Latest news with #battered
Express Tribune
12 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Tragedy hits family welcoming Hajjis
The SUV, battered and buried, emerges after being pulled from beneath the sand and gravel truck by rescuers. PHOTO: EXPRESS Two members of a family were killed and as many injured when a speeding dumper truck overturned onto their vehicle on Rashid Minhas Road in the early hours of Thursday. The victims were part of a convoy heading to Jinnah International Terminal to welcome relatives returning from Hajj. The deceased were identified by their family as 55-year-old Shaheena Naeem and her seven-year-old niece, Ayesha, daughter of Khurram Kareem. The injured included Khurram's wife, Anam, 30, and Khurram himself, who was driving the double-cabin pickup. The victims, residents of ROC Cooperative Housing Society, Scheme 33, were en route to receive their uncle, Kashif Kareem, and his family, who had just performed Hajj. Saud Khan, Shaheena's son, recounted the incident, saying that their convoy of four to five vehicles had stopped at the COD signal when a heavily loaded dumper truck, speeding recklessly, overtook from the left, lost control, and toppled onto their vehicle. "The dumper crushed our car under its weight, burying it in sand and gravel. The driver fled immediately, leaving us helpless," Saud said, his voice trembling with grief and anger. Family members and witnesses expressed severe frustration over the slow and disorganised rescue operation. Saud lamented that it took over three hours to extract the victims, with rescue workers forced to manually remove sand using shovels due to the absence of heavy machinery. "There were no oxygen cylinders available-rescue teams claimed they had run out. We kept begging for help, but the administration's response was shameful," he said. By the time the crushed vehicle was finally pulled out with the help of cranes, Shaheena and young Ayesha had already succumbed to their injuries. The tragedy has sparked outrage over the negligence of dumper truck drivers, who often flout traffic laws with impunity. Police confirmed that the driver escaped and remains unidentified, though witnesses alleged he appeared to be under the influence of drugs. Traffic was severely disrupted for hours as officials struggled to clear the wreckage. Family members, overwhelmed by grief, reportedly clashed with media personnel at the scene, with one allegedly assaulting a cameraman. This tragedy has also brought attention to Karachi's illegal sand and gravel trade. Despite Section 144 being imposed in Malir district to curb unauthorised extraction, trucks continue to operate at night, transporting material from Gadap, Memon Goth, and other areas. Chhipa Foundation spokesperson Chaudhry Shahid confirmed the accident occurred around 3:15am, attributing it to the driver's reckless speeding. SHO Gadap City, police station Sarfraz reiterated that illegal mining persists despite the ban, raising questions about enforcement. The funeral prayers for Ayesha were held in Buffer Zone, while Shaheena's took place in Liaquatabad. Both were laid to rest in the C-1 Area Graveyard.
Sunday World
4 days ago
- Sunday World
Killer fined and sister gets suspended sentence after prison visit drug exchange
Thomas Valliday (37) has been in jail since 2008 when he battered and bludgeoned former IRA man Frank 'Bap' McGreevy to death A convicted murderer has been handed a fine and his sister a suspended jail sentence after a drug exchange during a prison visit. Thomas Martin Valliday and Ellen Louise Valliday were sentenced at Antrim Crown Court. Judge Alistair Devlin said the gravity of the case was not the amount of drugs but rather 'that drugs were brought into a supposedly drug-free environment.' Thomas Valliday (37), who has been in jail since 2008 when he battered and bludgeoned former IRA man Frank 'Bap' McGreevy to death, was handed a £500 fine 'with an immediate warrant' so he will serve seven days in default. Thomas Valliday His sister Ellen (31) Valliday, from Conway Street in Belfast, was handed a nine month jail sentence, suspended for two years. At an earlier hearing, Thomas Valliday entered guilty pleas to having class C prescription-only drugs Pregabalin and Gabapentin on December 18 2019. Ellen Valliday entered guilty pleas to supplying the class C drugs and conveying 'list A articles' into HMP Magilligan. Thomas Valliday News in 90 seconds - 16th June 2025 A second sister, 35-year-old Karen Valliday from the Stewartstown Road, was also due to be sentenced but after she failed to attend court, Judge Devlin issued a warrant for her arrest. He outlined how the sister had gone to the prison to visit their brother but Ellen Valliday had 'thrown an item' over the barrier between them. Despite a prison officer's 'commendable efforts' to grab the package, Thomas Valliday 'swiftly' grabbed it and shoved it in his mouth. While the sisters were detained until police arrived, Thomas Valliday was taken to a separate room. Warned that he would be subject to a full body search, Valliday conceded 'OK I'll hand it over' and on examination, the package transpired to be a single Pregabalin and a single Gabapentin. During his sentencing remarks, Judge Devlin said it was clear 'there had been some pre-planning' on the part of the sisters and also that he had to take account of Thomas Valliday's 'significant record,' including the entry for murder. But the judge said he also had to take cognisance of not only their guilty pleas, but also the 'culpable delay' of more than five years in a case which 'was fairly simple and straightforward.' Frank 'Bap' McGreevy Thomas Valliday is coming towards the end of the minimum sentence he received for the murder of Mr McGreevy. At the end of his trial in February 2010 Valliday was convicted of killing the 51-year-old west Belfast father-of-two. Valliday was high on a cocktail of drink and drugs when he battered the victim with a variety of weapons including a pick-axe handle in his flat in Ross Street in March 2008. Imposing a life sentence and ordering Valliday to serve a minimum of 17 years behind bars, Mr Justice Hart said the convicted killer 'has shown no remorse whatever for his crime and I am satisfied that there are no mitigating factors in the case.' In 2016 Valliday had an extra year added to the sentence after he went on the run for four days after escaping from prison guards at the Ulster Hospital.
New York Post
10-06-2025
- General
- New York Post
Family's dog ‘Zeus' dragged into Florida pond by massive alligator and miraculously comes out alive: ‘I don't know how he survived'
A family dog named Zeus summoned the strength of his namesake and managed to escape the literal jaws of death when an alligator dragged him from his backyard into a nearby pond, the dog's owners said. 'The vet told us the gator had just missed his jugular — it looked like Zeus's entire head had been in the gator's mouth. The fact that he made it out alive is nothing short of a miracle,' the family wrote in a GoFundMe post. Even the vet said, ''I don't know how he survived,'' the family added. 3 Zeus, a German Shepherd who survived a gator attack, wears the cone of shame while he recovers. GoFundMe Zeus, a German Shepherd, heard a noise on the night of June 2 and scooted through his doggie door out of his home in Wesley Chapel, Fla., to investigate, the family said. In an instant, an alligator came crashing through their backyard fence, snatched Zeus and dragged him to a pond, they said. 'My dad came in frantic. I'd never seen him like that. He's a tough guy. He said, 'The alligator just took Zeus,'' Zeus' owner Susan Alkhatib told WFLA. The family watched in horror as Zeus struggled while the alligator thrashed with the German Shepherd's head in its mouth. Finally, Zeus managed to escape the beast and the alligator swam off. 3 The alligator that attacked Zeus has managed to elude trappers on the hunt for him. GoFundMe 'The alligator had just let go of Zeus,' Alkhatib told WFLA. 'We started yelling at him to come toward us. When he got closer, he got tired. So we had to kind of go into the pond a little bit to get him.' Susan's mom waded into the pond and grabbed the battered pet and they rushed him to a veterinarian hospital for an emergency surgery. After the attack, Alkhatib said they don't feel as safe at home anymore. 'We have a doggy door, and Zeus will go in and out of it whenever he wants,' Alkhatib said. 'We have it covered right now because of what happened.' The family had taken a video of the scaly culprit earlier in the day when the gator had been lurking along the banks of the water. The family told WFLA that the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has sent out trappers, but so far, the guilty gator has avoided capture. 3 Zeus suffered a broken jaw and underwent surgery after an alligator attacked him and dragged him into a pond near his home in Florida. GoFundMe Meanwhile, Zeus is slowly but surely recovering, according to the family. He sustained a fractured jaw, puncture wounds, and the vet needed to manually realign his jaw and wire it together. He's on a liquid diet fed to him with a syringe until he has another surgery in about 8 weeks. He'll also need to wear a muzzle for at least another month. A picture of the recovering miracle pup shows him post-surgery with his wounds around his neck and face, with much of his fur shaved off from the surgery. 'Despite it all, Zeus continues to be such a trooper,' the family wrote in a recent update on GoFundMe. 'He's getting tons of love, snuggles, and care.'
Mint
23-05-2025
- Climate
- Mint
IndiGo flight with 'nose damage' from Delhi storm was denied entry into Pakistan airspace, DGCA clarifies
Pakistan turned down a request from a Srinagar-bound IndiGo flight, which was battered by severe turbulence on Wednesday evening, to enter its airspace, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has confirmed. The regulator has initiated a detailed investigation into the incident. The Airbus A321 Neo aircraft – carrying more than 220 people, including Trinamool Congress MPs – was cruising at 36,000 feet when it encountered extreme weather conditions. According to the DGCA, the crew had requested a deviation from their flight path due to an approaching storm, but this was denied by Northern Control, operated by the Indian Air Force. A subsequent attempt to enter Pakistani airspace by contacting Lahore ATC was also refused. Faced with rapidly deteriorating weather conditions and limited alternatives, the crew initially considered turning back but ultimately decided to fly through the storm to minimise exposure time. 'The aircraft experienced updraughts and downdraughts that caused the autopilot to disengage, leading to significant speed fluctuations,' the DGCA stated. 'Warnings for exceeding the maximum operating speed and repeated stall alerts were also triggered. At one point, the aircraft's rate of descent peaked at 8,500 feet per minute.' The pilots were forced to take manual control until the aircraft exited the turbulent zone. A PAN PAN emergency call was made to Srinagar ATC, after which the aircraft received radar vectors and landed safely. The auto-thrust system resumed normal operation prior to touchdown. Following the safe landing, a post-flight inspection revealed damage to the aircraft's nose radome, likely caused by hail impact.
Mint
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Mint
Pakistan rejected IndiGo pilot's request to use its airspace for turbulence-hit Delhi-Srinagar flight with 220 people
The pilot of the Delhi-Srinagar IndiGo aircraft that was battered by a sudden hailstorm on Wednesday, had initially Lahore Air Traffic Control's permission to use the Pakistan airspace for a brief while to avoid the turbulence. However, his request was denied, a report said on Thursday. According to a PTI report quoting sources, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is probing the incident where flight 6E 2142 encountered severe turbulence. The IndiGo flight, carrying more than 220 people, including Trinamool Congress MPs encountered a sudden hailstorm, and the pilot reported the 'emergency' to air traffic control at Srinagar airport. The aircraft landed safely on Wednesday, but passengers were left battered. The pilot noticed the turbulence while flying over Amritsar and reached out to Lahore ATC to seek permission to take a deviation through the Pakistan airspace on Wednesday, as per the PTI report. However, the request was rejected by Lahore ATC, it said. As a result, the flight had to navigate through its original path, which was affected by severe turbulence. Pakistan has closed its airspace for all Indian aircraft in the wake of tensions between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack that killed at least 26 people. India has also closed its airspace for Pakistani carriers. In a statement on Wednesday, IndiGo said its flight 6E 2142, operating from Delhi to Srinagar, encountered a sudden hailstorm en route. "The flight and cabin crew followed established protocol, and the aircraft landed safely in Srinagar. The airport team attended to the customers after the arrival of the aircraft, prioritising their wellbeing and comfort. The aircraft will be released post necessary inspection and maintenance," it had said. A five-member delegation of Trinamool Congress comprising Derek O'Brien, Nadimul Haque, Sagarika Ghose, Manas Bhunia, and Mamata Thakur was on the flight. "It was a near-death experience. I thought my life was over. People were screaming, praying and panicking," Ghose said on Wednesday. "Hats off to the pilot who brought us through that. When we landed, we saw the nose of the plane had blown up," she had said and added that the delegation thanked the pilot after the landing. Videos of the moments of turbulence emerged on social media showing panicked passengers praying for their lives as the plane swayed.
