Elementary school shooting victims' bodies identified and names released

Thirty-one hours after their lives were ended when a 20-year-old man forced his way into their school and opened fire on some of the youngest pupils and their teachers, the names of those who died in the Connecticut school rampage were released on Saturday.

The nature of the tragedy is told perhaps most poignantly not through the list of 26 names of the victims published by police, but through their dates of birth. Sixteen of them were born in 2006 – they were six years old; four more were seven. The list of the dead also revealed the names of all the six adults who were killed.

Now that the names have been made public, the first glimpse can be gained of the agony of families whose lives were overturned when Adam Lanza, for reasons that are yet to be disclosed, set out for Sandy Hook elementary school after killing his mother on Friday morning.

The names of the dead were released after the Connecticut chief medical examiner, Dr Wayne Carver, and his team had identified all 26 bodies in the school. Carver said he had shown pictures of the children's faces to the parents to avoid having to bring families into direct contact with the bodies of their children.

Carver said he had seen a "devastating set of injuries. I believe everybody was hit more than once." Of the seven victims he examined personally, each had three to 11 gunshot wounds and two had been shot at close range.

He also indicated that early examinations suggested that all of the shootings had been carried out with a Bushmaster semi-automatic rifle, one of three weapons recovered close to the gunman who killed himself. Should the exclusive use of the Bushmaster be confirmed by investigation, it could prove significant in any ensuing debate over tightening up gun laws in the wake of the catastrophe.

President Obama said on Saturday that he wants to see "meaningful action" to prevent further such tragedies, and one option already being debated widely is to bring back the federal ban on semi-automatic assault rifles that was introduced by Bill Clinton but allowed to lapse in 2004 by George Bush. The Bushmaster would fall under that category, whereas the other two weapons in Lanza's possession, Glock and Sig Sauer handguns, would not.

While the list of the victims has now been released, police say that a positive identification of the shooter has still not been completed. There are also two adults who were injured in the rampage but are expected to make full recoveries, a police source said.

A stream of visibly distressed families have been calling to pay their respects for the dead at the voluntary fire station located just next to Sandy Hook elementary school. A makeshift memorial comprising balloons, a wreath, bunches of flowers and a large heart made from 20 teddy bears, one for every child victim, grew steadily through the day.

A line of 26 Christmas trees for the 26 victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre were put up today in a poignant reminder of those who will miss this holiday season.

The trees were donated by an anonymous benefactor from North Carolina who was moved by an advert for a Christmas tree sale at the Sandy Hook volunteer fire department he saw watching the harrowing coverage of the shooting.

Decorated by women and children helping out at the fire station, the five-foot trees were lined up leading towards the tragic school.

The list of names can be found at: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/list-conn-school-shooting-victims-names-released-article-1.1221098

Sunday 16 December 2012

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/dec/15/newtown-shooting-victims-names-released

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6 fishermen die in Lake Victoria mishap

Six fishermen have drowned in Lake Victoria after their boat capsized in Bumbe beach in Funyula constituency.

Only one fisherman was rescued in the 8pm incident.

Initial reports said strong waves hit their boat tipping it over, but the surviving fisherman blamed the accident on an inexperienced coxswain.

It took local fishermen and the provincial administration almost eight hours to retrieve the bodies.

The surviving fisherman was treated at a local hospital and discharged.

Those who died were aged between 15 and 21 years.

The area MP Paul Otuoma grieved with family members and cautioned parents against allowing their young sons to venture into the lake.

Sunday 16 December 2012

http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/news/2012/12/6-fishermen-die-in-lake-victoria-mishap/

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Three bodies, boat found adrift off Japan

Three bodies and a partially capsized wooden boat have been found drifting off central Japan, the coastguard says, with a report suggesting the boat originates from Korea.

The almost-submerged boat was spotted off the city of Wajima early on Sunday and the coastguard found the bodies in the sea nearby.

The Asahi Shimbun newspaper said the craft was marked with the Hangeul alphabet used in North and South Korea.

"The bodies have been recovered but we are still checking details" including their gender and time of death, a coastguard official said.

Several boats have recently been found drifting in the Sea of Japan (East Sea) which separates Japan and the Korean peninsula.

A wooden boat containing a dead man wearing Korean-made boots was found near Japan on December 1, three days after another vessel with five corpses was discovered in the same area.

There was speculation that the five might have been North Korean fishermen who had weather or technical troubles and drifted out to sea.

Sunday 16 December 2012

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/breaking-news/three-bodies-boat-found-adrift-off-japan/story-fn3dxix6-1226537958999

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Update: Philippines typhoon death toll tops 1000

The death toll from a typhoon that devastated the southern Philippines earlier this month has topped 1,000 as hundreds more remain missing, the government said on Sunday.

Typhoon Bopha killed 1,020 people, mostly on the southern island of Mindanao where floods and landslides caused major damage on December 4, civil defence chief Benito Ramos said.

A total of 844 people remain missing, about half of them fishermen who ventured out to sea before Bopha hit, Ramos said, adding he feared many of the missing were dead.

"The death toll will go higher. We found a lot of bodies yesterday, buried under fallen logs and debris," he told AFP.

He added the toll from Bopha, the worst natural disaster to hit the country this year, would exceed the 1,268 confirmed dead after Typhoon Washi struck the southern Philippines in December 2011.

"We prepared. We were just simply overwhelmed," said Ramos.

"They did not expect this intensity. The last time (this part of the country) got hit by a strong storm was 1912," he added.

He added that many evacuation centres were destroyed by the typhoon.

More than 27,000 people remain in such centres almost two weeks after Bopha hit as the search for the dead and missing continues, the civil defence office said.

Colonel Lyndon Paniza, spokesman of the military forces in the worst-affected region, was less optimistic of finding any survivors.

"We are on (body) retrieval mode already. We are done with search and rescue," he told AFP.

Paniza, who oversees the hardest-hit regions which suffered over 960 dead, said he expected the death toll to rise further.

"It has been 12 days already so it looks like (survival chances) are doubtful," he said.

Among the casualties were seven soldiers who were killed and four who remain missing after they were hit by flash floods while doing relief work, he said.

In the southern town of New Bataan, which suffered over 500 dead, including 235 bodies that are still unidentified, people still struggled to recover, building makeshift shelters out of scrap wood and rags.

Town Mayor Lorenzo Balbin said the toll of the dead may even be larger than the official lists because many transients, who pass through the town of work on small-scale mines and plantations, do not even register as residents

With no one to report them missing, their deaths may go unnoticed, he said.

The situation in the town, which was largely flattened by the typhoon, had improved slightly as more relief aid was reaching the area.

Trucks from government and private relief agencies were seen entering New Bataan, handing out much-needed food to villagers still stunned by the storm's fury.

Balbin said the focus now was on finding new crops to replace those destroyed by the typhoon.

The storm has caused massive damage to infrastructure and agriculture, destroying large tracts of coconut and banana trees.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council initially estimated damage to crops and public infrastructure at 7.16 billion pesos ($174 million).

The Philippines is hit by about 20 major storms or typhoons each year that occur mainly during the rainy season between June and October. Bopha was the strongest typhoon to strike this year.

Sunday 16 December 2012

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iERQSoDcJ99ZFPVq6pF64VAy_OQw?docId=CNG.0d2431c1c2409249262564389a484fcc.1d1

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Samoa cyclone damage worse than 2009 tsunami

Disaster officials in Samoa say the damage from Cyclone Evan is worse than that caused by the tsunami in 2009.

Most of the country is without power and more than 4500 people are homeless.

Flood waters still surround villages and homes along the southern coast. The situation there is desperate, the damage extensive.

Matautu Tai Lefuga resident Shirley Sera spent the day sifting through what remained of her home.

“This is where I live and thank God I was able to stay alive with my daughter and my family,” says Ms Sera.

Disaster officials say on the south coast alone more than 1000 homes have been destroyed.

“It [the 2009 tsunami] was focussed on the southern coast of Upolu, but for this one the whole country is affected,” says Filomena Nelson, response coordinator for the tsunami.

Apia and the surrounding areas didn't fare any better, and it’s not surprising with the amount of water that rolled through there four days ago. The people were prepared for the wind but not for the devastation. It’s left thousands in evacuation centres.

The building of the Ministry of Health has been transformed into a shelter for those in need.

“It’s very sad,” says Health Ministry assistant chief executive Sosefina Talauta-Tualaulelei. “I think the emotional part hasn’t really hit us yet, but we are just glad we are able to help.”

Staff say they are dealing with an increase in cases of people with respiratory illnesses.

“It’s a very serious health situation, in fact worse than the tsunami,” says Health Ministry director general Talanutina Tupunatagi Toelupe. “With this situation these are people who are displaced and their homes are no longer there.”

Samoa has endured many disasters, but as always the people remain resilient. But they know this won’t be a quick fix. A search for the missing is ongoing, with the death toll likely to rise to 12.

Early this afternoon an Air Force Orion arrived in Samoa from New Zealand. Five of those who are still missing and presumed dead were out in Apia Harbour on two fishing boats when the cyclone hit. The first job for the Air Force crew will be to search for the bodies of those victims

Sunday 16 December 2012

Read more: http://www.3news.co.nz/Samoa-cyclone-damage-worse-than-2009-tsunami/tabid/1682/articleID/280594/Default.aspx#ixzz2FEWdAIpO

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Nigeria governor, 5 others die in helicopter crash

A navy helicopter crashed Saturday in the country's oil-rich southern delta, killing a state governor and five other people, in the latest air disaster to hit Africa's most populous nation, officials said.

Nigeria's ruling party said in a statement that the governor of the central Nigerian state of Kaduna, Patrick Yakowa, died in the helicopter crash in Bayelsa state in the Niger Delta. The People's Democratic Party's statement described Yakowa's death as a "colossal loss."

The statement said the former national security adviser, General Andrew Azazi, also died in the crash. Azazi was fired in June amid growing sectarian violence in Nigeria, but maintained close ties with the government.

The crash occurred at about 3:30 p.m. after the navy helicopter took off from the village of Okoroba in Bayelsa state where officials had gathered to attend the burial of the father of a presidential aide, said Commodore Kabir Aliyu. He said that the helicopter was headed for Nigeria's oil capital of Port Harcourt when it crashed in the Nembe area of Bayelsa state.

Yushau Shuaib, a spokesman for Nigeria's National Emergency Management Agency, said four other bodies had been found.

They were said to have been badly burnt and only identified by the shreds of their clothes.

Azazi and Yakowa’s mobile phones rang out continually without any response when several calls were put across to them by some top government officials.

Our correspondent gathered that the naval helicopter was heading for Port Harcourt, Rivers State, but developed a fault and crashed in the village, which also shares a boundary with Nembe Local Government Area.

The Director of Information of the Nigerian Navy, Commodore Kabir Aliyu, confirmed that a Nigerian Navy helicopter was involved in the crash which occurred around 3:30pm.

Aliyu who was silent on the identities of those involved in the crash said a rescue operation comprising personnel of the Joint Task Force, Operation Pulo Shield, the Navy, the Nigerian Air Force and the National Emergency Management Agency, were at work in Bayelsa.

A police source who pleaded anonymity said he was scheduled to board the helicopter but that there was a last minute change in the schedule.

The source said, “Two helicopters took off at the same time. After sometime, we saw the one behind us wobbling and nosediving into the swamp.

“The helicopter took off and was already stabilised on air. It had gained balance and started flying but unfortunately it came crashing.

“We are not suspecting any sabotage because the burial ground was well policed. There were gunboats surrounding the place and many security operatives at the burial ground.”

The former Chairman of the Okoroba Community Development Committee, Mr. Hitler Adunion, told SUNDAY PUNCH that he was the first person to locate the site of the incident.

Adunion said “We sighted the chopper wobbling and crash-landing. By the time we got to the scene, the helicopter was in flames. We tried to put out the flame but it was difficult. We saw the roasted bodies of those inside it.”

Around 7pm on Saturday, NEMA said it had activated its search and rescue team.

“NEMA has activated its search and rescue team in collaboration with other response agencies at the crash site,” Yushau Shuaib of NEMA headquarters was quoted as saying.

Aviation disasters remain common in Nigeria, despite efforts in recent years to improve air safety.

In October, a plane made a crash landing in central Nigeria. A state governor and five others sustained injuries but survived.

In June, a Dana Air MD-83 passenger plane crashed into a neighborhood in the commercial capital of Lagos, killing 153 people onboard and at least 10 people on the ground. It was Nigeria's worst air crash in nearly two decades.

In March, a police helicopter carrying a high-ranking police official crashed in the central Nigerian city of Jos, killing four people.

Sunday 16 December 2012

http://www.theitem.com/news/ap_news/nigeria-governor-others-die-in-helicopter-crash/article_b45b130a-472a-11e2-b949-0019bb2963f4.html

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Six jawans dead, one missing in Siachen avalanche hit

At least six army personnel were killed and another went missing after a snow avalanche hit their posts on Siachen Glacier near Line of Control(LoC) on Sunday morning at 6:15 a.m.

"In a tragic incident today, six soldiers were killed and one went missing when their posts at a height of over 17000 feet were buried under an avalanche in Sub Sector Hanif, Turtuk area of the Siachen Glacier.

Immediately the avalanche rescue teams along with rescue dogs were pressed in to retrieve the bodies," Lt. Col J S Brar, army spokesman in Srinagar, said.

So far six bodies have been retrieved from the snow while as the body of another soldier was missing.

Brar said that the rescue operation was halted due to adverse weather conditions in the area.

Meanwhile, the Disaster Management Cell has issued a medium danger avalanche warning advising people residing in upper reaches not to venture in avalanche prone areas.

"A medium danger avalanche warning for the snowbound areas of Banihal, Chowkibal, Tangdhar, Machil, Keran, Gurez, Sonamarg, Drass and higher reaches of Kargil and Gulmarg has been issued. People living in snow bound areas are advised not to venture in steep avalanche prone slopes," Aamir Ali, coordinator Disaster Management Cell.

This is for the first time in several years that an avalanche has hit an Indian position in the glacier area, the sources said.

The Assam unit is part of the 102 Siachen Brigade and is located at altitudes of around 15-16,000 feet, they said.

An avalanche had hit a Pakistani Army camp in the glacier area last year killing over 100 troops. India has deployed its troops in Siachen for close to 30 years now and has lost more people to the weather and terrain than to enemy bullets.

Sunday 16 December 2012

Read more at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/avalanche-in-siachen/1/238061.html

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Update: Death toll in Greece migrant boat disaster rises to 21

The death toll in the sinking of a makeshift boat carrying migrants off a Greek island near the Turkish coast rose to 21 Sunday after another body was found on a beach, police said.

Six people are still missing, a press officer with the Lesbos island police told AFP.

The latest victim, a man, was found on the island's Thermi beach like all others before him.

Police continued to search for those missing on Sunday.

Rescuers on Saturday had found the bodies of 20 other men on the northern Lesbos beach, but their age was not given.

Only one 20-year-old survivor has been plucked out of the water and was hospitalised in the island capital Mytilene. He told investigators all those on board the boat which also carried women and children were from Afghanistan.

Greek public television Net said two women and two children had been among the passengers.

The group set sail from the western coast of Turkey on Thursday but ran into bad weather that sank their boat during the night, about two miles off Lesbos.

The island is one of several in the eastern Aegean that lie near mainland Turkey and are frequent targets for migrants trying to reach Western Europe.

Migrants often perish trying to make the crossing in makeshift boats, particularly in winter.

Sunday 16 December 2012

Read more: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/International/2012/Dec-16/198697-death-toll-in-greece-migrant-boat-disaster-rises-to-21.ashx#ixzz2FEQM0kPg

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Small boat sinks off Greek island, 20 migrants drown

A small boat carrying migrants hoping to get to Greece sank near the eastern island of Lesvos early on Saturday, drowning 20 people, Greek police said.

The boat had set off from the nearby Turkish coast carrying 27 migrants and its captain. It capsized about one mile (1.6 km off the coast of Lesvos due to strong winds, according to a survivor, police said.

"The survivor told coast guard authorities all the immigrants were from Iraq and had paid about 2,000 dollars per head to be transported to the island," a police official said.

he Greek coast guard found 20 bodies in the sea and was searching for any remaining survivors, the official said.

Thousands of illegal immigrants cross the country's porous sea and land borders every year, the vast majority via Turkey.

With Greece in its fifth year of a deep recession and hit by rising crime levels, illegal immigration became a major issue in the national elections earlier this year.

Saturday 15 December 2012

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/12/15/uk-greece-boat-idUKBRE8BE05B20121215

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Authorities Identify All Victims in Connecticut Shooting Massacre

Authorities have finished the grim process of identifying the dead in the Connecticut shooting massacre at an elementary school that left 27 people dead, including 20 children and the shooter, as the community looked for answers in the stunning tragedy.

Investigators were also trying to learn more about the 20-year-old gunman, Adam Lanza, and questioned his older brother, who is not believed to have been involved in the rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary. Police shed no light on the motive for the nation's second-deadliest school shooting in history.

State Police Lt. J. Paul Vance told NBC 4 New York Saturday morning that all of the victims have been identified and bodies were removed overnight. Families have also been notified, he said.

Connecticut state police have issued a press release describing their response to emergency calls, the crime scene and the investigation in progress.

Most of the information in the release has been previously aired. The release says the bodies of "the deceased have been transported to the Office of The Chief State’s Medical Examiner, where a post mortem examination will be conducted to determine the manner and cause of death."

When that examination is concluded, Vance said, police will release the names and birth dates of the victims and identify the gunman.

"The minute the medical examiner is done he is coming here, and we will provide as much detailed information as we can."

"When we release that list, at the request of all of the family members, they have asked for you to please respect their privacy."

In tight-knit Newtown on Friday night, hundreds of people packed St. Rose of Lima church and stood outside in a vigil for the dead — 20 children and six adults at the school, the gunman's mother at her Newtown home, and the gunman himself, who committed suicide. People held hands, lit candles and sang "Silent Night."

"These 20 children were just beautiful, beautiful children," Monsignor Robert Weiss said. "These 20 children lit up this community better than all these Christmas lights we have. ... There are a lot brighter stars up there tonight because of these kids."

Saturday 15 December 2012

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Connecticut-Shooting-School-Children-Newtown-Sandy-Hook-183628361.html

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Update: Typhoon 'Pablo' death toll nears 1,000

The death toll from Typhoon "Pablo" is now close to 1,000 while hundreds more remain missing, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said Saturday.

As of 6 a.m., the NDRRMC said at least 955 people were reported dead, 2,662 were injured, while 841 others are still missing to date. Of the reported fatalities, 382 bodies remain unidentified.

The agency noted that the number of fatalities increased by 49 due to the inclusion of unidentified cadavers in New Bataan, Compostela Valley while the number of missing decreased by 91 due to discovery of double entries in the dead and missing in the Davao region.

Saturday 15 December 2012

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/manila/local-news/2012/12/15/typhoon-pablo-death-toll-nears-1000-258487

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Dogs become heroes in Comval rescue efforts

Two Belgian Malinois dogs are proving to be the best help for a 10-man rescue team from Makati and the Philippine K-9 Search and Rescue Foundation who have recovered 28 bodies so far in New Bataan in Compostela Valley, one of the areas hardest hit by typhoon Pablo.

Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay said “Ira” and “Drena” who have been trained in search and rescue operations in France have been actively assisting the rescue and recovery mission since December 7.

Binay said among the bodies recovered with the help of the two dogs were those of a pregnant woman (estimated to be between 24-30 years old), a girl and two soldiers.

Binay said Makati has invested in the acquisition and training of search and rescue dogs.

“We are devastated by the tragedy and our dogs and the team will remain as long as they are needed,” he said.

Binay said the search and rescue dogs delivered results in actual operations, particularly in locating the bodies of victims hidden from plain sight.

Binay added that Makati would get more search dogs to be trained by the Philippine K-9 Search and Rescue Foundation for deployment to disaster stricken areas whenever needed.

The Philippine K-9 Search and Rescue Foundation, which is based in Makati City and operates nationwide, educates, trains and provide highly trained search dog teams for search and rescue missions. The foundation’s programs focus on the training of search dogs, organizing tests and certifications for search dog teams in the Philippines and promotion of using trained dogs for search and rescue missions.

In addition to the two dogs, the rescue team brought with them from Makati City two chainsaws, a vibrascope (an instrument that could detect victims trapped underneath debris and tree trunks), a vibraphone (an instrument to communicate with live trapped victims), and a hydraulic cutter or a hydraulic spreader commonly used to rescue passengers trapped in wrecked cars.

Saturday 15 December 2012

http://www.philstar.com/nation/2012/12/13/885611/dogs-become-heroes-comval-rescue-efforts

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Accident along Masvingo-Beitbridge road kills four, 17 seriously injured

Four people were killed, three of them on the spot, while 17 others were seriously injured after a mini-bus and a commuter omnibus collided head-on near Ngundu growth point along Masvingo -Beitbridge highway on Thursday morning.

The accident occurred after a commuter omnibus that was heading towards Beitbridge tried to overtake a haulage truck at the notorious Ngundu curves and collided head-on with a Scania minibus that was heading towards Masvingo at around 2am.

Three people who were in the commuter omnibus died on the spot while the fourth person died on admission to Masvingo General Hospital a few hours later.

The Scania mini-bus was carrying 57 passengers and crew while the other bus was carrying 18 passengers including members of the crew when the accident happened.

Masvingo provincial police spokesperson Inspector Zhanero said the names of the deceased were still being withheld as their next of kin had not yet been notified. Inspector Zhanero said the deceased's bodies were taken to Masvingo General Hospital mortuary. He also added that the 17 who were injured were all in a stable condition at Masvingo General Hospital where they are receiving treatment.

"We are still to inform the relatives of those who died so we are not yet in a position to disclose their names but their bodies were taken to Masvingo General Hospital mortuary. The 17 who were injured are in a stable condition at the same hospital," he said.

Inspector Zhanero appealed to drivers to exercise extreme caution during the festive season and also urged those travelling along the Masvingo-Beitbridge highway to be extra careful when passing through the sharp curves in the Ngundu area.

Scores of people have lost their lives in road accidents at the sharp Ngundu curves. In April 21 people died at one of the Ngundu curves after the driver of a Megalink bus they were travelling in failed to negotiate the curve and veered off the road before hitting a tree.

Saturday 15 December 2012

http://www.myzimbabwe.co.zw/news/3661-accident-along-masvingo-beitbridge-road-kills-four-on-the-spot-leaves-17-seriously-injured.html?&tmpl=component

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Jenni Rivera's remains returned to U.S. after crash

Jenni Rivera, the Mexican superstar killed in a weekend plane crash, has made her final journey home.

The remains of the U.S.-born singer arrived by plane in California from Mexico on Thursday night, accompanied by three of Rivera's brothers.

Rivera and six others were killed Sunday when their plane crashed while flying from Monterrey in northern Mexico to the central city of Toluca. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

Results of DNA tests were pending, but River's family conceded that Rivera was dead.

"We have received 100 percent confirmation that my sister Jenni is gone to be with the Lord," a brother, Pedro Rivera Jr., said during a news conference. "She is in the presence of God now. They did show pictures to my brothers of the body; it is not the full body."

Escorted by police, her casket was driven to a mortuary, where dozens of fans waited. Other fans gathered outside her mother's home, where well-wishers left a memorial of balloons, candles and flowers.

Rivera, 43, was perhaps the most successful female singer in grupero, a male-dominated Mexico regional style, and had branched out into acting and reality television. Known as the "Diva del la Banda," she sold 15 million records and was loved on both sides of the border for her down-to-earth style and songs about heartbreak and overcoming pain.

Saturday 15 December 2012

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-207_162-57559264/jenni-riveras-remains-returned-to-u.s-after-crash/

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Sri Lanka Matale 'mass grave could be a crime site'

Human remains in what appears to be a mass grave unearthed last month in central Sri Lanka could be "the site of a crime", a forensic medical specialist has told the BBC.

The remains of nearly 60 people have been excavated in the town of Matale.

There are allegations that the bodies are those of Sinhalese guerrillas who fought a bloody left-wing insurgency more than 20 years ago.

But other theories hold that the people died in non-political contexts.

The skulls and partial skeletons were discovered late last month by workers building a facility at a hospital in Matale.

Forensic medical specialist Ajith Jayasena told the BBC that 58 sets of remains have been found so far, some full and some partial. He said that more may still be discovered.

Dr Jayasena said the grave appeared to be the site of a "crime" as it was not a regular place of burial.

"We have to find out whether they are male or female, their age, whether they had any injuries, and the cause or circumstances of their deaths," he said.

"Finding multiple human remains there means we have suspicions."

Dr Jayasena said that no real conclusions could be drawn until a team of experts had finished its work. He said that some bones had been damaged during the initial discovery.

The Matale area was an epicentre of a late 1980s insurgency by leftist Sinhalese group, the JVP, in which the state matched the guerrillas' extreme violence. JVP supporter in Colombo on 6 December 2012 The JVP suspects its former members may be buried at the site

The modern-day JVP suspects its former members may be buried at the site and has demanded an inquiry.

But Colombo police spokesman Prishantha Jayakody said that those buried were probably victims of a landslide in the 1940s.

"We can't pinpoint [the exact time]," he said.

"But we can say it's more than 60 years old. The doctors and neighbours say so. Old guys, 80 or 90-years-old, said there was a big landslide nearby. Five hundred people [either] died [or] were taken to hospital and badly treated. That was in 1946."

Hospital workers meanwhile have suggested that the grave could contain the bodies of smallpox victims.

If it is a grave of people who were killed during the JVP insurrection, this would unfortunately be nothing new in Sri Lanka.

There are believed to be dozens of similar sites from that era, a time in which 60,000 or more young people are said to have disappeared.

Large numbers may be buried in the same area in the north where thousands of civilians perished in shelling towards the end of the war against Tamil Tiger insurgents in 2009 - but where no open process of excavation has been permitted.

Saturday 15 December 2012

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-20726027

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Thousands homeless in Samoa amid fears Cyclone Evan death toll will rise

Over three thousand people have sought temporary accommodation in Samoa after the country felt the brunt of Tropical Cyclone Evan twice in two days.

The category four cyclone caused extensive damage to Samoa’s power system, agriculture and housing.

The Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi has toured Upolu, the worst hit of the two main islands.

He says the greatest damage has been from flooding, especially around Apia.

“A lot of houses have been completely demolished. Between three to four thousand are holed up in the major public buildings: school buildings, gymnasiums and hospital halls.”

Tuilaepa says at least four people are confirmed to have died.

“This has been from reports of the police who went out to look for some of the reported people missing and ended up finding two other bodies that were never reported. The fear is that there may be a few more that are unreported for the time being.”

The efforts of disaster assessment teams have been hampered by outages in the cell phone network.

The extent of the damage is slowly becoming more clear.

Upolo’s breadfruit and banana plantations have been devastated raising the possibility of food shortages over the next 12 months.

The Prime Minister has appealed to village chiefs to rally their communities to help clear the roads.

He says the island’s electricity network is extensively damaged.

“Our Electric Power corporation is working overtime, 24 hours. It could take anything from two to four weeks to try and repair all the electricity lines right through Upolu.”

Cyclone Evan is intensifying as it passes by Wallis and Futuna and moves towards Fiji.

Saturday 15 December 2012

http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=72880

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Pearl Harbor survivor, 91, helps identify unknown dead

Warren P. Hickok broke his right leg as a boy. Payton L. Vanderpool Jr. had a missing front tooth.

Those physical characteristics eventually aided the identification of the men, decades after they were killed on December 7, 1941, during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Using detective-like skills and personnel records, Pearl Harbor survivor Ray Emory, 91, has made it his mission to ensure graves are properly identified at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, which fills the Punchbowl crater in Honolulu. So far, he has aided in the identification of nine service members who died that fateful Sunday morning.

"I sleep at night," Emory said. "It's very satisfying."

On Friday morning, the former sailor's efforts were recognized during a ceremony marking the 71st anniversary of the attack.

"He is bringing closure to family," said Rear Adm. Frank Ponds, commander of Navy Region Hawaii. "It (also) brings closure to the shipmates and other survivors who served during this time."

Emory, a native of Peoria, Illinois, was serving as a seaman first class on the light cruiser USS Honolulu that fateful Sunday morning.

Flying from aircraft carriers, Japanese pilots attacked eight American battleships, destroying two, and left a trail of death and destruction. About 2,400 people, most of them in the military, were killed. The Honolulu escaped major damage.

The attack shook America's confidence and ushered the country into World War II. After the war, Emory worked in Washington state before moving to Hawaii 27 years ago. The retiree began his quest, amassing records, including teeth charts.

"My first problem with the Punchbowl was they could not tell me where Pearl Harbor victims were found in the cemetery," Emory said on Thursday.

The amateur researcher likens his time-consuming efforts to solving a jigsaw puzzle. Emory analyzes personnel deceased files, dental records and family information, and provides his reports to the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, or JPAC, based in Hawaii.

The command, which identifies unaccounted-for Americans from past conflicts, takes it from there.

Emory's research of military records first led to the 2001 identification of Seaman Apprentice Thomas Hembree, who served on the USS Curtiss.

Dental records and a photo helped authorities identify Vanderpool, assigned to the USS Pennsylvania.

According to JPAC, about 330 of those killed in the attack were buried in graves marked "unknown" at the Punchbowl.

In November 2003, Emory contacted JPAC, suggesting the grave of an unknown sailor could be that of Seaman 2nd Class Warren Paul Hickok. The remains were first buried in Honolulu's Nuuanu Cemetery before being moved to the Punchbowl.

Officials used Emory's information as a starting point for research, and they later locked in on Hickok after a second examination of remains.

"We got lucky in our re-examination of the case," a JPAC historian wrote. "During the original processing of X-2 Nuuanu, they noted in their paperwork that he had a healed right femur. Hickok's medical records had no indication of this injury, but when I looked at his paperwork from his enlistment to the service (paperwork that wouldn't have been previously available), I noticed that he had written that he'd broken his right leg as a boy."

Ponds called Emory a hero.

"I learned from him firsthand we have done a lot, but there is still a lot to do to identify those who lost their lives."

The National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific sits in a crater that resulted from volcanic activity.

"If you have not been patriotic, once you become immersed in this environment, you become patriotic," said Ponds. "Or you don't have a pulse."

The theme for this year's commemoration at Pearl Harbor was "Coming of Age -- From Innocence to Valor."

"By 1945, these boys had become men," said Ponds.

Friday's ceremony included a tribute to U.S. submarine crews that served in World War II. One in five of nearly 18,000 men who served on those vessels died.

USS Bowfin crew member Robert Beynon, 88, of DeLand, Florida, represented the submarine service.

The Bowfin, launched one year to the day after the Japanese attack, is credited with making the submarine an offensive weapon, rather than just a patrol vessel. It sank between 16 and 44 ships.

Beynon went on three of the Bowfin's nine wartime patrols. He told CNN of one close scrape when a Japanese escort vessel detected the Bowfin after a metal drawer fell. "That noise gave him an opportunity to find us," said Beynon.

The result was 21 depth charges in about 20 seconds, Beynon said, and the submarine hurried to more than 600 feet below the surface.

Jerry Hofwolt, executive director of the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park near the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center, said the boat braved a minefield in the Sea of Japan in the closing months of the war.

According to Hofwolt, those in the submarine service had a strong bond of friendship, reinforcing the phrase, "We're all in the same boat."

Friday 14 December 2012

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/12/06/us/pearl-harbor-anniversary/index.html?iref=obinsite

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Many dead in Newtown, Connecticut elementary school shooting

America was tonight facing the prospect of its worst ever school massacre amid reports that as many as 27 people had been killed after a gunman went on the rampage in a kindergarten class. Up to 18 of the dead were said to be children after a parent at the school began firing indiscriminately.

At a news conference Friday afternoon, state police Lt. Paul Vance declined to put a number on the deaths. He would say only that there had been "several fatalities." Police were waiting to notify families before releasing details, but he reassured nervous residents that the school was secure, the danger past.

US media tonight named the alleged shooter as 24-year-old Ryan Lanza.

Television stations beamed pictures of frightened pupils at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, some 65 miles northeast from New York City, as police and other law enforcement officials arrived at the scene.

With parents rushing to a nearby staging area set up by authorities, early reports put the number of fatalities at more than 20 and possibly up to 27, with NBC New York, citing “numerous law enforcement sources”, saying up to 18 children were among the dead.

Another 7 adults were said to have perished, along with a teacher and the gunman. Reuters, citing a local newspaper, suggested that, hours after the news first broke, an entire classroom of children remained unaccounted for.

Meanwhile, it was unclear how the gunman died. Two nine mm handguns were reported to have been recovered from the scene. NBC New York later reported that a man had been taken into custody following the shooting, however it was unclear what role if nay he had in the shooting.

The dead gunman was said to have been the father of a student at Sandy Hook and about 20 years old, according to an official who spoke to CBS News. In all, around 700 pupils regularly attend the kindergarten-to-fourth grade school located in a quiet stretch of suburban woodlands.

Earlier, as the first accounts of the incident emerged, the area was put into lockdown as emergency services scrambled to the school.

“I was in the gym and I heard a loud, like seven loud booms, and the gym teachers told us to go in the corner, so we all huddled,” one student told NBC Connecticut during its live broadcast. "And I kept hearing these booming noises. And we all … started crying.”

She added: “All the gym teachers told us to go into the office where no one could find us. So then a police officer came in and told us to run outside. So we did and we came in the firehouse and waited for our parents.”

Parents interviewed by local television stations said that anyone entering the school during the day must usually ring a bell and show their face on a screen in order to be let inside by school officials, suggesting that the gunman was known to them.

The shooting is the latest such incident to hit America, with the number dead reported to be more than double those killed at Columbine in Colorado, where 13 people were killed in the infamous massacre in 1999.

More recently, Colorado was hit by a mass shooting at a midnight showing of the new Batman film, with the July attack leaving 12 dead and at least 58 injured. At Virginia Tech, a university, 32 people were left dead following a massacre by a student in 2007.

Speaking earlier this afternoon, White House Spokesman Jay Carney said President Obama had been notified about the “tragic” killings in Connecticut and was keeping an eye on the situation as it developed.

“We’re still waiting for more information about the incident in Connecticut,” Mr Carney said when asked about the president's reaction to it. Connecticut’s governor Dan Malloy, who arrived at the scene earlier in the day, was said to have called the President to update him on the killings.

Friday 14 December 2012

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/at-least-27-killed-including-18-children-in-newtown-connecticut-elementary-school-shooting-say-reports-8417931.html

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Bopha’s death toll may reach 2000

Death toll of Typhoon Bopha could reach as high as 2,000 with 906 confirmed dead and 932 missing, most of them in hard-hit south Philippines, a senior official said, adding that retrieval missions have continued despite the difficulties they have encountered in devastated areas.

“We will not yet officially declare the missing as dead, unless we find their bodies,” Undersecretary Benito Ramos, also head of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said in a radio interview.

Aided by K-9 units trained to find missing people, private and government rescuers were emboldened and refused to give up retrieving at least 505 people who were reported missing in the municipalities of Compostela, Monkayo, and New Bataan in hard-hit Compostela Valley, said Undersecretary Ramos.

Rescuers were also assigned to find 108 more who were reported missing in Boston, Cateel, Baganga, and Caraga municipalities in Davao Oriental, where Typhoon Bopha initially landed on December 4, said Ramos.

Noting the difficulty encountered by the rescue teams, Ramos said, “Rotting corpses of animals have been confusing the dogs.”

Thick mud on almost all devastated places has been preventing rescuers to get the buried corpses, said Ramos.

“We saw eight unidentified bodies. The bodies were decomposing and unrecognizable. Two of them were children. A few moments later, rescuers found another body underneath the mud and a fallen tree.

The same rescue team found 56 bodies in New Bataan, said ABS CBN.

The team quoted Aldo Mayor, a veteran rescuer, as saying, “This is my first time to see (the effect of) a massive flash flood.”

The same rescue team was elated when they found a survivor, Narsing Loreta, who said he hid in his wood fired oven at the height of the landslide.

About 5.516 people were affected by the typhoon. Only 59,764 more remained in evacuation centres, NDRRMC said.

Many residents have left their homes and went to nearby areas where they could find food and livelihood.

Some 20 typhoons visit the Philippines every year.

Friday 14 December 2012

http://m.gulfnews.com/news/world/philippines/bopha-s-death-toll-may-reach-2000-1.1118660

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Filipino bill seeks training of health officers in identifying fatalities

A bill seeking to require all local health officers to have mandatory training in the identification of fatalities from natural and human-induced disasters was filed recently by Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III.

In his Senate Bill 3368, amending the Local Government Code of 1991, Pimentel noted that in most calamities, many Filipinos not only mourn but also “bear the pain of uncertainty on the fate of their lost family members.”

“We hear news reports of mass burials of unidentified persons simply because the government lacked capable professionals to identify dead bodies,” said Pimentel in the explanatory note of his bill.

Under SB 3368, Pimentel tasked the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) and other appropriate government agencies to provide local health officers the mandatory training on the identification of deceased persons.

He stressed that while the Local Government Code mandates the appointment of a local health officer in all levels of local government, most of them are not technically capable of identifying dead bodies during and after calamities.

This skills lack is unacceptable said Pimentel more so since the Philippines is at the top spot of the list of countries with the most number of reported natural disasters and casualties, second only to Japan.

“Considering that local health officers have knowledge on the medical field, it is but apt that they also be empowered to answer and respond to this problem brought about by disasters,” Pimentel said.

“Appropriate and timely management of dead bodies following disasters is a matter of collective well-being, a question of ethics and human dignity,” he stressed.

In 2011, a total of 431 natural and human-induced disasters were reported in the Philippines, resulting in 1,774 deaths, affecting three million families and translating to P26 billion in economic losses.

Meanhile, Sen. Loren Legarda yesterday reiterated the need to institute a nationwide information campaign on the need and use of geohazard maps to local government units (LGUs) to assist in their disaster risk reduction and management efforts.

Legarda made the call in the light of the rising number of death toll from typhoon “Pablo” in the Visayas and Mindanao and the ballooning cost of damage to properties, agricultural and infrastructure, now reported to be estimated at over P15 billion. “Based on the latest statistics released by the NDRRMC, 906 have died and 900 more remain missing, while we have incurred about P15 billion worth of damages due to typhoon Pablo. These would have been avoided if our local government units and all our citizens had knowledge of geohazard maps,” she said.

Legarda, UN Regional Champion for Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation, said everyone must have knowledge of their geographical location, and whether they are at high risk or not.

During the briefing called by the committee onclimate change on the use and implementation of the geohazard maps, she stressed that the Department of Environment and Natural Resources should not only distribute these maps, but also, and more importantly, educate LGUs on how to read the map and how it will help them in their disaster risk reduction and management efforts.

“No mayor, barangay captain, or kagawad will put their constituents at risk by relocating them to danger zones. However, due to the lack of information, many have died because the relocation sites themselves are geohazard areas. We should plan our cities and municipalities accordingly,” the senator remarked.

“Disasters should not happen before we begin to take action. We should arm our local government officials with the right tools to ensure that our nation is always prepared and resilient to disasters,” she added.

At least 50,000 geohazard maps have been produced since 2007 and another set, recently manufactured with enhanced information, have been distributed already to 380 out of 1,600 municipalities in the country, said Legarda.

Friday 14 December 2012

http://www.tribune.net.ph/index.php/nation/item/8132-koko-seeks-training-of-health-officers-in-identifying-fatalities

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