2024-12-29 00:59

Video shows plane skidding without landing gear before exploding Jeju Air flight was carrying 181 people from Bangkok Two crew members rescued from Boeing 737-800 Deadliest South Korea airline crash since 1997 MUAN COUNTY, South Korea, Dec 30 (Reuters) - The deadliest air accident ever in South Korea killed 179 people on Sunday, when an airliner belly-landed and skidded off the end of the runway, erupting in a fireball as it slammed into a wall at Muan International Airport. Jeju Air (089590.KS) , opens new tab flight 7C2216, arriving from the Thai capital Bangkok with 175 passengers and six crew on board, was trying to land shortly after 9 a.m. (0000 GMT) at the airport in the south of the country, South Korea's transport ministry said. Two crew members survived and were being treated for injuries. The deadliest air accident on South Korean soil was also the worst involving a South Korean airline in nearly three decades, the transport ministry said. The twin-engine Boeing 737-800 was seen in local media video skidding down the runway with no visible landing gear before crashing into navigation equipment and a wall in an explosion of flames and debris. "Only the tail part retains a little bit of shape, and the rest of (the plane) looks almost impossible to recognise," Muan fire chief Lee Jung-hyun told a press briefing. The two crew members, a man and a woman, were rescued from the tail section of the burning plane, Lee said. They were being treated at hospitals with medium to severe injuries, said the head of the local public health centre. Investigators are examining bird strikes and weather conditions as possible factors, Lee said. Yonhap news agency cited airport authorities as saying such a strike may have caused the landing gear to malfunction. The crash was the worst for any South Korean airline since a 1997 Korean Air crash in Guam that killed more than 200 people, transportation ministry data showed. The previous worst on South Korean soil was an Air China crash that killed 129 in 2002. Experts said the bird strike report and the way the aircraft attempted to land raised more questions than answers. "At this point there are a lot more questions than we have answers. Why was the plane going so fast? Why were the flaps not open? Why was the landing gear not down?," said Gregory Alegi, an aviation expert and former teacher at Italy's air force academy. Under global aviation rules, South Korea will lead a civil investigation into the crash and automatically involve the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in the United States where the plane was designed and built. The NTSB said later it was leading a team of U.S. investigators to help South Korea's aviation authority. Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration were also taking part. 'MY LAST WORDS' Hours after the crash, family members gathered in the airport's arrival area, some crying and hugging as Red Cross volunteers handed out blankets. Many victims appeared to be residents of nearby areas returning from vacation, officials said. Family members screamed and wept as a medic announced the names of victims identified by their fingerprints. One relative stood at a microphone to ask for more information from authorities. "My older brother died and I don’t know what’s going on," he said. Mortuary vehicles lined up outside to take bodies away, and authorities said a temporary morgue had been established. A transport ministry official said the control tower had issued a bird strike warning and shortly after the pilots declared mayday and then attempted to land from the opposite direction the plane had come in. A passenger texted a relative to say a bird was stuck in the wing, the News1 agency reported. The person's final message was, "Should I say my last words?" Jeon Je-young, the 71-year-old father of one woman on board, played and replayed a video of the crash. "When I saw the accident video, the plane seemed out of control," said Jeon. "The pilots probably had no choice but to do it. My daughter, who is only in her mid-40s, ended up like this. This is unbelievable," he said. "She was almost home." The Boeing model involved in the crash, a 737-800, is one of the world’s most flown airliners with a generally strong safety record. It was developed well before the MAX variant involved in a recent Boeing safety crisis. The aircraft was manufactured in 2009, the transport ministry said. Boeing said in a emailed statement, "We are in contact with Jeju Air regarding flight 2216 and stand ready to support them. We extend our deepest condolences to the families who lost loved ones, and our thoughts remain with the passengers and crew." The two CFM56-7B26 engines were manufactured by CFM International, a joint venture between GE Aerospace (GE.N) , opens new tab and France's Safran (SAF.PA) , opens new tab, the transport ministry said. A CFM spokesperson said, "We are deeply saddened by the loss of Jeju Air flight 2216. We extend our heartfelt sympathies to the families and loved ones of those on board.” CHALLENGE TO COUNTRY'S NEW INTERIM PRESIDENT Jeju Air CEO Kim E-bae apologised for the accident, bowing deeply during a televised briefing. He said the aircraft had no record of accidents and there were no early signs of malfunction. The airline will cooperate with investigators and make supporting the bereaved its top priority, Kim said. No abnormal conditions were reported when the aircraft left Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport, said Kerati Kijmanawat, president of Airports of Thailand. The passengers included two Thai nationals and the rest are believed to be South Koreans, according to the transportation ministry. It was the first fatal flight for Jeju Air, a low-cost airline founded in 2005 that ranks behind Korean Air Lines (003490.KS) , opens new tab and Asiana Airlines as the country's third largest carrier by passenger numbers. The accident happened only three weeks after Jeju Air started regular flights from Muan to Bangkok and other Asian cities on Dec. 8. Muan International is one of South Korea's smallest airports but it has become much busier in recent years. All domestic and international flights at the airport were cancelled after the accident, Yonhap reported. South Korean acting President Choi Sang-mok, named interim leader of the country on Friday in an ongoing political crisis, arrived at the scene of the accident and said the government was putting all its resources into dealing with the crash. Two Thai women were on the plane, aged 22 and 45, Thai government spokesperson Jirayu Houngsub said. The Thai foreign ministry later confirmed both were among those killed. The embassy in Seoul was coordinating with the South Koreans and arranging for family members to travel from Thailand, the ministry said in a statement. Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra sent condolences to the families of the dead and injured in a post on X, saying she had instructed the foreign ministry to provide assistance. Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/plane-drives-off-runway-crashes-airport-south-korea-yonhap-reports-2024-12-29/

2024-12-29 00:02

Dec 28 (Reuters) - Severe weather disrupted holiday travel on Saturday across the U.S. with deadly tornadoes in the southeast and heavy snow and wind on the west coast, delaying or canceling thousands of flights across the country. More than 7,000 flights in the U.S. were delayed on Saturday, according to the tracking site FlightAware, and more than 200 were canceled. About a third of the flights were delayed at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, according to FlightAware, and nearly half of the flights originating from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston were delayed. At least 10 tornadoes touched down in the southeastern U.S. states of Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi on Saturday, leaving one person dead near Houston, the National Weather Service and local law enforcement said. "Those numbers will probably go up," said forecaster Aaron Gleason, with the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center. The one death and four injuries were reported Saturday in Brazoria County, Texas, about 45 miles south of Houston, according to the Brazoria County Sheriff's Office. Officials say that many homes and schools were severely damaged or destroyed. Images on social media show scattered ruins of homes and snapped trees and utility poles strewn across streets and lawns. Out west, high winds, with gusts up to 150 mph in the high elevations of the Tahoe Basin in California and 50 mph at lower elevations hit the area this weekend and with heavy rainfall expected from San Francisco to Portland, Oregon, forecasters said. Between four to six inches of rain are expected to fall before New Year's Eve and up to 3 feet of snow in Lake Tahoe, forecasters said. “Damaging winds could blow down trees and power lines,” the Weather Service warned. “Widespread power outages are possible.” Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/thousands-flights-delayed-across-us-one-dead-deadly-tornado-storms-hit-holiday-2024-12-29/

2024-12-28 19:15

Russia prepares to halt all gas exports via Ukraine Moldova braces for power cuts Moldovan PM says Russia is using energy as political weapon Russia: Moldova's debt is $709 mln, Moldova says it's $8.6 mln MOSCOW/CHISINAU, Dec 28 (Reuters) - Russian energy giant Gazprom (GAZP.MM) , opens new tab said on Saturday it would suspend gas exports to Moldova from 0500 GMT on Jan. 1 due to unpaid debt by Moldova, which is bracing for severe power cuts. It said the company reserved the right to take any action, including terminating the supply contract with Moldova. Russia supplies Moldova with about 2 billion cubic metres of gas per year, which is piped via Ukraine to the breakaway region of Transdniestria where it is used to generate cheap power that is sold to government-controlled parts of Moldova. Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean condemned the Russian decision, which is a precursor to a total shutdown of Russian gas exports via Ukraine and to Europe, where it flows further to Slovakia, Austria, Hungary and Italy, once a current transit deal with Ukraine expires on Dec. 31. Moldova will be hit the hardest by the shutdown. "This decision confirms once again the intention of the Kremlin to leave the inhabitants of the Transdniestrian region without light and heat in the middle of the winter," Recean wrote on Facebook, accusing Russia of using energy as a political weapon. Moscow has repeatedly dismissed those allegations. DIFFERENCE OVER DEBT Russia, which is critical of Moldova's West-leaning central government, has said Moldova should pay a debt on past supplies. According to Russian calculations, the debt stands at $709 million. Moldova has put the debt at $8.6 million. Gazprom has said previously it wants Moldova to pay the debt before it starts to pump gas to the country via alternative routes. Transdniestria and the government in Chisinau agreed in 2022 that all Russian gas received by Moldova would flow to the breakaway region, which traditionally does not pay for fuel. Without gas supplies, the power-generating plant could stop working and Moldova and Transdniestria would face hours-long blackouts similar to those experienced by Ukraine due to Russia's attacks on its energy infrastructure in their war. The government of Transdniestria told businesses that from Saturday, gas supplies would start to be switched off to commercial entities that were not considered critical. But it said supplies of gas, heating and hot water to households would continue as usual until Jan. 1. Recean said Moldova had diversified sources of gas supply "in order to reduce dependence on a single supplier". "Our country is prepared to handle any situation that arises following the Kremlin's decision," he added. Moldova's population of 2.5 million has been preparing for long power cuts since Ukraine's government said it will not extend its transit contract with Gazprom. Moldova and Transdniestria have both declared states of emergency over the threat of disrupted gas supplies, and Moldova said on Friday it will curb power exports and introduce measures to reduce consumption by at least a third from Jan. 1. Moldovan President Maia Sandu has accused Gazprom of provoking an energy crisis, saying it was refusing to supply gas through an alternative route. Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/gazprom-says-it-will-stop-gas-exports-moldova-january-1-2024-12-28/

2024-12-28 15:16

CAIRO, Dec 28 (Reuters) - Egypt said on Saturday it had successfully tested a new 10 km channel near the southern end of the Suez Canal, even as its revenue from the waterway has plunged since Yemen's Houthi militants began attacking vessels in the Red Sea. The Suez Canal Authority said in a statement that during a trial run two ships passed through a new stretch of the canal's two-way section without incident. Following the 2021 grounding of the container ship Ever Given that blocked the vital waterway for six days, Egypt accelerated plans to extend the second channel in the southern reaches of the canal and widen the existing channel. Its revenue from the waterway, the gateway to the shortest route between Europe and Asia, has nevertheless tumbled since Yemen's Houthi militants began attacking ships in the Red Sea in November 2023 in what they say is solidarity with Palestinian militants in Gaza. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said on Thursday that due to "regional challenges", the country had lost approximately $7 billion in Suez Canal revenue in 2024, marking more than a 60% drop from 2023. According to the Suez Canal Authority, the latest expansion extends the total length of the canal's two-way section to 82 km from a previous 72 km. The canal is 193 km long in total. "This expansion will boost the canal's capacity by an additional 6 to 8 ships daily and enhance its ability to handle potential emergencies," the Suez Canal Authority said in its statement. Earlier this year, Egypt said that it was considering an additional expansion project separate to the 10 km channel extension. Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/egypt-completes-trial-run-new-suez-canal-channel-extension-2024-12-28/

2024-12-28 13:15

Dec 28 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy accused Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico on Saturday of opening a "second energy front" against Ukraine on the orders of Russia, as a gas transit dispute between the countries deepened. Ukraine pumps Russian natural gas through its territory to several European countries including Slovakia, but it is expected to halt the flow when the existing transit deal - signed before Moscow's invasion of Ukraine - expires at the end of the year. Fico, who visited Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow earlier this week, said on Friday Slovakia would consider reciprocal measures against Ukraine such as halting back-up electricity supplies if Kyiv stops the gas transit from Jan. 1. "It appears that Putin gave Fico the order to open the second energy front against Ukraine at the expense of the Slovak people's interests," Zelenskiy wrote on the X social media platform. Slovakia wants to maintain Russian gas supplies via Ukraine, saying alternative routes would hike costs and hit its own transit operations, causing it to lose 500 million euros in fees. Ukraine has said it will not sign any new deal for gas transit with Moscow due to the invasion launched by Russia in February 2022. Ukraine has been forced to import electricity from several of its neighbours since Russia began targeting its power grid in late 2022, damaging or destroying much of the country's non-nuclear generation capacity. Zelenskiy said Slovakia currently accounted for 19% of Ukraine's power imports, and that Ukraine was working with its European Union neighbours to bolster the supply. "Slovakia is part of the single European energy market and Fico must respect common European rules," he wrote, adding that cutting power supplies to Ukraine would deprive Slovakia of $200 million a year. Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Fico was siding with Putin by making "senseless threats" to cut off Ukraine's power imports. Since taking office in 2023, Fico has been one of the EU's most outspoken opponents of military aid to Ukraine. After his talks in Moscow, Fico said Putin had confirmed Russia's willingness to continue to supply gas to Slovakia, although this was "practically impossible" once the transit deal expires. Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukraines-zelenskiy-hits-back-slovak-pm-fico-gas-transit-dispute-deepens-2024-12-28/

2024-12-28 11:44

MILAN, Dec 28 (Reuters) - Hackers targeted around ten official websites in Italy on Saturday, including the websites of the Foreign Ministry and Milan's two airports, putting them out of action temporarily, the country's cyber security agency said. The pro-Russian hacker group Noname057(16) claimed the cyber attack on Telegram, saying Italy's "Russophobes get a well deserved cyber response". A spokesperson for Italy's cyber security agency said it was plausible that the so-called "Distributed Denial of Service" (DDoS) attack could be linked to the pro-Russian group. In such attacks, hackers attempt to flood a network with unusually high volumes of data traffic in order to paralyse it. The spokesperson said the agency provided quick assistance to the institutions and firms targeted and that the attack's impact was "mitigated" in less than two hours. The cyber attack has not caused any disruptions to flights at Milan's Linate and Malpensa airports, a spokesperson for SEA, the company which manages them, said. While the websites were inaccessible, the airports' mobile apps continued to function, the SEA spokesperson added. Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/technology/cybersecurity/cyber-attack-italys-foreign-ministry-airports-claimed-by-pro-russian-hacker-2024-12-28/