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18 bodies pulled out from Potomac River after Washington plane crash

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Washington, Jan 30: A mid-air collision over the Potomac River near Washington’s Reagan National Airport has claimed at least 18 lives, as rescue teams continue to search for survivors, according to local media reports.

The crash involved American Airlines Flight 5342 and a Black Hawk military helicopter.

The military helicopter was carrying three soldiers when it collided with the regional passenger jet, which had 60 passengers and four crew members on board while approaching the airport for landing.

No survivors have been found so far, CNN reported.

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed that the collision occurred around 9 p.m. local time on Wednesday.

As a result, all takeoffs and landings at the airport were temporarily halted while emergency teams worked at the crash site.

The Pentagon and the Army are investigating the crash, said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

He wrote that the investigation was “launched immediately.”

“Absolutely tragic. Search and rescue efforts still ongoing. Prayers for all impacted souls, and their families,” Hegseth added.

President Donald Trump issued a statement expressing his concern over the tragic accident.

“I have been fully briefed on the terrible accident which just took place at Reagan National Airport. May God bless their souls. Thank you for the incredible work being done by our first responders. I am monitoring the situation and will provide more details as they arise,” the statement read.

Meanwhile, Texas Senator Ted Cruz acknowledged that the crash resulted in multiple fatalities.

“I am closely monitoring the situation at DCA, and I will receive a briefing from the FAA tomorrow. While we don’t yet know how many on board were lost, we know there are fatalities. Please join Heidi and me in praying for all involved as the search and rescue is underway,” he posted on X.

The FAA confirmed that a PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet, operating as Flight 5342 for American Airlines, was on approach to Runway 33 when it collided midair with a Sikorsky H-60 Black Hawk helicopter. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will lead the investigation into the cause of the accident.

Emergency response teams, including the Metropolitan Police Department and the District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department, were deployed swiftly to conduct search and rescue operations. Boats are actively scanning the Potomac River, searching for potential survivors.

In response to the crash, the Reagan National Airport posted an update on X: “All takeoffs and landings have been halted at DCA. Emergency personnel are responding to an aircraft incident on the airfield. The terminal remains open. Will update.”

Kansas Senator Jerry Moran also reacted to the incident, noting that the passenger plane had departed from Wichita, Kansas. “Learning that a plane inbound from Kansas was involved in a crash at DCA. I am in contact with authorities. Please join me in praying for all involved,” he posted on X.

Authorities have urged the public to avoid the area to allow emergency personnel to carry out their duties effectively. Multiple agencies are working together in a coordinated effort to manage the crisis and provide assistance.

Rescue operations are ongoing, and further updates are awaited.

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South Korea’s fire agency issues emergency response order over mountain fire

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Seoul, April 28: South Korea’s National Fire Agency (NFA) issued an emergency response order Monday to mobilise available national personnel and equipment to put out a fire spreading in the southeastern city of Daegu, officials said.

The NFA issued the order about two hours after the blaze began around 2 p.m. on Mount Hamji in the city, some 230 kilometres southeast of Seoul, and was spreading toward nearby villages.

Under the emergency order, the fire authorities have mobilised 28 additional fire engines to aid efforts to extinguish the blaze on top of 67 fire engines and 29 fire helicopters that had already been in operation, according to the officials.

No casualties have been reported so far, but nearby residents have been instructed to evacuate to local elementary schools, reports Yonhap news agency.

Acting President Han Duck-soo also ordered related authorities to “use all available equipment and personnel” to extinguish the fire and help people evacuate to safety.

“As the wildfire is spreading rapidly due to strong winds and there are residential areas nearby, make sure to take all necessary measures for emergency rescue and evacuation to prevent any loss of life,” he said.

The Korea Forest Service also issued a Level 3 wildfire response, the highest in its three-tier scale, as strong winds continued to spread the flames.

A Level 3 response is issued when wind speeds exceed 7 metres per second, the expected damage area is over 100 hectares and firefighting efforts are expected to last over 24 hours.

As of 6 p.m., some 57 hectares of land had been affected by the fire, with the containment rate remaining at 14.5 per cent, according to fire authorities.

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US: Three killed in severe storms in Oklahoma

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Houston, April 21: Three people were killed as heavy storms hit the central US state of Oklahoma over the weekend, authorities said.

A 12-year-old boy and his mother died in Moore, about 10 miles (about 16 km) south of Oklahoma City, on Sunday after floodwaters washed away their vehicle, said local police.

“This was a historical weather event that impacted roads and resulted in dozens of high-water incidents across the city,” Moore police said in a statement.

Another person was killed on Saturday night after a tornado hit Spaulding, a town in Hughes County, the county wrote on Facebook, Xinhua news agency reported.

Several homes and structures were destroyed, and there were “numerous washouts” of county roads, it said.

On April 20, the National Weather Service issued multiple tornado warnings across several states, including Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas, Illinois, Missouri, and Louisiana. According to AccuWeather, regions of Missouri, Arkansas, and Illinois faced a high risk of severe thunderstorms.

The Storm Prediction Centre warned that strong, damaging winds, hail, and thunderstorms were likely to persist throughout the night. Severe weather was expected to continue across parts of Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas, extending into the Ozark Mountains and the mid-Mississippi Valley.

By late evening, local news outlets in Arkansas and Montana confirmed at least two tornado touchdowns. In Illinois, the National Weather Service issued alerts for severe storms capable of producing tornadoes.

Around 9 p.m. local time, a tornado was detected east of East Moline, a city in northwestern Illinois that’s part of the Quad Cities. At the time, no injuries or damages were reported.

Looking ahead, forecasters predicted ongoing showers and thunderstorms along and ahead of a front stretching from the Great Lakes down through the Tennessee and Lower Mississippi Valleys to the Gulf Coast on Monday. While heavy rainfall could lead to flooding, the severe weather threat was expected to diminish throughout the day.

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Strong 5.8 magnitude earthquake in Afghanistan; tremors felt in Delhi-NCR, J&K

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New Delhi, April 19: A powerful earthquake measuring 5.8 on the Richter scale struck Afghanistan on Saturday afternoon at 12:17 pm IST, as reported by the National Center for Seismology (NCS).

The quake’s epicentre was located at 36.10 degrees North latitude and 71.20 degrees East longitude, with a depth of 130 kilometres. Tremors from the earthquake were felt across several northern regions of India, including Jammu & Kashmir and the Delhi-NCR area.

While there have been no immediate reports of damage or injuries, authorities are keeping a close watch on the situation.

The NCS confirmed the seismic activity via a post on social media platform X.

“EQ of M: 5.8, On: 19/04/2025 12:17:53 IST, Lat: 36.10 N, Long: 71.20 E, Depth: 130 Km, Location: Afghanistan,” NCS said in a post on X.

This event follows a similar tremor that occurred earlier in the week. On Wednesday, a 5.6 magnitude earthquake was recorded in Afghanistan, with its epicentre approximately 164 km east of Baghlan.

The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) initially reported the quake as 6.4 in magnitude but later revised it to 5.6.

In a related development, the Kishtwar region of Jammu & Kashmir also experienced a mild earthquake measuring 2.4 on the Richter scale on Wednesday morning around 5:14 AM IST.

The tremor occurred at a shallow depth of 5 kilometres.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) highlights that Afghanistan is extremely susceptible to natural hazards such as earthquakes, landslides, and seasonal floods.

UNOCHA also pointed out that the frequent seismic activity in the region severely impacts already fragile communities, which have endured years of conflict and underdevelopment.

These conditions have significantly weakened their capacity to handle multiple crises at once. According to the Red Cross, Afghanistan has a long history of experiencing powerful earthquakes, especially in the Hindu Kush region, which is known for its intense geological activity and frequent tremors.

The country lies along several major fault lines where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates meet. One of these fault lines passes directly through Herat, increasing the area’s risk of seismic events.

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