Latest news with #rescueworkers
The Standard
19 hours ago
- Climate
- The Standard
China warns of extensive flooding after heavy rains
Rescue workers evacuate residents stranded by floodwaters with a boat, following heavy rainfall in Huaiji county of Zhaoqing, Guangdong province, China on Jun 18, 2025. (Photo: Reuters/China Daily)
Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- Times
Israelis lose faith in their safe rooms after Iranian strikes
Standing outside her grandmother's tower block in pyjamas, Nurit implored the local mayor to tell her the truth. While most of the block stood firm, where her grandmother's flat used to be was now a gaping black hole. 'They're not telling me anything. They think she likely didn't survive it, but they won't tell me where she is,' Nurit said. 'She was right there, that's her apartment, all alone. On that floor. I need to know where she is.' The four people who died when the Iranian missile struck the 20-storey tower block in Petah Tikva, a city east of Tel Aviv, were sheltering in reinforced safe rooms in the lower floors of the block. Nurit's grandmother, who lived on the third floor, remained officially unaccounted for on Monday night, but was assumed by rescue workers to be among the dead. Safe rooms have been mandatory in new buildings in Israel since the Gulf War more than 30 years ago — the last time Tel Aviv came under intense fire. Made of solid concrete, they are designed to protect inhabitants from bombs and toxic gases. The missile, fired shortly after 4am on Monday, directly hit the safe rooms, taking with them the hope that they might prove impenetrable to Iranian fire, which is far heavier than the rockets launched by Hamas from Gaza. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said the attack caused Israel's defence systems to target each other, allowing Tehran to successfully hit many more targets than on previous nights. 'There were two rooms where the missile hit. The entire apartment imploded, crushed, and one of the walls smashed into the door, so we needed to use tools to remove it,' said Yariv Sandalon, the city official who led the rescue efforts in Petah Tikva. 'They were in their safe rooms and unfortunately, even though the reinforcement is very strong, the missile hit exactly on it.' The missile moved at eight times the speed of sound, he said. It is the first time that Israeli safe rooms have been tested by the impact of a direct hit from ballistic missiles. Civilians — who use safe rooms, basements, car parks and public shelters — may now have fewer protected places to hide from Iranian attacks. 'If you are on the street and there's a bomb and a siren, what do you do?' Sandalon added. 'You go down under the ground, why? Because it's safer than staying above. You have to assess it like this.' Safe rooms had already lost some of their credibility in the October 7 attacks, when gunmen from Gaza entered southern Israel and opened the unlocked shelter doors to find their civilian victims inside. Now, Israelis may seek to move underground. 'The door of my shelter blew open from the impact,' said Liat Drori, who lives a few metres away from a second impact site in Tel Aviv, near the Carmel market, which used to be a popular tourist destination. 'We are going to try and make it to the government building nearby next time, if we have enough warning. Hopefully it'll be safer.' Eleven people were killed and 100 others wounded overnight into Monday in five locations across Israel, including in the port of Haifa, where three people were found dead from smoke inhalation after rescuers failed to extinguish the fire sparked by a missile strike. Their bodies were eventually recovered from a safe room in the structure where they had taken shelter. The defence minister, Israel Katz, warned that residents in Tehran would 'pay the price and soon' as four days of exchanging fire between the two sides showed no sign of letting up. Those who survived the attacks but were made homeless were evacuated and taken to hospital or moved to hotels, which were quickly filling up. 'I thought the neighbours were playing football, the bang was so loud. I woke up this morning and thought to go back to Egypt, where I came from,' said Yitzhak Dayan, joking amid residents in Petah Tikva who were standing behind police tape waiting to retrieve their possessions. 'I fled Egypt in 1957, now I'm thinking of fleeing back the other way.' In the face of Iranian drones and missiles launched under the cover of darkness, hospitals have moved critical patients, including premature babies, to protected facilities underground. The apartment block in Petah Tikva took a direct hit shortly after 4am on Monday ABIR SULTANEPA Sandalon said that safe rooms above ground were fine, but direct impacts were still dangerous. 'When you build a mamad, a fortified room, it's for hits even just five metres to the side of it,' he said. 'If you want to build it specifically against a direct impact, you need to make the walls much thicker, something like a metre and a half thick.' The current regulations state that walls should be about 40cm thick. 'And if it was directly on them, it's really unfortunate, but that's life,' said Sandalon, 60, hardened by years in military service as an infantry soldier and commander in Lebanon and Gaza. 'They are still very safe,' he said. 'Life is not 100 per cent guaranteed. If you walk on the sidewalk, someone could easily lose control of their car.'
Free Malaysia Today
13-06-2025
- General
- Free Malaysia Today
At least 30 killed as Air India plane with 242 on board crashes near Ahmedabad
An Air India plane bound for London with 242 people on board crashed minutes after taking off from India's western city of Ahmedabad. (AFP pic) AHMEDABAD : At least 30 people were killed when an Air India plane bound for London with 242 people on board crashed minutes after taking off from India's western city of Ahmedabad today, with the toll expected to climb, authorities said. 'The plane was headed for Gatwick Airport, south of the British capital,' Air India said, while police officers said it crashed in a residential area near the airport. 'The building on which it has crashed is a doctors' hostel… we have cleared almost 70% to 80% of the area and will clear the rest soon,' a senior police officer told reporters. India's CNN News18 TV channels said the plane crashed on top of the dining area of the state-run BJ Medical College hostel, killing many medical students as well. It showed a visual of a portion of the aircraft perched atop the building. Rescue workers said that at least 30 to 35 bodies had been recovered from the site and that more people were trapped. The passengers included 217 adults, 11 children and two infants a source told Reuters. 'Of them, 169 were Indian nationals, 53 were Britons, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian,' Air India said. Aviation tracking site Flightradar24 said the plane was a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, one of the most modern passenger aircraft in service. It was the first crash for the Dreamliner, which began flying commercially in 2011, according to the Aviation Safety Network database. 'The plane that crashed today flew for the first time in 2013 and was delivered to Air India in January 2014,' Flightradar24 said. 'At this moment, we are ascertaining the details and will share further updates,' Air India said on X. 'The injured are being taken to the nearest hospitals,' it said. Crash just after take-off The crash occurred just after the plane took off, television channels reported. One channel showed the plane taking off over a residential area and then disappearing from the screen before a huge jet of fire can be seen rising into the sky from beyond the houses. Visuals also showed debris on fire, with thick black smoke rising up into the sky near the airport. They also showed people being moved in stretchers and being taken away in ambulances. 'My sister-in-law was going to London. Within an hour, I got news that the plane had crashed,' Poonam Patel, a relative of one of the passengers, told news agency ANI at the government hospital in Ahmedabad. Ramila, the mother of a student at the medical college, told ANI her son had gone to the hostel for his lunch break when the plane crashed. 'My son is safe, and I have spoken to him. He jumped from the second floor, so he suffered some injuries,' she said. According to air traffic control at Ahmedabad Airport, the aircraft departed at 1.39pm from runway 23. It gave a 'Mayday' call, signalling an emergency, but thereafter there was no response from the aircraft. Flightradar24 also said that it received the last signal from the aircraft seconds after it took off. Boeing said it was aware of initial reports and was working to gather more information. Boeing shares fell 6.8% to US$199.13 in pre-market trade. Britain was working with Indian authorities to urgently establish the facts around the crash and to provide support to those involved, the country's foreign office said in a statement posted on its website. 'The tragedy in Ahmedabad has stunned and saddened us,' Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on X. 'It is heartbreaking beyond words,' he said. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said images emerging of the crash were 'devastating', and that he was being kept informed as the situation developed. A Buckingham Palace spokesman said King Charles was also being kept updated. Modi's home state The Indian aviation minister's office said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had directed it to ensure all support was extended to the rescue efforts immediately. Ahmedabad is the main city in Modi's home state of Gujarat. Ahmedabad Airport said it had suspended all flight operations with immediate effect. The airport is operated by India's Adani Group conglomerate. 'We are shocked and deeply saddened by the tragedy of Air India Flight 171,' Gautam Adani, founder and chairman of the group, posted on X. 'Our hearts go out to the families who have suffered an unimaginable loss. We are working closely with all authorities and extending full support to the families on the ground,' he said. The last fatal plane crash in India was in 2020 and involved Air India Express, the airline's low-cost arm. The airline's Boeing-737 overshot a 'table-top' runway at Kozhikode International Airport in southern India. The plane skidded off the runway, plunging into a valley and crashing nose-first into the ground. Twenty-one people were killed in that crash. The formerly state-owned Air India was taken over by Indian conglomerate Tata Group in 2022, and merged with Vistara – a joint venture between the group and Singapore Airlines – in 2024. Tata said an emergency centre had been activated and a support team set up for families seeking information.
BBC News
12-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Air India Ahmedabad crash: 'People's passports are strewn around'
Air India's London-bound plane, which crashed on Thursday minutes after taking off from Ahmedabad airport, ploughed into a residential area of the city, hitting a medical student hostel and other Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, which departed Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 13:39 local time (08:09GMT), was carrying 242 people, including 169 Indian nationals, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese citizens, and one Canadian. There were 12 have confirmed more than 200 people died in the crash - making it one of the deadliest aviation disasters in India - and warn the toll may one passenger is known to have survived. Fatalities include both those on the flight, which was heading to Gatwick, as well as people on the ground at the crash site. Live: Latest updates after plane carrying 242 people crashesVerified video shows Air India plane descending moments before impactWatch: BBC correspondent reports from crash siteWhat we know so far about flight AI171At the scene: 'Everyone is running, trying to save as many lives as possible' Images from the scene show debris scattered across the area. Parts of the plane are embedded in area near the airport houses a major medical centre and flight AI171 hit a hostel at a medical college, reportedly killing a number of students and injuring others. Reporting for the BBC, Sachin Pithva described scenes of chaos at the site, with rescue workers retrieving the mangled remains of those who perished."Thick smoke is still billowing from the building hours after the crash. People's passports are strewn around," he to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the aircraft issued a mayday call seconds after take-off but lost contact with Air Traffic Control shortly thereafter, crashing just outside the airport area in Ahmedabad – the biggest city in the western state of Gujarat – where the plane crashed lies just beyond a cantonment zone that abuts the airport's boundary and is directly aligned with its exact impact site lies within a medical campus with 10 specialised centres. Gujarat's Additional Chief Secretary for Health confirmed the aircraft struck the students' hostel and staff quarters of Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Medical College and Civil Hospital."It crashed into the hostel mess and then bounced off on to one of the hostel buildings," Dr Meenkashi Parekh, the dean of the hospital, told the BBC's Jugal crash occurred during lunchtime when many students were in the mess hall, she show the nose of the plane is stuck in one of the hostel buildings. Photos also show a deserted mess hall, filled with dust and with tables bearing plates of uneaten food."Most of the students escaped.. but the building caught fire and the smoke was extremely thick. So, 10 to 12 students were trapped," she said there is "the possibility of casualty of three students - that is almost confirmed".Dr Parekh also said that a female staff member at a doctors' home had died.
CNA
12-06-2025
- General
- CNA
'Heartbreaking beyond words': Air India plane crashes shortly after take-off; casualties on the ground
AHMEDABAD: An Air India plane crashed on Thursday (Jun 12) in India's western city of Ahmedabad with 242 on board. Flight 171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, bound for London Gatwick crashed shortly after take-off. 'It appears there are no survivors in the plane crash,' Police Commissioner GS Malik told The Associated Press. As the plane went down in a residential area near the airport, casualties on the ground are expected, he added. "The building on which it has crashed is a doctors' hostel ... we have cleared almost 70 per cent to 80 per cent of the area and will clear the rest soon," a senior police officer told reporters. India's CNN News-18 TV channel said the plane crashed on top of the dining area of the state-run BJ Medical College hostel, killing many medical students as well. It showed a visual of a portion of the aircraft perched atop the building. Rescue workers said that at least 30 to 35 bodies had been recovered from the site and that more people were trapped. The passengers included 217 adults, 11 children and two infants a source told Reuters. Of them, 169 were Indian nationals, 53 were Britons, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian, Air India said. "The tragedy in Ahmedabad has stunned and saddened us," Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on X. "It is heartbreaking beyond words." Aviation tracking site Flightradar24 said the plane was a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, one of the most modern passenger aircraft in service. It was the first crash for the Dreamliner, which began flying commercially in 2011, according to the Aviation Safety Network database. The plane that crashed on Thursday flew for the first time in 2013 and was delivered to Air India in January 2014, Flightradar24 said. "At this moment, we are ascertaining the details and will share further updates," Air India said on X. "The injured are being taken to the nearest hospitals." CRASH JUST AFTER TAKE-OFF The crash occurred just after the plane took off, television channels reported. One channel showed the plane taking off over a residential area and then disappearing from the screen before a huge jet of fire can be seen rising into the sky from beyond the houses. Visuals also showed debris on fire, with thick black smoke rising up into the sky near the airport. They also showed people being moved in stretchers and being taken away in ambulances. "My sister-in-law was going to London. Within an hour, I got news that the plane had crashed," Poonam Patel, a relative of one of the passengers, told news agency ANI at the government hospital in Ahmedabad. Ramila, the mother of a student at the medical college, told ANI her son had gone to the hostel for his lunch break when the plane crashed. "My son is safe, and I have spoken to him. He jumped from the second floor, so he suffered some injuries," she said. According to air traffic control at Ahmedabad Airport, the aircraft departed at 1.39 pm local time from runway 23. It gave a "Mayday" call, signalling an emergency, but thereafter there was no response from the aircraft. Flightradar24 also said that it received the last signal from the aircraft seconds after it took off. Boeing said it was aware of initial reports and was working to gather more information. Boeing shares fell 6.8 per cent to US$199.13 in pre-market trade. Britain was working with Indian authorities to urgently establish the facts around the crash and to provide support to those involved, the country's foreign office said in a statement posted on its website. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said images emerging of the crash were "devastating", and that he was being kept informed as the situation developed. A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said King Charles was also being kept updated. MODI'S HOME STATE The Indian aviation minister's office said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had directed it to ensure all support was extended to the rescue efforts immediately. Ahmedabad is the main city in Modi's home state of Gujarat. Ahmedabad Airport said it had suspended all flight operations with immediate effect. The airport is operated by India's Adani Group conglomerate. "We are shocked and deeply saddened by the tragedy of Air India Flight 171," Gautam Adani, founder and chairman of the group, posted on X. "Our hearts go out to the families who have suffered an unimaginable loss. We are working closely with all authorities and extending full support to the families on the ground," he said. The last fatal plane crash in India was in 2020 and involved Air India Express, the airline's low-cost arm. The airline's Boeing 737 overshot a "table-top" runway at Kozhikode International Airport in southern India. The plane skidded off the runway, plunging into a valley and crashing nose-first into the ground. Twenty-one people were killed in that crash. The formerly state-owned Air India was taken over by Indian conglomerate Tata Group in 2022, and merged with Vistara - a joint venture between the group and Singapore Airlines – in 2024.
