Monday, May 24, 2010
(News) "Black boxes" pulled from Air India plane wreckage
The black boxes from an Air India flight that crashed into a valley of near the southern Indian city of MangaloreSaturday, killing 158 of the 166 onboard, have been found by investigators. The flight data recorder was recovered late yesterday and the cockpit voice recorder was located today.
According to reports, the plane touched down at Mangalore's Bajpe airport, overshooting the touchdown point by several thousand feet; one tire did not hit the runway at all. Sudden braking occured, the airliner's wings hit a neighboring cliff, and the plane careened into a heavily forested ravine where it burst into flames. "The plane veered off toward some trees on the side and then the cabin filled with smoke," said survivor Umer Farooq, "I got caught in some cables but managed to scramble out." "I didn't think of anything at the time. All I knew was that I had to get out and get far away from the plane. The fire was spreading fast. Behind me I could feel other people jumping out but I didn't turn back to look," said survivor Koolikkunnu Krishnan.At the end of Sunday, 146 of the 158 bodies have been identified, and all have been recovered.
The black boxes record communication data, technical information such as speed, altitude, etc., as well as conversation in the airplane cockpit, which could help investigators determine why the jet crashed. "The black box has been recovered from the crash site. It is vital in finding information about key details like the last moments of the flight and whether there was any error from the pilot's side. The box will be brought to the accident lab of the Director General of Civil Aviation in the national capital where it will be opened and to find out what exactly went wrong," reported investigators. They did not clarify which box they were refering to, but both have been recovered.
The Air India Express Boeing 737-800, which had departed from Dubai of the United Arab Emirates, was bound for Mangalore in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. The Bajpe airport has a "tabletop" runway which means it is set atop a hill surrounded by a deep gorge. The airport, which was constructed in 2006, has seen over 32,000 successful landings since opening. After visiting the eight survivors, Arvind Jadhav, chairman of Air India said, "My heart goes out to those who died and who lost friends and relatives."
Source: WIKINEWS
Sunday, May 23, 2010
(News) Nicolaus Copernicus buried again
Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus was buried for the second time yesterday, in the Catholic church of Frombork, Poland. Copernicus is considered the founder of modern astronomy, and known for declaring that the Earth rotated around the Sun, contrary to popular belief at the time.
His body was discovered and exhumed in 2005 by Polish archaeologists in a nameless tomb in the same church. After the extraction, the body was sent for DNA testing, which confirmed it was Copernicus, who died in 1543.
His funeral was presided over by Archbishop Józef Kowalczyk. In his time, Copernicus was considered a heretic due to his theory, which was published shortly before his death.
He studied in the Kraków University and in the Bologne University. In his work De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium he demonstrated, through mathematical and astronomical calculations, that the planets –including Earth– rotated around the Sun.
Source: WIKINEWS
(News) Oil from Gulf spill reaches major current
US scientists say that oil from the spill in the Gulf of Mexico has reached the Loop Current, which could propel the oil towards the coast of Florida.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), limited amounts of oil have entered the current, and could reach Florida's coast in as few as six days, although it would be highly diluted by the time it did so. Other estimates place the time before oil reaches Florida as closer to ten days.
Satellite images show oil moving south from the main slick into the current, which is a rapidly-moving body of water that flows from the Caribbean Sea towards the Atlantic Ocean. The speed of the current is predicted to disperse the oil that is picked up, which would lead to difficulties in tracking it.
NOAA qualified their warning by saying that the amount of oil in question is a small percentage of the total spilled, most of which is to the north of the current. The agency's Scientific Support Coordinator, Charlie Henry, said that "[t]here is some light oil filling the loop current," though he said the agency "expect[s] it to degrade before it comes close to threatening South Florida."
Source: WIKINEWS
(News) Train derails in China; nearly 20 reported dead
A train in China has derailed after hitting damaged tracks as it traveled between Shanghai and Guilin, a tourist destination in southeast China.
According to the Chinese Ministry of Railways, the accident occurred at around 0210 local time (1810 UTC) when the train hit a section of track that had been damaged by a mudslide. The derailment killed at least nineteen, and an additional 71 people were injured. Eleven of the injured have been seriously wounded.
The rescue operation cleared the tracks of both the derailed train and around 8,000 cubic meters of debris from the mudslide. An estimated 2,000 people took part in the rescue effort.
The accident has closed the line on which it occurred between Shanghai and the city of Kunming. Limited southbound traffic is expected to resume at around 2000 local time (1200 UTC), with full operation possibly restored by midnight (1600 UTC).
Source: WIKINEWS
(News) Car bomb in Iraq leaves at least 30 dead
The death toll resulting from a car bomb attack in northern Iraq yesterday has reached 30. The bomb exploded in the town of Al Khalis, approximately 50 miles north of the country's capital, Baghdad. The attack comes eleven days after a series of attacks killed over one hundred people in one day. The country is currently experiencing instability as a result of an inconclusive election result in march, which left no power bloc with an overall majority with which to govern.
The blast happened outside a busy coffee shop in the early evening, killing 23 and wounding a further 53 immediately, though death toll rose on Friday and currently stands at at least 30. Many buildings suffered severe damage in the attack—a local police lieutenant told Reuters: "The roof of the coffee shop which was full of people also collapsed. We believe there are still people under the debris".
Iraqi police have launched an investigation into the attack and into how the car managed to get through a security checkpoint. The deputy governor of Diyala Province called for the sacking of police chiefs after the attack, the second in the town in as many months, and referring to the town as a "disaster zone".
The attacks were apparently aimed at Shia Muslims in the hope of provoking further sectarian violence and a reaction against Sunni Muslims. While violence in Iraq has drastically reduced since its height after to 2003 invasion, there are fears that the recent attacks are a sign that militants are regrouping in the light of the political power vacuum. There is speculation that Al Qaeda in Iraq, believed to be responsible for the most recent violence, have begun targeting more vulnerable towns and cities, away from Baghdad, where security is tighter.
Source: WIKINEWS
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