International
Tragedy in India: More Than 280 Dead, Hundreds Injured In a Triple Train Accident
A disaster has occurred in India where at least 288 people were killed and hundreds more injured in a three-train collision, officials said Saturday, the country’s deadliest rail accident in more than 20 years.
Wreckage debris was piled high at the crash site near Balasore, in the eastern state of Odisha, where some carriages had been tossed far from the tracks and others flipped over entirely.
Smashed train compartments were torn open in the impact late on Friday, leaving blood-stained holes in their sides.
Rescue workers search for survivors amid damaged carriages at the accident site of a three-train collision near Balasore, about 200 km (125 miles) from the state capital Bhubaneswar in the eastern state of Odisha, on June 3, 2023. (Photo by DIBYANGSHU SARKAR / AFP)
Survivor Arjun Das told a Bengali television channel he heard a thundering sound, then saw people falling from upper berths.
He jumped out of the train. “People were screaming, shouting for help,” he said.
“There were injured lying everywhere inside coaches and along the tracks. I want to forget the scenes.”
Rescue workers and military personnel gather around damaged carriages at the accident site of a three-train collision near Balasore, about 200 km (125 miles) from the state capital Bhubaneswar in the eastern state of Odisha, on June 3, 2023. (Photo by DIBYANGSHU SARKAR / AFP)
The disaster began when an express train running north from India’s tech hub Bengaluru to Kolkata derailed, falling onto the adjacent southbound track.
Minutes later, the Coromandal Express heading from Kolkata to Chennai smashed into the wreckage, some of its coaches also colliding with a goods train parked nearby.
Researcher Anubhav Das was in the last carriage of the second train when he heard “screeching, horrifying sounds coming from a distance”.
An army personnel searches for survivors at the accident site of a three-train collision near Balasore, about 200 km (125 miles) from the state capital Bhubaneswar in the eastern state of Odisha, on June 3, 2023. (Photo by DIBYANGSHU SARKAR / AFP)
International
FG hails Elias’ election to UN International Law Commission
Elias emerged successful in a competitive election conducted to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Kenya’s representative, Professor Phoebe Okowa. Candidates from Ghana and Botswana also contested the seat.
The Federal Government has hailed the election of Nigerian international legal expert, Taoheed Elias, into the United Nations International Law Commission during the commission’s 77th session held in Geneva.
Elias emerged successful in a competitive election conducted to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Kenya’s representative, Professor Phoebe Okowa. Candidates from Ghana and Botswana also contested the seat.
In a statement issued on Thursday by the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, the government described the election as a recognition of Nigeria’s contributions to the development of international law and multilateral diplomacy.
The government said Elias brings decades of experience in international legal affairs to the commission, having previously served as Registrar of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals with the rank of United Nations Assistant Secretary-General.
CNN’s founder Ted Turner / AFP
Ted Turner, the flamboyant US entrepreneur who transformed television news with the creation of CNN in 1980, has died at the age of 87, the network said Wednesday.
The mustached southerner, yachting enthusiast and philanthropist, whose empire also included sports clubs, had been suffering from the degenerative disease Lewy Body Dementia.
Cable News Network upended established broadcasting with its dedication to around-the-clock breaking news and shot to global recognition with its coverage of the Gulf War in 1990-91.
The 24-hour network was the first in the United States to run non-stop news and quickly built a worldwide footprint.
Correspondents brought live coverage from major events ranging from the collapse of the Soviet Union to the Chinese crackdown on the Tiananmen Square protests.
CNN’s decision to keep reporters in Baghdad amid US bombing on the Iraqi capital cemented the network’s reputation as an indispensable source of breaking news.
International
Explosion at China fireworks factory kills 21 people
Authorities deployed nearly 500 personnel to conduct search and rescue operations and treat the injured, while robots were used to help find those trapped within the building.
A blast at a fireworks factory in China’s Hunan province has killed 21 people and left 61 wounded, according to state media.
The explosion at the Huasheng Fireworks plant happened at around 16:40 local time (08:40 GMT) on Monday, in the city of Liuyang, leading rescuers to evacuate everyone within a 3km (1.9mi) radius of the plant.
Authorities deployed nearly 500 personnel to conduct search and rescue operations and treat the injured, while robots were used to help find those trapped within the building.
Police, who are investigating the cause of the blast, have taken “control measures” against the person in charge of the fireworks company, Chinese state media reported.
Authorities said that two gunpowder warehouses within the factory area posed a high risk amid rescue efforts, state media reported.
Rescue teams had to evacuate everyone within a 3km (1.9mi) radius of the fireworks plant.
They also implemented measures like humidifying the area to “prevent secondary accidents during the rescue”.
FC Barcelona to establish football academy in Bayelsa
The companies making billions from the Iran war – BBC
Instagram drops end-to-end encryption for private messages
Tech Expert, Zuckerberg trains with UFC champions, Adesanya, Alexander
Organ Trafficking: Ekweremadu bags 10 years in UK prison
SAINT OBI: Between his marriage and his death
-
News2 days agoBenue Assembly Suspends Auditor General over ₦4.6BN Fraud Allegation
-
Business2 days agoDangote unveils ambitious plan for 20,000MW power project
-
News2 days agoKogi Commissioner confirms release of remaining abducted orphanage victims
-
News2 days agoJUST IN: Former Power Minister Mamman Convicted of N33.8bn Fraud
-
Politics2 days ago2027: Youths earnestly asking Jonathan to contest for president
-
Business2 days agoEnugu govt to build 660MW coal-fired power plant
-
News2 days agoBREAKING: IED Explosion Kills Six, Injures Six Others in Zamfara State
-
Business2 days agoNBS rates Lagos most indebted Nigerian state with N1.22trn domestic debt