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Tags: Floods / Philippines Travel / Philippines / Disasters / Travel Warnings / → All Tags
Hope You Aren't Planning A Trip To The Philippines This Month
We hope not too many Jaunted readers were traveling through the Philippines over the weekend because it hasn't been pretty: a tropical storm hit the north of the country and caused the worst flooding Manila has seen for more than 50 years.
Almost half a million people have been displaced by the floods and sadly, at least 86 have been confirmed dead, with the final death toll expected to be a lot higher.
What this means for travelers: right now is clearly not a fantastic time to be landing in the northern Philippines. Apart from the fact that the locals are busy with more important things than entertaining tourists, with such widespread flooding there's also the danger of disease outbreaks. Postpone your trip if you can. When you do get there, remember we've also warned you to be wary of ferries, okay?
Related Stories:
· Storm Kills Dozens in the Philippines [NY Times]
· Note To Self: Avoid Ferries In The Philippines [Jaunted]
[Photo: Dan Saavedra]
Tags: Tragedy / Turkish Airlines / Disasters / AMS / Chesley Sullenberger / → All Tags
Turkish Airlines Jet Crashes Outside Schiphol Airport
A Turkish Airlines 737 carrying 134 passengers from Istanbul crashed into a field outside Amsterdam Schiphol Airport today.
After initial reports that all of the passengers and the crew survived comes the news that nine people have died in the crash. Twenty people are also reported to be seriously injured. From the NY Times:
Candan Karlitekin, the chairman of Turkish Airlines, said most of the injured were seated at the back of the plane. There was nothing extraordinary about the weather conditions, vision capability was 4,500 meters. Around 500 meters away from the landing strip, the plane landed in a field. The plane was broken into three parts, as you all saw in pictures.
No one is sure yet as to why the plane crashed with Turkish Airlines saying the pilot was one of their most experienced pilots on staff. Investigations are obviously underway to determine what could have brought the plane down just three miles away from the airport runway.
Further shaking our faith in the aviation industry is Flight 1549 hero Capt. Sully who told U.S. Congress yesterday that the best airline pilots are quitting the commercial aviation industry because their pay and pensions have been slashed. We can't have that so let's pray that 2009 begins to turn around for airlines...quick.
Related Stories:
· 9 Dead as Turkish Plane Crashes in Amsterdam [NY Times]
· Captain 'Sully' Sullenberger Says A Good Pilot's Getting Hard to Find [WNYC]
Tags: Tragedy / Dangerous Travel / Continental / Flight 3407 / Disasters / → All Tags
49 Dead In Upstate N.Y. Continental Crash
All 48 passengers aboard Continental Connection Flight 3407 were killed late last night when the plane crashed into a suburban house near Buffalo, New York. The crash also claimed one life in the house where the plane landed in the hamlet of Clarence Center.
According to early reports, Flight 3407 operated by Colgan Air departing from Newark abruptly lost contact with air traffic control before crashing about five miles from its destination, Buffalo Niagara International Airport. Ice build-up on the Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 74-seat turboprop may also have been to blame; in tapes released last night, air traffic control can be heard checking with other flight crews before vainly attempting to contact the pilot of Flight 3407.
Passengers included a Jacksonville, Florida law student and a September 11 widow who listened to her husband via cell phone while he was in the south tower. This is the first fatal crash in the U.S. since August 2006. An investigation into the crash site has been delayed while the wreckage is still burning.
Related Stories:
· 49 Killed in Plane Crash Near Buffalo [NY Times]
· 49 Killed As Plane Crashes Into Home In Clarence Center [Buffalo News]
· Sept. 11 Widow Among Plane Crash Victims [MSNBC]
[Photo: Buffalo News]
Tags: Disasters / Weather / Dangerous Travel / → All Tags
France, Spain Battle Deadly Storms
Deadly 100-mph winds wrecked havoc across Spain and southwestern France this weekend, as the region's strongest winter storm in a decade killed at least 16 people and left both countries struggling to clean up and repair infrastructure.
The storm reached its peak Saturday evening, when thousands of residents in both countries lost power, the Spanish army battled a spreading forest fire in the Valencia region, and at least five people died in three separate avalanches in the French Alps.
The hurricane-strength storm also caused travel nightmares in both countries, closing the airports in Bourdaux and Toulouse, cancelling flights out of Bilbao and shutting down train service between France and Spain.
The storm died down by Sunday evening, with travel returning to normal and both countries focused on recovery efforts.
· Killer Storm Strikes Spain, France; 12 Reported Dead [Bloomberg]
· France and Spain pick up pieces after deadly storm [Reuters]
· Travel storms coverage [Jaunted]
Photo: [Nicholas DARQUE]
Tags: Disasters / US Airways / Hudson River Plane Crash / → All Tags
Breaking: Plane Crashes In Hudson River
All 155 people aboard a US Airways flight leaving New York-LaGuardia Airport were rescued safely after the plane plunged into the Hudson River this afternoon.
The Coast Guard and river ferries, including the tourist friendly Circle Line cruise boats, responded immediately to toss life jackets to the survivors and, if needed, pull them out of the frigid waters off Manhattan's West 48th Street.
Just after takeoff, US Airways Flight 1549 bound for Charlotte, North Carolina (carrying 150 passengers and 5 crew members) hit a flock of geese that disabled two engines, according to the Associated Press. The plane was ordered to turn around and go back to LGA before the water landing, but the pilot may have been trying to land at Teterboro at the time, says ABC News. A witness told CNN the Airbus A320, which can carry about 179 passengers plus crew, approached the water slowly but made a big splash. Passenger Alberto Panero reported to CNN via cell phone that the pilot's last words before landing were "Prepare for impact."
Initial incomplete reports compared today's disaster to the Air Florida Flight 90 crash in 1982, in which a Boeing 737-222 taking off from Washington National in a snowstorm hit a highway bridge and plunged into the Potomac. After flurries this morning, conditions in the New York area cleared up in the afternoon but temperatures hovered in the mid-20s.
People seeking information about the crash should call US Airways at 1-800-679-8215. Family in the area can go to the emergency response center set up by US Airways at the Crowne Plaza Hotel LaGuardia, 104-04 Ditmars Blvd. in Queens.
Related Stories:
· Plane Crashes Into Hudson [NBC News]
· Plane Crash-Lands In Hudson River [AP via NJ Star-Ledger]
· Plane Crash Into Hudson River [Gothamist]
[Photo via Janis Krums]
