March 29, 2017

ALERT: Washington DC- Shots Fired Near Capitol, Suspect in Custody

This morning, a driver near the U.S. Capitol nearly struck police officers. Shots were fired and a suspect has been arrested.

According to ABC News:

Shots were fired this morning near the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.

U.S. Capitol Police responded to the area at Washington Ave and Independence Ave, which is located near the U.S. Botanic Garden and the Rayburn House Office Building.

The suspect apparently struck a Capitol Police cruiser and then tried running over several officers who were on foot, according to Metro DC Police. At one point Capitol Police fired shots, but no one was hit.

The suspect was apprehended at 3rd and Independence Ave, and has been taken into custody.

No one was hit by the suspect’s car, police said.

The FBI said it would assist Capitol Police at the scene. There is no clear indication of a motive, or if this was an intentional act, according to the FBI. Later today police will hold a press conference at Bartholdi Park.

As of now, the two blocks closest to the incident are closed to foot traffic and officers are sending people and bikes around the Botanical Garden. The Rayburn House Office Building has reopened and tourists are continuing to move around.

Please contact the PR Team if you have any questions or concerns: TravelLeadersGroupPR@TravelLeaders.com.

March 28, 2017

ALERT: Australia- Cyclone Debbie Causes Destruction Near Tourist Area

Cyclone Debbie has caused a wide swath of destruction in northeast Australia. Although major cities have been spared, the area affected is popular with tourists due to its proximity to the Great Barrier Reef.

According to The Mercury News:

“Cyclone Debbie made landfall near Airlie Beach, a tourist resort and gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, at midday with wind gusts up to 162 mph, according to the Bureau of Meteorology. Airlines canceled flights, as emergency services braced for flooding and destruction.”

USA Today reports:

“The storm was the equivalent of a Category 4 when it pushed ashore, the Weather Channel said.

The population of Queensland, a state in northeastern Australia, is about 4.6 million. The capital is Brisbane, Australia’s third-largest city. The storm hit about 560 miles northwest of Brisbane.”

Tourists were likely to be affected, said the BBC:

“It made landfall at close to its peak intensity, Dr Jeffrey D Kepert, head of the Bureau of Meteorology’s High Impact Weather Research told the BBC. Crucially, it is also very slow-moving. That ‘can be more damaging because the duration of strong winds is longer. As structures experience a longer battering, things like metal fatigue set in, leading to more damage. Also, more of the rain falls in the same area rather than being spread out, leading to a greater flood risk’.

Fortunately Debbie looks likely to head between two cities so ‘the destruction is likely to be somewhat less than feared’. And while tourists are less able to evacuate from the resorts that have been hit more directly, their hotels are ‘likely to have higher foundations’ and be built more solidly than many ordinary homes near the coast.”

Please contact the PR Team if you have any questions or concerns: TravelLeadersGroupPR@TravelLeaders.com.

March 27, 2017

ALERT: Hong Kong- Escalator Accident at Langham Place Injuries 18

After an escalator at Hong Kong’s Langham Place reversed direction and increased speed, at least 18 were injured. Langham Place, which includes a shopping mall, is the former home of the Langham Hotel in Hong Kong; however, after the Langham Hotel moved to a site nearly 3 kilometers away from Langham Place, the former property was reflagged as the Cordis.

According to ABC News:

At least 18 people were injured when an escalator at a shopping mall of Hong Kong’s Langham Place suddenly reversed direction and increased speed.

Video footage shot by witnesses showed that an upwards escalator on Saturday suddenly reversed and went downward at a higher speed, leading to dozens of passengers losing their balance and tumbling down to the ground. Local media outlet Radio Television Hong Kong quoted an injured passenger as saying that the escalator was going “twice as fast.”

Several ambulances rushed to the scene and took the injured to nearby hospitals. A man who suffered a head injury was in serious condition, according to police.

RTHK quoted an expert in escalator maintenance of Hong Kong’s Vocational Training Center as saying that this kind of accident rarely happens in Hong Kong and may be attributed to the malfunction of the escalator’s anti-reversal gear and auxiliary safety gear.

A spokeswoman of the shopping mall Mong Kok and a director of the mall’s property management company said the escalator has been in service for years with a fine record of operation. It passed a recent inspection on March 23, showing no signs of mechanical defects or falling short of safety standards. The contractor for maintaining the escalator, the Otis Elevator Company, has been asked to investigate the cause of the accident.

“We are urging the Otis Elevator Company to thoroughly probe into the accident, in concerted effort with the police, the fire department and other government sectors,” said Mr. Chao, general manager of Hong Kong’s Langham Place, Great Eagle Holdings Limited.

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March 25, 2017

ALERT: Las Vegas- Shooting Outside Cosmopolitan Leaves One Dead

A shooting outside of Las Vegas’ Cosmopolitan Hotel has left one two people shot and one person dead. A suspect is reportedly barricaded on a bus. No information suggests that this incident is related to the burglary at the Bellagio according to Las Vegas Police.

According to the Las Vegas Review Journal:

Las Vegas Boulevard between Flamingo Road and Harmon Avenue remained closed early Saturday afternoon because of a deadly bus shooting in front of The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.

Two people were shot and one died after a shooting on a Regional Transit Commission bus late Saturday morning. Police responded to the call of a shooting at 10:48 a.m. at 3708 Las Vegas Blvd. South near Harmon Avenue.

Las Vegas Metropolitan police department spokesman Officer Larry Hadfield told reporters at 1 p.m. that two people had been shot on the RTC bus and had been taken to University Medical Center, where one died. The second person’s condition is unknown, Hadfield said.

Hadfield emphasized nobody fired shots inside any of the nearby casinos.

“We believe we have the suspect on the bus,” Hadfield said. SWAT, hostage and crisis negotiators were on the scene, he added.

When asked whether any passengers were still on the bus, Hadfield briefly paused and said detectives still were conducting interviews.

Officers went through nearby hotels, Hadfield said, “to ensure that the incident did not spill outside of the actual scene.”

There was a loud bang doing near the scene about 1:45 p.m. It was unclear what caused the bang.

Hadfield said there is no “credible information” that there is a second suspect and there was no “active shooter” situation at any casino.

Strip traffic is shut down north and south because of the incident and traffic access from Harmon Avenue is limited from west to east, Hadfield said.

He said police have no motive for the shooting.

MGM Resorts issued a statement at 2:15 p.m. that pedestrian and vehicle traffic were being diverted from the Bellagio main entrance because of the police situation.

Please contact the PR Team if you have any questions or concerns: TravelLeadersGroupPR@TravelLeaders.com.

March 24, 2017

ALERT: Peru- Flooding Continues; State Department Issues Travel Alert 

Severe flooding continues to affect northern Peru, although major tourist sites farther south like Lake Titicaca, Cusco and Machu Picchu have escaped damage. The U.S. Department of State has issued a Travel Alert regarding travel to the regions of Peru impacted by flooding, advising “U.S. citizens should avoid travel to areas under a state of emergency.”

According to Accuweather:

“El Niño-like storms have drenched the nation since December, leading to catastrophic mudslides and flooding. More than 80 people have been killed due to the storms. More than 650,000 citizens have been affected with more than 145,000 properties damaged, local officials reported.”

Deutsche Welle reports:

“The mudslides have caused yet another problem for the people in Lima: together with plastic waste dragged from the shores, the mud has clogged the filters of the Sedapal water company forcing it to disconnect most of the city from supplies. Water is now brought to certain distribution points by trucks, where people line up with buckets and jerrycans to at least cover their basic needs. In the first days following the water cut, the supermarkets quickly ran out of bottled drinking water – a further crisis in what is already an abnormally hot summer for Lima, home to some 10 million inhabitants.”

The Economist notes that the flooding may have far-reaching consequences for the Peruvian economy:

“But the flooding is just the latest problem in Mr [Pedro] Kuczynski’s [President of Peru] in-tray. Last year, the government had forecast growth of 4.8% for 2017. In January it cut that prediction to 3.8% as the scale of a scandal involving Odebrecht, a big Brazilian construction firm, became clear.

Please contact the PR Team if you have any questions or concerns: TravelLeadersGroupPR@TravelLeaders.com.

March 24, 2017

ALERT: New York City- Amtrak Train Derailment at Penn Station

This morning, an incoming NJ TRANSIT train was hit when an Amtrak train leaving Penn Station derailed. It happened around 9 a.m. as Acela Express Train 2151 from Boston was departing Penn on its way to Washington D.C.

CBS New York reports:

Amtrak said the train had “a minor derailment while moving at a slow speed.”

New York City’s Office of Emergency Management said three minor injuries were reported.

Amtrak said there were 248 passengers and crew on board of its train at the time. It said the train was still near the platform and that everyone was able to safely leave the train.

Due to the derailment, NJ Transit MidTown Direct trains were being diverted to the Hoboken Terminal. Tickets will be cross-honored with NJ Transit bus, private carriers and the PATH train.

Please contact the PR Team if you have any questions or concerns: TravelLeadersGroupPR@TravelLeaders.com.

March 23, 2017

ALERT: United Kingdom- “Gun Shots and Explosions” Reported Near Buckingham Palace

One day after the terror incident outside the United Kingdom’s Houses of Parliament in London, a news story indicates that “gun shots and explosions” have been reported after a suspicious package was found near Buckingham Palace.

The Daily Mail reports:

“Gun shots and explosions” have been reported in Westminster after a suspect package was found less than a mile from where the London terror attack unfolded.

Witnesses reported the explosion at 8.30pm tonight and police confirmed that they had found a package near Buckingham Palace.

A Met Police spokesman claimed that no explosion has taken place on Birdcage Walk, near where mourners have gathered for a vigil in Trafalgar Square.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman told MailOnline that officers had been called after a suspect package was found in Birdcage Walk, close to Buckingham Palace.

Paul Abernethy wrote on Twitter: ‘Down in Westminster, just heard what sounded like an explosion. Not sure what happened though. Police said they were dealing w/ new incident.’

A police spokesman said: ‘Officers were called at 7.40pm, he stated.

He said: ‘In this case we are dealing with a suspect package.’

The spokesman said police would not be releasing further information.

Please contact the PR Team if you have any questions or concerns: TravelLeadersGroupPR@TravelLeaders.com.

March 23, 2017

Alert – Belgium: Man Arrested for “Driving at Crowd” in Antwerp

Just one day after the terror incident in London left four dead and another 40 injured, a man has been arrested today in Antwerp after attempting to drive a car into a crowd on the main shopping street at a high speed. There are no reported injuries.

BBC reports:

A man has been arrested in the north Belgian city of Antwerp on suspicion of driving at a crowd, police say. A police spokesman said the vehicle had French number plates and was driven “at high speed” into the Meir, Antwerp’s main shopping street.

“A man in camouflage was taken away,” the spokesman said in a televised news conference in Antwerp. There have been no reports of injuries. Security has been stepped up in the city, he added.

The attack comes a day after a car was driven at high-speed along London’s Westminster Bridge, resulting in the deaths of four people – including the driver – and injuring 40.

It was also the day Belgium marked the first anniversary of the twin bomb attacks in Brussels, that killed 32 people.

Please contact the PR Team if you have any questions or concerns: TravelLeadersGroupPR@TravelLeaders.com.

March 22, 2017

Alert – United Kingdom: At Least Four Dead, 20 Hurt in London Attack (Update 3)

The incident that occurred outside of the United Kingdom’s Houses of Parliament in London that is now being treated as a terrorist attack with four dead and at least 20 other injured. The Houses of Parliament are still on lockdown. The attacker was shot dead by police officers after having hit several pedestrians as he drove across Westminster Bridge.

BBC reports:

Four people, including an armed police officer and a man believed to be the attacker, have died in a terrorist incident near the UK’s Houses of Parliament, Scotland Yard has said. A woman was among several pedestrians struck by a car on Westminster Bridge, before it crashed into railings.

Police said an officer protecting Parliament was stabbed by an attacker, who was shot by police.

At least 20 people were injured, including three other officers.

Acting Deputy Commissioner and head of counter terrorism at the Metropolitan Police, Mark Rowley, said a major terrorist investigation was under way.

He said the attack started shortly before 15:00 GMT when the car was driven over Westminster Bridge, hitting and injuring a number of members of the public – including the three police officers, who were on their way back from a commendation ceremony. Mr Rowley said after the car crashed, a man armed with the knife “continued the attack and tried to enter Parliament”.

Witnesses say there was what appeared to be a warning shout and then the crack of three or four shots before the attacker fell to the floor.

Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood – a former Army officer whose brother died in the Bali terrorist bombing in 2002 – attempted mouth-to-mouth resuscitation of an injured police officer.

Prime Minister Theresa May is to chair a meeting of the government’s emergency Cobra committee later.

Speaking ahead of the meeting, a Downing Street spokesman said: “The thoughts of the PM and the government are with those killed and injured in this appalling incident, and with their families.”

Metropolitan Police Federation chairman Ken Marsh said: “We offer our deepest sympathy to the family of the officer who has died. This incident shows the dangers our colleagues face on a daily basis.”

Cazeneuve said three French school pupils were among the injured and offered “solidarity with our British friends, and full support” for the wounded students and their families.

The Port of London Authority said a woman has been pulled alive from the River Thames near the bridge and was being treated for serious injuries.

Please contact the PR Team if you have any questions or concerns: TravelLeadersGroupPR@TravelLeaders.com.

March 22, 2017

Alert – United Kingdom: London Incident Treated as Terrorist Attack (Update 2)

The incident that occurred outside of the United Kingdom’s Houses of Parliament in London is now being treated as a terrorist attack. One woman has died in the attack and a police officer was stabbed. The attacker has been shot by police officers after having hit several pedestrians as he drove across Westminster Bridge.

BBC reports:

A woman has died and a police officer has been stabbed in the Houses of Parliament in London, in what police are treating as a terrorist incident.

The attacker, who was shot by police officers, is reported to have earlier mowed down several pedestrians as he drove a car across Westminster Bridge. He crashed it into railings before running into the Palace of Westminster and stabbing the officer.

A Downing Street source said Prime Minister Theresa May was safe. Prime Minister Theresa May was seen being ushered into a silver Jaguar car as what sounded like gunfire rang out at Parliament during the incident.

MPs said they had heard three or four gunshots and staff inside Parliament were told to stay inside their offices. Commons Leader David Lidington told MPs the “alleged assailant was shot by armed police”.

Tom Peck, political editor for the Independent, tweeted: “There was a loud bang. Screams. Commotion. Then the sound of gunshots. Armed police everywhere.”

Woodcock witnessed the scenes unfolding from his office window overlooking New Palace Yard. “I heard shouts and screams from outside and looked out, and there was a group of maybe 40 or 50 people running round the corner from Bridge Street into Parliament Square. They appeared to be running away from something.

“As the group arrived at the Carriage Gates, where policemen are posted at the security entrance, a man suddenly ran out of the crowd and into the yard. He seemed to be holding up a long kitchen knife. I heard what sounded like shots – I think about three of them – and then the next thing I knew there were two people lying on the ground and others running to help them. Armed police were quickly on the scene and I heard them shouting to people to get out of the yard.”

‘Mowed down’

An eye witness, Radoslaw Sikorski, a senior fellow at Harvard’s Centre for European Studies, posted a video to Twitter showing people lying injured in the road on Westminster Bridge. He wrote: “A car on Westminster Bridge has just mowed down at least 5 people.”

Scotland Yard said it was called to a firearms incident on Westminster Bridge amid reports of several people injured.

Transport for London said Westminster underground station has been shut at the police’s request, and buses diverted.

Mr Lidington said: “It seems that a police officer has been stabbed, that the alleged assailant was shot by armed police.

“An air ambulance is currently attending the scene to remove the casualties.

“There are also reports of further violent incidents in the vicinity of the Palace of Westminster but I hope colleagues on all sides will appreciate that it’d be wrong of me to go into further details until we have confirmation from the police and from the House security authorities about what is going on.”