aliyu, said he prayed for over 24 of the bodies recovered from the river. "The body of the staff of the Kainji National Park that who involved was given to their leader and that of the non-Muslim involved was given to his brethren," he said.

The people of Tungar Na'illo said they had never seen such a catastrophe before September 27th. They believe it is the will of God, but they were already preparing for the Friday market in Malale by the time this reporter left them on Thursday.

A river riddled with tree stumps

Alhaji Yahuza Yahaya, a boat driver based in Malale, said their boats are not bad as reported by the media. He said the boats are repaired at least every four years, adding that even if the owner doesn't have the money to do a general overhaul, he can replace the bad section of the boat as the woods that make the boats are put together in sections like mats.

"Our major problems are tree stumps in the river. When one has avoided the visible ones, he will unknowingly hit the invisible ones. We have chopped down some of the trees with axe, but some of them are beyond our capacity. I am calling on the government to help us with engines with which we can cut down the big trees," he said.

He said the hundred life jackets provided by authorities cannot go round as there are 33 boats in the area. He said the jacket almost caused problem for the association of the boat riders as the riders in Kebbi State are already asking for their share. Even if they are given a thousand pieces, he said they will not be enough, adding that they also need fire extinguishers which they hardly get nowadays.

Muhammadu Sarkin Jirgin Malale, 67, Chairman of the Boat riders in Malale, echoed Yahuza's points, adding that if the government wants to help them, it should give the assistance to the boat riders directly. He said boat accident is not a usual occurrence as it happens sometimes after ten years.

He also lamented that telecommunication services are not reliable. "If your boat has a problem in the middle of the Niger, and you are not lucky to have telecom services to call for help, you have to wait for any boat that comes your way by chance.

Another boat rider, Alhaji Muhammadu Dan'iya said the Emir of Borgu, Alhaji Haladu Dantoro, once gave the riders a tree-cutting machine, but the machine has been taken away by local rulers for the past five years now.

He said they don't have money to buy lifejackets for all their passengers as they barely get by in the ferry business. He said sometimes he only makes a N1,000 after a trip to and from a village without settling the boys who help him on the boat.

"I go with two boys who look after the boat. I buy food for and settle them. Even the day before yesterday I only got a N1,000 before settling them. If the government orders us to buy lifejackets for all our passengers, only two out of ten boats will remain in business. By God, we repair our boats at most after every four years, but some big boats require up to a N150,000 for repairs because the body is treated like a vehicle with nuts and bolts."

Responding to the saying that the use of old boats is the cause of the accidents, Atttahiru Ahmad of Malale said though they may look old, the boats ferry unbelievable number of people and goods across the Niger, to and from settlements like Garahuni, Tungar Na'illo and Yawuri.

Mezziah Umoogu, a boat maker at Malale, advised the riders to constantly check the river worthiness of their boats before venturing onto the river as their lives depend on it.

Double boat accident in Ulakami

Alhaji Yakubu Ulakami, the owner of the boat that broke in Ulakami village, Borgu Local Government Area, said the type of planks sold in the market these days are not as durable as the once they used to buy before. He said he just repaired his boat about a year ago. A repair, he said, normally lasts for five years.

Speaking in an emotion-laden voice, he said for the past 40 years he has been in this business; nobody has ever died in his boat. He said the boat had been emptied of the goods (like bags of grains villagers normally take to Kokoli market) it took to Kokoli village and the passengers on board were few compared to the boat's carrying full capacity when the accident occurred.

In what could have been another disaster, the boat in which rescue party went to help the victims of the mishap also broke into two. Luckily, it had already made it to the bank, he said.

He said the tree stumps only become dangerous when the water level in the river goes down, but during periods of high water level like this, tree stumps are not problems.

"Of all those who died in the accident, only one woman is married. The other two boys and 15 girls are children and grand children to me," he said.

In Kebbi State, places like Yauri, Shabanda, Dugu, Gyade, Kawara, Gebe, Kwanji, Sanga, Kwanji and Majigi are among communities of Yauri, Ngaski and Shanga Local Government Areas who rely on the River Niger waterways as major transport routes.

Villagers from these communities, according investigations, have at one time or the other died and lost property in the river from boat mishaps.

Garba Saidu Gebe, a native of Kwanji, said over 50 people mostly Kambari from Niger State had died in a mishap near Kasabo, a short distance to Yauri in 1998.

"They were approaching Yauri from Kasabo when the boat capsized and killed over 50 Kambaris from Niger State," he said.

Gebe, who lectures at the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), Kaduna also said a prominent pastor, Reverend Gado, was among the ten victims who died in the 1990 Shabanda mishap.

"We had another mishap where 25 people died while on a boat from Yauri to Kwandi, while eight Gebe villagers died in the mishap along Shabanda and Kawara in 1982.

"We have not heard of any major incident until these two which happened within an interval of a week in Niger State," he said.

The District Head of Kwanji, Gebe in Shanga Local Government Area Alhaji Haruna Usman could, however, not be reached to ascertain such incidences.

The Galadiman Majigi, Alhaji Tukur Mai Doki in Warra, Ngaski Local Government Area, however, confirmed that the Emir of Yauri has summoned a council meeting to discuss solutions to the problem of boat mishap on the River Niger.

"Our meeting will decide on whether to impose the ban of old boats as was already done by Niger State government.

"We have also identified overloading and poor maintenance of boats as another major causes of mishaps on our waters and we have taken measures to curb it.

"Our people are more exposed to risk when people are crossing to markets on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. These are the periods we experience more traffic and overloads of boats. Only about 35 of the over 80 passengers pay for fare, thereby overloading the boat," he said.

Malam Garba Dangi, a survivor of a recent Kokoli boat mishap, told Weekly Trust in Zamare, said government should provide speed boat to River Niger communities as it is the case of the people Niger Delta communities in Nigeria. He said "government should also enforce the use of live jackets by passengers. It will help to save lives where accidents happened before rescue operation comes to the people."

Similarly, Alhaji Ibrahim Yauri, former Chairman of Kebbi indigenes, called on government to recruit professional life guards and post them to riverine areas to train boat captains on rescue operations.

He said the prices of spare parts of boat engines should also be subsidized to reduce the rate of cutting corners by operators.

"Authorities should also sensitive boat captains to suspend fretting once it is about to rain. This is to avoid strong wind and water waves or water fill-up of the boat that cause mishaps," he said.

The former chairman said journeys on boat from Lofa (the home town of current Kebbi Deputy Governor) to Kokoli in Niger State and Warra to Shagumi that take over two hours on waters should be done with speed boats that are good and carry passengers according to specification.

Also, the Wakilin Sarkin Jirgi, Abdullahi Isah, an expert in constructing small boats in Yauri said the lifespan of boats in the area are above at least eight years.

According to him, most of the boats are 15 years old and above. "The engines of the boats are also of low capacity, while most passengers prefer to enter fully-loaded boats as attachments because of low fare.

Wakili said boats are more exposed to accident in dry season than rainy season when there is high water level and low risk of hitting a rock.

"You see a boat with capacity for 30 people overloaded with up to 100 people coupled with the old age of the boat and over utilization of the engine."

Alhaji Bala, the owner of the boat involved in the last mishap however disagreed with Wakili's assertion.

"I don't know of other boats, but my own boat involved in the last accident was in good working condition and it is not as old as what I heard people saying. Even the passengers who survived the mishap testified that the boat is in good condition and the accident was just destined to happen," he said.

Secretary of Marine Transport Association, Alhaji Abubakar Danjuma, said "the accidents are not caused by any form of recklessness or overload, because we ensure strict compliance with marine guidelines by all our members including those who involved in the last mishap.

"There are Marine police who patrol Warra, Yauri, Zamare and other areas on River Niger to ensure compliance.

"It's over 12 years now since we had any incident in Kebbi. The last one was during Sallah where two people died when the boat carrying passengers from Zamare to Yauri had a mishap. That was when Colonel John Uba was the Military Administrator of the state," he said.

Saturday 12 October 2013

http://allafrica.com/stories/201310120139.html

continue reading

439 victims of worst mining disaster in British history finally get fitting memorial after 100 years

At 8.10am on the morning of October 14, 1913, Evan James and Charles Brown were starting their mining shift 2,000ft beneath a green valley in South Wales.

They were hauliers, directing the teams of dray horses that dragged tubs of coal from the face to the mine shaft to be winched up to the surface.

As they bent to their back-breaking task, there was an ear-splitting boom. The spark from an electric bell had ignited a dangerous mix of methane gas and coal dust, known to miners as “firedamp”.

The ensuing fireball ripped through the deep pit in Senghenydd, near Caerphilly. A river of flame engulfed everything in its path.

Evan, 41, and Charles, 31, stood no chance. Their bodies were incinerated within seconds as they became two of the 439 miners who lost their lives in the worst mining disaster in British history.

The explosion 100 years ago this week was so fierce it made the Welsh valleys shudder. Those not burned to death at once were suffocated by the noxious gases left behind.

On Monday, Hilary Barbrook, granddaughter of both Evan and Charles, will join thousands of people at a memorial service to honour the men and boys who died that day.

Of the dead, 63 were teenagers including 23 aged 14-16. Another 162 were in their 20s The disaster left 542 children fatherless and made widows of more than 200 women. Ten members of the town’s rugby team were killed.

One woman had eight coffins in her house with the bodies of her husband, three brothers and four sons.

During the service, at the exact hour of the blast, a horn like the one that called the miners to work will sound across the hills. For locals who lost relatives it will be a moment charged with emotion.

“There were about 1,000 of them down there. Most didn’t stand a chance,” says gran-of-four Hilary, 73.

“The rescuers found the bodies of a father and son still huddled together. It’s impossible to imagine how horrible it must have been.”

Pointing down to the long terraced row of two-bedroom miners’ cottages, she dabs at a tear and adds: “This was only a small village. Not a single house was unaffected.

"Growing up here, all of us had lost a member of our family.” Today nothing remains of the mine that produced endless tonnes of coal to fuel the British empire.

The machinery is long gone, the shaft was filled in. But Senghenydd is a town which has lived in the shadow of the disaster ever since.

“As children we ran about in the ruins,” she adds. “The older children would say that if you look up to the mine at night you would see the dead miners coming down to haunt you. It would scare us.”

The body of Evan, Hilary’s maternal grandfather, was recovered but charred beyond recognition. The body of Charles, her father’s father, was never found.

Miraculously 18 men were rescued from beyond the wall of fire thanks to an air pocket. In all, 489 miners were brought out alive. It was a catastrophe that could have been avoided had the pit’s wealthy owners taken precautions already ordered by Act of Parliament.

Following an earlier fatal explosion the Universal Colliery all mine owners were ordered to control ­electrical equipment to prevent sparking, to water dusty areas, and to have reversible fans so clean air could be provided in emergencies.

None of that happened.

The inaction of mine manager Edward Shaw created the perfect conditions for an inferno. There was not even any water on hand to douse the flames. For his guilty role Shaw was fined just £24 – less than 6p per life lost. Incredibly, the pit owners were fined only £10 on one charge – not having a reversible fan.

Joyce Slade, 75, is the daughter of the young girl holding a baby on a hill above the mine entrance in our main picture. That teenager, Agnes Webber, carried her baby sister Gwyneth wrapped in a blanket and waited helplessly for news.

The iconic image was published all around the world.

“My grandfather used to drive a horse and trap,” says Joyce. “Thankfully he was not down the mine.

"But virtually all the families down the street had men down there. Nearly all died. My mother went up to wait because that is all anyone could do.”

On Monday local schoolchildren will unveil a monument which features stone plaques for each of the men who died. Engraved paving stones pay tribute to the victims of 150 other pit accidents.

Welsh rock band the Manic Street Preachers, who grew up nearby, have made a donation.

Songwriter Nicky Wire says: “We know only too well the devastating impact that mining disasters have had. It is so important that those who lost their lives are remembered.”

“I don’t think there will be a dry eye at the service,” Hilary says. “At last the lives of my grandfathers are being ­properly commemorated.”

For 100 years the catastrophe of Senghenydd has been a forgotten footnote of history, a blip just before the horrors of the First World War. Now its victims will finally get the tribute they deserve.

Saturday 12 October 2013

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/real-life-stories/senghenydd-colliery-disaster-439-victims-2364024

continue reading

Indonesia: Identification of Lebanese migrant boat victims underway

Caretaker Minister of State Ahmad Karami said Friday that the bodies of the Lebanese who drowned off the Indonesian coast last month were still awaiting the results of DNA tests to be identified.

“For the bodies of the Lebanese who died in the incident, this issue is waiting on Indonesian authorities to conclude DNA tests for those who were killed,” Karami told reporters.

“I would like to seize this opportunity to reiterate calls to firmly crack down on networks smuggling people out of Lebanon, because they are deceptive and tarnish the reputation of the Lebanese,” Karami added.

He made his remarks to reporters at the Grand Serail after he briefed caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati of the outcome of his official visit to Indonesia last week to follow up on the boat tragedy.

A boat carrying around 80 migrants trying to illegally cross from Indonesia to Australia foundered off the Indonesian coast last month. At least 26 Lebanese were killed and 18 survived. Most of the Lebanese victims hailed from the underdeveloped area of north Lebanon, mainly from the Akkar village of Qabeet.

The 18 survivors returned to Lebanon last week. The delegation came back to Lebanon Tuesday along with six Lebanese who were detained in Indonesia for overstaying their visas and another 10 who were detained for not having legal papers.

In separate comments to The Daily Star, Karami said that forensic expert Fouad Ayoub, a member of the delegation, would head back to Indonesia after the Eid al-Adha holiday to follow up on efforts to identify the bodies of the deceased.

“Indonesian authorities are still taking DNA samples from the bodies that will be compared to the DNA samples sent by the families of the victims,” Karami said, adding that there was unlikely to be progress in the case before the Eid al-Adha holiday.

A written statement from the Indonesian Embassy in Lebanon said the country was facing the threat of human trafficking networks and the boat tragedy marked the first time Lebanese migrants were involved.

“Indonesia is facing a serious problem concerning these smuggling activities,” said the statement, which was sent to The Daily Star in response to an interview request.

“Many illegal immigrants and asylum-seekers from other countries are attempting to enter Australia, and this tragedy involving Lebanese nationals was the first time this happened in Indonesia,” the statement said.

“Noting this tragedy, the embassy is now evaluating its visa issuance procedure. The embassy will be more cautious in processing visa applications, especially in verifying all the required documents of the applicant.”

In response to a question regarding Australian authorities’ assertion that Indonesian authorities “could not respond” to the sinking ship when contacted, the statement said Indonesia was still investigating the incident.

“Indonesian authorities are still conducting relevant inquiries to investigate the tragedy, including distress calls from the boat,” it said, adding that the embassy thought it would be unwise to speculate until the inquiry was finished.

Separately, a Future Movement delegation visited survivors in their Akkar villages Friday.

The delegation was headed by Samer Haddara, a Future Movement official in Akkar, and Mohammad Mrad, a member of the Future Movement politburo.

Haddara said the government failed to fulfill its obligations toward the Lebanese victims.

“The government took action several days after the painful incident,” Haddara said. “From the first moment after the disaster occurred, former Prime Minister Saad Hariri put all his resources at the disposal of the victims’ families and dispatched an envoy to Jakarta to follow up on the situation of the Lebanese for days.”

Haddara held the state responsible for the “humanitarian disaster.”

“The deprivation that Akkar has been suffering from since [Lebanon’s] independence has led the Lebanese to risk their lives to seek a better one elsewhere,” he said.

For his part, Mrad called on the judiciary to punish all members of the human smuggling network involved in the incident:

“We should follow up on this case until members of this network are arrested and punished, particularly senior members who dealt hastily with the lives and dignity of the people.”

Friday 12 October 2013

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Lebanon-News/2013/Oct-12/234385-identification-of-boat-victims-underway.ashx

continue reading

More than 60 feared dead as two more boats sink in the Mediterranean, 27 bodies recovered so far (update)

More than 60 people are feared dead tonight after two boats packed with migrants being smuggled across the Mediterranean into Europe sank.

One of the boats capsized off Lampedusa, the Italian island where 339 people drowned last week in one of the worst migrant shipping disasters in the Mediterranean which prompted demands in Europe for action against the smugglers.

In today’s tragedies more than 220 people were pitched into the water when their boat got into trouble off Lampedusa while more than 120 swam for their lives when a vessel capsized close to the port of Alexandria in Egypt.

A dozen people died off the Egyptian coast, with 116 people being rescued and taken to a nearby naval base. The coast guard said the survivors comprised 72 Palestinians, 40 Syrians, and four Egyptians.

But the scale of the tonight’s sinking off Lampedusa, in a chilling echo of last week’s disaster, was even worse, with early reports suggesting a death toll of 50. The Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said at least 27 bodies had already been recovered, of which three are children.

The vessel was 65 miles south east of the island and a rescue mission was launched after a distress call was made from the boat on a satellite phone. The satellite coordinates pinpointed its position, said coast guard spokesman Marco Di Milla.

A Maltese aircraft spotted the upturned boat and reported that scores of people were in the water. It dropped a life raft, and a patrol boat soon reached the area to start picking up survivors.

Mr Di Milla said "a good number" of the estimated 200 people had been rescued, but a Maltese government spokesman said rescue crews also reported seeing corpses in the water,.

The capsizing occurred a week after a migrant ship from Libya capsized and sank with some 500 people on board near and island off Lampedusa's coast. Only 155 survived. Recovery efforts continued Friday, bringing the toll up to 339, including a newborn with its umbilical cord still attached, Di Milla said.

In recent months increasing numbers of Syrian migrants have been fleeing Egypt – in large part due to the rising levels of discrimination and xenophobia which followed the popular coup against former President Mohamed Morsi.

A six day voyage to Sicily from north Africa can cost more than £2,000 per person, with many being forced to sell nearly everything they own to secure a spot on the cramped and over-crowded boats.

According to the UN’s refugee agency, more than 3,400 refugees have attempted to make the crossing from Egypt to Europe since August this year.

Following the Lampedusa disaster last week, Italian divers were yesterday still trying to recover bodies from the wreckage of the sunken smugglers’ ship. The death toll is now at least 339, though some bodies are still thought to be missing. Survivors said there were around 500 people on board, while only 155 escaped alive.

Once in Italy, the migrants are screened for asylum and often sent back home if they don't qualify. During the 1990s and early 2000s, many of the arrivals were considered "economic migrants." But many of the latest arrivals are fleeing persecution and conflict in places such as Syria and Egypt, and qualify for refugee status, UN officials say.

Many eventually end up in northern Europe's larger and more organized immigrant communities.

During a visit to Lampedusa this week, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso promised Italy some 30 million euro in EU funds to better care for newly arrived migrants, and Italian officials pledged to put the issue on the agenda of an upcoming European Union summit and on the EU agenda next year, when Italy and Greece hold the EU presidencies.

Some 30,100 migrants arrived in Italy and Malta in the first nine months of 2013, compared with 15,000 in all of 2012, according to the UN refugee agency.

Friday 11 October 2013

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/more-than-60-feared-dead-as-two-more-boats-sink-in-the-mediterranean-8874995.html

continue reading

Another migrant boat capsizes off Lampedusa, rescue under way

A boat with more than 200 migrants on board has capsized off the Italian island of Lampedusa and a rescue operation is under way, officials say.

Italian and Maltese ships - backed by helicopters - are assisting at the scene.

At least 120 people are said to have been saved, but bodies have also been reportedly spotted in the water.

Last week more than 300 people drowned when a boat carrying African migrants sank off Lampedusa.

Key destination

Italy's coast guard and Maltese officials said the boat capsized about 120km (70 miles) off Lampedusa on Friday.

The vessel was reportedly first spotted by the Maltese air force who then requested Italy's help.



The Maltese authorities are co-ordinating the operation in the country's territorial waters.

Italy's Ansa news agency reports that bodies were seen in the water - but this has not been officially confirmed.

The nationalities of those on board the boat were not immediately known.

Lampedusa, which lies 290km (180 miles) off the coast of Africa, is a key destination for migrant vessels bound for Europe.

Last Thursday, more than 300 people - mostly Somalis and Eritreans - died when their boat sank near the island.

Only 155 people were rescued of more than 500 migrants.

Many of the island's residents have long complained that EU and Italian authorities are not doing enough to deal with the thousands who come ashore.

Friday 11 October 2013

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24499890

continue reading

Japan hospital fire kills 10 patients and staff

A fire at a hospital in southern Japan has killed ten people and left eight others injured.

The blaze broke out at an orthopaedic hospital in the city of Fukuoka while patients were asleep.

Officials said that eight of those who died were patients and two were staff at the hospital.

Witnesses described seeing emergency crews attempting to revive several of the patients outside the hospital.

Media reports say a total of 18 people were at the hospital at the time of the fire, which has since been extinguished.

Police said the fire started from the first floor of the four-storey building, but the cause is still under investigation.

Most of the building was destroyed in the blaze.



Many of the patients admitted to the hospital, which is in a quiet residential area in the city, are believed to be elderly.

The fire started at around 2.20am and took fire crews around two and a half hours to put out.

There was no sign of an initial fire extinguishing effort at the hospital and fireproof doors on the second and third floors were not properly used, according to an unidentified fire department official

An eyewitness told local media that the ground floor of the hospital "was red with flames and was filled with smoke. The part where beds were located seemed to be burning".

During a press conference, a fire station official told reporters: "We did our best in fire-fighting to save lives... but it was a difficult situation."

"We received news of the fire at a very late stage, and there had been no attempt [by staff] to tackle the fire in its early stages."

"Patients... were exposed to a lot of smoke because fire doors that would have stemmed the flow had been left open," he added.

"We will start an investigation [into the source of the fire]."

At least five other people were injured by the fire, officials said, with several reportedly in a critical condition.

Friday 11 October 2013

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2453875/10-dead-hospital-breaks-Japan.html

continue reading

10 killed in Peru bus crash

At least 10 people were killed and 25 injured Thursday when a bus crashed into a hillside in southeastern Peru, the police said.

The crash on a road linking the provinces of Arequipa and Puno came just four days after 19 people were killed when their bus went off a precipice in the southern Huancavelica province.

The cause of the latest crash was not known.

Arequipa's chief of traffic police said many of the injured were in serious condition.

In Peru, deadly crashes are common due to poorly maintained roads which zigzag through the Andes. The country’s bus drivers also have a reputation of driving dangerously, often with very little sleep.

There were 781 traffic deaths in the Andean nation in the first quarter of 2013 alone. According to official statistics, more than 4,000 people were killed in traffic accidents in 2012.

Friday 11 October 2013

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/131010/10-killed-peru-bus-crash

continue reading

Gang war in Brazil's Pedrinhas jail kills 13

Thirteen inmates have been killed and at least 30 injured in a fight between rival gangs in a prison in Brazil.

Riot police say they have regained control of Pedrinhas prison in Sao Luis, in the state of Maranhao, and are searching the jail for illegal weapons.

Prison guards said fighting had broken out after they discovered inmates digging an escape tunnel.

Brazilian prisons suffer from extreme overcrowding and riots and gang warfare are not unusual.

Crowded jails

The riot started after guards received a tip-off that 60 inmates were digging a tunnel through which they were planning to escape at dawn, Maranhao state security secretary Aluisio Mendes said.

"When the guards tried to access the cell in which the entrance to the tunnel was located, the prisoners tried to fight them off," he added.

Prisoners started a fire and members of rival gangs took advantage of the confusion to settle scores, officials said.

Relatives of inmates gathered outside the prison complex demanding information and threw stones at the guards.

Several buses were also set alight by the relatives, local media reported.

Pedrinhas is notorious for its gang warfare. Earlier this month, three inmates were killed, one of them decapitated.

Another was electrocuted when he got entangled in cables used to light an escape tunnel last month.

Friday 11 October 2013

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-24472528

continue reading

Lampedusa toll at 311 as Italy divers finish boat search

Italian divers say they have finished searching a boat that sank carrying migrants from Africa, as the death toll from the accident reached 311.

An Italian coast guard official said the hunt for victims would go on beyond the wreck near the island of Lampedusa.

Nine more bodies were recovered on Thursday, a week after the overcrowded boat caught fire, capsized and sank.

Only 155 people were rescued of more than 500 migrants, mostly Somalis and Eritreans, on the boat from Libya.

At least 50 passengers were still missing, according to those on board.

"There are no more bodies inside the wreckage. The search will continue in areas outside the wreckage," a coast guard official said, according to Agence France-Presse.

Divers from Italy's coast guard, military and emergency services have all taken part in the operation to recover victims from a depth of about 50m (164ft). Robotic devices

Aircraft and underwater robotic devices would be used to search beyond the wreckage, the official said.

Italy said Wednesday it would hold a state funeral for the migrants who died in the accident, but no date has been set.

Prime Minister Enrico Letta made the announcement during a visit to Lampedusa with European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso.

Mr Barroso pledged 30m euros ($40m; £25m) of EU funds to help refugees in Italy.

The sinking is one of Italy's worst disasters involving a boat carrying Europe-bound migrants from Africa.

Lampedusa, which lies 290km (180 miles) off the coast of Africa, is a key destination for migrant vessels bound for Europe.

Friday 11 October 2013

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24485104

continue reading

Remains found on Costa Concordia maybe female's

Human remains found on the wreck of the Costa Concordia off Italy's Tuscan coast may belong to a woman, investigators said Thursday. The remains were discovered two days ago and were initially thought to be those of Indian crew member Russel Rebello, Italy's ANSA news agency reported.

However, investigators said they may actually be the remains of Italian passenger Maria Grazia Tricarichi.

In January, 2012, the Costa Concordia partially sank, killing 32 people. The bodies of Rebello and Tricarichi were not found.

Thursday 10 October 2013

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2013/10/10/Remains-found-on-Costa-Concordia-maybe-females/UPI-12121381429779/?spt=rln&or=3

continue reading

Bodies of three US Marines found on Guadalcanal

The bodies of three US Marines who were killed fighting against the Japanese on Guadalcanal have been found.

DNA tests are still to be done but wartime field burial records and dog tags on the remains confirm they are Privates Bernes, Drake and Morrissey, all killed on the 9th of October 1942.

They were members of the 1st battalion, 7th Marines, the unit led by legendary US Marine commander Chesty Puller.

Historian John Innes, who runs battlefield tours in Solomon Islands, says as the Honiara urban area expands, more such discoveries are likely.

Thursday 10 October 2013

http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/radio/program/pacific-beat/bodies-of-three-us-marines-found-on-guadalcanal/1203006

continue reading

18 killed in Punjab road accident

At least eighteen people were killed and 40 others injured after a mini bus fell into a ditch in Punjab's Hoshiarpur District.

The accident occurred late last night, when the passengers were returning after visiting a shrine in Himachal Pradesh.

"Tata 407 vehicle fell into a deep ditch. We have just come from the spot and we are trying to save the maximum number of people. Around 40 people are injured who have been admitted to different hospitals. We have brought the dead bodies to the hospital," said Senior Superintendent of Police, Sukhchain Singh Gill.

According to Gill the mini bus fell in a 100 feet deep trough after the breaks of the vehicle failed.

"We have talked to several people and also to the driver, who has been taken into custody. As per them, there was some technical problem due to which the vehicle got out of control and fell into a deep trench," said Gill.

Help to the victims was delayed as the accident happened late at night. Residents of the area reached the spot to rescue and pull out the people from the trench.

Police officials later reached the accident site and rushed the injured to the hospital.

Authorities said that most of the victims belonged to Kapurthala district of Punjab.

Thursday 10 October 2013

http://www.aninews.in/newsdetail2/story135092/18-killed-in-punjab-road-accident.html

continue reading

Italy shipwreck toll rises to 302 as more bodies recovered

The toll of ascertained deaths in the migrant shipwreck near the Italian island of Lampedusa rose to 302 on Wednesday, while European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso was visiting the place where the disaster claimed hundreds of lives last week.

Divers recovered another bodies from under the boat that caught fire and sank last week while carrying 518 people, mostly Eritreans and Somalis, meaning that 61 people are still missing. Only 155 survived.

Some of the 155 survivors of the tragedy said the vessel was carrying 518 people when it departed from Libya's coast, although others say dozens more were on board and that 50 additional bodies may still be found in the ship's hold.

The boat's engine reportedly went dead off Lampedusa's coast after 13 days at sea, and the migrants inadvertently set it on fire in a bid to attract the attention of passing ships.

The vessel then capsized when too many migrants had moved to one end to get away from the blaze.

Perilous journey, then 13 days at sea

The voyage to Lampedusa was supposed to be one of the migrant’s last on a long, sometimes painful journey to a new life.

Take a woman named Santa, who asked not to use her family name, for fear of retaliation against her family back home in Eritrea. The single mother of a 4-year-old boy felt she had to escape the coastal east African nation, where she had no money for food or medical care.

It was not done on a whim, especially given smugglers’ demands.

“Our relatives and friends sold all that they had — some little gold jewels, a piece of land or their house — to sponsor our trip,” Santa said.

That trek took her across Africa — jammed tight in jeeps crossing the Sahara Desert with only a few biscuits and juice to sustain them, packed in garages, occasionally beaten with a plastic water pipe if they talked or raised their eyes, she recalled.

Santa and others’ hope was simple: to have a better life. But the boat’s sinking first threatened her life, and now that she’s in Italian custody, her future.

“It’s absurd,” she said. “We come here, we work to pay our families back — if we don’t die.”

She and others spent 13 days at sea before their boat’s engine stopped less than a mile from Lampedusa, Italy’s closest island to Africa about halfway between Sicily and Tunisia. It’s a common destination for refugees seeking to enter European Union countries, and a common site of shipwrecks.

Fire on board

There’s been criticism that more was not done to help, that the Italian coast guard was too slow to respond, that they spent precious time filming footage of the rescue instead of saving more lives.

Hamid Mohammad, 18, swears an Italian vessel spotted them in trouble off the coast, but did nothing.

“The Italian’s boat started circling around us. They circled our boat twice, then just went away,” he said. “That’s when people started to panic.”

The boat’s captain told the passengers to set fire to clothes and blankets to attract attention.

“He gathered some clothes and bed sheets and lit them. But his container of benzene exploded,” Mohammad said.

The fire then spread, and when many of the migrants crowded to one side, the boat capsized, said Italian lawmaker Mario Marazziti, citing survivors’ accounts.

“People were screaming as the boat capsized,” Mohammed said.

The lucky few

In response to criticism, the coast guard Saturday defended its response time and said its crews were on site 20 minutes after receiving the SOS call.

“The moment we got the emergency call from the fishermen at 7 a.m., we immediately intervened and started coordinating the rescue operations,” said coast guard spokesman Filippo Marini.

Abrahalli Amare, 23, was one of the lucky few who were eventually rescued.

“We left our country because of hardship, so that we could live in peace and help our families,” Amare said.”But we have found this bitter sadness. It was so unexpected, so disturbing. And now we can’t think of anything else.”

Thursday 10 October 2013

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2013-10/10/c_125504066.htm

http://whotv.com/2013/10/09/recovery-continues-more-bodies-found-from-lampedusa-boat-sinking/

continue reading

Bosnian experts find second mass grave near Prijedor

Bosnian authorities say have they found a second mass grave near one they have been working on for the past month and from which they have so far excavated the remains of about 130 Bosnians and Croats killed during the 1992-95 war.

The prosecutor's office said Wednesday teams will now work on both graves and that according to available evidence, the bodies found so far belong to non-Serbs killed in and around the northwestern town of Prijedor in 1992.

Some 1,200 Bosniaks and Croats are still missing from the area of Prijedor.

Most of them were killed in two nearby concentration camps by Serb forces seeking to eliminate non-Serbs from the parts of the country they controlled.

Global call to memorialize Prijedor victims

A group of leading experts in the field of truth-seeking and memorialization sent a public letter calling on the authorities in the northern Bosnian city of Prijedor to acknowledge the war crimes committed in this city in 1992.

According to the statement issued on Wednesday by one of the organizations that initiated this action, the International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) in New York, the letter was sent to the Mayor Marko Pavic, to the Bosnian government, UN Secretary General, EU representatives and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

“The discovery of a mass grave in the village of Tomasica, near the Bosnian town of Prijedor once again illustrates the dimensions of suffering endured by the citizens of Prijedor in the 1990s. The remains exhumed from its mass graves speak the difficult truth about the atrocities committed here and leave no room for denial. We invite the Mayor of Prijedor, to rise above narrow ethnic and political agendas and reach out to Prijedor’s most vulnerable citizens – victims’ families,” the letter signed by a group of truth and memorialization experts from around the world said.

The letter, co-signed by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture, Juan Mendez; President of the International Center for Transitional Justice, David Tolbert; Executive Director of the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience, Elizabeth Silkes; and leading activists on the right to truth and memorialization from Argentina, Cambodia, Chile, Colombia, Guatemala, Lebanon, Northern Ireland, Peru, and South Africa, warns Prijedor authorities to stop with the practice of denial and to “uphold victims' universally recognized right to truth, which encompasses the basic right to grieve and honor their dead.”

Furthermore, the letter reminds the Mayor that crimes in Prijedor have been thoroughly documented in a number of trials before international and local courts, and that more than 30 people have been convicted.

The letter demands from Pavic to take "immediate and effective steps" to initiate the building of a memorial that will be “designed and built in consultation with victims and survivors: to allow the construction of a memorial to the victims of the Omarska detention camp: to encourage accurate, constructive, and peaceful public education about the events of 1992-1995, and to withdraw any measure that targets victims’ associations and human rights activists in Prijedor for exercising their freedom of expression.”

A mass grave was discovered in Tomasica in early September that is estimated to contain about 1,200 body remains, believed to be victims of genocide carried out by Serb forces in northern Bosnia.

During the first couple of months in 1992, the year Bosnian war began, Bosnian Serb forces took full control of the Prijedor area, and began with an "ethnic cleansing" which resulted in more than 3,000 deaths.

There are no memorials for these victims — mostly Bosnian Muslims and Croats — either In Prijedor, or surrounding areas.

Even more, Prijedor was notorious during the war for detention camps that were established by Bosnian Serb forces. Access to these places is restricted today while the victims have been prevented on several occassions to mark the place or to build a memorial.

Thursday 10 October 2013

http://www.vancouversun.com/Bosnian+experts+find+second+mass+grave/9020289/story.html

http://www.worldbulletin.net/?aType=haber&ArticleID=120318

continue reading

Matale Mass grave findings to China for Carbon dating

Samples of human skeletal remains unearthed from a Matale mass grave would be handed over to the Criminal Investigation Department to be sent to laboratories at the Institute of Archaeology, Beijing, China for radiocarbon dating, Judicial Medical Officer of the Kurunegala Teaching Hospital Dr. Ajith Jayasena said yesterday.

Dr. Jayasena, who participated in the exhumation of skeletal remains, said that the bones had been dated preliminarily to the 1986-90 period by a team of local experts led by Prof. Raj Somadeva of the Postgraduate Institute of Archaeological Research. The samples of human bones would be sent to Beijing for international level confirmation so that they would be tested using sophisticated radiocarbon dating systems. The second verification had been permitted by the Courts.

Dr. Jayasena said that teeth found along with human skeletal remains were being studied at the Forensic Medicine Institute in Colombo and the report was due within the next six days. The report is expected to be submitted to the Matale Magistrate’s Court on Nov. 04.

The first signs of the mass grave were noticed when a group of labourers dug up a section of the Matale Hospital grounds on Nov. 26, 2012, to construct a bio gas unit. Subsequent excavations led to the discover of skeletal remains belonging to 155 persons besides metal rings, coins and some pieces of charcoal. Relatives and family members of those who went missing during the JVP’s second armed struggle in 1987/89 period have so far submitted 64 affidavits to the Matale Magistrate’s Court.

Wednesday 9 October 2013

http://globaltamilnews.net/GTMNEditorial/tabid/71/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/97439/language/en-US/article.aspx

continue reading

7 bodies found in charred ruins of Bangladesh factory

Rescue workers recovered seven bodies Wednesday from the charred ruins of a garment factory on the outskirts of Bangladesh's capital after firefighters brought the massive blaze under control, police said.

Revising an earlier death toll which put the number of dead at nine, local police chief Amir Hossain said most of the victims had been so badly burned that they could not be identified.

"The death toll is seven. Previously we over counted the toll," Hossain told AFP at the scene of the fire in Sripur which broke out on Tuesday evening.

"Two bodies have been identified and handed over to their relatives. Five other bodies were charred beyond recognition," he added.

Hossain said that the fire was now "under control" although parts of the two-storey building were still smouldering.

The fire is the latest in a string of deadly disasters in Bangladeshi garment factories.

A total of 1,129 were killed in April when a garment factory complex collapsed in the nation's worst industrial disaster.

A fire at the Tazreen garment factory in Dhaka killed 111 workers in November last year.

Wednesday 9 October 2013

http://www.emirates247.com/news/7-bodies-found-in-charred-ruins-of-bangladesh-factory-2013-10-09-1.524020

continue reading

Lampedusa disaster: Death toll hits 250 as Italian divers recover more bodies

The death toll from the Lampedusa disaster has hit 250 after Italian divers recovered more bodies from the wreck of the smugglers' ship that sank off the tiny island's coast.

Coast guard commander Filippo Marini said a further 18 bodies were recovered from within the ship's hold this morning, while one was spotted by a helicopter floating near the wreck.

Mr Marini said the search would continue as long as the weather allows. Just 155 migrants, most if not all from Eritrea, survived last Thursday's shipwreck.

Survivors said there were some 500 people on board when the ship capsized and sank in sight of land.

A disproportionate number of the dead are women: so far the bodies of 75 women have been recovered, while only six of the survivors were female. Seven of the dead are children.

Tuesday 8 October 2013

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/lampedusa-disaster-death-toll-hits-250-as-italian-divers-recover-more-bodies-8866782.html

continue reading

Bangladesh garment factory fire kills at least 10

A fire Tuesday night at a garment factory outside Bangladesh's capital has killed at least 10 people, an official said.

Fire official Zafar Ahmed said 10 bodies were found inside the Aswad garment factory in Gazipur outside Dhaka. He said several other people were injured while trying to escape from the building.

Journalist Iqbal Ahmed said the fire occurred when the factory was closed for the day, but some employees were inside working overtime.

Farhaduzzaman, another fire official, said the blaze spread to two nearby buildings that also housed garment factories in the same group, but that firefighters had doused the flames in two of the buildings and were seeking to bring the blaze under control in the third building. He could not immediately say whether any people were still trapped inside.

The cause of the fire was not immediately known.

Harsh and often unsafe working conditions in Bangladesh's garment industry drew global attention after the collapse of the eight-storey Rana Plaza factory building in April killed more than 1,100 people. The industry has experienced numerous fires, including one last November that killed 112 workers.

Bangladesh earns $20bn (£12.4bn) a year from garment exports, mainly to the United States and Europe. The sector employs about 4 million workers, mostly women.

Authorities in Bangladesh and global clothing companies have pledged to improve safety standards.

Tuesday 8 October 2013

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/08/bangladesh-garment-factory-fire-kills-nine

continue reading

Two China miners saved 10 days after flood, 10 dead

Two Chinese miners were rescued early Tuesday after 10 days trapped underground by a flood, state media reported, but the bodies of 10 others were found later in the day.

A total of 42 workers were underground when water began pouring into the state-owned Zhengsheng coal mine on September 28, and although 30 escaped a dozen were stuck inside, the official Xinhua news agency said.

Rescue efforts in Fenyang, in the northern province of Shanxi, have been continuing ever since and the two men were retrieved in the early hours of Tuesday, Xinhua added, citing the mining company's rescue headquarters.

They were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening problems.

The bodies of the remaining 10 miners were recovered later in the day, the agency said in a subsequent report, adding an investigation into the accident is under way.

The pair's survival is a stark contrast to the fate of hundreds of Chinese miners every year.

Mining accidents are common in the country, which is the world's largest consumer of coal and where mine operators often skirt safety regulations.

In 2012, 1,384 people were killed in coal mining accidents in the country, according to official figures, down from 1,973 in 2011.

Some rights groups argue that the actual figure is significantly higher due to underreporting by mining companies.

In an effort to address mine safety concerns, state officials last year moved to shut more than 600 small mines, which are deemed more dangerous than larger ones.

But high-profile accidents have continued this year.

In May, more than 50 miners were killed in two accidental explosions in Sichuan and Guizhou provinces in the southwest, after a blast at a coal mine in the northeastern province of Jilin in March killed 28 people.

On the same day a huge landslide crashed down a mountainside in Tibet, entombing 83 workers in two million cubic metres of earth. There were no survivors.

The cause of the flooding in Shanxi has yet not been determined, reports said.

Tuesday 8 October 2013

http://au.news.yahoo.com/world/a/19307482/two-china-miners-saved-10-days-after-flood-10-dead/

continue reading

11 crew missing after E China fishing boat capsize

Eleven crew members of a fishing boat have been left missing after their boat capsized off the coast of East China's Jiangsu province on Tuesday morning, local authorities said.

The accident happened around 10 am in sea waters about 25 nautical miles from the coast of Qidong city, according to the city's publicity department.

As of 4:30 pm, search and rescue work is still ongoing.

The cause of the accident is under investigation.

Tuesday 8 October 2013

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2013-10/08/content_17015730.htm

continue reading

Remains of Costa Concordia thought to be missing victim found

Divers searching the submerged wreck of the Costa Concordia cruise ship have found the remains of one of the two people still missing from the 2012 disaster.

The body, believed to be that of Russel Rebello was found inside the salvaged liner, near the third deck, representatives of Italy's Civil Protection said.

"Scuba divers have located the body of one of the missing victims inside the ship near the third deck," the Civil Protection said. "Some details have led us to believe it could be [the body] of Russel Rebello."

The Civil Protection said it has informed the Rebello's family.

Thirty-two people of 4,200 people on board died when the Concordia slammed into a reef off the Tuscan island of Giglio and capsized on Jan. 13, 2012. The bodies of Rebello and an Italian woman, Maria Grazia Trecarichi, were not recovered.

Divers have been able to access areas of the ship that were previously off-limits following the massive operation to right it last month. Officials have said the priority was to locate the remaining two bodies.

Italian authorities also said two weeks ago that divers found what they thought were human remains on the ship's Deck 4. But they later determined that the remains were animal.

Rebello, a 33-year-old cruise waiter from India, was hailed a hero for saving lives before losing his own when the ship sank.

The married father-of-two had started working on the Costa Concordia just a few months before Captain Francesco Schettino's notorious tragic "salute" to the island.

Witnesses said that as Schettino abandoned ship, Rebello, a Mumbai native, stayed on to help other passengers to safety and even gave one his own lifejacket.

He was last seen as he made his way to a muster station at the restaurant at the back of the ship.

The other missing victim is Maria Grazia Trecarichi, who was on the cruiser to celebrate her 50th birthday with her 17-year-old daughter Stefania.

They had boarded different lifeboats because Trecarichi was cold and had gone below deck to fetch a jacket. Stefania survived.

The new discovery of remains comes about three weeks after engineers managed to rotate the ship back to vertical. Before that, the ship rested 20 months on its side, hindering a full examination.

Tuesday 8 October 2013

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/remains-of-costa-concordia-missing-victim-found-believed-to-be-those-of-indian-waiter/2013/10/08/81a0fa28-300f-11e3-9ddd-bdd3022f66ee_story.html http://edition.cnn.com/2013/10/08/world/europe/italy-costa-concordia-remains/

continue reading

Lagos air crash: Victims’ DNA samples to be sent to UK today

It has been gathered that samples of Deoxyribo-Nucleic Acid (DNA) collected from victims of last Thursday’s plane crash and their families are due for a United Kingdom hospital today for testing.

A source explained to the Nigerian Tribune on Monday that forensic experts at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja, took the decision, after sample collection processes were concluded on Monday.

It was gathered that a relative of the victim delayed the process by showing up on Monday morning, unlike their counterparts who had done their DNA exercise and had the processes almost completed since Saturday.

The result was expected in Lagos in another four weeks, beginning from the date samples arrived at the UK hospital, already scheduled for the DNA testing and mapping.

Some relatives, who showed up at LASUTH demanding for corpses of their relatives, especially bodies that were identifiable, were, however, turned down.

Chief Examiner and Vice Chancellor of Lagos State University College of Medicine (LASUCOM), Professor John Obafunwa, however, assured that some of the identifiable bodies would be released to their families once the necessary identification and documentation processes had been completed.

He explained that the overseas DNA examination and delay that would be witnessed in the process were to ensure proper identification of corpses and receipt by the right relatives.

The Lagos State Commissioner for Special Duties, Dr Wale Ahmed, on behalf of the state government, had earlier promised to conduct DNA test and promised proper identification of bodies of victims.

This, he said, would help to ensure that the right corpse was given to the right family, without unnecessary mix up.

Tuesday 8 October 2013

http://tribune.com.ng/news2013/index.php/en/news/item/23427-air-crash-victims%E2%80%99-dna-samples-to-be-sent-to-uk-today-%E2%80%A2sacrifice-of-dead-officials-wont-be-in-vain-%E2%80%93mimiko.html

continue reading

“Réquiem NN”: Reclaiming the Forgotten

One part heartbreaking study of the drug war that has ravaged Colombia for decades, one part series of meditations on the dead, “Réquiem NN” is a touching visual essay about a small town caught in the midst of a very large and dangerous conflict.

Since 2006, artist Juan Manuel Echavarría has traveled several times to the cemetery of Puerto Berrío, near the Magdalena River, to document the rituals of the local townspeople as they reclaim unidentified victims of the drug war. Fished out of the neighboring river, these No Names (NN) are given new identities by the locals, who also decorate their graves and honor their memories as if for lost relatives.

The film follows the lives of several of the people, from the fishermen who find the bodies, to the doctors who perform the autopsies, to the citizens who take it upon themselves to care for the deceased. Some notable individuals include: Hernán, the “soul keeper,” a sort of caretaker of the dead, performing a midnight mass at the cemetery for the locals; Jair, a man who pays daily visits to the tomb of “Gloria,” a young victim who he claims talks to him in his sleep; and Blanca, a mother who prays every day for the safe return of a missing son and daughter, two innocents possibly caught in the crossfire of the never-ending drug war.

Echavarría has photographed the town for years, and his experience behind the camera is apparent throughout the film. He avoids flashy techniques, keeping the camera trained on the individual as he or she shares a story about a personal encounter with the NNs. One gets the sense that the film is like a moving photo gallery, a fully-sculpted representation of what his photo series evokes. As we follow the separate narratives, Echavarría includes still shots of different tombs, adorned with flowers and plaques bearing the unknown’s new name. Or, he cuts to images of the Magdalena River as it flows lazily by, a swollen body of water filled with gnarled logs and who knows what else, its mysteries hidden beneath the murky surface.

It’s important to note the absence of a soundtrack. Whether that was due to budgetary limitations is not entirely clear, as the film does have a certain stripped-down quality, a refreshing directness in the way it approaches its subject matter. Regardless, it was a wise choice, as throwing in a moody, atmospheric score may seem effective at first thought, but the fact that silence is the general background noise between individual stories allows the viewer to focus even more on what’s on screen. After all, this is a story about a town that, in every moment, is affected by the dead. And cemeteries are quiet places.

If Echavarría has a goal for his documentary other than portraying individual lives affected by the growing number of unknowns, it is the argument of belief as an essential part of a community. There is an accepted notion among locals that providing care for an NN guarantees divine protection and special favors. As such, people rush to claim an NN whenever a new unknown corpse arrives, especially as fire fighters, not local citizens, are the only ones now allowed to retrieve bodies from the river. The medical examiners are frustrated by the local ritual, as they say it gets in the way of their procedures. However, a local cemetery worker argues that it is helpful that people provide individual care for the unknowns, as they willfully pay for separate tombs for the NNs, therefore keeping the unknown from being buried in a mass grave and making it easy to identify the bones later on.

Whether “Réquiem NN” is a series of ghost stories or a straightforward examination of modern life in a war-ravaged country, the people it depicts make it an interesting film. Consider Hernán, the soul keeper. In one scene, he examines a diary of his daily tasks as the resident caretaker of the dead. He expresses weariness in this ongoing relationship with the unknowns. He mentions how he witnessed his first claiming of an NN when he was 14 years old; he is now 57. Or, consider the story of Jesús, a man who lives close to the river and would awaken to the sounds of gunfire. “Bullets were my alarm clock,” he reminisces. He would go to the river and collect the bodies that he always knew were there. Once, he was confronted by the killers, telling him to keep quiet, or what happened to the NN would happen to him, too. Soon after, the thoughts of the dead were always on his mind, to the point that he couldn’t drink anything without tasting blood.

Is this the state of the world? This endless cycle of violence? Echavarría hopes that it isn’t, despite the grim war in his home country. Hope exists throughout the narrative. A fisherman tells a tale of finding a severed head in the waters, but ends with how he offered up a prayer and gave it a proper burial. A mother talks of people promising to exact revenge against the ones who took away her children, but she rebukes this statement, wishing instead for a world without the need for bloodshed. In one poignant scene, we witness two separate families coming together to celebrate the birthday of an NN that they both have claimed. The birthday, as well as the identity of the unknown, are both fabricated—created by the imaginations of those who have chosen to respect the dead in this manner. And yet it is in this act of believing, no matter how farfetched for other cultures, that there lies hope. Perhaps they act in vain, investing money in rituals that only serve to assuage their own guilt. But it is in these choices, in these celebrations against death, that we find our humanity. Through our actions, we defy oblivion.

“Réquiem NN” is showing October 8-14 at The Museum of Modern Art. Running time: 67 minutes; 2013; in Spanish w/English subtitles. Directed by Juan Manuel Echavarría

Tuesday 8 October 2013

http://cinespect.com/2013/10/requiem-nn-reclaiming-the-forgotten/

continue reading

Identification begins on South Texas immigrants

One of the girl's pink and white high-top sneakers, size 6½, was still on her foot when her body arrived at the Webb County Medical Examiner's Office in Laredo on Sept. 1.

Medical Examiner Corinne Stern placed her at 15 to 17 years old, but knew little else.

Now, a month later, the body of Sandra Maribel Jarama Naula, 17, is back home in Ecuador, and her husband knows her fate.

The Corpus Christi Caller-Times (http://bit.ly/1bBjW4Q ) reports none of these stories have the ending that friends and relatives want, but now there is a greater likelihood that they will at least have an ending.

Naula's story represents an early success in Brooks County's new policy mandating that all bodies believed to be those of migrants are sent to Stern's office for autopsy. Before August, there were no official examinations of migrant bodies because the cash-strapped county didn't budget for it. The change is critical because Brooks County is the epicenter for migrant deaths in South Texas, with its unforgiving remote terrain surrounding the Border Patrol checkpoint south of Falfurrias.

Affidavits by federal investigators show Naula walked 12 hours through the brush, on a day when the temperature in Falfurrias reached 99 degrees, before she collapsed and died.

Remains of 129 people were recovered in Brooks County in 2012, setting a record. Seventy-six have been found in 2013. Law enforcement officials believe even more deaths are unaccounted for, because remains are scattered across the 944 square miles of barren ranch land. A Caller-Times analysis showed at least a third of those recovered since 2011 were reduced to bones.

The policy changed after pressure from human rights groups and coverage in the Caller-Times. Before the change, bodies were sent to a mortuary in the Rio Grande Valley. There, staff members tried to identify bodies by studying the personal items they carried and maintaining contact with foreign consulates that collected missing person reports.

But the efforts fell short of scientific standards and a state law that requires DNA samples to be collected from unidentified bodies. While it's impossible to tell the mortuary's success rate, because its records aren't public, one measure was the Brooks County cemetery, which ran out of space for unmarked graves.

In May, anthropologists from Baylor University unearthed 55 graves from the cemetery and are creating profiles of each person in hopes of identifying them.

Under the new system, fewer bodies should end up in nameless graves because although most are in advanced states of decomposition, DNA samples can now be compared against samples submitted by people seeking missing relatives.

The early results are promising. Brooks County has sent 16 bodies to Stern's office since the policy change in mid-August. She identified three by dental records and other measures, and tentatively identified five more, pending DNA samples submitted by relatives.

Naula's case shows another benefit of the autopsy process: It preserves evidence in criminal cases and lines of communication between officials at state, federal, local and international agencies. It also helps federal agents probe the international criminal organizations that traffic people and drugs.

Stern made the identification after learning from officers that the girl might be from Ecuador. She called the Ecuadorean consulate. Two days later they called back. A husband reported his wife missing. Naula wore the ring he gave her, a gold band, on her left little finger. It was still there when she arrived in Stern's office.

Her body was recovered Aug. 30 after Border Patrol agents detained a group of migrants on the Cage Ranch, one of the larger ranches adjacent to U.S. Highway 281, a smuggling corridor where the Falfurrias checkpoint sits.

Tuesday 8 October 2013

http://www.sfgate.com/news/texas/article/Identification-begins-on-South-Texas-immigrants-4875258.php

continue reading

Italy shipwreck toll rises to 232 as more migrant bodies recovered

The toll of ascertained deaths in the migrant shipwreck near the Italian island of Lampedusa rose to 232 on Monday, as divers recovered another 38 bodies from under the boat that sank last week, local media reports said.

The 20-meter fishing vessel is thought to have been carrying 518 people, mostly Eritreans and Somalis, when it went down, meaning that 131 people are still missing.

Only 155 survived the disaster. The victims also included several woman and some children.

The search for missing bodies was complicated by difficult weather conditions on Monday. "When we left the boat, around 45 meters deep, we could still see several bodies piled and stiff," one of the deep-sea divers told Rai state television.

'Entwined'

Divers have described finding a "wall of entwined bodies" when they managed to get inside the hull of a sunken migrant boat for the first time.

They had difficulty in removing the corpses because they were so close together but they managed to pull at least 38 from the crowded wreck.

Experts in deep sea diving gear have spent 30 minutes at a time at the vessel which was carrying hundreds of people when it sank off the Italian island of Lampedusa.

Navy captain Paolo Trucco said: "They (divers) unpacked a wall of people. They were so entwined, one with the other, it is indescribable. They were so trapped they were difficult to pull out."

The drivers have also removed debris that was still floating around inside.

"Mattresses, covers, stairs. Anything that would float. Imagine if you put a house in a centrifuge and you see what winds up in the air. That is what happened," Mr Trucco said.

Some of the 155 survivors have said there were at least 500 people aboard the 18-metre-long (59ft) boat when it sank, which could mean scores more are still trapped in the hull.

The operation to recover the bodies is taking place 47 metres (154ft) below the surface after the trawler carrying African migrants went down last Thursday.

One of the divers who helped recover bodies from the sea on Sunday was Riccardo Nobile, who said he waited for more than an hour among the corpses on a recovery boat.

He said: "It was difficult to look straight at their faces, to see their wounds, see their tormented expressions, their outstretched arms. It was extremely difficult. But this is our job."

The coastguard said it would take two more days to complete the search and recovery mission.

The packed boat caught fire which triggered a panicked rush to one side of the vessel.

It capsized and, according to survivors, hundreds of people were thrown into the sea, many of whom could not swim.

Tuesday 8 October 2013

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2013-10/07/c_132777459.htm

continue reading

Typhoon Wutip: S China Sea fishermen’s bodies are identified

Local police in Hainan Province have identified four fishermen's bodies retrieved from the South China Sea after three fishing boats sank on September 29 due to Typhoon Wutip, after taking DNA samples from the families of all missing fishermen as of Sunday.

"We have informed their families of the sad news and we will help them deal with the aftermath," said Chen Jialin, vice mayor of Jiangmen, Guangdong Province, who is now in Sanya, Hainan Province to ensure the rescued fishermen get back home.

Earlier at 4 am, 54 fishermen from Jiangmen started their journey home by bus and they were expected to arrive at 7 pm on Friday, said Chen.

Search experts Sunday said that there would be little hope to find more survivors with 72 hours having passed and they suggested that the next step for the search party should be focused on the uninhabited islands.

The South China Sea fleet organized 10 ships and three helicopters to search the area on Sunday where they found the bodies of another four fishermen. As of Sunday afternoon, there were 14 dead and 48 missing in the typhoon aftermath.

The Chinese government sent a navy ship to fetch 268 fishermen who were trapped by Typhoon Wutip in the South China Sea.

The vessel arrived in Sanya on Thursday morning.

The injured have been hospitalized, while more ships have been sent to search for another 58 fishermen, who remain missing after three fishing boats sank near Shanhu Island in the Xisha Islands, about 330 kilometers from China's island province of Hainan, on Sunday afternoon.

According to the Hainan Maritime Search and Rescue Center, 11 navy warships, eight civilian ships and 10 aircraft are continuing the search.

Altogether five fishing boats, including the three that sank, were caught in Typhoon Wutip on Sunday, according to the Hainan Maritime Search and Rescue Center.

The fishermen had received typhoon warnings starting on Friday but did not go ashore. Instead, they placed their ships in a lagoon south of Shanhu Island to avoid gales, but the typhoon overturned their boats.

Monday 7 October 2013

http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/816070.shtml

continue reading

Lightning bolts kill 32 during Indian monsoon

Lightning strikes in India have killed at least 32 people, including nine children.

The deaths occurred in the eastern states of Bihar and Jharkhand which have been hit by torrential rains and strong winds.

Trees were uprooted, houses damaged and power cables brought down across the region.

"About 24 people including seven children were killed Saturday and Sunday by bolts of lightning across Bihar," State Disaster Management Minister Renu Kumari Kushwaha said.

In neighbouring Jharkhand, eight people including two children died, Puran Mahto, an official in the state's Dhanbad district said.

Lightning strikes during the July to October monsoon season are common but the death toll over the weekend was unusually high.

Villagers housed in bamboo and grass huts are generally most at risk.

Monday 7 October 2013

http://news.sky.com/story/1151169/lightning-bolts-kill-32-during-indian-monsoon

continue reading

Peru bus drops over 260 feet off cliff and kills 19, injures 25

At least 19 people- including two young children - were killed when a bus traveling from the Peruvian capital Lima to a rural southern province plunged off a cliff Saturday.

Two children, aged one and three-years-old, as well as 17 adults, were killed when the bus careened off a cliff and over 260 feet down a steep hill in Huancavelica, southern Peru. 25 more people were injured, according to officials.

The bus was carrying 55 passengers when it dropped over 260 feet, according to Correo. The driver is hospitalized after suffering injuries, Correo reported, his condition is not known.

The accident occurred about 4:20 a.m. Sunday in a farming community in the Acoria district of the Huancavelica region about 246 kilometers (152 miles) southeast of Lima. The bus was only one hour from its destination, according to Peru21.

At least one surviving passenger has blamed the crash on excessive speed as the driver raced up the narrow, winding road, according to AFP, which cited RPP news radio.

Video from the scene of the accident showed several locals rush to the bus, turn it right-side up and begin to pull passengers from the wreck.

Several bodies could be seen being carried away from the chaotic scene, many more were lying on the ground covered in blankets along the steep hillside.

Survivors were shown crying, some thanked God for allowing them to survive, many just wanted loved ones to know they were still alive.

The condition of the 25 injured, according to Correo, is not known, many have been airlifted to a local hospital.

Deadly bus accidents are frequent in Peru, where enforcement of road safety rules is weak. Government figures say 5,435 people died and 13,520 were injured in bus crashes between September 2008 and December 2012.

The Peruvian Attorney General's Office says the main causes of such accidents are bus drivers' recklessness, excessive speed, alcohol drinking and sleepiness.

Monday 7 October 2013

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2448252/Horror-Peru-bus-crash-kills-19-including-young-children-injures-25.html

continue reading

Recovery in doubt for remains of Canadian plane-crash victims in Antarctica

The frozen remains of three Canadians have been in the wreckage of a plane, partly buried in snow and stuck on the side of one of the highest mountains in Antarctica, for nine months.

The summer season is starting at the bottom of the world, and that was supposed to mean a mission to recover the bodies of the men could begin. But now there is confusion about who should co-ordinate the retrieval and it is unclear when, or even if, it will happen.

"It's almost a bit like if it happened in outer space, that there's no clear lines of authority as to who has responsibility for what," says Judge Neil MacLean, the chief coroner of New Zealand.

MacLean headed an inquest into the plane crash in June and, although no one has actually seen the bodies, the judge ruled the three men must have died in the crash. He formally registered the deaths of 55-year-old Bob Heath, of Inuvik, N.W.T., 36-year-old Perry Andersen, of Collingwood, Ont., and 25-year-old Mike Denton of Calgary.

An official with Canada's Transportation Safety Board says it has decided the crash site is too dangerous to send in the investigators who are studying why the plane flew into the mountain. Jon Lee also says New Zealand has jurisdiction over the area and it's up to that country's coroner to decide what will happen with recovery of the men's bodies.

But MacLean says he has no further role in the case.

"I think there may be some crossed lines of communication," he said.

Jurisdiction aside, says MacLean, it's really about who has the skills and resources to take on a recovery mission.

New Zealand's search and rescue centre helped in the initial search for the plane. Crew members were unable to get to the bodies, but were able to dig out some equipment and personal items from the wreckage.

The United States is also part of a search and rescue team in the Antarctic, but a spokesperson was unavailable for comment. The U.S. government has been in shutdown mode for almost a week.

MacLean says he knows it's important for the families of the three Canadians to have closure. Some of the relatives were able to listen to the coroner's inquest over the Internet and the judge warned them that getting the men home might not be possible.

The three men, all employees of Calgary-based Kenn Borek Air, were the only people on board the Twin Otter plane when it slammed into a steep slope on Mount Elizabeth on Jan. 23.

Heath was the pilot, Denton, the plane's first officer, and Andersen, an engineer, was responsible for ongoing maintenance of the plane.

The trio took off from the Amundsen-Scott South Pole research station and were en route to an Italian research base in Terra Nova Bay. A search began when the plane's emergency locator beacon started transmitting a signal.

Bad weather hampered rescue efforts for several days. A six-member team eventually made it to the site.

Monday 7 October 2013

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Bodies+three+Canadians+remain+crashed+plane/9005441/story.html

continue reading

Thailand: Pickup truck crashes, 18 killed

Police said 15 people died at the scene. The others, all seriously injured, were rushed to Buri Ram hospital, where three more people succumbed to their injuries.

The Toyota pickup, adapted to carry passengers, was initially reported to be carrying a total of 23 men and women heading to Ubon Ratchathani. It ran off the Buri Ram–Satuk road, part of Highway 219, in tambon Ban Dan of Ban Dan district. However, the number of people on the crashed vehicle was not immediately clear.

A staff member at Buri Ram hospital, who refused to be identified, said 15 died instantly at the scene, 11 injured were sent to the hospital and three of them died at the hospital, for a total of 26 people on one pickup.

Police and a rescue team rushed to the scene as soon as the accident was reported. Bodies were scattered on the ground outside the vehicle, with bodies still trapped inside the twisted wreckage.

The driver, Chavalit Thavornkham, 24, was killed instantly.

An initial investigation found that the truck left Samut Prakan to deliver the passengers to Ubon Ratchathani. It was not clear why it was travelling through north Buri Ram.

Pol Col Suthee Setthawong said the pickup was carrying construction workers. Many had no ID documents on them and were thought to have come from Laos.

Witnesses said the driver appeared to lose control and the vehicle veered off the road and continued for about 100 metres before ramming into a tree.

It was suspected the driver fell asleep on the straight road. Police found a methamphetamine tablet in his clothing and a bottle of alcoholic beverage in the pocket of the driver’s door.

Monday 7 October 2013

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/373435/18-construction-workers-killed-in-pickup-crash

continue reading

Lagos plane crash: DNA results expected within three weeks, death toll rises to 15

Families of the victims of last Thursday's plane crash may have to still wait a little longer to recover the bodies of their loved ones that perished in the mishap going by indications on Sunday.

Reason: The Lagos State Government will only allow that when it shall have successfully conducted full forensic examinations, including deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) tests on the corpses expected to last for the next three weeks. Though the exercise had begun since Saturday.

The DNA test and mapping billed for the United Kingdom, are to facilitate proper identification of the charred bodies before burial.

Speaking on Sunday in Lagos, the Commissioner for Special Duties, Wale Ahmed, said collection of DNA samples from two family members of each victim, is to help experts identify the bodies and ensure orderly receipts.

The commissioner, who was addressing expectant relatives, said the United Kingdom laboratories contracted to handle the DNA examination had promised to make results available in three to four weeks at the receipt of the samples.

Ahmed noted that the whole process was being accelerated so the families could in good time perform obsequies for the departed souls.

"The process is to help us give right corpse to the right family," he said.

It would be recalled that similar delay was experienced in the wake of the June 3, 2012 Dana Air plane crash in Iju, Lagos, where several families of about 158 victims could not claim their bodies until after six weeks that their DNA testing lasted.

Ahmed, however, commiserated with the families on behalf of the state governor and Lagosians, adding that the government would do whatever it could to assist in the burial.

The death of Samson Hassan, one of the survivors of the Associated Airlines plane that crashed in Lagos Saturday night, indicates that the death toll in the crash has risen to 15 victims.

He added that the government had gotten the right copy of the flight manifest from the National Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), adding that the state's Office of Public Defender (OPD) is available to help those who might need its services.

Ahmed said: "We have been having meeting with the airline, NCAA, the insurance and other agencies to ensure the success of the exercise.

Meanwhile, makers of the ill-fated aircraft, Embraer Company, have indicated interest in being part of the inquiry to unravel the cause of the accident.

Also to join in the probe is the operator of the airplane, Associated Airlines. Although, the AIB said it is not obliged to include the airline.

The Commissioner, Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB), Captain Usman Muktar, on Sunday gave the hint, noting that the Bureau had commenced inquiry into the Embraer 120 ER aircraft marked 5N-BJY belonging to Associated Aviation Limited, which crash-landed at the Joint Users Hydrants installation at the Lagos airport.

Meanwhile, the Accident Investigation and Prevention Bureau(AIB) said it has commenced the readout of data from the Flight Data Recorder ( FDR)otherwise referred to as Black Box recovered from the Embraer 120 ER aircraft belonging to Associated Airlines that crashed in Lagos on Thursday morning.

AIB Commissioner Captain Muktar Usman, who disclosed this in a statement yesterday, said the analysis of data from the FDR was being carried out at AIB’s laboratory in Abuja.

He also confirmed that one of the seven survivors had died on Saturday without disclosing the identity of the latest casualty in the aircraft accident.

He said, “Flight recorders of the ill-fated aircraft have been recovered and will be downloaded at the Bureau’s newly installed flight laboratory at its Abuja headquarters. The readout of the recorders has commenced. The aircraft, which crashed less than three minutes after take-off from Runway 18L of the airport, had 20 souls on board, including seven of the airline’s crew. There were six survivors as at 05 October, 2013.”

He said investigation continues into the crash of Embraer 120 ER aircraft marked 5N-BJY belonging to Associated Aviation Limited, which occurred at the Joint Users Hydrants installation at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport Lagos at 9:30hrs (local Time) on Thursday 03 October, 2013.

Associated Aviation Limited is a Nigerian registered domestic airline, which operates chartered and scheduled flights in the country.

Aircraft accident investigation investigators taking the recorders to a laboratory where “they can download the data from the recorders and attempt to recreate the events of the accident”. Often, black-box manufacturers supply the readout systems and software needed to do a full analysis of the recorders’ stored data.

Monday 7 October 2013

http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/national-news/134760-crash-victims-corpses-may-be-available-in-three-weeks-

http://leadership.ng/news/071013/lagos-plane-crash-death-toll-rises-to15

continue reading

DNA test results of Rana Plaza victims likely after Eid

The DNA test results of the unidentified victims of the Rana Plaza tragedy will be made public after Eid-ul-Azha, sources have said.

The Combined DNA Index System (Codis) software, set up at the National DNA Profiling Laboratory of the Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH), has already successfully traced most of the identities.

The Dhaka Tribune has learnt that the process of matching the DNA profiles of 321 unidentified victims against those of 550 relatives is almost complete.

However, it could not be known how many of the victims have so far been identified.

Seeking anonymity, a senior official of the women and children affairs ministry told the Dhaka Tribune that Prime Minister’s Office had given strict directive to keep the test reports confidential until it got approval from there.

Dr Sharif Akteruzzaman, chief of the DNA profiling laboratory, told the Dhaka Tribune: “It is true that we have managed to identify some of the victims through DNA matching by the Codissoftware.”

However, declining to disclose any further information, he said: “We have nearly completed the matching. But some minor works are still left. Hopefully we will be able to officially reveal the results soon.”

If the DNA test results are made public, the ill-fated relatives of the unidentified victims who has been waiting for more than six months, will be able to claim monetary compensation from the government and the donor agencies.

Some 550 people, who said their relatives had been missing since the tragedy, have so far provided DNA samples.

They have not got any kind of help from any organisationbecause their relationships with the victims could be proved.

Out of the 1,115 bodies pulled from under the rubble of the collapse, 234 remained unidentified mainly because they had decomposed beyond recognition and were buried to the Jurain Graveyard in the capital.

The authorities, before burying the bodies, kept DNA samples from each of the bodies so that they could be later identified; but did not have the necessary apparatus to do the tests.

On September 22, experts from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of the USA finished setting up the Codissoftware at the DMCH DNA laboratory.

The nine-storied Rana Plaza in Savar near Dhaka, that housed five garment factories, came down on April 24 with thousands trapped inside.

Monday 7 October 2013

http://www.dhakatribune.com/labour/2013/oct/07/dna-test-results-rana-plaza-victims-likely-after-eid

continue reading

Divers recover 83 more bodies on Sunday from shipwrecked migrant boat off Italy

Divers recovered a total of 83 bodies on Sunday from the wreck of an unseaworthy boat carrying migrants that sank off the southern Italian island of Lampedusa, the Ansa news agency reported.

The death toll from Thursday's accident now stands at 194. Authorities fear many more bodies lie in the wreckage on the sea bed.

There were 155 survivors - 154 Eritreans and one Tunisian, according to UNHCR, the UN agency for refugees.

The boat, which reportedly had a capacity of about 500, caught fire and sank on Thursday.

Survivors told UN staff that the boat left from Libya about two weeks back, and the engine failed as it approached the Italian coast.

When the migrants noticed fishing boats passing them without helping, they set clothes and blankets on fire to attract attention. A tourist boat alerted the Italian coast guard, which began rescue operations.

Each year thousands of people from Africa and the Middle East, fleeing conflict, persecution and poverty, embark on treacherous sea journeys as they try to reach Europe via Italy and Malta. Many of them end up in Lampedusa, which is located half-way between Sicily and Tunisia.

While there are no official statistics, Fortress Europe, a non-governmental group, has estimated that more than 6,200 people have died off the coast of Sicily since 1994. It included some 4,800 missing people in the count.

William Lacy Swing, chief of the International Organization for Migration, has said that while the Italian coast guard and port authorities have saved thousands of lives in the Mediterranean over the past two decades, at least 20,000 people have died since 1993.

Monday 7 October 2013

http://www.sacbee.com/2013/10/06/5799595/divers-recover-83-bodies-sunday.html

continue reading