Finding the missing

In the wreckage of Nairobi’s Westgate shopping centre the remains of dozens of victims of last month’s terrorist attack await identification. In some cases the damage is so bad that conventional means—faces, fingerprints, teeth—may be of little use. But thanks to Interpol the Kenyan authorities are getting help from an unexpected quarter: a Bosnia-based organisation which uses DNA testing to trace victims of the Yugoslav wars.

The International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) sounds grand but has just 150 people and a core budget of under €7m ($9.5m) a year. Zlatan Bajunovic, whom it has sent to Nairobi, lives close to Srebrenica, where 8,000 Bosniaks were killed in 1995. Their killers dug up and moved bodies from the original mass graves. Many corpses disintegrated.

Thanks to him and his colleagues most of those remains have been identified. Of the 40,000 people who went missing in the wake of the Balkan wars of the 1990s, 70% have been found. The ICMP has helped identify two-thirds of those. Families register their DNA and then look on the ICMP website to see if it matches the remains which have been found. Testing kits, of the kind Mr Bajunovic has taken to Nairobi, are cheap, quick and effective.

Now the ICMP is looking for new work. Though other outfits—in Argentina and South Africa, among other places—do similar jobs, its labs in Sarajevo are the biggest of their kind and its technology is the most advanced. It has already helped identify victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami, Hurricane Katrina and a devastating typhoon in the Philippines in 2008.

It could do more. Up to 1m people are missing in Iraq, 10,000 in Libya, 50,000 in Syria. Hundreds of thousands remain untraced from the Rwandan genocide of 1994. After years of war, even estimating numbers of missing people in the Democratic Republic of Congo is hard. The migrants whose corpses wash up on the Italian island of Lampedusa are buried in anonymous graves. In all these cases DNA, if taken and traced, could restore names to the dead and put an end to miserable uncertainty for their families.

But the ICMP needs more clout. It has neither the authority of a big organisation like Amnesty International, nor the standing enshrined in international law of the Red Cross. It is not part of the UN system. Its biggest political backer was Bill Clinton; later American administrations have been less keen. There are many multilateral bodies. Who needs another?

Now moves are afoot to boost the ICMP’s status. It has already signed a deal with the International Organisation for Migration to begin finding those missing as a result of migration and trafficking. It plans to move its headquarters to the Netherlands, where the government is offering diplomatic immunities and privileges (the labs will stay in Sarajevo). The mayor of The Hague may offer an office and some cash. Britain has promised diplomatic support. Germany is mulling over help too.

The result would be what its director, Kathryne Bomberger, calls a “birth certificate” for the ICMP. For the unknown victims of beastliness and disaster, it would mean more accurate death certificates.

Friday 4 October 2013

http://www.economist.com/news/international/21587246-tracing-missing-people-grim-task-belatedly-gaining-new-oomph-dead-link

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Lebanese delegation to Indonesia starts DNA testing to identify migrant boat victims

The Lebanese delegation tasked with following up on the Australia-bound boat tragedy has started its work on Thursday upon its arrival to Indonesia.

The delegation is in charge of identifying the bodies of the drowned victims, secure their transfer to Lebanon, and deal with the diplomatic procedures necessary to allow the survivors to legally return to Beirut.

"We thank the cabinet of Indonesia for everything it is doing to ease the transfer of the victims' bodies to Lebanon, and for helping in dealing with pending legal matters related to the survivors,” caretaker State Minister Ahmed Karami said.

Lebanese Charge d'Affaires in Indonesia Joanna Qazzi announced that around 42 bodies were retrieved from the sea.

"The bodies belong to 18 men, 5 boys, 14 women and 6 girls,” she detailed, adding that DNA samples taken from the victims' families will be used to identify them.

Qazzi called on the Lebanese migrants, who violated their residency permits in Indonesia, to “benefit from this chance to return to their homeland at the expense of Lebanon's cabinet, who is also going to cover their due fines.”

LBCI television pointed out that the documents of 18 survivors will be ready in the coming hours to allow them to return to Beirut.

Meanwhile, the same source remarked that 6 Lebanese are still detained in an Indonesian prison, after they were arrested before the boat's sailing.

"The Lebanese coroner who traveled to Indonesia with the delegation will head on Friday to the military hospital to start with the DNA testing to identify the bodies,” LBCI added.

Al-Jadeed television, however, noted that reports saying the bodies of the boat's victims will arrive to Lebanon on Monday are just rumors.

"It is impossible to complete this mission by Monday,” it stressed.

Led by Karami, the Lebanese delegation includes International forensic adviser and DNA expert Dr. Fouad Ayoub, High Relief Commission chief Brig. Gen. Ibrahim Bashir, and a number of officials from the Foreign Ministry, a representative of the General Security, and DNA specialists.

The boat, which was estimated to be carrying between 80 and 120 Middle Eastern illegal immigrants, went down on Friday in rough seas off Indonesia's main island of Java. It was headed for Australia's Christmas Island.

Twenty-eight people have escaped alive.

The Lebanese foreign ministry said Sunday there were 68 Lebanese, including children, on board the ill-fated vessel and that 18 survived the ordeal while at least 28 were still missing.

Friday 4 October 2013

http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/100783-lebanese-delegation-to-indonesia-starts-dna-testing-seeks-to-complete-legal-procedures

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Nigeria: Plane Crashes With Agagu's Casket, Kills 13 (update)

Nigeria's aviation industry witnessed another tragedy yesterday, as an Embraer aircraft operated by Associated Airlines with registration number SCD 361, conveying the corpse of former Governor of Ondo State, Chief Olusegun Agagu from Lagos to Akure for burial, crashed shortly after take-off at Murtala Mohammed Airport, Lagos killing 13 persons on board while seven others survived.

The crash which occurred at about 9.30 a.m. had 13 passengers, and seven crew members on board.

President Goodluck Jonathan, in his immediate reaction ordered a thorough investigation into the crash by all relevant agencies with a view to determining the cause and taking further actions, as may be necessary. Embraer, manufacturers of the aircraft has also said it had offered to help authorities investigate the crash of the 30-seater plane.

An engineer, Rasheed Olajide, who witnessed the air crash at the airport told Reuters that "the plane was making a lot of noise and appeared to make a maneuver to avoid a residential area before it came down. A diplomatic source told Reuters the engine was made by Pratt & Whitney Canada, a unit of United Technologies Corp, PW100. According to the airfleets.net website, which keeps a record of passenger aircraft worldwide, the crashed aircraft was more than 23 years old.

The crash happened within Sahara Group tank farm, one of the companies supplying aviation fuel to airlines. The tank farm is situated some 200 metres away from the perimeter fence of the international wing of the MurtalaMhuammedAirport. The aircraft broke into two with its cockpit compartment burnt, while the remaining part that included the luggage compartment, was slightly burnt.

Agagu's casket intact

However, the casket containing the remains of Agagu, kept in the luggage compartment, was intact as it was not burnt when it was finally removed from the wreckage. The casket was conveyed in a NAF Ambulance with registration no AF 054 -Eo1 to the nearby NAF hospital, a few hours after the accident.

All relevant security and emergency agencies comprising Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), members of the Police Force, Federal Road Safety Corps, Red Cross and Lagos State Fire Services, were present at the crash site. Others include the Nigerian Air Force personnel and officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority

Some officials of the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) were seen retrieving personal effects of passengers from the aircraft into their waiting vehicle for identification. Some of the retrieved belongings were a small camera, laptop bags, one iPad, a travelling bag containing personal effects, a torchlight, a walkie-talkie, a wallet and the case of a reading glass.

Many people wanted to catch glimpses of the incident and used their camera phones to snap pictures of the site. However, security agents had to cordon off the area to be able to dismantle the luggage compartment and bring out the casket.

A Commissioner of the Accident Investigation and Prevention Bureau (AIPB), Captain Usman Murktar, who spoke on the air crash confirmed that there were 20 people on board the ill fated plane and that all persons on the aircraft have been accounted for. He also confirmed that search and rescue operations were called off at exactly 11.50am yesterday. This was after the last missing person on board the aircraft was recovered.

Black Box found -- AIPB boss

Captain Murktar said: "We can confirm that there were six survivors on the aircraft. Four are in stable condition while two are critical. All are receiving full medical attention in the hospital. The Accident Investigation and Prevention Bureau (AIPB) has commenced investigation into the probable cause(s) of the crash. The Cockpit Voice Recorder, popularly called the Black Box has been found and is in the custody of AIPB."

In the course of search and rescue, the casket bearing the remains of Late Olusegun Agagu was brought out unscathed while survivors were rushed to hospital. The AIPB commissioner however failed to disclose the names of those aboard the aircraft, saying the bureau has to first officially notify the families of the victims before making their names public.

General Manager, Corporate Communication of FAAN, Mr. Yakubu Datti while speaking on the crash said that the aircraft was heading to Akure with 20 passengers onboard and that immediately the crash occurred, emergency response team rushed to the site of the crash to rescue the victims.

He said: "The propeller aircraft which belongs to Associated Airlines with registration number 5N-BJY crashed around 9:32am with 20 passengers onboard. Rescue operations commenced immediately with all relevant agencies to help and some of the survivors, about six of them have already been rushed to the hospital and they are receiving medical attention. We call on the public to shun unconfirmed reports and avoid speculation, so we will continue to update you every thirty minutes."

Also speaking, Director of Lagos State Fire Service, Mr. Rasaq Idowu Fadipe said that the agency was able to recover 11 passengers who were dead, while four other passengers were rescued alive.

Mr. Fadipe said: "We rescued 11 suspected dead passengers and four were rescued alive. Immediately we heard about the crash, we mobilised a lot of equipment and personnel to the site, so immediately we arrived here, we quickly engaged ourselves on search and rescue operation but before then, we put out the fire because there is no how you can work here without putting out the fire first, so within a few minutes three fire trucks responded, each carrying 10,000 litres of water to enable us quickly put off the fire and after that we engaged on search and rescue operations with other emergencies agencies.

A hospital source gave a total of seven survivors. Five of the injured are receiving treatment at the Surgical Emergency Section, LASUTH, one at the Nigerian Air Force, NAF, base, Ikeja, and another survivor who suffered some degree of burns was being attended to at the Burns and Trauma Unit of Gbagada General Hospital, after being referred from the Federal Medical Centre, Ebute Metta.

Mr Feyi Agagu, son of late former Ondo State Governor, Olusegun Agagu; Akintunde Taiwo, Akinsanya Femi, Mrs Toyin Samson and one unidentified adult male are at Surgical Emergency unit of LASUTH recuperating. Mr Agagu wore a cast on his neck while Mrs Samson is in stable condition.

DNA tests The Lagos State Government Thursday promised to conduct DNA tests to identify 13 bodies, which it said, were charred beyond recognition in the plane crash that occurred at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport.

Orelope-Adefilure, the state’s Deputy Governor, who visited the survivors at the emergency ward of the hospital, called on the relations of the victims in the ill-fated aircraft to come for DNA tests so the identity of the victims could be established.

“The survivors are here in the hospital receiving treatment. The 13 bodies recovered cannot be identified at the moment. But we are still waiting for the manifest of the passengers from the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority. The survivors are receiving treatment here at the emergency surgical ward.

“So what we want to let the public know is that anyone who knows that he or she had anybody among the travelling party to Ondo State, aboard the flight, but not among the survivors, should see the pathologists at the LASUTH,” she said.

Speaking on the DNA tests, the Vice Chancellor of the Lagos State University, Prof. John Obafunwa said the state government had “to carry out a forensic examination aimed at knowing the cause of the death and assisting in the identification of the victims.

“We are going to conduct the investigation this evening, having been given orders by the coroner to do so. Hopefully, within the next 48 to 72 hours, we should have been done with what we have to do. But we have been told that a number of bodies had been burnt beyond recognition and we will have to identify these individuals.”

He urged those whose relations were suspected victims on board the flight to see him.

“Basically, we need to have the children, the siblings, parents, as we are going to take some samples from them. It is not a thing that is difficult,” he explained.

Full manifest still awaited

Identities of all the victims remained unknown at press time as the full manifest was yet to be released, but unconfirmed reports indicated that among the dead were four staff of MIC Funeral Services, Lagos, as well as the Managing Director, Mr Tunji Okusanya and his son. The first son of Agagu who was on the flight was believed to be among the survivors.

Confirming the deaths, LagosState deputy Governor, Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, said all the bodies were burnt beyond recognition. Expressing shock over the incidence, the Deputy Governor consoled families of the victims, assuring that the government would take necessary steps to identify the bodies of the victims and give the best treatment to the survivors. "Accept our condolences. We will support the family members," she stated.

Meanwhile the state government may not release any of the bodies until it has conducted autopsies and forensic tests on the bodies before release to relatives. Already, family members of the deceased have been urged to come forward to submit DNA samples for the forensic tests and proper identification of victims bodies.

It was gathered that the samples for DNA was necessary since the bodies were burnt beyond recognition. Giving the hint, Prof. John Obafunwa, said: "We will take samples from their mouths. We will not push needles into anybody. We will compare this with DNA samples of the victims and this will be done as soon as possible. We will hasten up whatever we have to do because we appreciate the feelings of individuals.

Lagos State Commissioner for Special Duties, Dr Wale Ahmed observed the state has created a Help Desk to provide information to those families that were involved in the crash. The commissioner can be reached through 08022234870 for further information.

Striking LASUTH doctors work on crash victims

Meanwhile, following the crash, members of the Association of Resident Doctors, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LASUTH-ARD has modified its ongoing strike to attend to emergencies. Bodies of victims of the ill-fated aircraft have been evacuated to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, LASUTH.

President, Association of Resident Doctors, LASUTH chapter, Dr Oluwajimi Shodipo who confirmed the situation said the on going strike was not about wasting lives but saving them.

"We have joined the strike but we have modified ours at LASUTH because of the plane crash in order to save lives. "We are attending to emergencies now. Consultants are also working at the various units. The strike is not about wasting lives but about saving lives.

The Associated Airline involved in the crash has stopped scheduled flights operations since last year after the Dana plane crash. The airline has been operating skeletal chartered services.

Friday 4 October 2013

http://allafrica.com/stories/201310040163.html

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Costa Concordia: DNA testing begins following discovery of remains

The Costa Concordia cruise liner was hauled upright last week and the complicated 19-hour salvage operation led to the discovery of at least two bodies.

Divers recovered the bodies of two victims and what they believe to be more human remains from the tragic accident.

Authorities are already awaiting the results of separate tests on other bones found last week.

"Other [remains] have been found and are being analysed," Franco Gabrielli, the head of the search operation, told Ansa news agency.

''We are awaiting the results of scientific analyses. Before to jumping to any conclusions, we have to wait for the results to confirm whether the remains belong to the missing.''

The first group of remains were found near the fourth deck of the liner, which crashed into a reef, took on water and capsized off the Tusan island of Giglio in January 2012, killing 32 people.

The ship was hauled upright last month in a major salvage operation. The Rebello and Trecarichi families hoped works would lead to the discovery of the missing bodies.

The Costa Concordia capsized on January 13, 2012 when it moved too close to land, struck a group of large rocks, and flipped over. 32 people were killed aboard the ship.

Speaking to reporters this week, Franco Gabrielli said it was almost a miracle that they could pull two bodies from behind a 114,500 tonne vessel after 20 months of submersion.

Rebello, a 33-year-old cruise waiter from India, was last seen making his way to a muster station at the restaurant at the back of the ship after he helped numerous passengers to safety.

Trecarichi was on the cruiser to celebrate her 50th birthday with her 17-year-old daughter Stefania. They had boarded different lifeboats because Trecarichi was cold and had gone below deck to fetch a jacket. Stefania survived.

Costa Concordia Captain Francesco Schettino is on trial over the disaster on charges of manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning ship.

Friday 4 October 2013

http://www.inquisitr.com/979383/costa-concordia-shipwreck-dna-testing-begins-following-discovery-of-remains/

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/511118/20131003/costa-concordia-new-remains-found-russel-rebello.htm

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Bodies of all nine victims of boat tragedy found

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams fished out the bodies from the river near Maujampur village, which is about eight kms away from the site of the tragedy, Sub-divisional officer Madhav Kumar Singh said.

The bodies have been identified. While three of them hailed from Sohara village, the rest six were from New Khawaspur village, he said.

Three of the girls were aged between 8 and 14 and five others between 17 and 19. The ninth victim was a 40 year-old woman.

Singh said the bodies were handed over to their families after autopsy and compensation will be given to them as per the law.

Singh said that the name of 13-year-old boy Om Prakash Bind, who rescued five persons onboard the ill-fated boat, will be recommended to the Centre by the district authorities for bravery award.

A boat carrying 26 people had capsized in the Ganga two days ago. While 17 of the passengers swam to safety, nine others had gone missing.

Friday 4 October 2013

http://zeenews.india.com/news/bihar/bodies-of-all-nine-victims-of-boat-tragedy-found_880906.html

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Italy sinking: Search resumes for missing migrants

The rickety fishing boat was the third of the night to head toward the tiny Italian island of Lampedusa, overloaded with African migrants seeking a better life in Europe. Most never reached shore.

After the boat started taking on water, someone on board set a fire to get the attention of passing ships. The flames spread and panicked passengers surged to one side to avoid the fire. The vessel capsized, and hundreds of men, women and children who didn't know how to swim were flung into the Mediterranean Sea.

At least 113 bodies have now been recovered and some 200 of those on board the 20m (66-ft) fishing boat are still unaccounted for.

Dozens of bodies are thought to remain in the sunken vessel, according to rescue officials.

"We need only caskets, certainly not ambulances," said Pietro Bartolo, chief of Lampedusa health services.

It was one of the deadliest accidents in the perilous crossing thousands make each year, seeking a new life in the prosperous European Union. Smugglers charge thousands of dollars a head for the journey aboard overcrowded, barely seaworthy boats that lack life vests.

Lampedusa, 70 miles (113 kilometres) off Tunisia and closer to Africa than the Italian mainland, has been at the centre of wave after wave of illegal immigration.

Between 450 and 500 people were believed to be on board the boat, which set sail from the Libyan capital, Tripoli, and capsized about a half-mile from Lampedusa; health commissioner Antonio Candela said only 159 were rescued.

Bartolo initially put the death toll at 94 but said it would certainly rise as search operations continued.

The deaths of so many people may have come down to the lack of a cellphone.

The 66-foot (20-meter) boat was carrying migrants from Eritrea, Ghana and Somalia, Italian coast guard spokesman Marco Di Milla told The Associated Press.

It nearly reached its destination, getting as far as nearby Conigli island before it began taking on water, Interior Minister Angelino Alfano told reporters.

Usually, smugglers have mobile or satellite phones to call for help when they near shore or run into trouble. Instead, someone on this boat set fire to a piece of material to attract the attention of passing ships, he said.

Only three of the estimated 100 women on board were rescued -- and none of the 10 children were saved, said Simona Moscarelli, of the International Organization for Migration in Rome. Two of the dead women were pregnant.

"Most of them can't swim," she told the AP. "Only the strongest survived."

Italian coast guard ships, fishing boats and helicopters from across the region searched for survivors. Rescue crews hauled body bags by the dozens at Lampedusa port, lining them up under multicolored tarps on the docks.

Coast guard divers found the wreck on the sea floor, some 130 feet below the surface, Cmdr. Floriana Segreto told the AP.

Survivors packed Lampedusa's detention centre for migrants, along with those aboard the two other smugglers' boats, which reached shore safely. More than 1,000 people were squeezed into a space built for 250, Moscarelli said. Medical workers scrambled to treat the injured.

Migrants who arrive in Lampedusa are processed in centres, screened for asylum and often sent back home. Some slip into the general public and make their way to northern Europe, seeking to blend into larger immigrant communities. In Italy, migrants can work legally only if they have a work permit and a contract before they arrive -- a policy pushed through by Italy's anti-immigrant Northern League party.

Thursday's disaster was the second shipwreck this week off Italy. On Monday, 13 men drowned while trying to reach southern Sicily when their ship ran aground just a few yards from shore.

Hundreds of migrants reach Italy's shores every day, particularly during the summer, when seas are usually calmer. According to the U.N. refugee agency, 8,400 migrants landed in Italy and Malta in the first six months of this year, almost double the 4,500 who arrived during the first half of 2012. The numbers have spiked in recent weeks, particularly from Syria.

Still, they are a far cry from the tens of thousands who flooded to Italy -- many through Lampedusa -- during the Arab Spring exodus of 2011.

Before Thursday's tragedy, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees had recorded 40 deaths in the first half of 2013 for migrants arriving in Italy and Malta.

Last year, that route saw 500 deaths.

Read more: http://www.ctvnews.ca/world/migrant-ship-capsizes-off-italian-coast-death-toll-could-surpass-300-1.1481447

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Disused factory building collapses in northern China, burying 16 people sleeping inside

Sixteen people remained missing as of Wednesday morning after a factory building collapsed on Monday in north China's Hebei Province, according to rescue headquarters.

Over 200 rescuers were excavating debris at the accident site near the village of Houshan in Wu'an City, said the rescue headquarters.

The isolated building near the village collapsed early on Monday morning.

The buried, all construction workers for Fengshanbao Iron Mine, were staying in the building for the night.

A Wuan propaganda department official confirmed a state media report that the 16 were construction workers for an iron mine and had been staying in the building near the village of Houshan for the night. The official refused to give his name, as is common with Chinese officials.

The subsidence depth was estimated at about 15 to 20 meters, and the complicated geological conditions and the building's narrow foundation made the rescue work even harder, according to headquarters.

An investigation into the cause of the collapse is under way.

Construction workers are often migrants who have left their homes in search of a better life. They are sometimes forced to use makeshift housing, including tents and abandoned buildings, to be close to their temporary work sites.

Thursday 3 October 2013

http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90882/8415938.html

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Italy migrant boat: '92' bodies recovered after ship sinks off Lampedusa

A pregnant woman and a three-year-old child are believed to be among the 92 bodies recovered after a migrant boat ran aground off the coast of Sicily, the coast guard has reported.

The incident is the second deadly grounding this week, after 13 men drowned on Monday just a few metres away from Southern Sicily's shore.

Pietro Bartolo, the top health official on Lampedusa, told Sky Tg24 that over 200 were still unaccounted for. He expected the toll to rise as search operations continue.

Lampedusa Mayor Giusi Nicolini told Tg24 earlier that 82 bodies had been found and that search and rescue operations were continuing.

Ms Nicolini told reporters that the death toll was rising as bodies were being laid out in the harbour.

"It's horrific, like a cemetery, they are still bringing them out", she said. "It's an immense tragedy."

Ms Nicolini said the ship had caught fire after those on board set off flares so it would be seen by passing ships.

So far 141 people have been rescued, but the boat is believed to have been carrying as many as 500 people, according to reports.

Coast Guard ships and helicopters from across the region, as well as local fishing boats, were on the scene trying to find survivors in the sea, said Coast Guard spokesman Marco Di Milla. The operation was taking place off the Isola dei Conigli, or Rabbit Island.

The migrants aboard the boat were from Eritrea, Ghana and Somalia, he said.

A fishing boat raised the alarm at around 7:20 a.m. (0520 GMT) and began pulling people out of the water before coastguard vessels arrived on the scene.

Lampedusa is closer to Africa than the Italian mainland and is a frequent destination for smugglers' boats.

Thursday 3 October 2013

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/italy-migrant-boat-92-dead-after-ship-sinks-off-lampedusa-8855735.html

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Plane crashes after take-off in Lagos, Nigeria

A plane carrying 27 people has crashed shortly after take-off from Lagos airport in Nigeria, officials say.

A rescue operation is ongoing. At least five bodies have been recovered and one person is being treated for serious injuries.

The Associated Airlines plane was bound for Akure, which lies about 140 miles (225km) north-east of Lagos.

The plane's engine appeared to fail and the aircraft plunged to the ground and burst into flames, officials said.

The charter flight took off at about 09:30 local time (08:30 GMT) from the domestic terminal at Lagos's Murtala Mohammed International Airport.

Officials said the plane crashed on to open land within the airport complex, close to a fuel storage depot.

It is not yet clear whether the fuel caught fire.

Eyewitness Ahmad Safian told the BBC: "I heard a loud bang and then there was lots of black smoke. The security forces rushed straight to the scene. I saw three bodies removed from the wreckage."

Mr Safian said the road to the airport was blocked for a short time but operations were continuing as normal at the airport.

Aviation ministry spokesman Joe Obi said there were seven crew and 20 passengers on board.

Akure is the capital of Ondo state. Local media reported that the plane was carrying the body of the former state governor, Olusegun Agagu, who was to have been buried this weekend.

Although Nigeria's air safety record has improved in recent years, the country has a history of major passenger plane crashes.

In June 2012, more than 150 people were killed after a dual engine failure caused a plane to crash in Lagos.

Lagos airport is a major hub for West Africa and saw 2.3 million passengers pass through it in 2009, according to the most recent statistics provided by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria.

Thursday 3 October 2013

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-24381066

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25 people killed in traffic accident in central Sudan

Twenty-five people were killed AS several others were injured on Wednesday in a traffic accident in Al-Bagair area of Gezira State in central Sudan.

Police said the accident was caused by the wrong overtaking.

Several ambulances and civilian vehicles rushed to the scene and took the bodies of the victims to the hospital, Maj. Gen. Al-Tayeb Babikir Ali, Director of Gezira State Police said.

Traffic accidents are on the rise in Sudan. In July in Iyssa Al-Haj area in Kassala State of eastern Sudan, killing 37 people and injuring 40 others in a road accident.

Thursday 3 October 2013

http://www.africareview.com/News/25-people-killed-in-traffic-accident-in-central-Sudan/-/979180/2015944/-/assov6/-/index.html

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Cambodian flood death toll rises to 39

Floods from Mekong River and heavy rainfall have claimed at least 39 lives and affected 100,334 families in Cambodia in less than three weeks, the National Committee for Disaster Management (NCDM) said Thursday.

About 10,000 families have been forced to flee their houses for higher grounds as some 89,200 houses, 533 schools and 291 Buddhist pagodas have been submerged, a NCDM's report said.

In addition, approximately 100,000 hectares of rice seedlings are also inundated, the report said.

Thirteen out of the kingdom's 24 cities and provinces are being hit by the Mekong River and flash floods, it added.

Disaster control officials could not be reached for comments on Thursday.

Prime Minister Hun Sen ordered the authorities last Friday to closely monitor flood situation and prepare to evacuate affected people to safe grounds.

The country has suffered from the impact of low pressure system and tropical storm Wutip that had caused heavy rainfall in the Mekong River basin and in Cambodia.

"The government would like to advise concerned ministries and authorities to be on high alert and prepare rescue measures to evacuate people to safe grounds so that fatalities and property damage by floods will be reduced," he said in a directive.

Floods usually hit Cambodia between August and October. In 2011, the country was hit the worst from floods, killing up to 250 people, according to the NCDM.

Last year, floods killed only 14 people.

Thursday 3 October 2013

http://www.china.org.cn/environment/2013-10/03/content_30195350.htm

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Deadly hornets kill 42 people in China, injure over 1,500

Swarms of aggressive hornets, in their fall mating season, are inflicting a deadly toll in a central Chinese province.

Hornets have killed 42 people and injured 1,675 people in three cities in Shaanxi province since July, according to the local government. Thirty-seven patients remain in critical or serious condition.

Over the summer and early fall, hornets have invaded schools full of children and descended upon unsuspecting farm workers in China.

One of them is Mu Conghui, a woman who was attacked in Ankang City while looking after her millet crop.

"The hornets were horrifying," she told Xinhua, the Chinese state-run news agency. "They hit right at my head and covered my legs. All of a sudden I was stung and I couldn't move.

"Even now, my legs are covered with sting holes."

Two months, 13 dialysis treatments and 200 stitches later, Mu still remains hospitalized and unable to move her legs.

The influx of venom to the human body can cause allergic reactions and multiple organ failure leading to death. Patients like Mu have been receiving dialysis to remove the toxins from her body. In photos, patients bore deep dark craters scattered across their limbs, the size of bullet wounds.

Government authorities say these attacks are from a particularly venomous species, the world's largest hornet, known as the Asian giant hornet or vespa mandarinia.

The giant hornet extends about 3.5 to 3.9 centimeters in length, roughly the size of a human thumb. It has an orange head with a black tooth used for burrowing, according to an animal database at the University of Michigan.

Dr. Wang Xue, director of the intensive care unit at First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University and an expert of the provincial hornet sting treatment guidance unit, warned in a Shaanxi government release that hornets tend to be aggressive and more active during September and October -- their breeding season. The hornets do not go into hibernation until December, according to local government authorities.

Local authorities have deployed thousands of police officers and locals to destroy the hives. So far, about 710 hives have been removed and at least 7 million yuan (about $1.1 million U.S.) sent to areas affected by hornets, according to a government press release.

The spate of attacks could be caused by the unusually dry weather in the area, authorities say. The arid environment makes it easier for hornets to breed. Urbanization could also be a contributing factor, as humans move into hornets' habitats.

Some experts cited in Xinhua stated additional factors such as increased vegetation and a decrease in the hornets' enemies, such as spiders and birds because of ecological changes.

Humans can inadvertently irritate the hornet hives, as most are tucked away in secluded places, such as tree hollows or even underground.

The provincial government has warned residents to wear long sleeves when outdoors, and not to attempt driving away the swarms or removing their hives.

Vespa mandarinia are known as formidable, carnivorous killers, found in eastern and southeastern Asia, especially in Japan.

About 30 to 50 deaths are reported each year in Japan from such attacks, according to Japanese studies. Most of the deaths are due to allergies to the venom, said Shunichi Makino, director general of the Hokkaido Research Center for Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute.

"It's very difficult to prevent the attacks because hornet nests are usually in hidden sites," he said.

Makino, who specializes in entomology, warned that the sting from an Asian giant hornet was severe compared with those of other insects.

"The venom of an Asian giant hornet is very special compared with other hornets or yellow jackets," he said. "The neurotoxin -- especially to mammals including humans -- it's a special brand of venom."

The giant hornets are also destructive to western honey bees. Research in Japan suggests tens of thousands of honey bee hives are damaged by the giant hornets each year.

The species feed their young with the larvae of other insects and use their mandibles to sever the limbs and heads of their prey. The hornet's venom sting is a neurotoxin so powerful that it dissolves human tissue, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.

The giant hornets are attracted to human sweat, alcohol and sweet flavors and smells. They are especially sensitive to when animals or people run, according to Xinhua.

One victim told local media earlier this month that "the more you run, the more they want to chase you." Some victims described being chased about 200 meters (656 feet) by a swarm.

Every breeding season, the giant hornets produce an average of 10,000 offspring. They feast on other insects such as wasps and bees, launching coordinated attacks on the hives of their prey.

Thursday 3 October 2013

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/10/03/world/asia/hornet-attack-china/

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At least 62 migrants killed as boat sinks near Lampedusa

At least 62 people have died after a boat carrying migrants sank off southern Italy, reports say.

Rescue operations are continuing and officials warn the toll may rise.

Passengers reportedly threw themselves into the sea as the vessel got into trouble and Italian officials were quoted as saying that dozens of people were still in the water.

Earlier this week, 13 migrants drowned while trying to reach the coast of Sicily.

There are reports that a fire broke out on board, before the boat sank. There are believed to have been around 500 people on board.

More than 140 have so far been rescued.

Local media reports say that at least one child and a pregnant woman are among the dead.

Those rescued came from sub-Saharan Africa, the mayor of Lampedusa said.

The boat sank just four days after 13 migrants drowned when their boat foundered off eastern Sicily.

Lampedusa is closer to Africa than the Italian mainland and is the frequent destination for smugglers' boats.

Thursday 3 October 2013

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24380247

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Mexico finds more bodies, raising toll from storms

The Mexican government says searchers have found eight more bodies of victims from twin storms that struck the Pacific and Gulf coasts at the same time last month.

The Interior Department says the death toll now stands at 155.

Statistics of civil protection authorities sent to The Associated Press on Wednesday say that nearly 175,000 homes were affected by floods and landslides, mostly in the southern state of Guerrero.

The biggest known tragedy was a mudslide that swept into a remote mountain village in Guerrero and left dozens missing. Only some of their bodies have been recovered.

President Enrique Pena Nieto has ordered an investigation to find which officials gave permits for building homes in banned areas such as riverbeds, which put residents in danger during the storms.

Thursday 3 October 2013

http://www.wral.com/mexico-finds-more-bodies-raising-toll-from-storms/12952961/

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8 dead in Tennessee church bus crash with tractor-trailer, SUV

A church bus from North Carolina was involved in a fiery crash on I-40 Wednesday afternoon that killed at least eight people and injured 14.

According to a preliminary report from the Tennessee Highway Patrol, six of those killed were passengers on the bus, one was in the tractor trailer, and one in an SUV.

"We hope and pray that there will be no more," said THP Spokesperson Sgt. Bill Miller. He added that the agency's thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families.

UT Medical Center said they have are treating all 14 injured in the crash. As of 6:45 p.m., the hospital reported that eight of them were in critical condition, two were in serious condition, and four were in stable condition. The final two patients arrived by personal vehicle.

THP says a passenger bus was traveling eastbound on I-40 near mile marker 423 when, according to their preliminary investigation, its left front tire blew out. The driver lost control and the bus crossed the median and crashed into a tractor trailer and clipped a Tahoe SUV that was heading westbound. They say the tractor trailer immediately caught fire and the bus overturned. The accident happened around 2 p.m.

Within five minutes, the first emergency crews from Jefferson County arrived, and began helping the victims while sending out the call for more help.

Brad Phillips, EMA director of Jefferson County, said the local rescue squad extricated several passengers from the bus, which was very close to the burning tractor-trailer. He could not say how many people had to be rescued, but said most of them were out within 15 minutes of the squad's arrival. He could not confirm the ages of any of the victims, but said there were no minors involved.

The rescue crews did a "valiant" job, according to Phillips, who asked people to pray for the victims of the crash, their families, and the first responders.

An EMS official told 10News 20 ambulances and five helicopters responded from multiple counties, including Knox, Sevier, Jefferson, Hamblen, and Grainger Counties.

The Tennessee Highway Patrol is the lead investigating agency on the accident. Their Critical Incident Response Teams (CIRT) have special training and equipment to respond to and reconstruct fatal accidents.

"It takes a lot to reconstruct that. Fall Branch has a team, Knoxville has a team and we'll help each other with that. As far as resources, we've sent a lot of our troopers up there to help them, and we'll help each other out," said THP Lt. Don Boshears.

CIRT teams from Knoxville, Nashville, and the Fall Branch Districts were on the scene Wednesday night, according to Sgt. Miller.

No names of the victims have been released, and Sgt. Miller said no family notifications have been made. The fatalities will be taken to the UT forensic center to be identified.

The bus was from Front Street Baptist Church in Statesville, North Carolina. Dionne Stutts from the church confirmed the bus was on its way back from an event called Fall Jubilee in Gatlinburg. She says the group on board is called "The Young at Heart" and they're mostly ages 55 and up. They have several church members on the way to the scene.

The Red Cross is assisting the victims and their families. If you believe you have an immediate family member involved in the crash, you can call the Red Cross at 865-305-5716 for information.

Interstate 40 has been closed since the accident, and likely will be for a while. Drivers heading east will be detoured onto I-81, then to I-26 into North Carolina. Westbound traffic is being stopped at the Newport exit and taken on alternate routes.

Thursday 3 October 2013

http://www.wbir.com/story/news/local/hamblen-jefferson-cocke-greene/2013/10/02/bus-rollover-closes-i-40-in-both-directions-in-jefferson-co/2909779/

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Second find of body remains made at Concordia wreck

More body remains have been found at the Costa Concordia shipwreck after bones were found last Thursday, Civil Protection Chief Franco Gabrielli said on Wednesday.

Gabrielli said the identities of both sets of remains are awaiting the results of DNA examination.

When asked if the first find had been identified, Gabrielli said in the Tuscan coastal town of Massa, where he was attending a Civil Protection event, that: ''We are awaiting the results of scientific analyses. Among other things, other (remains) have been found that are under DNA examination.

Beyond jumping to easy conclusions, we must wait for the results which will or will not give confirmation of the remains of the missing''.

Doubts remained over the weekend about whether bones found at the site of the massive cruise-ship wreck last Thursday were from one of the two bodies still missing after the January 2012 disaster which killed 32, after sources close to the disaster commissioner's office said they were not. ''It is still not possible to say they are of human origin, still less to say they belong to someone in particular,'' the commissioner had said.

The bodies of Italian passenger Maria Grazia Tricarichi and Indian crew member Russel Rebello are still missing. The other 30 corpses were recovered soon after the huge cruiseliner went down after hitting a rock off Tuscany's Giglio Island.

DNA tests are being carried out in a hospital in Grosseto, the largest nearby city.

The lurching, semi-submerged wreck of the Concordia was finally hauled upright upright last month, making the search for the bodies and new inspections possible.

''In the next few days, we will terminate the inspection of the (ship's) bottom and we will begin that of the interiors.

Thursday 3 October 2013

http://www.gazzettadelsud.it/news/english/63810/Second-find-of-body-remains-made-at-Concordia-wreck.html

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Indonesia mission to return bodies, survivors

The Foreign Ministry announced Tuesday that it would be sending a delegation to Indonesia within the next 24 hours to oversee the repatriation of over 40 Lebanese nationals, including the survivors of last week’s boat tragedy.

The delegation, which will be led by the head of the Higher Relief Committee, Ibrahim Bashir, will also include a forensics expert tasked with identifying the remains of dozens of recovered bodies using DNA testing. The delegation will arrange the transfer of any remains back to Lebanon.

Lebanese authorities in northern Lebanon began taking samples Tuesday from relatives of the missing.

Last Friday, a boat carrying some 80 migrants seeking to illegally enter Australia foundered off the coast of Indonesia, killing dozens, with many more still missing. As news broke that many of those on board were Lebanese from impoverished villages in northern Lebanon, public outrage mounted, with the victims’ families blaming the poor living conditions for pushing their loved ones to resort to human traffickers.

While conflicting reports have emerged regarding the number of dead and missing, the Foreign Ministry’s secretary-general, Ambassador Wafiq Ruhaimeh, said that according to survivors, approximately 68 of the 80 people on board were Lebanese. Eighteen survived the sinking, but it is unknown how many of the 36 bodies that have reportedly been recovered are those of Lebanese citizens.

Ruhaimeh said the survivors are currently being put up at a hotel in the city of Sukabumi until their travel papers and return flights to Lebanon can be arranged. He said they would be repatriated “very soon” along with six Lebanese nationals who were being held by Indonesian authorities for overstaying their visas, and at least 18 more citizens who were not on the boat that sank but were preparing to make a similar attempt.

While Ruhaimeh had no additional information on the investigation into the smuggling network behind the doomed voyage, the National News Agency reported Tuesday that four Lebanese nationals, including two from Akkar, had been arrested in connection with the case.

Meanwhile, new details of the vessel’s ordeal were revealed Monday during a news conference in Sydney, where the vice-chief of the Australian Defense Force, Air Marshal Mark Binskin, presented his official report of Australian rescue efforts.

At approximately 7:57 a.m. Friday, he said, Australian police received a phone call claiming that a ship that had left Jakarta four days earlier with 80 people on board was stranded with no food or water and sinking.

The Australians established contact with a passenger on board but were unable to determine the vessel’s exact coordinates, at which point they informed the Indonesian search and rescue agency, suspecting that it lay within Indonesian waters. Despite dispatching two aircraft and diverting four merchant ships, Binskin said, Australian authorities were unable to locate the ship. At approximately 4:40 p.m. they were “made aware of a maritime incident in the vicinity of the reported vessel in distress,” indicating that their Indonesian counterparts had located the boat.

Meanwhile, angry residents in the north of the country briefly blocked several main roads Tuesday, demanding that Lebanese authorities do more to discover the fate of the Lebanese on board the vessel.“All we hear is conflicting information and words of condolence,” said Khodr Harraz, one the boat victims’ relatives who joined the protest at Abu Ali roundabout. “We want action by authorities.”

The families called off their protest and opened the roads after receiving personal assurances from caretaker Interior Minister Marwan Charbel that the Lebanese state was serious about returning the survivors and the bodies of the victims to Lebanon.

Wednesday 2 October 2013

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Lebanon-News/2013/Oct-02/233264-indonesia-mission-to-return-bodies-survivors.ashx

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23 killed in Thailand's floods as more storms loom

Thai authorities say floods have killed more than 20 people and affected areas across the country in the past two weeks, while concern is growing there could be a repeat of the devastating floods in 2011.

The Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department says 32 out of 77 provinces have seen flooding since mid-September and 23 people have been killed.

Deputy Prime Minister Plodprasop Suraswadi says Thailand is not at risk from the remnants of Typhoon Wutip, which reached the northeast Tuesday. However, he says the country should be ready for other storms.

In 2011, Thailand saw its worst flooding in half a century. More than 800 people were killed and agricultural, industrial and residential lands were devastated over a wide swathe of the country.

Tuesday 1 October 2013

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11133104

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DNA test required to identify capsized boat victims

DNA tests were required to identify the bodies retrieved after a vessel carrying Lebanese and other migrants to Australia sank off the coast of Indonesia last week, a Lebanese envoy to Jakarta told The Daily Star Monday.

“I examined 33 bodies today in the public hospital of Jakarta and I couldn’t identify any. It is as if they were struck by an atomic bomb,” said Toufic Hamzeh, who was dispatched to Indonesia by former Prime Minister Saad Hariri and caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati to follow up on the issue.

“Relatives of the travelers should send DNA samples to the Lebanese Embassy here [Indonesia] so that DNA tests can be conducted to identify the bodies,” Hamzeh added.

Hamzeh said that he was informed by the Indonesian police that a remaining 25 bodies would be brought to the hospital Tuesday.

At least 26 Lebanese asylum-seekers drowned in the boat accident on Friday. They were attempting to illegally migrate to Australia. Indonesian police said there were 80 people aboard the boat that was headed for Australia’s Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean. The Lebanese victims are mainly from Akkar and the northern city of Tripoli.

Hamzeh said that 18 Lebanese survived the accident. “I visited some of them who were put in a hotel by Indonesian authorities, far from Jakarta, at least six to seven hours by car,” he said. “We provided them with clothes and mobiles ... they cannot leave the hotel.”

“I heard about three Lebanese women who survived and are in hospital,” Hamzeh said, adding he was on his way to see them.

Hamzeh said that the process of bringing the Lebanese survivors back home would take from 10 to 15 days since they lacked legal documents.

He explained that there were some Lebanese who couldn’t make the trip and were arrested by Indonesian authorities for lacking documentation. “I will try to solve their problem to bring them back home,” Hamzeh said.

Survivors of the accident told journalists that they sent their GPS coordinates to Australian rescuers for assistance, but no one came to their aid.

Hundreds have died in fatal sinkings in recent years, as large numbers continue to board rickety, wooden boats in Indonesia to try and make the treacherous sea crossing to Australia.

Residents of Akkar blocked main roads Monday demanding that the fate of their relatives be uncovered.

Tuesday 1 October 2013

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Lebanon-News/2013/Oct-01/233128-dna-test-required-to-identify-capsized-boat-victims.ashx

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Investigator makes appeal over cases of Columba McVeigh, Robert Nairac, Joe Lynskey and four other IRA victims

Time marches on but there are still people alive who must have knowledge about the seven disappeared whose bodies remain missing, says Geoff Knupfer, the English forensic scientist and chief investigator of the North-South Independent Commission for the Location of Victims’ Remains.

He wishes they would come forward.

Mr Knupfer, who was involved in the 1980s in the searches for the victims of the Moors murderers, says at least six and up to 12 people would have participated in each abduction, killing and secret burial of the disappeared. “Just to think about,” he says. “There must have been between a dozen and half-a-dozen people involved. There would be a driver, guards, people who dug the graves, often there would be pilot [scout] cars as well . . . ”

How could there not be people out there who could end the torment of the families of the victims, he wonders. Ten bodies have been recovered but seven remain missing. Of the seven, the commission has no leads on Joe Lynskey, a man in his 40s who disappeared from west Belfast in 1972, nor on Capt Robert Nairac, shot dead just south of the Border in 1977. Both were killed by the IRA.

Former monk

Mr Lynskey was one of the first of the people know as the Disappeared to be killed but was one of the last to be known about. It was only three years ago that the IRA admitted he was one of these victims.

A former Cistercian monk, he was killed because, the IRA decided, he was seriously compromised due to an alleged relationship with the wife of an IRA prisoner. While the IRA admitted the killing in 2010, the commission still has not been able to persuade former members to provide details of where he is buried. Mr Knupfer was emphatic that the body of Capt Nairac – who was killed by the IRA in Ravensdale, Co Louth – was not destroyed, as has been reported and rumoured.

“We are absolutely confident that this story of his remains being put through a meat processing factory are just pure myth. We are happy that wasn’t the case,” he says. “We are confident he is buried south of the Border and that his remains are recoverable.”

South Armagh IRA members are notorious for their reluctance to yield up their secrets. Nonetheless, Mr Knupfer appealed to their humanity: “This is not about Robert Nairac, soldier, it is too late to help him; it is about his family who are grieving just like any other family would do.”

Information had been received on Seamus Ruddy, who was killed by the Irish National Liberation Army in Paris in 1985 due to an internal feud, but it appeared to be incorrect.

“A location was pointed out to us. We searched it and not only were we able to say Seamus Ruddy wasn’t there but that the ground had never been disturbed. The assumption we draw from that is it was the wrong place,” says Mr Knupfer.

‘First-hand knowledge’

The commission is convinced that Columba McVeigh, who went missing in 1975, is buried in Bragan bog in Co Monaghan, but despite several digs since 1999 his body has not been found. Mr Knupfer wants more specific information. “We believe there are other people out there who have first-hand knowledge, and we appeal for them to come forward,” he says.

The commission also believes Kevin McKee and Seamus Wright, who went missing from west Belfast in 1972, are buried in the bog at Coghalstown in Co Meath. But, again, finding more specific information is the problem. It has “high-grade information” that Brendan Megraw, who disappeared from Twinbrook in west Belfast in 1978, was buried in Oristown, Co Meath. There is a concern, however, that due to previous bulldozing his secret grave could have been destroyed, according to Mr Knupfer.

“We know in some cases there are people alive who we have not managed to speak to us yet; for whatever reason they won’t engage with the commission. It would be helpful to speak to people with primary knowledge,” he adds. Anyone with any information is guaranteed absolute immunity and anonymity, Mr Knupfer stresses.

Tuesday 1 October 2013

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/investigator-makes-appeal-over-cases-of-columba-mcveigh-robert-nairac-joe-lynskey-and-four-other-ira-victims-1.1545312

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