The Hellenic Radio (ERA): News in English, 10-05-22

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From: The Hellenic Radio (ERA) <www.ert.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] Polish Floods Kill 12 People

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Flooding in Poland continued over the weekend with the death toll rising to 12 people and causing extensive material damage. Poland's Prime-minister Donald Tusk warned the worst may still be to come in some parts of the country. The water in Vistula river, the largest river in Poland, has risen to its highest level in the last 40 years after the recent torrential rains.

Beyond the Emergency Level

"The floods are not yet over and the danger in some areas is likely to rise" said Polish Prime-minister Donald Tusk speaking after a meeting of his crisis task force.

Water levels in Warsaw reached 7.74 metres on Saturday, beyond the emergency level of 6.5 metres, and edging towards the critical 8- metre mark up to which emergence services are prepared.

Vistula river water, the largest river in Poland, has risen to its highest level in the last 40 years threatening flooding of several cities. German authorities raised its alarm system to level one, on a scale of four, after flooding in neigbouring Poland. Much of the worst flooding in Poland has come from the Oder River, which forms part of the German-Polish border.

Sources: ÍÅÔ, Reuters, ÁNA-ÌPA News item: 36813

[02] L. Katselis Appeals for Support to the Market

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Minister for Economics Louka Katselis delivered a speech at Hellenic Chambers' extraordinary general assembly. She called on the business world to cooperate in the government's efforts to support the market. She, however, had a confrontation with the president of the Athens Commerce and Industry Chamber (EBEA), Konstantinos Mihalos.

Mrs. Katselis, in her speech, appealed for cooperation to support the market and announced activation of TEMPE programs as of Monday. She also said that simplification of law regarding setting up of businesses would solve several bureaucratic problems.

Programs concerning middle -sized businesses mounting to 1 billion euros will be announced in the next two months, underlined L. Katselis.

The president of EBEA, Konstantinos Mihalos accused the government of having delayed to take the necessary measures leading the country to the support mechanism of dubious results. He described the move (support mechanism) as extremely painful and rendered it to several wrong handlings.

In response, Mrs. Katselis reminded of the country's lost credibility and underlined the government's top concern to prevent the country's bankruptcy. "No one would want to know what would have happened should the government have not used the support mechanism".

Source: ÍÅÔ News item: 36811

[03] Air India Crash

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Air India flight from Dubai crashed at the Mangalore airport, in southern India killing most of its 160 passengers and six crew members on Saturday morning. The Boeing 737 has overshot a runway, crashed into a forest and burst into flames in southwest India, killing 158 people.

Burst into Flames after Crash

The Boeing 737, which had taken off from Dubai, appeared to have skidded off the runway in rain at Mangalore airport in Karnataka state, crashed into a forest and burst into flames, killing 158 people.

The plane overshot the hilltop runway as it tried to land and burst into flames in a forested valley beyond. Mangalore airport is located at the top of a hill with a forested valley at the end of the runway which presents challenges for pilots and makes rescue efforts even more difficult.

Karnataka state Interior Minister appealed to local residents to cooperate and not approach the site of the crash, which has been already crowded by hundreds of people hampering rescue efforts. Nearby residents rushed to the scene, describing "shocking" scenes as they pulled charred bodies from the wreckage. The airport is located on a plateau surrounded by hills, making it difficult for the firefighters to reach the scene.

"At least 6 survivors with major injuries were transferred to hospital ' said Karnataka state Interior Minister. On its part the airport company spoke of 8 survivors. Earlier NDTV television network had shown pictures of three survivors, one man, a woman and a child.

The Airways company said that a 6 member crew and 160 passengers were on board, among them 137 adults, 9 children and 4 babies. Reports say one of the survivors had died on the way to hospital, the casualty described as a seven-year-old boy, rising the number of victims to 159.

All the passengers on the flight were Indian nationals, with many returning from jobs in the Gulf to visit their families while the pilot Zlatko Glusica was a British citizen of Serbian origin, working with Air India for two years and experience in Mangalore's airport.

Witnesses

Witnesses said:

Witnesses said the plane crashed through the hilltop airport's boundary wall and fell into a valley. Survivors said they jumped out of the plane after it crashed, seconds before it burst into flames.

One of the survivors, KP Manikutty, said the landing had at first appeared to be smooth and then the plane had crashed with no warning. "Immediately on touching the ground, the aircraft jerked and in a few moments hit something," he said. "Then it split in the middle and caught fire. I just jumped from the gap," he added.

"The plane shook with vibrations and split into two," a survivor called Pradeep said

He said the plane's initial touchdown appeared smooth at first, but then a small fire developed and an explosion set off a bigger blaze.The technician added that he managed to jump from the plane and was helped by villagers who had rushed to the scene to help search for survivors.

Survivors said they thought they heard what sounded like a tire bursting just before the crash.

Ouner Farooq ( one of the survivors) heard a loud thud as the plane touched down. Then the plane veered off toward some trees on the side and then the cabin filled with smoke. "I got caught in some cables but managed to scramble out," he said. He was being treated for burns to his arms, legs, and face.

The accident occurred at 04:00 (Greek local time) and it is one of the worst air accidents in India. It was raining during landing and visibility was poor but the pilot had not given distress call to the control tower.

The cause of the crash is not known. However the black box, which was the primary concern, has been retrieved to help investigators reconstruct the last moments in the cockpit.

Sources: ÍÅÔ, ANA-ÌPA, French, Reuters News item: 36797

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