Alert: New York – United Airlines Plane Collides with Truck on Tarmac; No Injuries (January 20, 2017)

Yesterday, United Airlines Flight 1561 from New York LaGuardia to Denver hit a fuel truck was still on the tarmac. While there was some minor damage to the plane, there were no injuries.

According to CNN:

A United Airlines flight set to depart from New York to Denver early Thursday morning hit a fuel truck on the tarmac at LaGuardia Airport, according to a United spokesman. It was the second collision of the week.

Flight 1561 was moving back “very slowly” from the gate when it hit the truck, the spokesman, Jonathan Guerin said. Just the tip of the plane’s winglet collided, causing very minor damage and no injuries, Guerin said.

The plane, a Boeing 737-800, returned to the gate where the passengers were taken off safely and put on another aircraft, Geurin said. They arrived in Denver about 90 minutes late, according to online flight tracker flightaware.com.

On Tuesday, an American Airlines plane hit the right wingtip of a Republic aircraft while pushing back from the terminal gate, the FAA said. There were also no injuries in that collision and the passengers on the American flight made it to Miami safely on a new aircraft, airline spokesman Ross Feinstein said.

January 20, 2017

ALERT: Austrailia – 4 Killed in Central Melbourne Shopping District as Car Strikes Pedestrians

Earlier today, a car ran into pedestrians along Melbourne, Australia’s Bourke Street in its Central Business District, killing four and wounding dozens more. Police say they “were not considering the incident an act of terrorism” and was linked to an earlier stabbing in Melbourne’s south side.

According to ABC News Australia:

A young child is among four people who are dead after a car was deliberately driven into pedestrians in Melbourne’s Bourke Street Mall, police say.

Key points:

 Police say driver was linked to an earlier stabbing in the city’s south

 Children are among the at least 24 people injured

 Police say incident was not terror related

It is believed 26-year-old Dimitrious Gargasoulas, also known as James, was the driver. Police have not confirmed his identity. Police said they shot the suspect before he was arrested on Bourke St. He is under police guard in hospital. They said he had been linked to an early morning stabbing in the city’s south.

A man and a woman, both in their 30s, and the child,were killed in different locations along Bourke St, Police Commissioner Graham Ashton said.

Police announced that a fourth person had died later in the evening.

Police said more than 20 people were injured. Up to five are understood to be in a critical condition.

The injured were taken to The Alfred, St Vincent’s, Royal Melbourne and Royal Children’s hospitals. A three-month-old is being operated on after being rushed to the hospital in a police car and a two-year-old is in intensive care.

Commissioner Ashton said at 1:45pm the vehicle entered the city driving erratically and did “burnouts” on the corner of Swanston and Flinders streets. “The vehicle proceeded up Swanston Street, then turned left into Bourke Street and entered the mall,” he said. “We suspect that [the driver was] intentionally hitting pedestrians. Travelling at speed right through the mall. It has then continued along Bourke Street, continuing over the intersection of Elizabeth Street and it has made its way up to approximately 501, or thereabouts outside the RACV Club in Bourke Street. At that time, police intercepted the vehicle, as I understand it, they rammed the vehicle.”

Police said they believed the man was involved in a stabbing at 2:15am in Windsor, where he allegedly attacked his brother.

Commissioner Ashton said the suspect was known to police and was also charged over an incident last weekend.

January 19, 2017

Alert – Italy: Up to 30 Missing as Avalanche Hits Hotel Rigopiano near Farindola

An avalanche has hit a central Italy hotel – Rigopiano Hotel, a four-star spa hotel close to Gran Sasso Mountain in the Abruzzo region – partly collapsing its roof. Up to 30 people are missing and one has died. The region was struck by a series of earthquakes on Wednesday.

According to BBC:

Rescuers say up to 30 people are missing after a hotel in central Italy was hit by an avalanche, apparently triggered by an earthquake. Rescuers battled overnight to reach the Rigopiano hotel, with the first of them arriving on skis. Snow dislodged by the avalanche had blocked the roads in.

One person has been pulled dead from the snow. At least three came out alive but most others appear still buried. One official said there were “many dead” in the hotel.

The mountainous region of Central Italy was hit by a succession of four earthquakes on Wednesday and further tremors were reported overnight. The quakes have compounded problems resulting from recent storms, which have brought down power lines and cut off villages.

Rescue operations are under way in other parts of the region as well.

The roof on the four-star spa hotel, close to the Gran Sasso mountain in the Abruzzo region, partly collapsed on Wednesday night. Rescuers said at least 20 tourists and seven staff were inside at the time, among them children.

Italian media reported that some guests at the hotel had been able to send text messages after they were trapped. “Help, we’re dying of cold,” Ansa news agency quoted one couple as saying. Two people were found alive outside the damaged building, which was surrounded by fallen trees. They were taken to hospital, one suffering from hypothermia.

A snowstorm and blocked routes have made access to the hotel difficult. Vehicles struggled to get through the snow, and some rescuers eventually resorted to skis.

Italian media said the first rescuers only reached the hotel on skis at 04:00 local time (03:00 GMT) on Thursday.

The civil protection agency said it was now trying to get rescue vehicles to the hotel. The first victim, a man, was pulled out at about 09:30, Corriere della Sera newspaper reported.

Speaking at midday GMT, Italian Red Cross spokesman Tomaso Della Longa told the BBC he had heard that “in the last few minutes one or two persons have been found alive”.

The situation was changing “minute by minute” and there was still hope of finding more survivors, he added.

Wednesday’s quakes came after the regions of Abruzzo, Marche and Lazio were hit by days of heavy snow. One person in the area died on Wednesday and another was reported missing.

The same region was hit by an earthquake on 24 August, when 298 people died. Another earthquake in October killed no-one, as most of the population centres had been evacuated.

Since then, the region has been hit by cold weather and snowstorms.

January 18, 2017

Alert – Italy: Three Earthquakes Strike Central Italy

A trio of earthquakes has struck central Italy in the same region devastated by last August’s deadly earthquake that killed 300. The earthquake was felt in Rome, where its underground was closed as a precaution.

According to BBC:

Central Italy has been struck by a series of earthquakes, as the region shivers in freezing temperatures.

The biggest 5.7-magnitude quake struck at 10:14 local time (09:14 GMT), with others before and after. They hit an area devastated by quakes in August.

Shockwaves were felt in Rome, 100km (60 miles) to the south-west.

Almost 300 people died in the region around Amatrice last year. But Italy’s PM Paolo Gentiloni said this time it seemed there were no deaths.

Nonetheless, he said in Berlin after a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, it was a “difficult day”, reported AP news agency.

The latest tremors mainly affected three neighbouring regions – Abruzzo, Lazio and Marche.

Two quakes of more than magnitude 5 hit within an hour of the first, and seismic organisations have recorded strong aftershocks since in the epicentre area some 10km south of Amatrice.

They follow some 36 hours of steady snowfall in mountainous areas around Amatrice and Norcia, which is said to be hampering emergency services’ attempts to reach affected areas. In some areas, avalanche warnings have been issued.

Schools that were not already closed in the worst-hit areas were evacuated. Rome’s underground system was shut as a safety precaution.

January 17, 2017

Alert – Shooting and Code Red in Cancun, Mexico

Following an early Monday morning shooting in Playa del Carmen, there has been a shooting in Cancun, Mexico.

The shooting took place four miles from the hotel and resort areas, prompting a “Code Red” alert. At least one news report states that authorities have set up three checkpoints near the tourist zone.

A Security Message from the U.S. Consulate states:

The U.S. Consulate General Merida informs U.S. citizens of gunfire exchanges in various locations in downtown Cancun January 17, 2017. Local authorities activated a “Code Red” alert and urged residents to shelter in place. The U.S. Consulate urges all U.S. citizens to follow local authorities’ warnings and directives and consult with their hotels before leaving the premises.

Currently no reports of shootings have happened in the Cancun Hotel Zone. However, there are reports that access to the Hotel Zone may be controlled by authorities as a security precaution.

Global news agency AFP reports:

Mexico’s Mayan Riviera was rocked by another shootout as gunmen attacked the prosecutor’s office, leaving four people dead, a day after five died in a nightclub shooting.

Three gunmen and a police officer died as the Quintana Roo state prosecutor’s office in Cancun came under fire in broad daylight and police shot back, Governor Carlos Joaquin Gonzalez said.

Five other assailants were detained, Gonzalez said, urging the federal government to send reinforcements.

The gunfight caused panic in the Caribbean coast city, a day after three foreigners and two Mexicans died in a shooting at an electronic music festival in the nearby seaside resort of Playa del Carmen.

While it was not known whether the two shootings were linked, the back-to-back attacks broke the peace in a region that is popular among American, Canadian and European tourists and has avoided the sort of drug-related violence that has plagued other parts of Mexico.

State security chief Rodolfo del Angel said in a video message on Twitter that authorities activated “code red” after the shooting — a security protocol combining state and federal police and the army — but he insisted that the situation was under control.

The clash took place seven kilometers (four miles) away from the hotel area. Local media said authorities set up three checkpoints near the tourist zone.

“At the moment the state is peaceful, the citizens can remain calm, Cancun is doing well at this moment,” he said.

The motive for the attack was not immediately known.

The US Consulate in Merida issued a security message urging Americans to “follow local authorities’ warnings and consult with their hotels before leaving the premises.”

January 16, 2017

ALERT: Shooting in Playa del Carmen, Mexico

A shooting took place in the Mexican resort area of Playa del Carmen, last night, that killed several people. One news report states that “Several Americans were reportedly among the victims.”

According to the Associated Press:

A Mexican police officer said Monday a gunman has killed at least five people and wounded nine others at a nightclub in the Caribbean coast resort of Playa del Carmen.

The shooting occurred outside the Blue Parrot nightclub, which was hosting an event that was part of the BPM electronic music festival.

The BPM Festival posted a statement saying four people had been killed and 12 injured.

The statement said the attack involved “a lone shooter.”

BPM wrote that “the violence began on 12th street in front of the club and three members of the BPM security team were among those whose lives were lost while trying to protect patrons inside the venue.”

The Blue Parrot is one of the venues at the 10-day festival in Playa del Carmen, a tourist destination that has largely been spared the violence that has hit other parts of Mexico.

Fox News is reporting:

At least five people were killed early Monday in a shooting at a nightclub in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, a popular beach resort near Cancun, where a music festival was being held.

Twelve people were injured, according to local media reports.

The shooting unfolded at around 3 a.m. as club-goers waited in line to get into the BPM Festival’s closing party at the Blue Parrot.

Several Americans were reportedly among the victims. The festival, an annual 10-day and night electronic music festival, is popular with foreign tourists, especially from the United States and the United Kingdom.

Alert – Strikes Impacting London’s Underground and British Airways (January 8, 2017)

Striking workers will cause travel issues for individuals taking the London Tube on Monday, particularly in the city center. In addition, cabin crew members from British Airways will strike for two days, starting on Tuesday.

According to the UK’s Guardian:

Rail, air and London Underground services will be hit by strikes this week, leaving many commuters, particularly those in London and the south-east, facing a difficult start to the first full working week of 2017.

A 24-hour walkout by London Underground staff is expected to cause havoc on Monday by closing tube stations in the centre of the capital. British Airways flights from Heathrow are expected to be disrupted by a strike among cabin crew on Tuesday, and London’s commuters face another round of chaos as drivers on the troubled Southern franchise begin three days of strikes.

The London Underground strike started at 6pm on Sunday, as station staff in the RMT and TSSA unions shut tube stations in the centre of the capital, bringing many evening services to an early end. A limited number of routes in outer boroughs will run on Monday.

All zone one stations are closed, along with all those on the Victoria, and Waterloo and City lines. Transport for London has put on extra buses, but said roads and National Rail services would be much busier than usual, slowing journeys for all commuters.

Thousands of British Airways cabin crew will start a two-day strike on Tuesday over what their union, Unite, describes as poverty pay.

Despite the action, the airline said it would ensure all customers reached their destinations. Some flights from Heathrow had been cancelled or “merged”, with passengers put on alternative departures on the same day as their booked flights. The airline said flights from Gatwick and City airports would not be affected.

The Transport for London website states:

Tube services are severely reduced and some stations are closed from Sunday evening until the end of service on Monday 9 January. This means that the majority of stations in Zone 1 are closed.

 The strike is by station staff, which means many Tube stations may not open at all, particularly in Zone 1

 Those that do open are likely to open after 0700 and close by 1900 on Monday 9 January

 It is only possible for us to run severely restricted underground services

 Other transport services, including buses, DLR and London Overground, are expected to be much busier than usual

 We are running the best service possible with the number of employees available

 Where services are running, we advise customers to complete Tube journeys by 1800 on both Sunday and Monday

 We expect normal services to resume by the morning of Tuesday 10 January

According to the British Airways website:

All British Airways customers will be able to fly to their destinations on Tuesday 10 January and Wednesday 11 January despite proposed industrial action by Unite.

We can confirm that:

 all flights to and from London Gatwick will operate as normal

 all flights to and from London City will operate as normal

 the vast majority of flights to and from London Heathrow will operate as normal

As part of our contingency plan, we will be merging a very small number of flights to and from Heathrow. This will mean some customers will travel slightly earlier or later in the day than their original booking. Customers affected are being contacted with the options available for them.

ALERT: Italy: 4.8 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Central Italy Thursday Morning

Another earthquake struck Thursday morning in central Italy – this time near Marche with a 4.8

magnitude quake. There were no reports of casualties or further serious damage.

According to The Guardian:

A strong earthquake hit the same area of central Italy on Thursday that has

already been battered by a spate of recent tremors, but there were no reports of

casualties or further serious damage.

The US Geological Survey (USGS) initially measured the quake at 5.0 but later

revised it to 4.8. Its epicenter was in the Marche region, one of three areas hit

repeatedly since August.

Nearly 10 hours after the latest quake, there were no reports of casualties,

injuries or serious damage to buildings already weakened by previous tremors.

Earthquakes measuring 5.5 and 6.1 hit the area on 26 October, followed by a 6.6

magnitude quake on Sunday, the biggest tremor to strike Italy for 36 years.

The recent quakes have reshaped more than 230 square miles of land, lowering

areas around the epicentre by up to 70 cm, according to data released by Italy’s

National Institute for Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV).

Central Italy was hit by an initial earthquake on 24 August that killed 300 people,

most of them in the town of Amatrice.

Since then, some 21,600 aftershocks have battered the region, the INGV said,

driving most residents from their homes.

ALERT: New Orleans: Airport Attack From Early Last Year in the News

A 2015 machete attack at New Orleans’ Louis Armstrong International Airport is back in the news

because of a video that has just been released. It would be easy for casual observers to think that the

attack at a TSA checkpoint just occurred when it actually transpired in March of 2015.

According to CNN:

An interminable TSA airport line descended into a horror as a man unleashed

streams of wasp spray onto scrambling travelers and swung a machete at people

before bolting through a security line.

Newly released video — obtained by the New Orleans Advocate — shows the first

moments of the March 2015 attack at the city’s airport which ended with the

shooting of the machete-wielding man. The attacker later died from three bullet

wounds inflicted by a sheriff’s lieutenant. In the video, the man — identified as

Richard White, 63 — is seen at the top of the frame as he calmly walks up to a line

of travelers at a TSA checkpoint at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International

Airport.

He pulls a can of wasp spray from a bag and unleashes streams onto travelers as

people begin to disperse. The man is then seen pulling a machete from his

waistband and swinging its blade at people standing in line. Moments later, the

video shows the man spraying the chemical in the face of a TSA officer before

chasing him through a wobbling metal detector and out of camera range.

White died one day after the attack, following treatment for three bullet wounds

he suffered when a sheriff’s lieutenant fired at him, officials said. Investigators

said he suffered from some type of mental illness.

When White approached the checkpoint, he was carrying a bag that he dropped

as soon as he sprayed travelers as well as a security officer, authorities said at the

time.

In the bag, investigators found Molotov cocktails.

A grill lighter and plastic letter opener were also found in the bag, and next to his

body investigators discovered powdery material and wicks, which they

determined were from crushed smoke bombs. The bomb squad later found more

smoke bombs in his car, and in the trunk were three gas tanks — one for Freon,

one for oxygen and one for acetylene, a compressed gas used in welding and

metal-cutting.

Investigators said the motive for the attack was unclear.

ALERT: Italy: 6.6 Magnitude Earthquake “Tremor” Hits Central Italy Near Norcia

Italy has been rocked by additional earthquakes including a 6.6 magnitude tremor in the nation’s center

near Norcia. At least 20 have been injured, but there are no immediate reports of deaths.

According to CNN:

A powerful 6.6-magnitude earthquake rocked central Italy on Sunday morning,

injuring at least 20 people, in the strongest tremor to hit the country in more

than three decades.

The earthquake follows tremors last week and comes on off the heels of

a devastating quake in August, which killed nearly 300 people and flattened

entire villages.

The town center of Amatrice was badly damaged in August’s quake and was

battered again in Sunday’s temblor.

Sunday’s earthquake struck at a shallow depth of just 10 kilometers, according to

the US Geological Survey, making it more likely to cause damage.

Residents ran onto the streets in a panic as the quake struck at 7:40 a.m. local

time (2:40 a.m. ET) Sunday, and rescuers were seen soon after, helping evacuate

a group of nuns from a church. They worked through aftershocks that hit every

20 minutes or so.

Authorities are hopeful there may be no deaths since many residents in the

region had already been evacuated to emergency camps and hotel rooms paid for

by the government after the August quake and last week’s temblors, and schools

had shut down in anticipation of powerful aftershocks.

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi in Rome thanked rescuers and vowed to

rebuild damaged villages.

“Italy has many faults, but these situations bring out the best of us,” he said,

adding the country would rebuild houses, churches and shops.

“We will rebuild everything. We have the resources to do it.”

Italian civil protection staff pass a collapsed wall Sunday in Norcia after the

quake jolted central Italy. The main road into the worst-affected area has been

blocked at various points, said Curcio, the civil protection chief, and helicopters

were airlifting the injured to the hospital in Foligno, around 30 kilometers to the

northwest. Six aircraft were monitoring the affected regions, he added.

Initial images from Sunday’s quake show devastation to some historical

buildings. Many of these buildings had not been reinforced since two powerful

quakes struck Wednesday. The town center of Amatrice took another battering

Sunday after most of its buildings were seriously damaged in the August quake —

a lone bell tower was seen poking up among the rubble. The much-visited Basilica

of San Benedetto in Norcia was leveled at its core, only its facade still somewhat

intact. Central Italy is a deeply Catholic region.