Tag: accident

Workers remove first chunk of destroyed Baltimore bridge

BALTIMORE, March 31, 2024 (AFP) – Workers have lifted out the first, 200-ton chunk of Baltimore’s collapsed bridge, officials said Sunday, as efforts get underway to clear the harbor of the steel structure destroyed by an out-of-control ship. Demolition crews using blow torches sliced through the upper part of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which crumbled when the Dali cargo vessel lost power and struck it on Tuesday, killing six people. Authorities hope that removing […]

Baltimore bridge being cut up after ship collision

The crumpled Baltimore bridge was being cut up in preparation for its removal, Maryland’s governor said Sunday, promising “progress” was being made after it was destroyed by an out-of-control ship. Demolition crews using blow torches sliced through the top part of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which collapsed when the Dali cargo vessel lost power and struck it on Tuesday, killing six people. “Progress is beginning to happen despite the fact that it’s an incredibly […]

S.African president sends condolences after bus crash kills 45 Easter pilgrims

JOHANNESBURG, March 29, 2024 (AFP) – South African President Cyril Ramaphosa expressed his condolences on Friday over an Easter bus crash that only an eight-year-old girl survived out of 46 people on board. She had been admitted to hospital after Thursday’s crash but did not suffer serious injury. Police have said they are investigating a case of culpable homicide, with the driver among the dead after allegedly losing control. The accident occurred when the bus […]

Impact of Baltimore port closure on global supply chains

By Marie-Morgane LE MOEL PARIS, March 29, 2024 (AFP) – The bridge collapse that closed the Port of Baltimore has raised concerns about the disaster’s potential impact on the global supply chain. Authorities have warned that extensive work is needed before the major port can reopen following Tuesday’s catastrophic cargo ship collision, which has blocked the harbour’s entrance. Here is a look at what it could mean for global trade: – A major car terminal […]

Cleanup begins in ‘very long road’ to recovery for Baltimore bridge, port

By Amel SEMMACHE BALTIMORE, March 29, 2024 (AFP) – Cranes began arriving Thursday at the scene of the catastrophic bridge collapse over Baltimore harbor, as authorities shifted to a clean-up phase of the recovery and warned of extensive work before the major US port can reopen. The machinery will be deployed in a tricky operation to clear the twisted steel remnants of the Francis Scott Key Bridge from where it fell into the Patapsco River […]

What is the economic impact of the Baltimore bridge collapse?

By Beiyi SEOW with Elodie MAZEIN in New York WASHINGTON, March 27, 2024 (AFP) – Diverted cargo and supply chain disruptions have left businesses rushing to avoid an economic hit following the collapse of a major bridge in Baltimore after it was hit by a cargo ship. With vessel traffic at the Port of Baltimore suspended until further notice since Tuesday’s accident, experts warn of knock-on effects but say these should be manageable in the […]

Port blocked by Baltimore bridge collapse is key hub for US shipping

BALTIMORE, March 26, 2024 (AFP) – Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, named after the poet who penned the lyrics to the US national anthem, used to carry an average of around 31,000 passengers a day across one of the busiest harbors in the United States. Its nighttime collapse, within seconds of being struck by a container ship, is likely to cause substantial economic damage for as long as it continues to force the closure of […]

13 hospitalised after ‘technical event’ on Auckland-bound flight

WELLINGTON, March 11, 2024 (AFP) – Thirteen passengers have been hospitalised after a LATAM flight from Sydney to Auckland experienced a “technical event” that caused serious turbulence Monday, the airline and first responders told AFP. Chile-based LATAM Airlines said flight LA800 “had a technical event during the flight which caused a strong movement. The plane landed at Auckland Airport as scheduled”. Gerard Campbell of St John Ambulance New Zealand said medics were alerted to an […]

Planes collide mid-air killing two in Kenya

NAIROBI, March 5, 2024 (AFP) – A student pilot and instructor died on Tuesday when their aircraft collided with a passenger plane over the Kenyan capital Nairobi, police said. The mid-air incident between local carrier Safarilink and the 99 Flying training school occurred Tuesday morning, Kenyan authorities said. Nairobi police Adamson Bungei confirmed the deaths to AFP via text message without providing further details. An earlier police report seen by AFP said the passenger plane […]

Four rescued after Malaysian coast guard helicopter crashes

KUALA LUMPUR, March 5, 2024 (AFP) – Four people were rescued after a Malaysian coast guard helicopter crashed in the Strait of Malacca on Tuesday, the aviation regulator said. The helicopter was on a training flight when it plunged into water near Angsa island, the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia said without giving a cause. “A total of four persons including pilots were onboard and there were no fatalities reported. All survivors were rescued by […]

Upscale Dhaka restaurant fire kills at least 44, scores injured

DHAKA, Feb 29, 2024 (AFP) – At least 44 people were killed and dozens injured after a fire blazed through a seven-storey building in an upscale neighbourhood in the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka late Thursday, authorities said. “So far 43 people have died from the fire,” Bangladesh’s health minister Samanta Lal Sen told AFP after visiting the Dhaka Medical College Hospital and an adjoining burn hospital. Police inspector Bacchu Mia said one more person died […]

Traffic accident in Mexico claims 10 lives

MEXICO CITY, Feb 24, 2024 (AFP) – At least 10 people died Saturday when a van and truck collided in Mexico’s north-central state of San Luis Potosi, local authorities said. The early-morning accident in the town of Rioverde claimed the lives of five women, four minors and a man, the local prosecutor’s office said in a statement, adding that an unspecified number of people were injured. The cause of the accident is being investigated, the […]