GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – A hot air balloon crash in Egypt, near the resort of Luxor, reportedly killed 18 of the 20 people aboard, reports Reuters. A gas explosion occurred at 1,000 feet altitude (about 300 metres). The balloon was carrying tourists from a number of countries.
Fireworks in China: bridge blown up, smog to curb New Year fireworks
February 1, 2013 by
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – A load of fireworks carried by a truck crossing a highway bridge in China exploded, taking the bridge down with it. Four people died and eight were injured when several vehicles fell into the river in Henan Province. Fireworks, hugely popular for the New Year’s festivities in China, which get underway in [...]
Explosion in Mexico City highrise kills 25
February 1, 2013 by
100 people injured and scores trapped or missing in 54-storey building GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Rescuers have been scrambling through the night in the heart of Mexico City to find survivors of a blast on the ground floor of the Pemex Oil Company’s head office. Twenty people are known to have died, but 100 appear to [...]
Woman missing following Gruyère home explosion
January 7, 2013 by
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – A 44-year-old woman is missing after a series of explosions at the family home in Marsens, Gruyère around 02:00 Monday, say police, causing the roof of the house to collapse. The cause of the explosions, which caused a fire, is not yet known. The woman is buried under the debris. Her husband, [...]
Afgahnistan: Kabul bombing, Nato stops shared patrols
September 18, 2012 by
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – A dozen people, seven or eight of them foreigners, are said to have been killed in a suicide bombing in Kabul, Afghanistan, early Monday. The explosion occurred at 06:45 on the main road to the airport. The minibus’s driver was among the dead, but officials have not released other details. Nato announced [...]
Alpage cheesemaking centre explosion: 1 dead, several injured
August 30, 2012 by
Gas the source of Thursday afternoon explosion in Fribourg GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – A gas explosion was behind a fire in Tzintre, Charmey in canton Fribourg Thursday at 13:35 that killed one person and injured an unknown number of others. The new cheesemaking centre was due to be inaugurated Friday, after several months of work, but [...]
Failed missile launch by North Korea condemned
April 13, 2012 by
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – A long-range rocket launched by North Korea Friday 13 April to mark the 100th anniversary of the regime’s founding leader exploded 90 seconds after taking off, nonetheless drawing condemnation from G-8 countries. A joint statement from foreign ministers of the G-8, which comprises the United States, Russia, Japan, Canada, the United Kingdom, [...]
Switzerland sending DR Congo material to safely remove arms stocks
April 11, 2012 by
BERN, SWITZERLAND – UN specialist workers are being given, for work in the Republic of Congo, 300 systems to safely remove arms stockpiles from a distance. The systems are being supplied by the Swiss federal government at the request of the United Nations. Switzerland is taking part in the UN’s Emergency Response Mission to rid [...]
Chinese mine blast: 4 dead, 50 missing
November 4, 2011 by
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Four miners have died and 50 are missing in a coal mine explosion in Sanmenxia in Henan province. Reports about how many miners managed to escape, but at least 14 men made it out and 7 have been pulled out, injured. It appears that a small earthquake had hit the area shortly [...]
Explosion hits apartment building in Yverdon-les-Bains: 2 dead, several injured
October 26, 2011 by
YVERDON-LES-BAIN, SWIZTERLAND – A woman and a girl are dead after an explosion at an apartment building on 39 rue de Neuchâtel, in Yverdon-les-Bains, canton Vaud. Initial police reports identified only one fatal victim, however, a child’s body was discovered by investigators late on Tuesday 25 October announced Vaud cantonal authorities. Police are still trying to [...]
