Passenger Plane Crashes on Busy Vancouver Street

Daily Mail: A small aeroplane crashed on a busy Canadian city street injuring all nine aboard - but miraculously no one was killed. The plane broke in half and burst into flames as it hit the ground near Vancouver International Airport yesterday afternoon.

Three people, two of them believed to be crew members, are critically ill. A person on the ground was also injured in the crash and taken to hospital.

The Beech King Air 100 caught fire after it came to rest on a street just 900 metres from the airport. Witness Steven Baran told CBC News that the aircraft slammed onto the road and slid into a car before stopping. Baran, who works for the post office at the airport, said no-one in the car appeared to be hurt and his first instinct was to help the plane passengers.

He said he and other witnesses 'made a beeline for the plane'.

He said: 'The rear door was ajar and one of the fellows pulled it down. One after another, we just pulled passengers out real quick.'

Alyssa Polinsky, spokesman for Vancouver Coastal Health, said three people were taken to Vancouver General Hospital in critical condition, while three more were stable. Another three people were taken to the nearby Richmond General Hospital with injuries considered to be non-life threatening.

A pedestrian was also sent to hospital after being struck by a flying object. The person's condition was unknown. Two people in a car were also reported to have suffered minor injuries.

'We have everything from burns to fractures and back injuries,' Miss Polinsky said in an interview, adding she had no information on any identities.

The plane can carry up to nine passengers.

'The plane's basically broken in half, as far as I can see,' said Graeme Wallace, who works at a nearby pilot supply store. He said about half of the plane was burning, but emergency crews put out the fire.

The plane, operated by British Columbia-based Northern Thunderbird Air, was bound for Kelowna.

Bill Yearwood, from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, said the flight took off at 3.40pm but turned around when the crew got the 'indication of a problem' about 15 minutes after take-off. The aircraft did not make it back to the airport, crashing on Russ Baker Way in Richmond, about 900 metres short of the runway.

In an audio recording, obtained by CBC News, the pilot can be heard telling air traffic control that he is declaring an emergency and turning back to Vancouver, but is confident he can reach the airfield. The air traffic controller asks the pilot to confirm whether he 'doesn't need equipment or help' on the runway.

The pilot calmly responds: 'Negative, everything's good here at the moment'.

Visibility was good with clear skies at the time of the crash, CBC meteorologist Claire Martin said. An airport statement said the Vancouver Airport Authority went into emergency mode at 4.12pm local time.

A database run by the Flight Safety Foundation shows Northern Thunderbird Air had two deadly small-plane crashes in 1975 and 1977.

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Sleepwalking Tourist Dies After Fall From Balcony

C&N Hotel

Sydney Morning Herald: Thai police investigating the death of a Victorian man who is believed to have plunged off a balcony while sleepwalking say balcony railings at the hotel where the tragedy occurred were "too short", it has been reported.

Dean McKeon, from Drumcondra in Geelong, was visiting the popular Thailand holiday island of Phuket with five friends when he fell from his fourth floor room early on Saturday morning. A security guard found the 33-year-old's body in a carpark outside the C&N Hotel in Patong at 6.40am on Saturday.

Lieutenant Jakapong Lurn-on told Phuket Wan, a tourist news website, that the balcony railings at the hotel were extremely short.

"It's tall enough to stop a child from falling but too short for adults, especially Westerners," he said.

Mr McKeon, who worked at Etihad Stadium in Docklands, had been in Thailand with a group of friends celebrating one of their birthdays. Police who attended the accident scene told the man’s friends, who were not aware of what had happened until they received a knock on their door.

There are suggestions Mr McKeon had been sleepwalking at the time of his fall and that his body may have been at the carpark for up to two hours before it was discovered. Ian Collins, CEO and managing director of Etihad Stadium, said Mr McKeon had been a valued member of staff for the past five years and would be sorely missed.

"He was a member of our facilities team that maintained our stadium," Mr Collins said. "We are a pretty small staff of about 85. He was very well liked by everybody and he was a good hard worker and he will be sorely missed. We were shocked when we found out that he had had the accident, and had been killed as a result. It just seems such a sad thing for such a young guy. He was an obliging, resourceful individual.

"It’s a sad way to end a lovely boy’s life."

Phuket Wan said Mr McKeon was barefoot and wearing only a pair of shorts, with a mobile telephone in one pocket when he was found. The C & N Hotel, a popular haunt for Australian tourists, is 200 metres from Patong Beach.

Mr McKeon's body is in Patong Hospital, but is expected to be taken to Songkhla for an autopsy. His family hopes to bring him home as soon as possible.

The Geelong man was a live music fan and supported local bands in his home town. His death is the latest in a string of deaths following falls from balconies in tourist destinations in Thailand.

"Resorts on Phuket, Pattaya and Samui sometimes have narrow stair steps and low head clearances because they are designed for Asians, not for larger Western tourists," Phuket Wan said.

Birthday Celebration Turns to Tragedy

NY Daily News: Just before the doomed chopper crashed into the East River Tuesday, the pilot issued a dire warning to his passengers: "We're going down."

Seconds later, the helicopter fell upside down into the water, sparking a desperate rescue operation by city cops and firefighter that saved four people from the treacherous water - but which came too late to save a British woman who was in the city celebrating her 40th birthday.

Federal investigators are now probing the deadly crash that claimed the life of Sonia Marra Nicholson and left her parents - and partner Helen Tamaki - in critical condition.

Pauld Dudley, a veteran pilot, survived unharmed.

"He's very distraught," a source said. "He says he just lost control and it crashed in the water."

A source close to the investigation gave a harrowing account of what happened moments after the Bell 206 Jet Ranger crashed and the chilly water began pouring inside the cabin.

Nicholson's stepdad, 71-year-old Paul Nicholson, was sitting beside Dudley, the source said. Her mother, Harriet, and Tamaki, were sitting with her in the back.

"When it hit the water he unbuckled and tried to get to his wife in the back," the source said of Paul Nicholson. "He was pulled out of the water as he was trying to grab his wife."

Paul Nicholson was rescued by NYPD anti-terror and Emergency Service Unit cops who had been in the area. They immediately shed their gear and leaped into the water.

ESU Det. Keith Connelly said that when he reached the helicopter, he beheld a surreal sight: two men clinging to the chopper and two unconscious women "just bobbing in the water."

"The pilot was by the helicopter, screaming for help," ESU Connelly said. "He was yelling, 'Someone is in the helicopter!'"

Seconds later, the helicopter went under - taking the birthday girl with it.

In the chaos the followed, Dudley somehow drifted away from the officers and was suddenly caught by a swift current about 30 yards from the pier.

That's when Firefighter Robert Lopez of Ladder Company 7 came to his resue.

"He was in shock," said Lopez, 39. "He was saying there was someone in the helicopter still."

"Go get them!" Dudley screamed, according to Lopez.

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Flight Attendants Injured After First Officer's Mistake

Terminal U: Two flight attendants suffered minor injuries when an All Nippon Airways (ANA) plane entered a violent roll en route to Tokyo, the Japan Transport Safety Board said on Wednesday.

117 passengers and crew were on board the 737-700 jet from Okinana Prefecture to Tokyo Haneda when the plane rolled suddenly, descending 6,000ft (1,900 metres) in 30 seconds after the first officer mistook the rudder trim switch for the cockpit door switch, Japan’s Kyodo News reports.

The incident happened off Shizuoka Prefecture on September 6.

The safety board’s head Norihiro Goto, told a news conference that the plane continued to roll until it reached 131.7 degrees to the left, leaving it almost belly up.

When the co-pilot stabilised the aircraft, it was close to heading in the opposite direction, according to the safety board.

ANA Senior Executive Vice President Shin Nagase bowed in apology during a press conference at the transport ministry in Tokyo, adding: “We deeply apologise for causing tremendous trouble and anxiety to our passengers.”

The transport safety board is continuing its investigation.

Hawaii Zip Line Deaths Raise Questions

USA Today: One worker died and another was critically injured when a zip line tower on a new course collapsed on the Big Island of Hawaii Wednesday, and the tragedy is focusing new attention on a wildly popular but largely self-regulated industry.

According to John White, whose Maui-based company Experiential Resources Inc. built the course for Lava Hotline, the course opened to the public last week. As a response to customer feedback, workers were brought in to make one of the lines faster.

Police say the man doing the test run — a 36-year-old from Maui — was halfway across the 2,300-foot span when the tower collapsed Wednesday. He fell about 200 feet and died at the scene. The other man — a 35-year-old from Ohio — was standing on the tower and fell about 30 feet.

As I noted in a 2008 story, the sport of strapping into a harness, clipping to a cable, and zipping across a canyon, down a mountain or through a canopy of trees — hence the terms ziplining and canopy tours — was popularized in Costa Rica more than a decade ago. The elevated excursions are cropping up across the USA, with estimates of between 150 and 350 commercial outfits, most of whom charge $75-$100 per person for a three-hour adventure.

In the USA, where shorter zip lines have been used as part of educational and team-building "challenge courses" since the 1960s, some newer operations are considered amusement rides and regulated by state agencies.

But according to Steve Gustafson of Experience Based Learning, a Rockford, Ill., company that designs commercial canopy tours, only four states - Florida, West Virginia, Massachusetts, and Missouri - inspect zip line operations.

There are least 15 commercial zip lines in Hawaii, and "it's not regulated as an amusement ride because it doesn't have anything mechanical or electrical," Hawaii Department of Labor and Industrial Relations' Audrey Hidano told KITV.com.

Two U.S. trade groups, the Association for Challenge Course Technology and the Professional Ropes Course Association, are working to update operational and safety standards specific to the zipline/canopy tour industry. But less than 10% of U.S. operators are members, officials estimate.

While serious zip line injuries and deaths are rare, "there are a lot of people with broken fingers or ankles from coming into a platform too fast," says Gustafson.

Among safeguards customers should expect:

-- Most zipline operations allow participants between about 70 and 270 pounds and require sturdy, closed-toe shoes. Hair and clothing should be kept secured and away from the pulleys attaching harnesses to cables.

--Expect a thorough briefing/orientation with details on staff training, company liability insurance and equipment inspections.

-- Operations vary widely, with some requiring customers to do their own hand braking and some using two steel cables instead of one. All should highlight such measures as safety lines that keep participants attached to a cable or platform.

Second Air Show Crash in 24 Hours

The pilot of a post-World War II plane was killed Saturday after crashing into a runway in West Virginia. It was the second air show crash in 24 hours. Nine people were killed in an air show crash on Friday in Reno, Nevada.

In West Virginia, the pilot was killed after the plane crashed and burst into flames. Officials declined to identify the pilot, saying next-of-kin were being notified. According to a Federal Aviation Administration registry, the T-28 plane was co-owned by two pilots - Jack Mangan and Pierre Boursse. Mangan was a member of an aerial stunt team called the Trojan Horseman, and he performed at air shows around the country. Mangan graduated from the Air Force Academy and spent 13 years as an active duty fighter pilot, logging thousands of hours flying the F-15. He was awarded several service medals and was once named instructor of the year.

Witnesses said Saturday's crash happened during a stunt in which two T-28 planes were flying belly-to-belly.

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Darien Lake Accident Report Released

Democrat and Chronicle: Before Sgt. James Hackemer died in a fall off a ride at Darien Lake Theme Park, he inquired about boarding procedures for disabled riders, according to a state accident report obtained by WGRZ-TV.

Hackemer went to guest services about an hour and a half before he died. The report states that procedures were explained to Hackemer and that he was also given a brochure titled "A Guide to Fun at the Park for Guests with Disabilities." The report states that Hackemer refused the brochure, stating that he already had a copy.

The report also states that during the investigation, the New York State Department of Labor requested copies of the novelty souvenir photos taken during the Ride of Steel roller coaster ride during which Hackemer died but it's unclear whether Hackemer was seen in those photos.

Hackemer, a double amputee injured in Iraq, was thrown from the ride July 8 and killed instantly. He was laid to rest on Monday in Arlington National Cemetery.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office recently confirmed that the Department of Labor is in the final stages of creating an online database that will allow New Yorkers to search inspection violations for amusement rides.

After Hackemer's death, WGRZ sent a Freedom of Information Law request to New York state requesting copies of the state's inspection reports for the ride.

The state responded Tuesday and forwarded inspection records for the past three years as well as the accident report.

Stage Collapse Kills 4 in Indiana

Indy Star: The Indiana State Fair has been canceled today following a stage collapse that killed at least four people at a Sugarland concert.  It was not immediately known whether a day of the fair has ever been canceled.

The fair was expected to resume Monday with a public prayer service, said Indiana State Police Sgt. Dave Bursten in a press conference at 1:45 a.m.

Today would have been the 10th day of the 17-day fair. A special parade was scheduled to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the fair's Pioneer Village, and contemporary Christian music concerts were set at the Energy Armor Free Stage. Livestock shows featuring dairy cattle, dairy goats, pygmy goats and horses also were scheduled today.

Bursten said people with animals at the fair will be allowed to tend to them, and a skeleton work crew would be on hand on Sunday.

The outdoor stage rigging collapsed Saturday night during a gust of wind of at least 60 mph just minutes before Sugarland was set to go on stage. The rigging at the Hoosier Lottery Grandstand collapsed onto a portion of the crowd on the track in front of the stage. People were warned just a moment earlier of the coming storm, but told the show would begin shortly.

Sugarland was scheduled to perform tonight at the Iowa State Fair.

Another Tour Bus Crash in New York State

WBNG: A bus filled with tourists crashes on Interstate 81 South, sending many passengers to the hospital. We do not yet know the identity of the driver. Crews are working to determine a cause to the crash.

A trip from Niagara Falls to Newark, New Jersey ended for 28 Polish tourists in a gully alongside Interstate 81 near the Whitney Point exit. Their tour bus crashed, landing on its roof. A driver and tour guide were also on board.

"At the time of the accident, there was a heavy downpour right here which contributed to it," said Sergeant Todd Burdick, New York State Police Troop C.

Many of the passengers freed themselves from the wreckage. One woman was pinned under the vehicle. "They had to actually dig the dirt underneath the bus to free the lady," Sergeant Burdick said.

"It was a combination of efforts from the four fire departments they did an excellent job," said Brett Chellis, Broome County Director of Emergency Management.

Responders transported nineteen passengers to the hospital. Others were sheltered at the Castle Creek Fire Station. The crash did not take any lives -- something perhaps difficult to fathom when you look at what's left of the bus. Some credit goes to fast response.

"We have centralized 911 in Broome County, the call goes out to state police, we got law enforcement, fire and EMS all responding at once, and they mobilized quickly," Chellis said. "That's what we do."

Interstate 81 South had been closed for hours. The road reopened around 11:15 p.m. Wednesday. An accident reconstruction team was expected to work through the night.

The identity of the bus driver has not yet been released. State Police say the bus was licensed to Princeton Holdings of Morrisville, Pennsylvania.

No Fatalities as Caribbean Airlines Jet Crashes on Landing

A Caribbean Airlines jet crashed on landing in Guyana before dawn Saturday, but the 163 people on board escaped serious injury. Officials say the jet skidded past the end of the runway in the rain at Georgetown's Cheddi Jagan International Airport. The Boeing 737 aircraft broke in two came to rest in a field.

Investigators from the United States and Guyana will retrieve the flight data and voice recorders for analysis in determining what caused the crash. Flight 523 had left from New York and arrived in Guyana's capital after a brief stop in Trinidad.

Guyanese President Bharrat Jagdeo came to the airport and said he was very, very thankful and grateful that there were no deaths. Officials say rescue efforts were hampered by rain and darkness. Some passengers were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment, but the most serious injury appears to have been a broken leg.

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Feds Charge Wild West Re-enactor

Rapid City Journal: The Summerset man who fired four live rounds into a crowd of tourists last month in Hill City while performing with a re-enactors group turned himself in Wednesday to answer a federal weapons charge, though he will not face local charges in the incident.

Paul Doering, 49, made an initial appearance in Fargo, N.D., on charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm, a felony. He was released after the court appearance, according to assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Salter.

Doering will not, however, face local charges for the Hill City incident, according to Lara Roetzel, the chief deputy state’s attorney for Pennington County. Roetzel said the most the state’s attorney’s office could have charged Doering with was a misdemeanor.

Live rounds that injured three people watching a benefit re-enactment by the Wild Bunch Reinactors group were traced back to a .45 caliber handgun Doering used during the performance. The performance took place June 17 in downtown Hill City. The Wild Bunch has not performed since the incident.

Jose Pruneda, 52, of Alliance, Neb., Carrol Knutson, 65, of Birchwood, Minn., and John Ellis, 48, of South Connellsville, Pa., were wounded by the live rounds. Doering is charged with one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. His arraignment is set for 11:30 a.m. on Aug. 11 in Rapid City when he is required to enter a plea.

If convicted, Doering faces a potential sentence of up to 10 years in prison. There is a possibility that the penalty could be enhanced, which would elevate the sentence range from 15 years to life in prison, Salter said.

Doering has a criminal history dating back to the early 1980s.

According to Minnesota court records, Doering served time in prison for two aggravated burglary convictions in the early 1980s and second-degree burglary in 1990. He was also charged with escape.

Doering was back in custody in 2000 and 2001 after he was convicted of fleeing from law enforcement.

Hunting Rifle Discharges at Airport Ticket Counter

WDSU: One person was hurt on Monday in what investigators called an accidental shooting at Armstrong International Airport.

Jefferson Parish deputies said they responded to the call about 10:30 a.m.

Investigators said the shooting happened in the ticket counter area. A passenger was checking a hunting rifle at the United Airlines desk when the weapon discharged.

The bullet struck a counter and fragmented, sending a piece of the projectile into the leg of an airline employee. He was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The passenger, 65-year-old Edward Deubler, was issued a misdemeanor summons for negligent injury.

"Checking a hunting rifle? Boy, I thought they were strict on toothbrushes," airline passenger Ged Smyth said.

Other passengers said Deubler should have used more caution when bringing the gun to the airport.

"I would hope whoever is doing that is responsible to not have one in the chamber whenever they're locking it up," said Randy Layman.

Under FAA regulations, it is legal to travel with a gun but it has to be declared, checked and unloaded. Fellow hunters said this accidental shooting is an embarrassment to the rest of their community.

In June, Kenner Police arrested three teens following a car chase that ended in a shooting outside the airport.

Those suspects now face a slew of charges including possible attempted murder, because the car police said they stole was being used as a dangerous weapon.

32 Killed in Chinese Bullet Train Accident

NewYork Post: China’s state media is reporting that at least 32 people were killed when a Chinese high-speed bullet train lost power after being struck by lightning and was hit from behind by another train.

The official Xinhua News Agency said two of the bullet train’s cars were knocked off a bridge in the collision that occurred Saturday night in Wenzhou city.

Before raising the death toll, Chinese state media had reported that 89 people were injured in the collision. No new figure for the number of injured was available.

The Xinhua News Agency says four cars on the second train also derailed, but it did not say how serious that was.

The news agency says one carriage from the first train fell about 65 to 100 feet (20 to 30 meters). Pictures on the Internet show one badly damaged car lying on its side by the bridge and the second car leaning against the bridge after landing on its end.

Another Tour Bus Crash in New York State

New York Post: A tractor-trailer crashed into a tour bus carrying about 50 people across central New York early Friday, killing the truck driver and sending at least 20 people to the hospital, state police said.

State Police Sgt. Thomas Burroughs said getting an exact count of the injured in the fiery wreck was difficult because some were taken by helicopter to hospitals in the Rochester area while others went by ambulance and some by private vehicle. There was no immediate word on their condition.

State police say the driver of the truck was killed.

The crash happened about 1:30 a.m. in the eastbound lanes of Interstate 90, at the northern edge of the Finger Lakes region. Both vehicles caught fire after the crash.

WSYR-TV reports that state police say a U.S. soldier from New York’s Fort Drum who came upon the scene pulled some people from the burning bus.

Waterloo is midway between Syracuse and Rochester.

The crash follows one on Sunday that killed 2 people and injured 35 others about 45 miles west of Friday’s crash scene. In that tour bus accident, police said it appears a tire blowout caused the bus to veer off the road and flip over. On Tuesday, a car sideswiped a van full of Amish farmers only about 30 miles away, pushing the van under a tractor and killing five of the farmers.

So far this year, 32 people have been killed and 323 injured in 17 tour bus accidents, according to Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety. That’s more than in all of 2010, when there 30 killed and 272 injured in 28 crashes.

Tour bus industry safety has drawn heightened attention since the March 12 crash of a bus returning to New York City’s Chinatown after an overnight excursion to a Connecticut casino. Fifteen people were killed when the bus flipped onto its side and struck a pole, peeling off its roof.

A passenger has said the driver fell asleep; the driver has said he was alert and well-rested. That crash is being investigated by state police and the National Transportation Safety Board.

State Transportation Commissioner Joan McDonald said there have been about 3,000 surprise bus inspections throughout the state since the March crash. During that period, 304 drivers and 238 buses have been taken off the road. The state does 160,000 bus inspections every year.

In January 2005, a bus chartered by a Canadian women’s youth hockey team rammed a parked tractor-trailer along I-390 near Geneseo, about 30 miles north of Sunday’s crash, killing four people. Investigators determined the driver’s lack of sleep and inexperience led to the crash.

Three Hikers Feared Dead at Yosemite

Rescuers will continue today to look for three hikers believed to have been swept into the thundering Vernal waterfalls in Yosemite National Park. Several witnesses called for help on Tuesday after spotting a man and woman climbing over a waterfall safety rail. The couple appeared to be encouraging their children to follow them, but before the youngsters did the man and woman began slipping into the water. Another hiker climbed over the railing to help them, and all three reportedly vanished.

Rangers immediately closed the Mist Trail that leads to the popular water spot. Record snowfalls this year have made Yosemite waterfalls particularly spellbinding  and treacherous. Hikers underestimate the power of the falls, and the mist makes trails extremely slippery. At least eight people have died in the park this year due to falls or drowning.

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Sheriff Says Theme Park Violated Coaster Policy

AP: A double-amputee Iraq War veteran who was hurled off a towering roller coaster to his death never should have been allowed on the ride, but park operators will face no criminal charges despite violating park policy, authorities said Wednesday.

Signs at the Ride of Steel roller coaster at Darien Lake Theme Park & Resort clearly state riders "must have two legs," Genesee County Sheriff Gary Maha said.

Sgt. James Hackemer died Friday when he was thrown from the last and second-highest of three hills on the coaster. He fell about 150 feet and landed on a grassy area at the park, which is between Rochester and Buffalo.

"He didn't have the physical attributes to hold him in," Maha said.

Investigators found no criminal activity, including intent. Yet the ride operators, who were not identified, "clearly knew" Hackemer shouldn't have been riding but offered no explanation for why they let him on.

"Darien Lake violated their own policies and procedures by letting him get on the ride," Maha said.

A promotional photograph taken automatically shows Hackemer's college-age nephew, Ashton Luffred, looking straight ahead in the moments after the accident, his face without expression and his hands on the safety bar in front of him. Authorities aren't releasing the photo.

Maha said Luffred was in a state of shock after the accident but told police Hackemer didn't say anything to indicate he was worried about falling off the ride. Maha said park operators clearly violated policy by letting Hackemer on the ride but won't face criminal charges.

Civil liability could be determined later if a lawsuit is filed, he said. Hackemer's relatives have said they do not hold the theme park responsible. Maha said the state labor department is still investigating the mechanics and safety of the ride but have indicated to him that the coaster was operating correctly.

Hackemer was missing all of his left leg and most of his right leg and was not wearing prosthetic limbs when he was thrown from the ride. The 29-year-old father of two had lost both his legs to a roadside bomb in Iraq in 2008 and was on a family outing when the accident happened.

A funeral service for Hackemer is planned for Thursday in his hometown of Gowanda. He will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

The car pulled into the loading station with the lap bar and seatbelt still in place, Maha said.

The ride is still closed pending the state labor department probe.

Over 100 Fatalities in Volga River Accident

The Telegraph: Up to fifty young children are feared to be among the more than one hundred passengers who lost their lives in a tragic river boat accident on Russia’s River Volga on Sunday.

Fifteen minutes before the ageing Soviet-era vessel ‘Bulgaria’ capsized two miles from the nearest river bank, up to fifty children were shepherded into a room on the double-decker pleasure craft for a children’s party. Few of them, if any, are thought to have made it out alive, and one of the adult entertainers reportedly told them to stay where they were until the situation became clearer.

“About fifty people were trapped in the ship’s music room and most of them were children,” one of the rescuers told online news portal lifenews.ru.”Many of the ship’s doors also turned out to be locked blocking people’s escape, and one distraught woman told state TV that she lost her grip on her daughter as they tried to flee the sinking boat.

“Practically no children made it out,” the woman sobbed. “There were very many children on the boat, very many.” Relatives of the passengers gathered close to where the rescue operation was being coordinated to seek information about their missing loved ones on Sunday night. One man who said his wife and daughters were on board the doomed vessel implored rescuers to let him look at the few dead bodies recovered by divers so far. “Please let me look. Maybe my daughter is among the bodies,” he pleaded.

The ramshackle Soviet-era pleasure craft was on its way back to the city of Kazan some 500 miles east of Moscow with almost 200 people on board on Sunday afternoon as its two-day river trip drew to an end. But the trip had been marred by constant rain and strong winds and one of the vessel’s two engines had broken down, while eye witnesses said it had left port on Saturday listing heavily to the right.

The ship’s radio operator told the ITAR-Tass news agency that passengers and crew had begged the captain to halt the cruise due to the ship’s parlous state but that he had refused. “Somebody gave him the order to press on,” said the radio operator. “The captain did not come out and talk to people but decided to set off once again despite everything.”

The ship, built in 1955 in then Czechoslovakia, was also dangerously overloaded. Its maximum capacity was 120 people but it was said to be carrying closer to 200 people, some of whom did not even have tickets. As weather conditions worsened, survivors said they felt increasingly vulnerable. “He (the captain) should not have left port,” a survivor called Anna told the lifenews.ru online portal. “The weather was bad. It was stormy weather. What kind of cruise could there be for God’s sake!”

As the water got choppier and choppier and the wind rose, survivors said the boat got into trouble, that a giant wave swept dozens of people off the deck, and that it tried to perform a sharp maneuver against the river’s strong current. With one of its engines out, it did not have enough power however and flipped over sinking within a matter of minutes.

“It sank in two or three minutes,” said Liliya Khaziyeva, a spokeswoman for the Rescue Service. “We found dead people wearing safety jackets, people who were simply unable to leave the ship.” Some survivors said they had managed to clamber aboard a couple of life rafts, while a few others managed to swim to the bank. Wrapped in blankets to ward off the cold, some of the survivors said other boats had passed the drowning people but had not stopped to help.

“Two boats went by without stopping, even though we waved and waved,” Nikolai Chernov, a survivor, told state TV. Another woman claimed that tourists aboard one of the craft had filmed survivors in the water on their mobile phones as they sped past. Luckily another ship, the ‘Arabella,’ did eventually stop and plucked around eighty survivors out of the water.

Other reports said that the stricken ship had only two instead of the four lifeboats it was supposed to carry, and that a recent facelift had failed to address serious safety issues. Investigators said they had opened a criminal investigation into the tragedy that would look carefully at whether the ship’s captain and owners were guilty of criminal negligence and incompetence.

As divers laboured to bring up the dozens of dead bodies trapped in the submerged ship on Monday placing the fully clothed lifeless corpses on the deck of a nearby boat, a spokeswoman for the Emergency Situations Ministry said hopes of finding any more survivors was dwindling by the hour.

“According to the divers, the chances of finding anyone alive are minimal,” she said.

Texas W Hotel Reopens Following Glass Replacement

The W Hotel in Austin, TX, reopened Saturday after a two week closure because of falling glass. Several panes of glass fell from the building in late June onto downtown streets and sidewalks injuring at least four people. The hotel restaurant and bar opened first around noon for lunch followed by the hotel guest rooms.
 

Crews removed every glass panel from the 37 story building and replaced them with temporary pieces of wood. The city of Austin inspected the temporary replacements and gave the W Austin Hotel a green light to reopen. A third party engineering firm also inspected the site for safety.

"We express our sincere gratitude to the community for your patience and understanding over the last week," said Drew McQuade, General Manager of the W Austin Hotel. “We also thank our local hotel partners for graciously accepting our guests; and our residents, neighbors and the City of Austin for their cooperation during this difficult time”

The hotel faces at least one injury lawsuit involving one of the reported incidents. The cause of the glass breakage is still under investigation.

Quake Trapped Couple Shaken by Hotel Bill

Earthquake Damaged Hotel Grand Chancellor

New Zealand Herald: Two guests trapped on the 22nd floor of Christchurch's Hotel Grand Chancellor and who had to smash down doors and brave collapsed staircases to escape following the February 22 earthquake, were later billed $300 for their stay. The bill for two nights included an $18 parking fee for a car that took two months to recover.

The charge was later waived but the New Zealand man, who did not want to be named, told The Press he was still upset with the hotel.  “It was a pretty traumatic experience for us," the man said.

The couple have been unable to get an insurance payment for the $15,000 worth of luggage stuck in the hotel because their insurer says the belongings could still be recovered.

When the February 22 quake struck, the couple were watching a movie for which they were billed $15.20, in their 25th-floor room in the 26-storey hotel - the biggest building in Christchurch, which now has to be demolished. They made it to the lobby of the 22nd floor with about a dozen other guests, where the stairs had collapsed.

After a large aftershock, one of the group pried open doors on the floor below to allow the remaining guests and staff to inch down the stairs one by one. At the 14th floor they smashed a window and jumped on to an adjacent roof, where they were eventually rescued by a crane.

Grand Chancellor Australia and New Zealand group manager Frank Delli Cicchi said the bill was an oversight and the man - and any other guests trapped on February 22 - would not be expected to pay for their stay.

"The accountant wouldn't have realised that these people were stuck in the building," he said.

Mr Delli Cicchi said bills were only now being sent out because the company had only recently gained access to the accounts, which were trapped in another building in the city. He did not know how many trapped guest had been sent bills.

However, guests who were not in the hotel when the quake struck were still expected to pay their bills, he said.

"They legitimately incurred costs."

Fishing Tour Boat Capsizes in the Sea of Cortez



San Felipe

ABCNews: One person drowned and six others are missing after a chartered fishing boat capsized off Mexico's Baja California peninsula during a storm, authorities said Monday.

The roughly 100-foot-long boat, a catamaran called the Erik operated by the tourism company Baja Fishing, was carrying 44 tourists on board, mostly Americans, when it was struck by an electrical storm and then capsized early yesterday, port and Navy officials said.

The boat was found 87 miles south of San Filipe, Mexico, in the Sea of Cortez, an area usually known for its scuba diving and sport fishing.

"When the vessel sank it was close enough to shore that some people were able to swim to shore," said U.S. Coast Guard spokeswoman Pam Boehland. "Other people were picked up by good Samaritan vessels that were in the area. Others were rescued by the Mexican Navy."

While authorities say all Americans have been accounted for, the Mexican Navy, which is leading the rescue effort, will only say that "at least 27" Americans have survived. The U.S. Coast Guard launched a helicopter from San Diego, Calif. to help search for the missing.

"We are still looking for the rest of the people. The weather is really bad right now, with strong wind," said local port official Felipe Vallecillo told Reuters.

Vallecillo said weather conditions were normal when the boat set sail on Saturday.

According to an Internet advertisement, the Erik has been operating in the Sea of Cortez since 1989 and can sleep up to 42 guests.