Tag: missing

Categories
-Top News Europe

Greece boat tragedy: Number of missing from PoK surges to 166

On June 14, dozens of migrants and refugees on board the trawler that sank off Greece’s Peloponnese peninsula, killed at least 78 people…reports Asian Lite News

In the Greece boat tragedy, the number of missing people from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir’s Kotli district has surged to 166, confirmed Mirpur Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police Dr Khalid Mahmood Chauhan, according to Geo News.

On Monday, the Deputy Inspector General revealed that 88 more families of the boat case have contacted them. Earlier 50 families had contacted them. The data was compiled at the local level with the help of local residents.

Dr Khalid further stated that after the incident, the families of 28 youths had contacted them and 166 Kotli residents were reported missing in the migrant boat incident.

He feared that the number could further rise in the coming days.

“The heirs of the boat victims do not come forward due to fear of law [legal action],” observed the police officer. He urged the people to provide the details of their children onboard the ill-fated boat and assured them that the police would help them find their beloved.

“Some of the missing people are still in Greece jails and some are under investigation,” he added.

European authorities don’t have a clear idea about the number of people aboard the boat when it sank — estimates range from 400 to over 700 — but likely hundreds came from Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, reported Geo News.

On June 14, dozens of migrants and refugees on board the trawler that sank off Greece’s Peloponnese peninsula, killed at least 78 people.

As many as 750 men, women and children – also from Syria, Egypt, and the Palestinian territories – were on board the vessel, trying to reach relatives in Europe. The sinking was one of the worst disasters of its kind this year. The Greek coast guard has defended its response to the tragedy, Al Jazeera reported.

Meanwhile, on Monday, Pakistan and several African nations called for more protections for migrants at the UN Human Rights Council following the shipwreck off the Greek coast.

Pakistan, which had 350 of its nationals aboard the ship that capsized and sank, said the incident was a “grim reminder of the protection gaps”.

“The human cost of such a status quo is unacceptable,” Pakistan’s deputy permanent ambassador, Zaman Mehdi, told the 47-member council in unusually frank comments, Geo News reported.

“Gaps in responsibility sharing, arrangements for the safe and timely search and rescue, the disembarkation of all people rescued at sea and accountability must be plugged in the spirit of solidarity.”

The envoy for Gambia, a country from which many migrants depart on perilous journeys toward Europe, said that the issue required “urgent attention”. (ANI)

ALSO READ-India to help Greece reclaim historical artifacts from Britain

Categories
-Top News USA

Titanic tourist sub is missing, search in critical stage

missing tourist submarine Titan

The Titan submersible, operated by OceanGate Expeditions, begins each trip with 96 hours of life support…reports Asian Lite News

The search for the missing tourist submarine with five people on board, is entering a critical stage as the dwindling supply of oxygen in the vessel is estimated to run out on Thursday.

According to estimated from the US Coast Guard, the supply of oxygen could run out by 7.18 a.m. on Thursday EST (4.48 p.m. IST), reports the BBC.

The Titan submersible, operated by OceanGate Expeditions, begins each trip with 96 hours of life support.

The search area as of Thursday morning covers an area twice the size of the US state of Connecticut, and a sub-surface area 4 km deep.

The expansion of the site was because of underwater sounds detected on Tuesday and Wednesday by a Canadian P-3 aircraft. But the source of the sounds remains unknown.

But according to Capt. Jamie Frederick, the response coordinator for the First Coast Guard District, the searches in the area have “yielded negative results”.

“Data from the plane that identified the noises was sent to the US Navy, but has so far been inconclusive,” CNN quoted Frederick as saying, adding that the Coast Guard does not know what the sounds were.

Meanwhile, 10 extra ships and several remote submarines will join the search on Thursday, more than doubling operations, the BBC reported.

Camera-equipped remote-controlled vehicles (ROVs) will also be scanning the depths of the seafloor throughout the day.

The submersible began its two-hour descent to the wreck of the Titanic on the morning of June 18.

The Titanic lies within a region called the “midnight zone” — known for its freezing temperatures and perpetual darkness.

It lost contact with the Polar Prince, the support ship that transported the craft to the location in the North Atlantic, an hour and 45 minutes into its descent, officials said.

Factors like what happened to the submersible, why it lost contact, and how close it was to the Titanic when it went missing remain unanswered.

The five people on board Hamish Harding, 58-year-old British adventurer who has previously been to space and multiple times to the South Pole; British businessman Shahzada Dawood (48) and his son Suleman (19); Paul-Henry Nargeolet (77), a former French Navy diver who has reportedly spent more time at the Titanic wreck than any other explorer and was part of the first expedition to visit it in 1987; and Stockton Rush (61), the chief executive of OceanGate.

Officials believe that they have “limited rations” of food and water.

Ret. Navy Capt. David Marquet, a former submarine captain, told CNN that the near-freezing water at that depth is probably making the situation very uncomfortable.

“There’s frost on the inside of the parts of the submarine. They’re all huddled together trying to conserve their body heat. They’re running low on oxygen and they’re exhaling carbon dioxide,” he said.

ALSO READ-3 from Britain missing after boat catches fire in Red Sea

Categories
India News Karnataka Lite Blogs

7 students go missing in K’taka, say they are bored with studies

In another case reported on Sunday near AGB Layout, a 21-year girl and three children went missing suspiciously…reports Asian Lite News.

Seven students, including a college girl went missing in Bengaluru, in two separate incidents spread over two days, police sources said on Monday. According to the letters recovered from their houses, the police said the teenagers left home as they were not interested in studies.

Parikshith, Nandan and Kiran, residents of Soundarya Layout in Hesaraghatta Road studying Class 10 have gone missing since Saturday morning. The parents searched for them till evening and complained to the police.

The police recovered letters left behind by the boys. They have mentioned that they do not have an interest in studies and they will come back after earning a good name and money, police said.

Three boys have written separate letters. “We are more interested in sports than studies. Even if you pressure us, we do not have the interest to pursue studies. We will build our careers in the field of sports. We like the game Kabaddi. We will earn a good name in this field and return after excelling and making a name in that field,” their letters mentioned.

They have also addressed the parents not to search them. The jurisdictional Bagalagunte police have taken up an investigation based on the inputs of neighbours and people in the surrounding areas and CCTV cameras.

In another case reported on Sunday near AGB Layout, a 21-year girl and three children went missing suspiciously.

Amruthavarshini (21), a student of BCA Third semester, Royan Sidharth, Chintan and Bhoomi, all 12-year old kids and residents of Crystal Apartment went missing.

All four left their homes on Sunday morning and have not returned. The parents have lodged a complaint with the Soladevanahalli police. They have told th epolice that their children spent most of the time with Amruthavarshini and she has taken the kids along.

Meanwhile, a note has been found from the home of one of the children in which it is mentioned to carry slippers, toothbrushes, toothpaste, water bottle, cash and sports items. The police are investigating the case.

ALSO READ-Karnataka Advocate to head NY bar’s Int’l Human Rights Panel

READ MORE-Karnataka bans processions during Muharram and Ganesha festivals

Categories
-Top News Afghanistan India News

India monitoring probe into missing citizen in Kabul

The MEA Spokesperson said during operation ‘Devi Shakti’, the majority of the Indians were evacuated except some who were left due to the closure of Kabul Airport…reports Asian Lite News.

India is closely monitoring a probe by Afghan authorities into the case of Indian national Bansuri Lal Arinde who reportedly went missing in Kabul, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday.

“We are in touch with all concerned. We have seen reports of local authorities undertaking investigation in this matter and we will continue to monitor the situation and will keep you updated on the matter,” MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said during a weekly press briefing.

The MEA Spokesperson said during operation ‘Devi Shakti’, the majority of the Indians were evacuated except some who were left due to the closure of Kabul Airport.

In response to a question how India will evacuate those Indian nationals who have been left stranded in Afghanistan, he said: ““Till the time operations resume at the Kabul airport, it is difficult to say how we will evacuate the people wishing to return.”

“Our focus right now is to ensure that the Kabul airport is operational soon, so that we are able to evacuate people,” he emphasized. The MEA Spokesperson said Indian authorities are in touch with those in Afghanistan who could not manage to get a flight to India.

“We are in contact with those who had remained there but couldn’t due to the stoppage of operations at Kabul airport,” the MEA Spokesperson stated.

He argued that India has raised the matter of safe and secure passage for Afghans with the international community on numerous occasions.

The UNSC Resolution 2593 also calls for safety and security of minorities in Afghanistan and their safe passage out from that country without any impediments. (India New Network)

ALSO READ-Top Qataris Arrive in Kabul to Meet Akhund

READ MORE-Veiled Afghan Women Stage Pro-Taliban Rally in Kabul

Categories
India News Karnataka Maharashtra

Around 3K Covid patients go ‘missing’ in Bengaluru

He added that the state had to rope in police as they have required expertise to track switched off mobile phones…reports Asian Lite News.

Grappling with an unprecedented spike in Covid cases, Karnataka is facing another challenge, of tracking and tracing of anywhere between 2,000 to 3,000 Covid positive patients who have “gone missing”, state Revenue Minister, R. Ashoka revealed on Wednesday.

After his meeting with various department heads here, Ashoka, who is also Vice Chairman of the Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority, told reporters that he has already directed the state police to track and trace these missing Covid patients.

“At least 2,000 to 3,000 people in Bengaluru have gone of our radar by switching off their phones and left their houses. We don’t know where they have gone,” he admitted.

Bengaluru has become epicenter of the viral spread ever since the pandemic broke out, often contributing a minimum of 50 percent to the state’s overall tally of Covid patients, fatalities, and nearly two-thirds of patients in ICUs.

“With most of these patients switching off their mobile phones, the Health Department is not able to trace them and most of them are also not available at their given addresses, it is construed as they have ‘missing’. Certainly, there is a potential threat for these missing patients. These patients can turn out to be super-spreaders,” Ashoka warned.

He added that the state had to rope in police as they have required expertise to track switched off mobile phones.

The minister added that the state government was giving free medicines to people, which can control 90 per cent of cases, but these Covid-19 infected people have switched off their mobile phones.

“Some them reach hospitals at a critical stage and desperately look for Intensive Care Unit beds. This is what is contributing more to the already existing confusion,” he said.

(Photo Credits: Bangla Sahib Gurudwara Management

Ashoka appealed to those who have tested positive for the viral disease to keep their cell phones on so that the official responsible for contact tracing and follow-ups could reach them.

“I pray to them with folded hands that Covid-19 cases will only increase due to this. It is wrong when you try for ICU beds at the last moment,” the minister said.

The Karnataka government had recently increased its contact tracing activity after it was found that the officials in Bengaluru and other districts were tracing only four contacts per infected person, while the guidelines mandate tracing at least 20 contacts.

Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan inspecting the addition of 500 Oxygenated Beds at the Sardar Patel COVID Care Centre & Hospital, in Chhatar (PIB)

Health Minister K. Sudhakar said Bengaluru had been the victim of this problem ever since the pandemic broke out.

“In my more than one year’s experience of handling this pandemic, it is observed at least 20 percent of the patients do not respond to our phone calls. Though in most of the cases, police track them down in their own way there are some of them who migrate to other states and take this disease with theme there too,” he told reporters at a separate press conference.

Also Read-Highly infectious Covid-19 strain detected in Sri Lanka

Read More-India Struggles To Stem The Covid Tsunami