Genting bus accident: Public appeal to identify remaining victims

Six out of 37 victims of the Genting Highlands bus tragedy had yet to be identified as none of their next-of-kin had come forward to identify the bodies.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam made an impassion plea to those with missing family members who had used Genting bus services on the fateful day to help identify the bodies at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital's (HKL) Forensic Department.

"The next-of-kin are advised to bring photos of their family members for identification purposes," he told reporters after visiting injured victims of the crash at HKL here, today.

He said HKL were working with the police to locate the next-of-kin of the victims - two men and four women - as no one had come forward to claim the bodies.

Commending on quick response from medical teams in attending to the crash victims, he said this reflected public hospitals high level of preparedness in the face of tragedy.

"We have four response teams comprising trained doctors and support staff equipped with adequate equipment to provide good treatment to crash victims.

"This shows that hospitals in the country are ready to face any eventualities and disasters," he said.

On injured passengers, he said they were recuperating well and beginning to undergo psychological treatment and counselling to overcome trauma due to the tragedy.

Meanwhile, Kuala Lumpur Hospital (HKL) issued an appeal for the next-of-kin of two victims who were killed in Wednesday's bus tragedy in Genting Highlands.

A HKL spokesman said one them was a fair skinned man likely to be a Chinese while the other is believed to be an African woman.

"The man is 170cm tall, has hands of a person probably doing manual work. He had on him a green keychain with two car keys, one believed to be of a Nissan model," he told reporters at HKL's mortuary today.

He also said the man wore a silver necklace, a grey T-shirt of the Spalding brand and green trousers worn over a pair blue boxer shorts.

The accident, the worst ever road disaster in the country, claimed 37 lives and left 16 others injured, some critically.

Meanwhile, as at noon today, the bodies of four of the victims had been claimed by their next-of-kin.

They were Loh Kim Lan, 78, Kwan Chin Yii, 22, Udamjit Singh (age not available) and Yap Moi, 60.

Yap Yop Peng, 57, who came to claim Yap Moi's body, said she only came to know about her sister's missing after her (Yap Moi's) employer told her that she did not turn up for work yesterday.

"I had not seen her for sometime. I doubted she would be a victim but when I checked, found out she had made a bank withdrawal at Genting Highlands.

"I came here after hearing about the tragedy and identified her as my elder sister. I could recognise her eyes and nose although she had multiple injuries," she said.

Photos of some of the personal effects found on the unidentified bodies can be found here.

Friday 23 August 2013

http://www.nst.com.my/latest/font-color-red-genting-bus-tragedy-font-public-appeal-to-identify-remaining-victims-1.342814?cache=03D163D03edding-pred-1.1176%252F%253FpFpentwage63Dp%253A%252Fhe3D03Dn63Frea-rti3D19.3D163D03edding-pred-1.1176%252F%253FpFpentwage63Dp%253A%252Fhe3D03Dn63Fre%253Fpage%253D0%253Fpage%253D0

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North and South Korea hold talks on family reunions

North and South Korea have begun talks on resuming the reunions of families separated by the Korean War in 1950-53.

Korean Red Cross officials met at the border village of Panmunjom in an attempt to restart the reunions last held in October 2010.

The two sides remain technically at war because the conflict ended in an armistice and not a peace deal.

The talks come as the two countries last week reached a deal on a joint industrial zone.

Many families were separated at the end of the war by the dividing of the peninsula.

South Korean President Park Geun-hye last week called for the resumption of the reunions, urging North Korea to "open its heart".

The aim is for some of them to meet during a festival holiday in September.

However, the two sides have yet to agree on the venue, size and date of the possible reunions.

In South Korea, more than 70,000 people have registered for the reunions.

Kim Kyung-ryun said that she had been trying for decades to reunite with her parents and siblings in the North.

"So many reunions have passed, and I've never been picked," she said.

"So I wonder whether my chance will ever come, and I'm just a bit too tired to worry about it now."

The current talks are the latest signs of tensions easing on the peninsula.

In April, North Korea withdrew its workers from the Kaesong joint industrial zone, angered by the expansion of UN sanctions after its 12 February nuclear test and annual US-South Korea military drills.

The deal reached last week came after six rounds of talks ended unsuccessfully.

Meanwhile, it was reported that a North Korean man apparently defected after he was found on South Korea's Gyodong Island.

It was not immediately known how he had crossed the border in stormy weather. South Korean officials said he was now being questioned.

Defections by crossing the border via land and sea is said to be rare, and most are made by North Koreans entering another country before going to South Korea.

Friday 23 August 2013

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-23791117

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Genting bus crash: Six victims yet to be identified

Police have yet to identify six victims of the 37 dead bodies pulled out of the bus wreckage here.

Bentong OCPD Supt Mohd Mansor Mohd Nor said 20 bodies, 19 Malaysians and one Indonesian, have been claimed by their families.

"As for the remaining six, we are sifting through the clothes, valuables and documents found in the ravine to match them. I call on those missing relatives in Genting to come forward to assist in investigations," he said.

Of the dead, 22 were males and eight were females.

Of the bodies that have been identified, three of them were foreigners: a Bangladeshi, a Nepalese and a Korean.

Of the 14 Malaysians identified, two were Malays, 11 Chinese and one was Punjabi.

Dr Jeyaindran said six families, all Malaysians, had already claimed the bodies of their loved ones.

He advised the beneficiaries to come to HKL and bring personal documents to claim the bodies.

"All those who had been brought out of the bus alive, are still alive and in stable condition.

"There have not been any more deaths,"he said.

At the scene of the bus crash along KM3.5, a large tractor has been brought on site to hoist up the wreckage from the ravine.

Puspakom officials are also carrying on site investigations to ascertain what could have caused the crash.

It is expected that the wreckage will be taken to the Bentong police headquarters for further investigations.

When asked if police have spoken to the surviving victims from the crash, Supt Mohd Mansor said they would wait a few more days.

"Many are still recovering and are not in the right frame of mind to present their accounts yet," he said.

Search continues for body parts, belongings of crash victims

Search and rescue personnel were today still combing the slopes of a ravine for body parts and belongings of the victims of the bus tragedy that killed 37 people on Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, personnel deployed in the operations had recovered two severed legs scattered around the site where the ill-fated bus, carrying 53 people, had crashed in what is the worst road accident in the nation's history.

The limbs have yet to be traced to the victims as many bodies had been mangled, some beyond recognition.

About 160 policemen, including VAT 69 commandos and General Operations Force personnel, were also combing the area to recover victims' belongings.

Post mortems on the 37 victims conducted at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital found that they all died from multiple injuries due to the impact of the crash.

Only 16 passengers, including nine foreigners, survived and are being treated at the Kuala Lumpur, Sungai Buloh, Selayang and Bentong hospitals.

Recounting the search and rescue operation on Wednesday immediately after the crash at 2.15pm, Genting Highlands fire department chief M. Mahendran, who was first to arrive at the scene, told reporters he heard screams of pain from the survivors.

Mahendran said the accident was the worst he had seen in his 26 years of service.

He also described the difficulties the rescuers had faced.

"We had to wait until the bus stabilised in case it plunged further down the ravine before we could start rescue works.

"When I finally climbed into the bus, I saw dead bodies on top of some of the survivors," he said.

Bentong OCPD Supt Mohd Mansor Mohd Nor stressed that the death toll remains at 37, and dismissed rumours that there were bodies that had yet to be found and that more had died in the accident.

He said that investigations performed by Puspakom, the Chemistry Department and police forensics branch were still underway at the site.

"The bus is badly damaged as it plunged off and rolled down the ravine for 60 metres before it came to a halt against a tree. Otherwise, it would have gone down another 100 metres," he said.

Two heavy-duty cranes are expected to be used to haul the wreckage of the bus out of the ravine tomorrow.

Mohd Mansor urged the families or friends of people who have been missing since Wednesday's crash to contact the Bentong district police headquarters or Kuala Lumpur Hospital.

Friday 23 August 2013

http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2013/08/23/Genting-bus-crash-victims-20-identified.aspx

http://www.malaysia-chronicle.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=149482:search-continues-for-body-parts-belongings-of-crash-victims&Itemid=2#axzz2cmPyji8N

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Cebu ferry disaster: Cadavers’ photos taken down to prevent trauma

Forensic experts heeded the advice of the Department of Health 7 and temporarily stopped showing photos of cadavers at the Cosmopolitan Funeral Homes.

The Regional Crime Laboratory 7 will instead direct relatives of missing passengers of last Friday’s ferry collision to a private area, said Chief Insp. Benjamin Lara.

Pictures of retrieved bodies were projected on a screen at the mortuary’s lobby so these could be identified.

"We only did it to help collect data and possible description of the passengers," Lara said, adding that they had no intention to cause any trauma.

As of yesterday, 75 bodies were taken to funeral homes. Some 29 remain unidentified.

Lara urged relatives of missing victims to go home and await results of their investigation.

DNA testing

Forensic experts started processing the bodies for Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) last Tuesday. They took specimens for a deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) examination.

They also took specimens from the missing passengers’ relatives for DNA comparison.

Lara said the results may take up to a year, depending on the cross-matching of the DNA.

"They have to understand the sheer volume of the samples that were taken from the cadavers and their families," he said.

To speed up the identification, he also urged relatives to submit dental and fingerprint records of their missing loved ones.

Dr. Dindo Herrera, a dental expert from Camp Crame, arrived in Cebu yesterday to help with the examination of the bodies.

Delays

“They don't have to worry because we will notify them once Camp Crame will release the results," Lara said.

As of 6 p.m. yesterday, 18 cadavers were released from the funeral homes, said Rosalina Allorada of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) 7.

Meanwhile, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama wants to speed up the release of the bodies retrieved from the sunken passenger vessel of 2Go Group Inc. mv St. Thomas Aquinas.

He learned from the Cosmopolitan Funeral Homes that the dispatching of the bodies was delayed because claimants have yet to fulfill all requirements.

Bong Ebo of Cosmopolitan said claimants need to secure clearances from the National Bureau of Investigation, the Talisay City Health Department, 2Go and the DSWD.

Jenifer Abastillas of DSWD said they require the spouse of a victim to present a marriage certificate.

If the claimant is a mother or father, they have to submit a birth certificate of their child.

For those who cannot present a marriage certificate or a birth certificate, she said they can present a certification from the mayor of their local government units or barangay captain and any ID issued by a government agency.

Fewer requirements

Ebo said the requirements should be cut down to hasten the release.

The mayor said the matter will have to be addressed immediately.

Based on the records of Cosmopolitan, of the 47 bodies that have been identified, 19 have yet to be released. The 47 bodies form part of the 75 bodies that have been retrieved from the sunken vessel.

Ebo said the 19 bodies are ready for shipment but there’s no available vessel to ferry them to their respective places.

In a related development, Rommie Cal, who is a representative of Surigao del Norte Gov. Sol Matugas, said they will extend a P5,000-financial assistance to survivors from their province.

He said that based on the initial data they’ve, there are 10 passengers from Surigao who survived the incident, 10 deaths, and 20 who remain missing.

Cal and Matugas were in Cebu City yesterday.

Meanwhile, Engr. Noel Kimmayong of Malayan Towage said they already plugged three holes on mv St. Thomas Aquinas that were identified as the sources of the oil leak.

As a result, the oil leak of 300 liters per hour in the past days became 150 liters per hour yesterday. "This is very good news," he said.

Kimmayong said they and the team from Nippon Salvage will today dive to the site where the vessel sank to see if there are still other holes that need to be plugged.

Friday 23 August 2013

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/local-news/2013/08/23/cadavers-photos-taken-down-prevent-trauma-299306

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Genting bus crash: A day rescuers would rather forget

For the men of the Fire and Rescue Service Department, the rescue mission in Genting Highlands is one that they would rather forget.

For fireman Abdul Malik Mohd Jan, 60, who is retiring this year, it was one of the worst scenes he had ever encountered.

Based at the Hang Tuah fire station for 40 years, he said: “I don’t want to speculate, but I guess it’s fated that this accident was meant to happen,” adding that his main priority was to search for survivors.

Abdul Malik said the crash site was a horrendous scene of splattered blood and bodies mangled beyond description.

A rescuer from the Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (Smart), who declined to be named, said he had never seen carnage on such a scale.

The rescuer, who has been with Smart since 2002, said that while he was used to seeing gory situations at accident sites, this is by far the most tragic accident site he has ever worked on.

“Most of us are upset with the incident, and this is definitely one of worst crashes recorded in Malaysia’s history,”

Describing the scene when he first arrived at 2.30pm, Civil Defence Department (JPAM) officer Mohd Safari Nasaruddin, 29, said there was pandemonium with scores of curious motorists stopping their vehicles to gawk at the crash site.

“We had to move fast to cordon off the area and assist in setting up rescue equipment.

“It was a race to find the survivors because we all knew time was running out.

“It was the first time I’ve seen so many bodies and I couldn’t stop to think about it,” said Safari, who is attached to the Bentong JPAM.

A total of 456 personnel were involved in rescue and body recovery operations at the crash site.

Thursday 22 August 2013

http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2013/08/22/A-day-rescuers-would-rather-forget-Responders-face-most-tragic-accident-site-ever.aspx

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Hidden grave may hold clues to missing Mexican youths

A clandestine mass grave found near Mexico City may hold the answer to what befell 12 youths who were kidnapped from a bar in the capital back in May.

Federal investigators swarmed a ranch east of Mexico City on Thursday, where they confirmed that at least seven bodies had been found, and that two arrests were made near the location.

A lawyer representing the families of five of the missing, however, told CNN Mexico that he received a call from a source who said the bodies of the youths may be found there. The lawyer did not reveal his source.

The apparent kidnapping of the 12 youths from an after-hours club called Heavens shocked residents of Mexico City, who for the most part have been spared from the violence seen in other areas.

The lawyer, Ricardo Martinez, said his source told him there were 13 bodies found at the ranch, possibly in two mass graves, one that held the remains of the males, and the other, the females.

Mexico City's attorney general on Thursday said there was one grave so far that was being investigated.

Officials have not confirmed the identities of the bodies, and CNN could not independently confirm the claims of the attorney. Martinez said that a suspect in the disappearance of the youths led authorities to the ranch.

Mexico City Attorney General Rodolfo Rios said investigators were taking DNA samples to identify the remains, which could take several days.

The site where the bodies are found is the town of Tlalmanalco, in the state of Mexico, about 30 miles east of Mexico City, the state-run Notimex news agency reported.

Local, state and federal police were all at the scene.

A gang was involved in the mass disappearance, officials have said.

The May 26 incident at the after-hours bar jolted the capital city, given it took place in daylight on a Sunday morning.

Video footage shows a gang of about 17 people arriving in eight vehicles at the fashionable Zona Rosa district, according to authorities.

The owner of the bar, a co-owner and two bar employees have been arrested in the case.

Thursday 22 August 2013

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/08/22/world/americas/mexico-bodies-found/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

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Genting bus crash: Search and rescue restarts amid claims from relatives that family members are still missing

Search and rescue efforts have been restarted following claims from relatives that family members are still missing.

Bentong Deputy OCPD Deputy Supt Wan Azharuddin Wan Ismail said a total of 21 personnel from the Police General Operations Force (PGA) Battalion 4 and Battalion 7 and Fire and Rescue have rappelled down the 200ft slope to search for more victims at around 9.45am.

"We have reports from relatives who could not contact their loved ones.

"The search and rescue efforts will continue until we are satisfied that there are no more victims," he told reporters at the site of the accident on Thursday.

He added that the search team would also be looking out to recover identification documents or valuables from the wreckage.

"22 bodies have yet to be identified and we hope to retrieve documents that may help to identify them," he said.

DSP Wan Azharuddin said once the personnel conclude their operations, a briefing would be held to determine when the wrecked bus could be hoisted up.

Meanwhile, Malaysian Institute of Road Safety (Miros) deployed a remote controlled hexacopter equipped with a high definition camera to assess the scene.

Officials from both Miros and Road Safety Department (JKJR) are at the scene to get a clearer picture of how the crash occurred.

As at 8.30am a total of 24 postmortems have been completed. 10 bodies have been identified and 6 have claimed family members.

Family members were seen waiting patiently around the Hospital Kuala Lumpur forensic area to identify and claim the bodies of their loved ones.

Some of the family members of the deceased in Genting bus crash grieving the loss of their family members outside HKL mortuary area

The crash, which occurred at around 2pm on Wednesday claimed the lives of 37 of the 53 passengers aboard.

Survivors claim the brakes on the bus failed before it hit the divider and plunged into the ravine.

Thursday 22 August 2013

http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2013/08/22/Genting-bus-crash-Search-and-rescue-restarts.aspx

http://www.nst.com.my/latest/font-color-red-genting-bus-tragedy-update-font-10-bodies-identified-6-have-been-claimed-1.342022

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Beggars, junkies and mentally-challenged persons among 18,000 bodies found in Mumbai railway premises in 5 yrs

The Mumbai Government Railway Police (GRP) disposed of as many as 6,190 unclaimed bodies found on the Mumbai railway premises over the past five years.

The GRP, which provided these shocking figures, said that the deceased included beggars, drug addicts and the mentally challenged.

A total of 18,084 persons were found dead within the jurisdiction of the Mumbai Railway Police Commissionerate, of which 11,894 bodies were claimed by relatives. The Mumbai GRP later disposed of the remaining unclaimed (6,190) bodies, or one-third of the lot.

They said each year, thousands of people migrated to Mumbai, the nation’s commercial capital. Many settled near religious places or on the premises of railway stations. The problem arose when these settlers died due to starvation or illness on the premises.

“If the body of an unidentified person is found on the railway premises, the police take a photograph of the deceased and later circulate it to police stations across the state, the police headquarters of other states through the state DGP’s office and Doordarshan to trace the relatives or next of kin of deceased.

The body is kept in the morgue of a government or civil hospital for eight days until a claimant comes,” said an officer attached to the Mumbai Railway Police. If nobody comes forward, the railway police dispose of the body.

Deputy Commissioner of Police of Mumbai GRP SN Sirsat said It’s a challenge to trace the relatives of a beggar, drug addict or a mentally challenged person.

“Thanks to the joint efforts by GRP personnel and Manavta, an NGO, we have succeeded in bringing down the figure of unclaimed bodies from 1,392 in 2008 to 1,111 in 2012.”

He added the GRP commissioner Prabhat Kumar launched the website http://shodh.gov.in in July 2012 to identify the accident victims. People can trace missing persons by furnishing their physical description on the website.

Railway activist Sameer Zaveri, who filed a PIL in the Bombay High Court in 2008, said, “As per HC’s direction, the Western and Central Railways in Jan 2011 started their websites to post details of accident victims.”

Thursday 22 August 2013

http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/1878024/report-beggars-junkies-and-mentally-challenged-persons-among-18000-bodies-seen-in-mumbai-railway-premises-in-5-yrs

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Cebu ferry disaster: 44 bodies identified, 50 still missing

The death toll of the Aug. 16 sinking of the MV St. Thomas Aquinas reached 71 yesterday.

But only 26 recovered bodies were released to their families as of yesterday afternoon.

Kinfolk were able to complete the paperwork, such as presentation of birth or marriage certificates, said social worker Edna Regudo.

Other documents required for identification are barangay certificates and valid IDs of both the claimant and the dead.

On the fifth day of the search, rescue and retrieval operations, 69 bodies, one arm and one leg were recovered. A total of 45 cadavers have been identified.

Fifty persons remain missing.

The body parts recovered have not yet been determined to belong a single person, and have not been counted as recovered said Dr. Assuncion Anden, regional director of the Department of Health in Central Visayas.

DNA matching , which takes a month, will be used for those who can not be physically identified.

DNA samples of the cadaver and a close blood relative will be sent for cross matching by the laboratory of the Philippine National Police in Camp Crame in Quezon City.

Thursday 22 August 2013

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/472125/44-bodies-identified-50-still-missing

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Genting bus crash: Families still identifying victims at HKL

Family members of victims of the Genting bus tragedy are still waiting for confirmation on their loved ones' fate.

All the bodies have been brought to Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL) for the families to go through the identification process.

A foreign worker from Punjab, India who declined to be named, said he heard about the accident through a friend and then checked the information on the Internet.

He said his co-worker Authur Malik, 40, and a relative, Sukvir Singh,24, who is here as a tourist, were in the ill-fated bus.

"I have been trying to call my friends but there is no answer. We came here after checking with Hospital Selayang," he said.

He added that he still did not know if they are dead or alive.

Others faced a similar dilemma as they awaited their turn to view the bodies and find out if their family member or friend had met with a horrible fate.

Meanwhile, the post mortem started around 11.20pm and is expected to take nine hours to complete.

Health deputy director-general Datuk Dr S. Jayaindran said a team of 12 medical personnel was conducting four post mortem processes simultaneously.

"We understand the position of families waiting for the victims to be identified and we are doing our best to speed up the process," he said.

He, however, said the identity of victims would not be disclosed to anyone not a family member.

Thirty-seven people were killed and 16 injured when a bus they were travelling in plunged into a ravine near Genting Highland Wednesday afternoon.

Thursday 22 August 2013

http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2013/08/21/Genting-bus-crash-victims-families.aspx

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Tribunal delays return of Srebrenica victims’ belongings

Damir Alic, lawyer for the victims of the 1995 Srebrenica massacres, says he fears that the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, ICTY, will not hand over the stored items of victims that were found in mass graves any time soon.

Alic, who represents the victims together with a team of lawyers, recalled to BIRN that last October they asked the United Nations to abolish the immunity from prosecution of Carla del Ponte, former chief prosecutor of the Hague Tribunal, so she could be prosecuted over the destruction of items found in the mass graves.

Several years ago, the lawyers launched an investigation regarding the destroyed items, which showed that about 1,000 items found in the graves were destroyed in 2005 and 2006.

They hold del Ponte, chief prosecutor of the tribunal from 1999 to 2007, responsible for this action.

“We collected a lot of evidence that points out exactly to del Ponte and the persons around her,” Alic said.

However, since the ICTY clearly did not want to process del Ponte over the matter, the lawyers last October asked the UN to remove her immunity and so allow her prosecution.

Prosecution remains highly unlikely. Just over six months ago, the UN appointed her as lead investigator into the civil war in Syria.

Meanwhile, Alic recalled, the Hague Prosecution has said that the preserved items of the victims will not be returned to Bosnia until the war crime trials are not completed.

“We want this resolved as soon as possible, rather than in 2015 or 2017,” he said.

According to him, Serge Brammertz, the tribunal’s chief prosecutor, promised to submit photographs of the preserved items, such as glasses, ID's or parts of clothing, to be placed in the Memorial Center in Potocari so that the families can start the process of identification.

“He promised last year that he would send high-resolution photographs that could be used for identification, to determine what belong to whom,” Alic said.

“But we did not get these photos. It is obvious that this is down to the bureaucratic slowness in The Hague Tribunal and for these reasons we are not satisfied,” he added.

Alic maintains that about 90 per cent the preserved items should be classed as personal, and it is essential that they be returned.

Lawyers representing the victims of Srebrenica and Brammertz have different opinions over whether some items - such as the bandages used to tie the hand and cover the eyes of the victims before they were killed - are personal belongings.

“In our interpretation, the bandages used for the hands and eyes [of victims] are also private property,” he said.

“These items were found in mass graves. However, Brammertz’s stance is that bandages used specifically for eyes cannot be called private property,” Alic said.

The matter of seeking the removal of del Ponte’s immunity continues.

“Till now, we have no more information about what is happening within the UN. We know it is going very slowly,” Alic said.

“However, we have unofficially learned that the Department of Legal Affairs is in the phase of preparing a case.

“So, we assume that the commission that should investigate all the actions undertaken by del Ponte since artefacts from the Srebrenica victims were destroyed will be formed soon,” he said.

Alic added that the liability of other employees of the Hague Tribunal would also be investigated.

“We will seek to establish the responsibility of other persons who still work at The Hague Tribunal for the destroyed artefacts,” Alic said.

Thursday 22 August 2013

http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/interview-tribunal-delays-return-of-srebrenica-victims-belongings

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Argentina probes hospital morgues after 200 bodies go missing

Argentine authorities are investigating the operation of several Buenos Aires morgues after the disappearance of more than 200 bodies, officials confirmed to Efe.

Court-ordered raids on several capital hospitals over the past several weeks revealed other irregularities such as unidentified human remains, body parts scattered among different refrigerated rooms and bodies in advanced stages of decomposition.

The investigation was launched after the municipal government requested the burial of 23 bodies that had been held in the morgues of four hospitals for years.

The official tasked with relaying that request, Judge Roberto Gallardo, discovered serious irregularities in the lists of entry and exit of human remains at the morgues and ordered that the health centers be closely examined.

Gallardo determined that dozens of bodies had gone missing from those hospitals after they had been listed as delivered to the morgues.

Representatives of the hospital workers attributed the situation to chronic staffing shortfalls and not to negligence.

Alarmed by what was found in the initial four inspections, Gallardo expanded the review to the other 18 hospital morgues that also fall under municipal responsibility.

The audits revealed that a total of 216 bodies were missing from six of the 22 morgues examined.

Thursday 22 August 2013

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/agencia-efe/130821/argentina-probes-hospital-morgues-after-200-bodies-go-missing

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Express bus plunges down Genting ravine, 33 confirmed dead

A passenger bus has plunged into a deep ravine while travelling downhill near a Malaysian highland resort, killing 33 people, an official said.

Sixteen people survived the accident, which occurred on a winding slope in central Genting Highlands, a popular destination that houses Malaysia's sole casino on Wednesday, said fire department official Azizan Ismail.

The bus, which fell about 60 metres into the ravine, was carrying mostly Malaysians and several tourists believed to be from the Middle East, Azizan said.

He said one body had been recovered from the bus, with 32 more bodies remaining inside the vehicle.

The bus was reported to have crashed at about 3pm today, some 2km from the Chin Swee Caves Temple on the popular getaway, en route to Kuala Lumpur.

The daily also reported that traffic had backed up on the narrow mountain road, to prioritise rescue personnel working to reach the scene of the fatal accident.

Bernama reported that Fire and Rescue Department and Civil Service department rescuers are using a crane to get down into the ravine and bring up the victims.

Two bodies had been reported taken to the mortuary at Kuala Lumpur Hospital. Their identities remain unknown.


Road fatalities involving express buses have been a recurrent issue in Malaysia.

Today’s crash may be the most deadly in recent years.

The record for the highest fatalities previously was December 20, 2010 when an express bus, also on its way down from Genting Highlands, hit a divider and overturned, killing 27 people onboard, including the driver.

A year before that, 10 people died on December 26, when the northbound bus they were in crashed into the guardrail at the Ipoh toll plaza.

Another 10 died on December 7, 2008 died when their express bus skidded and overturned in Pagoh, Johor.

Another incident with high fatalities happened on August 13, 2007 when 22 people, including the driver, died when the express bus they were traveling in crashed near the Bukit Gantang, Perak rest area on the North-South Expressway.

More recently, a teacher and three students were killed on November 11, 2011 when their chartered bus collided with a tanker while they were on their way up Genting Highlands from Kulim, Kedah.

Rescue operations are still ongoing.

Wednesday 21 August 2013

http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/express-bus-plunges-down-genting-ravine-15-feared-dead

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/breaking-news/killed-in-bus-accident-in-malaysia/story-fn3dxix6-1226701619862

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India pilgrimage disaster recalls other mass-casualty religious events

An express train traveling through the eastern Bihar State of India plowed through a group of pilgrims Monday on their way to a holy site, killing dozens and injuring many more. Officials said the driver had been given clearance to pass through the remote station, but hundreds of people were crossing the tracks on a pilgrimage to a nearby temple to offer holy water to the Hindu god Shiva. Indian officials are still arguing over whether the government should be held responsible for the accident, with the chief minister of the state calling the incident “the rarest of rare tragedies.”

Though this event may seem rare, the history of pilgrimage is marked by tragedy. Many disasters have occurred during the hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Islamic holy sites that each Muslim is required to make at least once in their lifetime, as one of the Five Pillars of Islam. As the world’s population grows, so does the number of pilgrims trying to reach the same holy sites year after year. Many pilgrims are aware of the possibility for disaster and yet embark on the pilgrimages anyway, believing the benefits of the journey to outweigh the dangers.

Below are some of the more notable pilgrimage disasters from recent history:

June 2013 – Flash floods in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand killed at least 1,000 people and stranded at least 40,000 others. Most of the affected were on a pilgrimage called Char Dham Yatra, which takes Hindus to four of the holiest sites in Uttarakhand between May and November. The Indian military has been called on to aid in the massive rescue operation, but the mountainous valley terrain is hindering efforts to reach the thousands who are still missing. Google created a “person finder” app to help people locate each other amidst the chaos.

February 2013 – At least 30 people were killed in a stampede in India as pilgrims rushed to board trains arriving at platforms. The pilgrims were participating in the Hindu religious festival Kumbh Mela, which occurs every 12 years. Millions of pilgrims gather by the banks of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers, and each event outranks the last as the largest gathering in human history. With a growing religious population in India and other nations, there are fears that mass pilgrimages will only continue to be fraught with disaster if infrastructure cannot meet the demands of population growth.

January 2006 – At least 345 pilgrims died in a human stampede in Saudia Arabia, during the hajj. One portion of the holy Muslim practice consists of throwing stones at a wall in the city of Mina. This event has been accompanied by a large death toll more than once, as pilgrims push forward through crowds to ensure their stone hits the wall.

April 1997 — At least 340 pilgrims were killed and 1,500 more injured when fires swept through the tent city at Mina where thousands of pilgrims stay during the hajj.

July 1990 — In the most deadly hajj disaster of recent times, 1,426 pilgrims traveling through overcrowded tunnels leading to worship sites were killed in a massive stampede in Mecca. Most of the pilgrims were Malaysian, Indonesian and Pakistani.

July 1987 — Security forces in Mecca clashed with mostly Iranian pilgrims protesting U.S. policies in an illegal demonstration, resulting in the deaths of 402 people, with 649 more wounded.

Wednesday 21 August 2013

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatches/globalpost-blogs/belief/history-pilgrimages-plagued-disaster

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Divers continue search for bodies in submarine

Naval divers continued their efforts on the seventh day to recover bodies of sailors from INS Sindhurakshak, which was rocked by blasts on August 13. The divers have so far recovered seven bodies; there were 13 sailors aboard when disaster struck.

Officials said the search will continue though very high temperature , which melted the submarine's body of steel, would have incinerated bodies in the forward section. "No timeline can be set in such cases. Finding bodies of their loved ones will give a sense of closure to the victims' families and to us for doing our duty towards our colleagues,'' officials said.

The navy has also begun salvage operations. "When the submarine is brought to the surface, we could determine the explosion cause. The bodies which divers could not see underwater can also be recovered,'' officials added.

The divers' biggest impediment is near-zero visibility due to oil-seawater sludge in the submarine and lack of depth.

"Mumbai's port has the dirtiest water. Divers are practically entering blindfolded into an unfamiliar and a constricted, flooded compartment full of live missiles and torpedoes to search for the bodies,'' an official said.

"We cannot even insert underwater material below the submarine, which when done, it gains buoyancy and automatically flats it when we complete pumping, as water continues to enter due to structural damage,'' officials said.

Wednesday 21 August 2013

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Divers-continue-search-for-bodies-in-sub/articleshow/21946358.cms

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23 children among missing in Cebu sea tragedy, death toll rises to 71

The death toll from the collision between two ships in Talisay, Cebu last Friday has risen to 71. Around 49 remain missing, including about 23 children.

Technical divers as well as surface search and retrieval teams resumed work early morning Wednesday to find the still missing passengers of MV St. Thomas Aquinas.

Cebu Disaster Management Chief Niel Sanchez, however, could not guarantee that all the missing passengers could still be retrieved.

While the teams will attempt to dive deep into the cabins of the sunken ship, there may be rooms that would be difficult to penetrate.

"Andun ba yun or baka they drifted away to other islands? But we will do our best to return, reunite the bodies with their families para naman may closure,” Sanchez said.

The 23 children missing are all aged 12 years old and below. Almost half are babies, or three years old and below.

He said they don’t have the exact figures as to how many children were really on board since they are often not listed on the ship's manifest because they are free of charge.

Pictures of their happy faces, however, were posted on the wall of the command center, such as that of one-year-old Mark Julius, eight-month-old Christine Joy and nine-month-old Heart Rhianzel.

Bodies in Bohol

Sanchez received information two more dead bodies had already drifted to Bohol.

"May dalawang bangkay na nilibing na daw because of the stench in an islet in Bohol, but we’re still confirming it," he said.

There were also body parts that were found in Lapu-Lapu City. "May torso, leg, an arm, but we list them as body parts.”

At the Funeral Parlor, more families continued to look for their missing loved ones.

Janet Oledan posted a picture of her husband, Nestor Oledan, who is the hotel supervisor of the 2GO ship. She said it was heroism that led to the probable death of Nestor.

He was already at the railings of the ship getting ready to jump according to co-workers, but at the last second went back inside to try to save more passengers.

Nestor is now among the missing. "May mga anak sya na dapat balikan, dapat tumalon sya," Janet lamented.

She said she cannot help but think of their three daughters who now face the possibility of growing up without a father.

The search, rescue and retrieval operations are taking longer than usual because of the sea conditions, Sanchez said. The operations were halted on Tuesday afternoon due to strong underwater current and big waves induced by monsoon rains and winds.

Sanchez said the divers are also being cautious of their safety before plunging at least 120 feet below the surface.

"We also have to consider the safety of the divers with considerations sa water current and also sa oil spill," he said. “That is one aspect that also imposes health concerns.”

Several life vests at the command center were seen drenched in oil after rescuers plunged into the waters to retrieve the bodies.

Wednesday 21 August 2013

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/regions/08/21/13/23-children-among-missing-cebu-sea-tragedy

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Bus careens off cliff after brakes fail in West Java, at least 18 dead

A speeding passenger bus lost control and careened off a 12-meter cliff, killing at least 18 passengers after its brakes failed in Cisarua, West Java, Wednesday morning.

The bus, operated by the tourism bus company Giri Indah, was reportedly speeding along Puncak Pass when the driver collided with a pickup truck near Tugu Utara Village, according to a witness. The bus rolled down the cliff side before landing upside down on top of the truck, killing at least 18 people and injuring more than 30 others, police said.

Witness Sugianto, 57, was riding his motorbike behind the bus when it veered off the cliff.

“The road was winding but the bus was running at full speed,” he said. “The bus [then] lost control. It hit a pickup truck and pushed the vehicle off a 12-meter cliff. It flipped twice and hit the ground upside down. The pickup was crushed beneath it.”

According to police, the bus lost control when its brakes failed.

“The cause of the accident is still under investigation but we suspect it was because the brakes did not work based on the driver’s information,” West Java Police spokesman Sr. Cmr. Martinus Sitompul said.

The bus was taking members of the Bethel Church, in Kelapa Gading, Jakarta, back to their homes after a visit to Kota Bunga, a popular picnic destination known for its flowers.

The injured, including bus driver Muhammad Amin, were transported to the nearby Dr. M. Goenawan Partowidigdi Lung Hospital, in Cisarua, Bogor, for treatment.

Wednesday 21 August 2013

http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/at-least-16-killed-as-bus-careens-off-cliff-in-west-java/

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Kosovo urged to 'Internationalize' missing persons

As more than 1,700 people remain missing from the conflict in Kosovo, relatives are urging the Kosovo authorities to raise the issue at the upcoming UN Security Council meeting.

“We want the missing persons issue to be resolved in the framework of the dialogue on normalization of relations between Pristina and Belgrade, otherwise the whole negotiation and reconciliation process will be unsuccessful ”, a draft version of the letter that will be sent on Tuesday to the Kosovo Prime Minister, Hashim Thaci, and Foreign Minister, Enver Hoxhaj, reads.

Both officials are asked to bring up the issue in discussions related to Kosovo and the UN mission to the country at the UN Security council meeting due on August 29.

The meeting comes ahead of August 30, the international day of the disappeared.

“The Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister of Kosovo are obliged to read the letter in front of the Security Council members,” Bajram Qerkini, who drafted the letter, said.

Missing persons were a topic for discussion once in the EU-mediated dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade but the issue did not appear in the final agreement on the normalisation of relations, on April 19.

EU officials have described the issue a humanitarian rather than a political one.

Since the end of the conflict in the 1990s, the International Committee of the Red Cross has been arranging contacts between Kosovo and Serbia on the issue, but progress has remained slow.



Family members of the 1,754 missing people now say that “political international pressure” on Serbia is required to push this issue forward. “Serbian authorities and representatives of Serbian institutions have information on places where mass graves are located”, Prenk Gjetaj, chief of Kosovo’s missing persons commission, said.

But of the 36 locations where excavations were planned in 2012, only 19 were carried out, partly because of security concerns.

This year, the Kosovo authorities plan to exhume some 39 suspected mass graves while work to find the bodies of victims is also continuing in Serbia.

Tuesday 20 August 2013

http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/families-urge-kosovo-authorities-to-internationalize-missing-person-issue

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Death toll in Philippines ferry collision now at 63, 57 still missing

Recovered bodies from the search operations of the ill-fated passenger ship in Cebu last week increased to 63, authorities said on Tuesday.

As of 11:25a.m., 63 bodies were retrieved while 57 remained missing. The rescued passengers were still at 750.

The MV Thomas Aquinas collided with MV Sulpicio Express 7 off Talisay last Friday. Both had over 800 passengers and crew.

The province of Cebu was also placed under state of calamity on Monday due to the oil spill from the sunken ship.

Wednesday 20 August 2013

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/469947/death-toll-in-ship-collision-now-at-63-57-still-missing

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Boat capsizes in Ganga, 3 drowned, 8 missing

Three children drowned and eight others went missing as a boat capsized on Tuesday in river Ganga in Bihar's Begusarai district, police sources said.

The country boat, with 22 people on board, toppled in the river drowning three unidentified children, while eight others went missing, the sources said. The rest, including two boatmen, swam to safety. The three bodies have been fished as efforts were on to recover the remaining bodies.

District Magistrate Manoj Kumar and Superintendent of Police (SP) Harpreet Kaur were camping at the site to supervise the relief and rescue works. Disaster Management Minister Renu Kushwaha, who was passing through the area after the tragedy, had to face the brunt of the anger of local people who protested against non-arrival of the disaster team to assist relief works.

Tuesday 20 Augustus 2013

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/boat-capsizes-in-ganga-3-drowned-8-missing/415819-3-232.html

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