Author: web dessk

Work crews trying to find 47 people missing after a collapse at an open-pit mine in northern China have had to change their excavation methods to avoid causing more landslides, state media reported Friday.

 

Six people have been confirmed dead and six injured people have been rescued at the mine in Inner Mongolia’s Alxa League as of Thursday night, broadcaster CCTV said.

 

With a large collapsed area at the mine, the digging done by backhoes and bulldozers can risk more collapses. The crews are excavating by layers and making trapezoid-shaped descents to carry on their search from both sides of the mountain in an adjustment of their rescue plans, the report said.

 

On Friday, heavy machines were seen working on the top level of the collapsed site, searching for trapped vehicles and missing persons.

 

“It is very challenging to conduct rescue work,” Li Zhongzeng, head of Alxa League in Inner Mongolia, told CCTV. “Rescue workers from everywhere, including those in neighboring regions, are rushing to the site.”

 

The initial cave-in of one of the pit’s walls occurred at about 1 p.m. Wednesday, burying people and mining trucks below in tons of rocks and sand. A brief video of the collapse posted on the website of the Beijing Times showed a massive wall of reddish dirt or sand rushing down a slope onto mining vehicles moving below.

 

A subsequent landslide about five hours later halted rescue efforts before they resumed Thursday.

 

CCTV said 1,160 rescuers were currently at the scene. They were seen using heavy machines, shovels and rescue dogs in their search for miners.

 

Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for an “all-out” search-and-rescue effort.

 

Wang Xiangxi, minister of emergency management, said authorities should investigate the disaster and hold accountable anyone who was responsible for it.

 

Authorities in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region also issued an urgent notice asking all districts to perform safety checks and eliminate any hidden risks, according to a local state newspaper. It said every level of the government must learn lessons from the collapse and start planning inspections on open-pit mines in the region immediately. Those who do not comply with the request and cause accidents will be held accountable, it added.

 

Source: Somali National News Agency

The number of people killed by the earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria earlier this month has now passed 50,000, according to the latest figures from both countries.

 

Nearly 240,000 rescuers continue to work in quake-hit provinces in Turkey, though no survivors have been found recently.

 

In Turkey alone, 44,218 people died as a result of the earthquakes, the country’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said on Friday, while the latest announced death toll in Syria was 5,914.

 

The first earthquake on February 6 that hit southeastern Turkey and northern Syria measured a magnitude of 7.7 and a second, a little later, measured 7.6. The region has been rocked by more than 9,000 aftershocks since, according to the AFAD.

 

Nearly 240,000 rescue workers, including volunteers, continue to work in the 11 quake-hit provinces in Turkey. Some of the areas affected by the quakes were initially difficult to access but recovery efforts continue, and casualty numbers are rising as they progress.

 

There have been no reports of survivors being rescued in recent days.

 

Nearly 530,000 people have been evacuated from the disaster area in Turkey alone and the Turkish government has said that 173,000 buildings have so far been recorded as collapsed or severely damaged, with more than 1.9 million people taking refuge in temporary shelters or hotels and public facilities.

 

Some 20 million people in Turkey have been affected by the quake, while the United Nations estimates 8.8 million people have been affected in Syria. Less information has come from Syria where many people were already living in precarious conditions after years of civil war.

 

Many survivors have left the parts of southern Turkey hit by the quake or have been settled in tents, container homes and other government-sponsored accommodation.

 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has pledged to rebuild homes within a year, although experts have said the authorities should put safety before speed.

 

Some buildings that were meant to withstand tremors crumbled in the latest earthquakes.

 

Source: Somali National News Agency

The Secretary General of the Federal Parliament of Somalia, Mr. Abdirahman Mohamed Abdulle (Jabiri), who was elected to the Executive Committee of the Union of Secretaries of the Arab Member States, attended the 42nd Meeting of the Council of The Secretary General of the Arab Parliaments in the capital of Iraq, Baghdad.

 

In a meeting that paralleled the 34th session of the Arab Parliament, which will take place from February 25-26, the Secretaries elected three members of the executive committee, including Somalia, Al-Jeeriya and Iraq.

 

Source: Somali National News Agency

At least five workers were injured when shuttering of an under-construction Bhara Kahu bypass flyover collapsed early Saturday morning, causing panic among passers-by of the locality, ARY News reported.

 

Rescue teams rushed to the incident site and pulled three workers out of rubble while efforts to save the remaining two is underway.

 

The injured persons were taken to a nearby hospital after the incident.

 

According to rescue officials, heavy construction material was being pitched on it when the portion caved in.

 

The 5.6 km-long Bhara Kahu bypass (including a 1km flyover) starts from Murree Road at Malpur and culminates on Murree Road near the Jugi bus stop from where the flyover begins till the end of the local bazaar towards Murree.

 

Source: Somali National News Agency

RAHIM YAR KHAN: At least 13 people were killed on Friday night in a road accident when a passenger coach and a van collided in Rahim Yar Khan district of Punjab, ARY News reported.

 

The incident took place on the M-5 motorway in Rahimyar Khan, when a passenger van overturned after its tyre burst and the occupants were trying to pull the injured out of the vehicle.

 

Meanwhile, a speeding passenger coach rammed into a passenger van from behind, killing 13 people on the spot and injuring several others.

 

Upon receiving the information, rescue teams and police reached the spot and shifted the injured people to nearby hospital for medical treatment. Rescue officials claimed that the dead and injured passengers belong to Faisalabad.

 

Earlier in February, at least 25 people were killed and several others sustained injuries when a passenger bus collided head-on with a car on Karakoram highway near Kohistan Shatial Chowki in Gilgit-Baltistan’s Chilas city.

 

The passenger bus – carrying 45 passengers – and the car fell into a ravine after colliding near on Karakoram highway near Kohistan Shatial Chowki. The collision resulted in the death of at least 25 passengers.

 

Upon receiving the information, rescue teams and police reached the spot and shifted the injured and the bodies to a nearby hospital. Sources told ARY News that the rescue teams were facing difficulties in rescue operations due to darkness.

 

Source: Somali National News Agency

Brig. William Kamoiro has officially taken over from Brig. Jattani Gula as the commander of the Kenya Defence Forces contingent serving with the African Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS).

 

The command handover ceremony took place on Friday at the ATMIS Sector II Headquarters in Dhobley, which is manned by Kenyan Defence Forces (KDF).

 

Brig. Gula supervised the eleventh ATMIS KDF contingent during his one-year tour of duty in Somalia, while Brig. Kamoiro will command the twelfth ATMIS KDF contingent.

 

The Outgoing commander commended his officers for their cooperation and commitment which enabled the contingent to carry out joint operations consistently and successfully with the Somali National Army (SNA) against Al-Shabaab militants.

 

“Throughout our stay in Somalia, we have implemented the ATMIS mandate by protecting the civilian population in major areas like Dhobley, mentoring Somali security forces and working with Somali security forces to conduct targeted operations to degrade the Al-Shabaab.” said Brig. Gula.

 

He noted that under his command, the Kenya ATMIS contingent had initiated several Civil-Military Cooperation (CIMIC) projects to support several communities.

 

“We have done our best to win the hearts and minds of the population by providing medical assistance and supporting education. The Bilis Qoqani Primary School was a beneficiary,” added Brig. Gula.

 

The incoming contingent commander, Brig. Kamoiro said he will prioritise the capacity building of the Somali security forces, the phased handover of security responsibilities to Somali security forces and support peace and reconciliation efforts in accordance with ATMIS mandate.

 

“As a commander, my tasks include degrading Al-Shabaab through targeted operations across the sector by coordinating with Somali security forces,” said Brig. Kamoiro. He added that “I will support the Somali security forces to secure main supply routes and areas, and mentor the Somali National Army to be able to carry out security tasks”.

 

Source: Somali National News Agency