RSOE EDIS Event Report

Boat Accident India ocean - Comoros

Two adults and three children died while 15 people were missing after a boat sank off the French overseas department of Mayotte, the government said Sunday.The fishing boat was carrying 43 people from the nearby independent nation of the Comoros, the overseas ministry said in a statement. “The provisional toll is 19 people survived, 15 were missing and five bodies were found, including those of three children,” it said. One of the children was a baby.The statement said the accident occurred late Saturday afternoon, and that some survivors were rescued by a hotel dive club on the Indian Ocean island, whose people are some 10 times wealthier than Comoran islanders.The ministry has activated a maritime safety plan, and “the necessary aerial and nautical means are in place and will remain for as long as needed,” the statement said. A helicopter and a Zodiac were searching for the other survivors, it said.The archipelago of the Comoros voted to become independent from France in 1975, while the Mayotte islanders opted to remain under French rule.

Plane Accident - Europe - Bosnia and Herzegovina

Police say five people were killed when a small sports plane crashed in Bosnia's northwest.Mirna Soja, a spokesperson for Banja Luka police, told the AP on Sunday that the Cesna plane burst into flames on landing, killing the two pilots and three skydivers aboard.No further information was available.

Flood - Asia - Afghanistan

Flood waters ravaged a provincial capital in northern Afghanistan, killing at least 19 people and destroying hundreds of homes, officials said Sunday.About 60 other people were missing and rescuers were looking for them across Sar-e-Pul, the capital of a province with the same name, said Sayed Faizullah Sadat, the national disaster director in the area.Northern Afghanistan gets hit nearly every spring by flash flooding from heavy rains and snow melting off the mountains.
Sadat said 1,000 houses were destroyed and 10,000 people were forced to find shelter in mosques, schools and a teacher-training center."Most of these families have lost their houses — all their property, their livelihoods," he said.
According to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance, the water rose to 1.5 meters on Saturday during the peak of the flooding.The office said four humanitarian assessment teams tried to get to the city on Saturday, but could not access the area."Most of the roads are blocked by the flooding," said Sayed Jahangir, deputy provincial police chief. "Hundreds of houses have been destroyed. We were able to move people to different places that we think will be safe."The Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority reported that several hundred people were rescued from rooftops.Flash flooding also has been reported in northern Takhar province.Mustafa Rasouli, a spokesman for the province, said heavy rains continued Sunday in the area where flash flooding killed two people. He said 3,000 animals, including sheep and cows also were killed, and about 1,000 hectares of farm land had been destroyed in the provincial capital of Taloqan and six other districts."Two thousand houses have been partially or completely destroyed," he said.


Vehicle Accident - Europe - France

A car competing in a road race in southern France crashed into a crowd Saturday, killing at least two people and badly injuring about 15, including several children, firefighters said.The accident occurred about 4:30 p.m. local time when a car competing in the 14th annual Maures regional rally veered off the road at Plan-de-la-Tour in the Var department on the Mediterranean coast.Among the injured, four people — including two youths ages 12 and 17 — were in critical condition. Another victim was 9 years old."The toll could worsen," Stanislas Cazelles, an official from the Draguignan commune, told reporters.He added that the second day of the rally was canceled, "given the gravity of the situation."
Danielle Drouy-Ayral, the public prosecutor in Draguignan, said an official from her office was overseeing an investigation.She added that a race marshal also was among the victims.According to initial reports, it appears the driver, whose identity has not been released, made a mistake at an intersection where he was supposed to turn right, but instead drove straight ahead, crashing into the spectators."The priority is to find out the causes of this accident. The vehicle will be examined. The driver of the vehicle, who is in shock, has been hospitalized and placed in custody, and the co-driver will be heard," said Julien Ficara, a prosecutor.Investigators have begun collecting photos and footage from spectators in order to determine the circumstances of the accident.Minister for Youth and Sports Valerie Fourneyron said in a statement the accident poses "a serious question of public security during automobile events."With the interior minister we want to meet the concerned people as soon as possible, in order to take necessary measures quickly," she said.


Boat Accident - North-America - USA

Four persons are missing after two boats collided shortly after midnight Saturday on the Mississippi River, said fire department officials in Burlington, Iowa.One boat was carrying 11 people and the other only one, Battalion Chief Ken Morris of the Burlington Fire Department told CNN.At least three persons were injured, and one of them was flown to Iowa City because of serious injuries, Morris said.Authorities received a call at 2:30 a.m. ET Saturday, and the investigation is ongoing, Morris said.

Heat Wave - Asia - India

At least four people have died in a heat wave sweeping Odisha, with maximum temperature in many places crossing 46 degrees Celsius, an official said Saturday.Authorities in Bolangir, Angul, Jajpur and Subarnapur districts have confirmed one death each, an official of the state's disaster management department told IANS.While three deaths occurred this month, one person died in April.Titilagarh town, about 400 km from here, Friday recorded a maximum temperature of 46.5 degrees Celsius, the highest for the day in the state this season. Several other places recorded 40-45 degree Celsius.

- RSOE Edis