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Gunmen kill 23 in gun attack on Christians in Egypt: provincial governor

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  • As Sri Lanka landslides kill 57 people

Gunmen attacked a group of Coptic Christians as they were driving to a monastery south of Cairo on Friday, killing 23 and wounding 25, the governor of Egypt’s Minya province, Essam al-Bedaiwy, said.

The group was traveling in two buses and a small truck in Minya province, which is home to a sizeable Christian minority, the sources said.

Provincial governor Essam al-Bedaiwy said earlier that 23 people had been killed and 25 wounded.

Eyewitnesses said the Copts were attacked as they were going to pray at the monastery of Saint Samuel the Confessor in the western part of the province.

They said masked men stopped the vehicles on a road leading to the monastery and opened fire.

Coptic Christians, who make up about 10 percent of Egypt’s population of 92 million, have been the subject of a series of deadly attacks in recent months.

About 70 have been killed in bomb attacks on churches in the cities of Cairo, Alexandria and Tanta since December.

Those attacks were claimed by Islamic State.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Friday’s attack.

Two suicide bombings killed 44 people in Coptic churches in Egypt on Palm Sunday.

President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi, promptly declared a three-month state of emergency.

In the meantime, the death toll in landslides triggered by heavy rain across Sri Lanka has surpassed 57, with no fewer than 30 other people missing, disaster management officials said on Friday.

“The landslides occurred in central, southern and western parts of the country after two days of heavy rain,’’ disaster management officials said.

The majority of the deaths were reported from the Kalutara district 40 kilometres south of the capital, where 37 deaths have been confirmed, UDC Jayalal.

Officials in the area said no fewer than 20 more deaths have been reported from the adjoining Ratnapura district.

Heavy rains led to over six major landslides in the two districts leaving no fewer than 30 others missing.

There were reports of deaths in the capital Colombo, but that could not be independently confirmed.

“We have deployed the army backed by the navy and air force to assist in the rescue operations,’’ Brig. Roshan Seneviratne said.

Heavy rain also flooded several parts of the southern Galle and Matara districts both popular tourist destinations.

The floods and landslides have already displaced over 10,000 people and that number is likely to rise with others asked to leave their homes.

“We have appealed to the people living on the banks of the rivers affected by floods to vacate their homes,’’ Minister of Home Affairs Vajira Abeywardena said.

In May 2016, no fewer than 127 people were killed in a landslide in the central Kegalle district.

Accidents

Overspeeding Claims 7 Lives In Ibadan- Iseyin Road Crash- FRSC

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Overspeeding Claims 7 Lives In Ibadan- Iseyin Road Crash- FRSC

…As 15 people sustain varying degrees of injuries

Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has confirmed the death of seven persons in a road accident that occurred on Ibadan-Iseyin road on Thursday.

The Public Relations Officer, FRSC, Oyo Sector Command, Mr Mayowa Odewo, said in a statement that the deceased were five male adults, one female adult and one female child.

Odewo said that 15 people also sustained varying degrees of injuries out of the 22 people involved in the crash.

He attributed the accident, involving a Nissan Urvan commercial bus, with registration number: SEY 254 ZY and a Mazda commercial bus, with registration number LGB 343 XA, to speed violations and fatigue.

Odewo stated that the 13 injured victims, including three male adults, nine female adults and one female child, had been taken to a nearby hospital for medical attention.

He said that four of the seven corpses of the victims had been claimed by their families, while the remaining three had been deposited at a morgue.

“The police from Motor Traffic Division (MTD) Police Division, Moniya, Ibadan, have taken possession of the two crashed vehicles, including bags and other valuables recovered from the scene,” he said.

The FRSC spokesperson noted that no victim was saved by the seat belt or other defensive gadgets.

He urged motorists to always obey traffic rules and regulations as well as adhere to all traffic cautions on the road to prevent avoidable crashes. 

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Accidents

Man Dies After Falling Off Cruise Ship in Australia

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Man Dies After Falling Off Cruise Ship in Australia

Australian police had found a man’s body off Sydney’s coast while searching for a cruise ship passenger who went overboard on Monday.
The man fell overboard before dawn near Sydney Heads, about 18 kilometers from the shore, with police and other emergency services launching a search, New South Wales police said.

At about 10.30 a.m. (0030 GMT), officers located the body and retrieved it, police said.

Police would now prepare a report for the Coroner and have launched an investigation into how the incident unfolded.

P&O Cruises’ ship Pacific Adventure was due to arrive in Sydney Harbour on Monday.

“We thank guests for their care, understanding, and patience on what’s been a distressing day for guests and crew,’’
a statement from the company said, as quoted by local media.

“Our thoughts are with the family of the guest at this difficult time.’’

The ship was returning to Sydney from a three-day trip to Queensland’s Morton Island.

– dpa

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Accidents

4 Dead, 70 Vehicles Burnt In Fuel Tanker Explosion In Rivers – Police

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4 Dead, 70 Vehicles Burnt In Fuel Tanker Explosion In Rivers – Police

…Gov. Fubara visits accident scene, describes it as tragic and sad

The Police Command in Rivers says four people and over 70 vehicles were burnt in Friday’s fuel tanker explosion in the state.

The explosion occurred along Eleme section of the East-West Road in the state at about 7:30 p.m.

SP Grace Iringe-Koko, spokesman of the command, told the newsmen in Port Harcourt on Saturday that the tragedy occurred following a collision between a heavy-duty truck and a petrol-laden tanker.

A correspondent who visited the accident scene reports that there were severely burnt vehicles and charred bodies of victims on the road.

The incident happened a few meters from the Indorama Petrochemical Company and roughly 10 kilometres from the Port Harcourt Refinery.

There was an extensive gridlock stretching over five kilometres on the road under reconstruction as part of the N200 billion Ring Road project by the Rivers Government.

State government trucks, accompanied by police and Federal Road  Safety Commission officials, were seen evacuating the burnt vehicles to facilitate traffic flow.

An eyewitness, Onyeka Ubani, who narrowly escaped the explosion, stated that while transporting passengers on his newly acquired tricycle (Keke), they heard a deafening sound ahead of them.

“The loud sound was followed by a massive fireball, causing everyone to flee for safety.

“We managed to escape, but unfortunately, my Keke caught fire in the process.

“I thank God for my life, but I am at a loss about what to do with my life now, having recently purchased this Keke,” a distraught Ubani said.

Another eyewitness, David Jumbo, said that he was returning home from work around the Akpajo axis of the East-west Road when the incident occurred.

He narrated that after the explosion, vehicles and victims were caught by fire which stretched over 200 metres.

“It happened so quickly that it could be likened to scenes from Hollywood movies.

“While I was fleeing for safety, I saw a pregnant woman struggling to exit one of the commercial vehicles.

“Unfortunately, when I returned this morning, I found the deceased pregnant woman trapped in the bus as she tried to escape,” he recounted.

Jumbo attributed the accident to the recklessness of truck drivers who disregarded road warnings despite the ongoing road construction.

Gov. Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers, who visited the accident scene, described it as tragic and sad.

He urged motorists to always exercise caution while on the road.

“This incident is not a pleasant one, we recorded a huge number of vehicles destroyed and lives lost.

“I have already asked the relevant agencies to brief us on how we can support the bereaved families to mitigate their losses.

“This incident would have been avoided if the motorists had adhered to proper conduct. People should ply this road with caution,” Fubara said. 

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