German military helicopter crashes in Saxony, two soldiers killed
The crash happened near the town of Grimma in the eastern state of Saxony.
An air force spokeswoman told AFP that the two deceased crew members were "experienced" and said that a third was still being searched for.
Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said that the two dead soldiers were members of the air force's Helicopter Wing 64.
The helicopter had been hired for training purposes and crashed for as yet unknown reasons into the Mulde river earlier on Tuesday.
The EC-135 helicopter went missing in the morning, and local police said that canoeists later spotted parts of the helicopter in the river.
More than 100 emergency service members, including police divers, joined the search for the crew.
A boom has been deployed in the Mulde River because of kerosene leaking from the helicopter.
"The death of the crew members has affected me and the whole of the armed forces deeply. Our thoughts are with their relatives and relatives," Pistorius said.
He added that "everything possible" would be done to investigate the circumstances of the crash.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
11 hours ago
- Time of India
Death of a delta: Pakistan's Indus sinks and shrinks
Salt crusts crackle underfoot as Habibullah Khatti walks to his mother's grave to say a final goodbye before he abandons his parched island village on Pakistan's Indus delta. Seawater intrusion into the delta, where the Indus River meets the Arabian Sea in the south of the country, has triggered the collapse of farming and fishing communities. Productivity Tool Zero to Hero in Microsoft Excel: Complete Excel guide By Metla Sudha Sekhar View Program Finance Introduction to Technical Analysis & Candlestick Theory By Dinesh Nagpal View Program Finance Financial Literacy i e Lets Crack the Billionaire Code By CA Rahul Gupta View Program Digital Marketing Digital Marketing Masterclass by Neil Patel By Neil Patel View Program Finance Technical Analysis Demystified- A Complete Guide to Trading By Kunal Patel View Program Productivity Tool Excel Essentials to Expert: Your Complete Guide By Study at home View Program Artificial Intelligence AI For Business Professionals Batch 2 By Ansh Mehra View Program "The saline water has surrounded us from all four sides," Khatti told AFP from Abdullah Mirbahar village in the town of Kharo Chan , around 15 kilometres (9 miles) from where the river empties into the sea. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Villas Prices In Dubai Might Be More Affordable Than You Think Villas In Dubai | Search Ads Get Quote Undo As fish stocks fell, the 54-year-old turned to tailoring until that too became impossible with only four of the 150 households remaining. "In the evening, an eerie silence takes over the area," he said, as stray dogs wandered through the deserted wooden and bamboo houses. Live Events Kharo Chan once comprised around 40 villages, but most have disappeared under rising seawater. The town's population fell from 26,000 in 1981 to 11,000 in 2023, according to census data. Khatti is preparing to move his family to nearby Karachi, Pakistan's largest city, and one swelling with economic migrants, including from the Indus delta. The Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum , which advocates for fishing communities, estimates that tens of thousands of people have been displaced from the delta's coastal districts. However, more than 1.2 million people have been displaced from the overall Indus delta region in the last two decades, according to a study published in March by the Jinnah Institute, a think tank led by a former climate change minister. The downstream flow of water into the delta has decreased by 80 percent since the 1950s as a result of irrigation canals, hydropower dams and the impacts of climate change on glacial and snow melt, according to a 2018 study by the US-Pakistan Center for Advanced Studies in Water. That has led to devastating seawater intrusion. The salinity of the water has risen by around 70 percent since 1990, making it impossible to grow crops and severely affecting the shrimp and crab populations. "The delta is both sinking and shrinking," said Muhammad Ali Anjum, a local WWF conservationist. 'No other choice' Beginning in Tibet, the Indus River flows through disputed Kashmir before traversing the entire length of Pakistan. The river and its tributaries irrigate about 80 percent of the country's farmland, supporting millions of livelihoods. The delta, formed by rich sediment deposited by the river as it meets the sea, was once ideal for farming, fishing, mangroves and wildlife. But more than 16 percent of fertile land has become unproductive due to encroaching seawater, a government water agency study in 2019 found. In the town of Keti Bandar, which spreads inland from the water's edge, a white layer of salt crystals covers the ground. Boats carry in drinkable water from miles away and villagers cart it home via donkeys. "Who leaves their homeland willingly?" said Haji Karam Jat, whose house was swallowed by the rising water level. He rebuilt farther inland, anticipating more families would join him. "A person only leaves their motherland when they have no other choice," he told AFP. Way of life British colonial rulers were the first to alter the course of the Indus River with canals and dams, followed more recently by dozens of hydropower projects. Earlier this year, several military-led canal projects on the Indus River were halted when farmers in the low-lying riverine areas of Sindh province protested. To combat the degradation of the Indus River Basin, the government and the United Nations launched the 'Living Indus Initiative' in 2021. One intervention focuses on restoring the delta by addressing soil salinity and protecting local agriculture and ecosystems. The Sindh government is currently running its own mangrove restoration project, aiming to revive forests that serve as a natural barrier against saltwater intrusion. Even as mangroves are restored in some parts of the coastline, land grabbing and residential development projects drive clearing in other areas. Neighbouring India meanwhile poses a looming threat to the river and its delta, after revoking a 1960 water treaty with Pakistan which divides control over the Indus basin rivers. It has threatened to never reinstate the treaty and build dams upstream, squeezing the flow of water to Pakistan, which has called it "an act of war". Alongside their homes, the communities have lost a way of life tightly bound up in the delta, said climate activist Fatima Majeed, who works with the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum. Women, in particular, who for generations have stitched nets and packed the day's catches, struggle to find work when they migrate to cities, said Majeed, whose grandfather relocated the family from Kharo Chan to the outskirts of Karachi. "We haven't just lost our land, we've lost our culture."
News18
a day ago
- News18
76 Killed, Dozens Missing After Migrant Boat Capsizes Near Yemen In Bad Weather
Last Updated: This tragedy is the latest in a series of shipwrecks off Yemen, which have killed hundreds of African migrants fleeing conflict and poverty and reaching Gulf countries. At least 76 people were killed in one of the deadliest migrant shipwrecks near Yemen after a boat carrying mostly Ethiopian migrants sank in the Gulf of Aden in bad weather, according to officials. Security officials said 32 people had been rescued and dozens remained missing, with their fates unknown. Abdusattor Esoev, the UN International Organisation for Migration's (IOM) chief of mission for Yemen, told AFP that the ship was headed to Abyan governorate in southern Yemen, a frequent destination for boats smuggling African migrants hoping to reach the wealthy Gulf states. The UN migration agency said there were 157 people, of whom 76 had died and 32 had been rescued. Some of those rescued have been transferred to Yemen's Aden, near Abyan, a security official said. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Holy See's secretary of state, said the Pope was 'deeply saddened by the devastating loss of life". Despite the civil war that has ravaged Yemen since 2014, the impoverished country has remained a key transit point for irregular migration, in particular from Ethiopia, which itself has been roiled by ethnic conflict. 'This route is predominantly controlled by smugglers and human-trafficking networks… Refugees and migrants have no other alternative but to hire their services," Ayla Bonfiglio, of the Mixed Migration Centre research and policy organisation, told AFP. 'Migrants are well aware of the risks, but with no legal pathways and families relying on remittances from Saudi Arabia or the Emirates, many feel they have no choice," she added. Last month, at least eight people died after smugglers forced 150 migrants off a boat in the Red Sea, according to the IOM. The vessel that sank off Abyan was carrying mostly Ethiopian migrants, according to the province's security directorate and an IOM source. On their way to the Gulf, migrants cross the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the narrow waterway at the mouth of the Red Sea that is a major route for international trade, as well as for migration and human trafficking. Upon reaching Yemen, the poorest country on the Arabian Peninsula, migrants frequently encounter additional threats to their safety, as tens and thousands become stranded there and suffer abuse and exploitation. (with AFP inputs) view comments First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
NDTV
a day ago
- NDTV
76 Migrants Dead, Dozens Missing After Boat Sinks Off Yemen
At least 76 people have been killed and dozens are missing after a boat carrying mostly Ethiopian migrants sank off Yemen, in the latest tragedy on the perilous sea route, officials told AFP on Monday. Yemeni security officials said 76 bodies had been recovered and 32 people rescued from the shipwreck in the Gulf of Aden. The UN's migration agency said 157 people were on board. The accident occurred off Abyan governorate in southern Yemen, a frequent destination for boats smuggling African migrants hoping to reach the wealthy Gulf states. Some of those rescued have been transferred to Yemen's Aden, near Abyan, a security official said. UN agency the International Organization for Migration earlier gave a toll of at least 68 dead. The IOM's country chief of mission, Abdusattor Esoev, told AFP that "the fate of the missing is still unknown." Despite the civil war that has ravaged Yemen since 2014, the impoverished country has remained a key transit point for irregular migration, in particular from Ethiopia which itself has been roiled by ethnic conflict. Each year, thousands brave the so-called "Eastern Route" from Djibouti to Yemen across the Red Sea, in the hope of eventually reaching oil-rich Gulf countries such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The IOM recorded at least 558 deaths on the Red Sea route last year, with 462 from boat accidents. Last month, at least eight people died after smugglers forced migrants to disembark from a boat in the Red Sea, according to the UN's migration agency. The vessel that sank off Abyan was carrying mostly Ethiopian migrants, according to the province's security directorate and an IOM source. Yemeni security forces were conducting operations to recover a "significant" number of bodies, the Abyan directorate said on Sunday. On their way to the Gulf, migrants cross the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the narrow waterway at the mouth of the Red Sea that is a major route for international trade, as well as for migration and human trafficking. Once in war-torn Yemen, the Arabian Peninsula's poorest country, migrants often face other threats to their safety. The IOM says tens of thousands of migrants have become stranded in Yemen and suffer abuse and exploitation during their journeys. In April, more than 60 people were killed in a strike blamed on the United States that hit a migrant detention centre in Yemen, according to the Huthi rebels that control much of the country. The wealthy Gulf monarchies host significant populations of foreign workers from South Asia and Africa.
