Tag: accident

Two dead, three missing after cargo ship hits bridge in China

  BEIJING, Feb 22, 2024 (AFP) – Two people were killed and three others remained missing after an empty cargo ship struck a bridge in southern China on Thursday, causing part of it to collapse, authorities and state media reported. The Guangzhou maritime affairs bureau said the collision sent five vehicles, including a motorbike, tumbling off the bridge and either into the water or onto the ship below. The container vessel was travelling between the […]

Venezuela gold mine collapse kills at least 16, traps dozens more

LA PARAGUA, Venezuela, Feb 22, 2024 (AFP) – At least 16 people died when an illegal gold mine collapsed in the jungles of southern Venezuela, officials said Wednesday revising down an earlier figure. The incident happened Tuesday at the “Bulla loca” mine in the state of Bolivar, a seven-hour boat ride from the nearest town, La Paragua, where family members waited anxiously for news. Officials gave conflicting accounts of the number of dead. The Bolivar […]

Philippines to file charges against sunken oil tanker owners

MANILA, Feb 14, 2024 (AFP) – The Philippine government said Wednesday it will file criminal charges against the owners of an oil tanker that sank off a central island nearly a year ago, causing severe marine pollution. More than half of the vessel’s 800,000-litre (211,000-gallon) oil cargo spilled into the sea over hundreds of kilometres off Mindoro island, famed for having some of the world’s most diverse marine life. A justice department statement said it […]

Hong Kong airport ground worker killed by plane in freak accident

HONG KONG, Feb 6, 2024 (AFP) – A Hong Kong airport ground worker was killed when he was hit by a towed aircraft on Tuesday, authorities said, a rare incident that prompted an arrest for dangerous driving. The unnamed victim, a 34-year-old Jordanian national working in Hong Kong, is believed to have been riding in the passenger seat of a tow truck when he fell out of the vehicle and hit by the plane being […]

Japanese airliners ‘clip wings’, no injuries

TOKYO, Feb 1, 2024 (AFP) – The wing tips of two passenger jets “scratched” each other at a Japanese airport Thursday, an airport operator said, the latest in a string of aviation mishaps in the country. Reports said no one was injured in the incident involving the two All Nippon Airways aircraft at Osaka’s Itami airport for domestic flights. “We’ve been told wing tips of two ANA planes scratched each other” shortly after 10:00 am […]

US approves inspection program to return Boeing 737 MAX to service

By John BIERS NEW YORK, Jan 25, 2024 (AFP) – US regulators approved a detailed inspection framework that would allow the return to service of Boeing 737 MAX planes grounded after an emergency landing earlier this month, officials said Wednesday. Shortly after the Federal Aviation Administration announced inspection protocols on the Boeing 737 MAX 9, United Airlines said it expects grounded aircraft to return to service starting Sunday. “We will only return each MAX 9 […]

Mali gold mine collapse kills more than 70

BAMAKO, Jan 24, 2024 (AFP) – More than 70 people have been killed after a tunnel collapsed at a Malian gold mining site last week, local sources told AFP Wednesday, the latest disaster in a region prone to mining accidents. Mali, which is among the world’s poorest countries, is one of Africa’s leading gold producers. Gold mining sites are regularly the scene of deadly landslides and authorities struggle to control artisanal mining of the precious […]

Six dead in commuter plane crash in Canada’s far north

OTTAWA, Jan 24, 2024 (AFP) – Six people died when a small commuter plane carrying workers to a mine in Canada’s far north crashed Tuesday shortly after taking off, a source said. One person survived, according to this aviation source with knowledge of the crash probe, who asked not to be named as they were not authorized to speak to the media. The survivor’s condition was not released. The military and federal police responded to […]

Dozens buried, eight killed in southwest China landslide

By Matthew WALSH BEIJING, Jan 22, 2024 (AFP) – Dozens of people were buried and eight confirmed killed when a landslide struck a remote and mountainous part of southwestern China on Monday. The pre-dawn landslide buried 18 homes and sparked the evacuation of more than 200 people when it struck in Zhenxiong County, Yunnan province, state media said. Eight people are confirmed dead and rescuers have extracted four, according to a report by state broadcaster […]

23 dead in Thai fireworks factory explosion

BANGKOK, Jan 17, 2024 (AFP) – Twenty-three people have died after an explosion at a fireworks factory in central Thailand on Wednesday, the provincial governor said. Images shared by the local rescue service showed metal debris littered on the ground, and a huge plume of black smoke. The blast occurred at around 3:00 pm (0800 GMT) near Sala Khao township, in central Suphan Buri province. “We received reports from EOD team that there were 23 […]

4 dead, 22 injured in Indonesia train collision

BANDUNG, Indonesia, Jan 5, 2024 (AFP) – Four people were killed and at least 22 injured when two trains carrying hundreds of passengers collided in Indonesia on Friday, officials said. The front carriages of both trains were a mangled wreck while others further back had derailed and overturned on a stretch of tracks cutting through rice fields in West Java province. No fatalities have been reported among the nearly 500 passengers on board, with all […]

Japan Airlines pilots had no ‘visual contact’ before collision

By Hiroshi HIYAMA TOKYO, Jan 4, 2024 (AFP) – Pilots on a Japan Airlines plane that burst into flames just after all 379 passengers and crew escaped had no “visual contact” with the other aircraft in the collision, the airline said Thursday. The three pilots were also unable to see the fire from the cockpit when it first broke out and were informed of it by cabin crew, a JAL spokesman told AFP. The airliner […]