Showing posts with label deaths. Show all posts
Showing posts with label deaths. Show all posts

Monday, July 18, 2011

Spain calls Iraqis on camp deaths

14 July 2011 Last updated at 18:11 GMT Relatives of residents of Camp Ashraf during a hearing of the US House Foreign Affairs Committee on Capitol Hill (7 July 2011) Relatives of the camp's 3,500 residents are pressing for an investigation A Spanish judge has summoned three Iraqi officers over a raid by Iraqi security forces on a camp housing an Iranian exile group.

The UN says 34 people were killed in the raid at Camp Ashraf, in Diyala province, in April 2011.

Judge Fernando Andreu has summoned Gen Ali Ghaidan Majid, the head of army, and two other officers to appear.

He is investigating allegations that crimes against humanity were committed during the raid on the camp.

The investigation is an enlargement of an existing probe on a separate raid which took place at the camp in July 2009, in which 11 people were killed.

Universal justice

Under Spain's universal justice doctrine, grave crimes committed in other countries can be prosecuted.

Judge Andreu said that the Geneva Convention applied to the case, as it addresses the protection of civilians in wartime and all those killed and injured in the attack were considered "protected persons" under the terms of the Convention.

According to documents released by Madrid's investigative court, a total of 377 "protected persons" were injured in the 8 April 2011 raid, 154 with bullet wounds.

More than 3,000 members of the banned opposition group, the People's Mujahideen of Iran (PMOI), have been confined by the US military at the camp since the invasion in 2003.

The group, considered a terrorist group by the US and Iran, were given permission to shelter in Iraq by former President Saddam Hussein during the 1980-88 war between the two countries and they have lived at the camp ever since.

In January, the judge had said he would close the dossier into the July 2009 attack if the Iraqi authorities opened their own investigation.

Iraq responded by saying it had carried out its own legal inquiry but this was not judged sufficient by Spanish authorities.

The three Iraqi officers have been summoned to appear before the Madrid court on 3 October 2011.


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Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Inquiry into four refinery deaths

3 June 2011 Last updated at 11:49 GMT Police said it may take some time to name the victims

An investigation is under way after four contractors were killed in an explosion and fire at a Pembrokeshire oil refinery.

Another worker is critically ill but stable with burns after the blast at the Chevron refinery, Pembroke, at 1820 BST on Thursday.

Chevron said the explosion happened during routine maintenance of one of its 730 cubic metre storage tanks.

Non-essential work was suspended on Friday.

Chevron said it had launched its own investigation, alongside the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) with one storage tank destroyed and another damaged in the incident.

Production was able to continue but the company had decided to suspend all non-essential work on Friday.

A spokeswoman said Chevron was a "close family" and counselling was being offered to the 1,400-strong workforce.

Dyfed-Powys Police said the bodies would remain at the scene and indentification would be protracted because of the severity of the accident.

Their recovery is being made more difficulty by the unstable nature of the building.

Chief Supt Dean Richards said: "Early indications suggest that this is a tragic industrial incident.

"Sadly four people have lost their lives, and a fifth person remains in hospital, critically ill.

"We are not currently in a position to release the names of the victims, as they have not yet been formally identified, and this process may take some time."

Continue reading the main story Hywel Griffith BBC Wales correspondent at the Chevron refinery

I arrived late on Thursday night to find the road leading to the refinery blocked off and signs that the emergency services were at the site.

As the refinery is such a huge complex it was hard initially to assess the scale of the damage.

On Friday morning the scene surrounding the refinery appeared to be fairly normal, but our news helicopter was able to reveal the scale of the damage around the exploded tank.

Although people here are clearly used to living next door to a refinery and the potential hazard that that entails, this event has clearly shaken them.

Most people in the community know at least one person working at the plant and are worried about the identities of those killed and injured.

BBC Wales correspondent Hywel Griffith said it was understood one of those who died was a woman in her 50s.

Greg Hanggi, refinery general manager, said: "The loss of our co-workers has come as a huge shock to us all.

"Our thoughts and deepest sympathy go out to their families. We will ensure that all employees and contractors are fully supported throughout this difficult time."

He added that Chevron would take every step possible to determine the series of events leading to the tragic incident and ensure that any lessons would be learned.

Five Mid and West Wales fire crews had joined the refinery's own fire fighters in tackling the blaze, while specialist fire units, including foam vehicles and a chemical incident unit were sent to the scene.

Chevron spokeswoman Jane James said the company was "hugely saddened"

The tank at the centre of the incident contained a component which refiners "routinely used," said a Chevron spokeswoman.

It had been left "out of action," while another tank was damaged.

First Minister Carwyn Jones offered his sympathy to bereaved families and workers, adding: "I am shocked to learn of the accident at the Chevron refinery in Pembroke".

Welsh Secretary Cheryl Gillan added her condolences to families and colleagues of the dead.

"We've been in contact with Chevron and Milford Haven Port Authority and asked to be kept fully informed about the investigation into this tragic event," she said.

"It is essential to understand how this tragedy occurred."

'No ongoing risk'

Assistant Chief Fire Officer Chris Davies said there was no ongoing risk to health to members of the public as a result of the incident.

Continue reading the main story The UK has eight major operating refineriesThere were 19 oil refineries in the UK in 1975The UK has the fourth largest total refining capacity in the EUMost of the UK's refineries are based in coastal areas for ease of crude tanker accessUK refineries supply over 90% of the inland market demand for petroleum productsAbout 130m litres of petrol and diesel are sold in the UK each daySource: United Kingdom Petroleum Industry Association"We can confirm that any material released into the atmosphere as a result of the blast was immediately dispersed. The wind was blowing off shore, away from residential areas," he said.

The Health and Safety Executive said it was too early speculate about the cause of the blast.

Milford Haven coastguards reported a "blast large enough to shake the windows" with "black smoke in the air" shortly after 1820 BST.

The Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service sent 10 engines to the scene and brought the incident under control within an hour and a half.

Wales Air Ambulance said a man had been airlifted to Morriston Hospital in Swansea with severe burns.

The refinery was formerly known as Texaco, later rebranded Chevron-Texaco and known as Chevron since around 2005.

In March, Chevron confirmed Texan oil company Valero Energy had agreed to buy the refinery for $730m (?446m) and pay a further $1bn (?611m) for the stocks of oil, petrol and other products on site.

Workers laid floral tributes at the refinery on Friday Workers laid floral tributes at the refinery on Friday

The site, which can refine 220,000 barrels of crude oil a day into petrol and other products, has yet to change hands.

Earlier this year the sale of the refinery, which is one of the largest in western Europe and employs 1,400 people, was secured.

Valero agreed to buy the refinery site for $730m (?458m) and another $1bn (?611m) for assets including Chevron's petrol stations in the UK and Ireland.

There have been previous incidents at the refinery.

The most notable was in July 1994, with an explosion and fire at refinery, when 26 workers were slightly injured and homes as far away as Milford Haven damaged.

However Simon Hart, Conservative MP for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire, praised the plant's safety record.

"It's a really important business but it is a dangerous one and it's had a fantastic safety record," he said.

Location map The refinery is close to the Pembrokeshire coast

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Sunday, May 29, 2011

Mubarak to be tried over deaths

24 May 2011 Last updated at 14:51 GMT Hosni Mubarak. File photo Hosni Mubarak is being held in a military hospital in Sharm el-Sheikh after reporting heart problems Egypt's ousted President Hosni Mubarak and his two sons are to be tried over the deaths of anti-government protesters, judicial officials say.

Mr Mubarak, who was ousted in February, is being detained at a hospital in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.

He and his wife also face allegations of illegally acquiring wealth while they were in power for 30 years.

The couple's two sons, Alaa and Gamal, are being held in Cairo's Tora prison and also face fraud charges.

The three men have been charged with "premeditated murder of some participants in the peaceful protests of the 25 January revolution," the country's state news agency reported the prosecutor general as saying.

More than 800 people died in the weeks-long crackdown that preceded Mr Mubarak's departure.

The charges come after renewed calls for protests on Friday to demand the trial of the Mubarak family as well as the lifting of emergency law.

Continue reading the main story image of Jon Leyne Jon Leyne BBC News, Cairo

Hosni Mubarak and his sons Gamal and Alaa are accused of planning the killing of protesters in the revolution that began on 25 January. The aim, according to the accusation was to kill some and to intimidate others.

The former president is accused of accepting gifts, including a palace and four villas at the resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. He is also accused of conspiring with businessman Hussein Salem, who has also been charged, to sell gas cheaply to Israel and thus defraud the Egyptian government of many millions of dollars.

According to one report, a medical team is now visiting Mr Mubarak at the hospital in Sharm el-Sheikh to see if he is well enough to travel to Cairo - either to be moved to hospital in the capital or into the prison where his two sons are already being held.

Egypt's military-led administration appears to be responding to public pressure to bring the former first family to trial, says the BBC's Jon Leyne in Cairo.

Frozen accounts

The 83-year-old former leader was admitted to Sharm el-Sheikh's military hospital in April with reported heart problems.

He and his wife Suzanne - who was also recently examined for possible heart problems after falling ill - have already been questioned at the Red Sea resort on charges of profiteering.

Reformers in Egypt believe the Mubarak family accumulated a fortune worth tens of billions of dollars while in power.

The Mubaraks have denied this, and little hard evidence has yet been made public. However their bank accounts in Cairo and in Switzerland have been frozen.

Suzanne Mubarak was not mentioned in Tuesday's charges announcement, but her situation may have brought the latest development about, adds our correspondent.

Suzanne Mubarak Suzanne Mubarak was released from custody after handing over a villa and ?2m from Cairo bank accounts

The 70-year-old was released from custody last week after she returned turned over a villa in a Cairo suburb and $3m (?1.9m) held in bank accounts in Egypt. Her release prompted a backlash, with many fearing the Mubaraks may be negotiating some form of amnesty.

More than 20 Mubarak-era ministers and businessmen linked to the regime have been detained since February's uprising.

Earlier this month, former Interior Minister Habib al-Adly was sentenced to 12 years in jail on charges of money-laundering and profiteering.

Adly also faces separate charges of ordering troops to fire on demonstrators. He could face the death penalty if convicted.


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