Turkish cargo plane kills entire village Kyrgyzstan

A Turkish cargo plane has crashed in Kyrgyzstan killing at least 37 people.

The toll is expected the rise after dozens of homes were engulfed in fire and destroyed in the village of Dacha-Suu.

At least six children were killed, and many are injured. One nine year old boy had left early for school in a neighbouring village and ran back to his home to find his entire family killed.

The Boeing 747 went down near Manas airport as it tried to land in dense fog, officials said.

According to the airport administration, the plane was supposed to make a stopover at Manas, near the capital city Bishkek, on its way from Hong Kong to Istanbul.

It crashed when trying to land in poor visibility at 7:31 local time (01:31 GMT).

The doomed plane damaged 15 buildings in the village, said Mukhammed Svarov, head of crisis management centre at the emergencies ministry.

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Woman found dead in Masinga dam

The body of a middle-aged woman has been found from Masinga dam in Kiluluini area, Machakos county.

According to Katulye subchief Josphat Ngumbi Shikuku, the body had stayed in the water for three days since it was beginning to decompose.

The origin of the woman is unknown and the subchief urged residents to liase with the police in identifying the body that was taken to Embu level five hospital mortuary for preservation.

"If there's anyone who has a family member who has been missing or has any information that might help the police in identifying the body he/she should report to the nearest police as soon as possible," said Shikuku.

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Israeli tourist drowns in Guatemala

Hadas Ayash, 60, from Kiryat Tiv'on, drowned in Guatemala while on a group vacation with tourism company "Queen of the Desert."

Ayash, mother of three and grandmother of two, drowned while tubing in the after her raft overturned.

The Foreign Ministry is working with the embassy in Guatemala to facilitate the return of the body as soon as possible.

Liran Eldar, one of the trip participants, told Ynet, "It isn't an extreme trip. It's like tubing in the Jordan River in the summer. Staff handled it quickly, but we are all still in shock."

According to Eldar, the group arrived in Guatemala on Saturday and on Monday morning began hiking until they arrived at the Cahabón River. "There is a permanent attraction there, nothing extreme, nothing crazy, just simple tubing. We split into two groups, with each tube being tied to the others; I was in the second group. When we reached the end, suddenly we noticed the other group had split in two and someone flipped over."

Eldar said that medical and rescue services "arrived almost immediately. They managed to make contact with an ambulance quickly and from what I saw, everything seemed to be going well."

"We got to know her well and there was a wonderful group dynamic and a great atmosphere. She was very lovely and very positive," she added.

The company sponsoring the trip added, "We share in the family's deep sorrow. At this time, the case is being investigated locally and the rest of the group will return to Israel as soon as possible."

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12 killed as dhow capsizes in Tanga

Twelve people died as 34 survived after their Pemba-bound dhow, which they boarded in Tanga, capsized in the Indian Ocean due to what has been termed “poor weather”.

According to The Citizen newspaper, Tanga Regional Police commander Benedict Wakulyamba said the mishap occurred near Jambe Island, which is not far from the Tanga coastline, at around 2am.

Mr Wakulyamba further said the 34 survivors were rescued by fishermen who happened have been near the point at which the tragedy struck.

He added police are still looking for six other travellers who have been presumed dead, while those who were rescued have been admitted to Bombo Regional Hospital. “A total of 34 people out of 52 people who were aboard the dhow were rescued while 12 bodies were recovered… we are still looking for the missing travellers,” said Mr Wakulyamba.

The police boss said the dhow left Tanga at midnight, having sailed off from an unofficial port located at Sahare.
Speaking to The Citizen, some of the survivors said they left at around 1.15am.

According to Mr Mkubwa Yusuph Hassan (55), one of the survivors, there were 52 passengers as well as cargo, which included rice, potatoes, beans and beer cartons.

Mr Hassan added that the captain of the dhow lost control of the vessel after it was hit by strong waves.

For his part, Mr Mussa Isah Mohamed,37, who was travelling alongside his son, said he saved his life after swimming to one of the fishermen’s boats.

Unfortunately, he said, his son and his brother were not so lucky. “I’m still grieving, I couldn’t save either my son or my brother; the whole thing happened so fast that I couldn’t do anything,” said Mr Mohamed crying.

For his part, an official with the Surface and Marine Transport Regulatory Authority (Sumatra), Dr Walukani Luhamba, based in Tanga, accused some boat operators of violating rules and regulations that guide sea travel.

Meanwhile, President John Magufuli yesterday sent his condolences to the regional commissioner and families of 12 people who lost their lives in the dhow accident.

“I’ve been shocked and saddened by the news of the deaths of our fellow Tanzanians. I ask the regional commissioner to convey my deepest condolences,” he said.

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