MASS DISASTER

Volcano theory on plane crash

Did clouds of hot gas or ash cause the plane crash last weekend off the coast of Sicily where 13 were killed and 23 rescued.

A pilot flying in the same area at the time of the crash, identified only as BR, told the newspaper that planes had warned of the risk of volcanic clouds between 2100m and 3900m. A plane flying through a volcanic cloud would lose power in both its engines simultaneously, he said. Otherwise, there was more chance of being hit by lightning than to lose both engines.

The pilot said shortly before the plane went down he heard the Tunisian captain tell air traffic control: "I lost both engines."

... via The Australian.

Fourteen feared dead in Baltic Sea helicopter crash

No word yet on what might have caused the crash. An eyewitness reported hearing two loud explosions prior to the helicopter hitting the water.

Rescue helicopters, boats and divers from Estonia and Finland found debris from the helicopter but efforts to recover those on board -- six Finnish passengers, two Finnish crew, four Estonians and two Americans -- were postponed until Thursday because of strong winds and waves several meters high.

Estonian officials said the helicopter had sunk, with the 14 still inside, in water about 60 meters (200 feet) deep.

... via Reuters.

Russia Investigates Mini-Sub Incident

Will a closed door investigation really work towards averting another sub disaster?

Leading independent military analyst Pavel Felgenhauer tells VOA that, unlike in the Kursk tragedy, Russian officials this time called for outside help in time. But still, he says the main lesson of the Kursk has yet to be learned, and that, he says, is that Russia must have an adequate search and rescue service of its own.

... via Voice of America.

BRAZIL: 17 drown in bus accident

A small bus filled with people on their way back from a trip to recieve medical attention went off the road and into a river...

One passenger on the bus survived after being pulled from the river by truck drivers and firefighters who mounted a massive rescue effort, reports said. Four small children were among the dead.

... via news24.com.

NAMIBIA: 27 dead in truck/minibus collision

A large truck hauling copper has crashed into a minibus ripping it open and ejecting the passengers. All 25 were killed in the accident.

The Police reported that the bus was sliced open from front to back as it was dragged along by the truck after the vehicles collided head on.

The bus was reduced to a complete wreck of horribly twisted metal.

Most of its left side was totally destroyed - wrenched open, to reveal an interior that must once have been a friendly, welcoming sight with its brightly-coloured seat coverings.

... via allafrica.com.

PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Rafting accident

A group of rafters filming their adventures for a National Geographic documentary lost three after their rafts capsized deep in the jungles of Papua New Guinea.

The newspaper said one of the rafters trekked through several kilometres of rugged jungle to a village where he used a satellite phone to contact Israel and the Israeli embassy in Australia.

PNG authorities were alerted but they could not get rescuers to the scene of the accident until Friday due to poor weather and non-availability of helicopters, it said.

... via ABC News Online.

BANGLADESH: Prince of Patuakhali

Some more details emerging about the Bangladeshi ferry(Prince of Patuakhali) capsizing . Interesting as well are some statistics concerning ferry accidents...

Ferry accidents are common in Bangladesh, often caused by a combination of rough weather and overcrowding by ferry owners eager to boost revenues.

At least 3,000 people have died in more than 260 ferry accidents in Bangladesh since 1977. In February, 150 people were killed when a ferry capsized in a cyclone near the capital Dhaka.

... via the Gulf Times.

BANGLADESH: 100 feared drowned in ferry accident

Bad weather and overloaded boats don't mix! How many times in your life have you heard of a tragic ferry accident? They seem to happen with a regularity that screams "these are avoidable". This one capsized on the Char Kazal river.

The ferry, carrying villagers to a local weekly market, had a capacity of 80 but is likely to have had at least double that number on board.

Uddin said divers had arrived at the scene, which is close to the mouth of the Bay of Bengal, late yesterday and that a salvage vessel was due to reach the area around by midmorning today

... via Forbes.com.

USA: Plane crash kills 4 near Ouray

Avalanche threat keeps rescue workers from recovering the bodies of crash victims near Whitehouse Mountain, Colorado.

"(Robert) was an excellent pilot. He had every instrument in the world on that plane," LaCuran said Saturday. "That plane had just been inspected. It was in perfect condition. There was no pilot error."

... via the Denver Post.