BODY LOADING
On January 3, bodies from the AirAsia plane crash are unloaded from a helicopter at Iskandar Military Airport in Borneo, Indonesia. AirAsia flight 8501, which carried 162 people, crashed on December 28. — EPA
MISSING CREW
Cargo ship sinks in Vietnam
Hanoi — Two Filipino sailors died and 16 others are missing after their cargo ship sank near Vung Tau City in Vietnam, the Philippine foreign department said on January 4.
The cargo vessel Bulk Jupiter sank near the coast of Vung Tau City. Only one Filipino crewman has been rescued alive, the department said in a statement, without specifying why the ship sank.
Vietnamese authorities are leading the rescue operations and have recovered two bodies and are still searching for the others. About 10 percent of Filipinos work overseas with many working on cargo ships. — AFP
HIGH SECURITY
Security at Indian airports increased
New Delhi — Indian airports have been placed on high alert after an intelligence warning about a possible terrorist attempt to hijack an aircraft.
Security agencies have singled out a number of potentially vulnerable airports, including Kabul’s, after a warning that a Delhi-Kabul flight operated by national carrier Air India might be targeted, officials reported on January 4.
Security has been tightened at airports across the country, and passengers are being subjected to more stringent screenings. The alert comes ahead of the country’s Republic Day and a visit to India by US President Barack Obama on January 26. — DPA
SUDDEN FLOODS
Floodwaters overflow the Kelantan River in Malaysia. Authorities reported on January 2 that numerous houses and cars were destroyed. — EPA
MASSIVE BLAST
Mine collapse kills 11
Islamabad — At least 11 people were killed when a marble mine collapsed during blasting in northwest Pakistan, officials said on January 4.
The accident happened in the Ziarat neighbourhood of Lakaro village in the Mohmand tribal district on January 3. “The mine collapsed when the labourers carried out a blast, and so far we have retrieved 11 dead bodies. Some people might be still trapped inside,” local official Meraj Khan said.
Most mines in Pakistan are notorious for poor safety standards and facilities. Similar deadly accidents have occurred in the past. — AFP
BIG LOSS
36 killed on New Year’s Eve
Shanghai — On January 2, China mourned the 36 victims who were dead from a New Year’s Eve crush on Shanghai’s famed waterfront, as the city government revealed that the victims were mainly young women. The youngest victim was 12 years old.
The incident was Shanghai’s worst since a fire in a high-rise residential building killed 58 people in 2010 and tarnished the commercial hub’s international reputation.
Around 100 people gathered in front of a statue of Shanghai’s first communist mayor Chen Yi near the accident scene, some laying flowers in a government-approved show of mourning. — AFP
ADVANCE WARNING
Bondi Beach closes temporarily
Sydney — Hundreds of swimmers were ordered out of the water and Sydney’s Bondi Beach was briefly closed on January 2 after a shark was spotted.
What New South Wales police said may have been a bull shark was sighted 150 metres from the shore by a police helicopter off the popular eastern suburbs beach.
“We’ve had a lot of fish in the bay, and that’s part of sharks’ general routine. They eat fish, and they’re following the bait ball,” Bondi lifeguard Anthony Carroll said.
A bait ball is a densely packed school of fish that forms when they are threatened by predators. — AFP
EASY NEWS FOR M1-3
FALLING BUILDING
Warehouse collapse kills five
Beijing — A warehouse collapsed. It happened in Harbin city in China. Authorities reported the news on January 4. Five firefighters were killed. Thirteen people were injured. — AP
Exercises
1. In which city is Bondi Beach located?
a. Liverpool.
b. New York.
c. Sydney.
2. How many people were killed in the marble mine collapse in Pakistan?
3. How old was Noppadol Kamnuandej when he died?
Vocabulary
- overfly (v): to fly over a place
tighten (v): to become or make something become tight or tighter
marble (n): a type of hard stone that is usually white and often has coloured lines in it
notorious (n): well known for being bad
tarnish (v): to spoil the good opinion people have of somebody or something
bait (n): food put on a hook to catch fish or in nets, traps, etc. to catch animals or birds
