Latest news with #A21
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Plane crashes onto busy motorway exploding into a fireball
This is the horrifying moment a small plane nosedived and crashed into a busy motorway in Italy, leaving at least two people dead. Footage captured the moment the plane smashed into the road in Italy's Brescia province and exploded into a fireball, with vehicles forced to drive through the flames. The aircraft was completely destroyed, with no one on board surviving the accident. The pair killed were a 75-year-old man and a 60-year-old woman, according to reports. They are understood to have departed from the town of Gragnano Trebbiense. Two motorists were reportedly injured when the plane exploded and were treated at a nearby hospital for non-life-threatening injuries. An inferno ripped through the site of the crash, leading to the suspension of traffic on the A21 motorway junction between Corda Molle and Ospitale. Emergency services rushed to the scene, while firefighters contained the blaze. An investigation has been launched to establish the cause of the tragedy. Meanwhile, the public prosecutor's office of Brescia has opened a case for manslaughter, local newspaper Giornale di Brescia reported. The horrific accident comes just days after an air force fighter jet crashed into a school in Bangladesh and killed 31 people, at least 25 of them children. The children, many aged under 12, were about to return home from class on Monday when the Chinese-manufactured F-7 BGI Bangladesh Air Force jet ploughed into their school in Dhaka and burst into flames, trapping pupils in the fire and debris. The military said it had suffered mechanical failure. Television footage showed fire and smoke billowing from the site of the crash as bystanders are seen trying to put out the flames. Other clips circulating on social media show crowds of students fleeing from the scene in a panic. It also comes a little over a month after an Air India plane crashed on top of a medical college hostel in neighbouring India's Ahmedabad city, killing 241 of the 242 people on board and 19 on the ground, marking the world's worst aviation disaster in a decade. A preliminary report into the crash found that fuel switches for the engines of the doomed Boeing 787 Dreamliner began to lose thrust and sink down moments after setting off to London from the Indian city on June 12.
IOL News
27-06-2025
- IOL News
South African woman rescued from suspected human trafficking in Southeast Asia
Gloria Matipile from Baagi Ba South Africa said they receive many letters from South Africans in foreign countries Image: Supplied A 22-year-old woman from Bonteheuwel, Cape Town, has been safely returned home after becoming the victim of suspected human trafficking in Southeast Asia — a harrowing ordeal that left her mother traumatised and desperate for help. The young woman (who is still traumatised and afraid to be identified) had initially travelled to Phuket, Thailand in search of employment and a better future. But shortly after her arrival, she was transported to Cambodia, where her passport was confiscated and she was forced into a situation she never agreed to. Her 52-year-old mother recalled the heartbreak of receiving her daughter's first phone call — nearly a month after she had left the country. 'My heart broke into a million pieces,' she said. 'She told me she was scared, that they took her to a place to work, but it was not what she was originally told. I didn't know what to do or where to start to look for help — it was the first time I heard of something like this.' 'Any mother would lose herself. Imagine not being able to help your child, especially when they are thousands of kilometres away.' The emotional toll was so great that she lost her job after making mistakes at work, something she attributes to exhaustion and stress. 'That whole ordeal traumatised me. I couldn't eat, sleep, or think straight. I just wanted my daughter back. I kept wondering: is she safe? Is she eating? Then, after days of silence, I could breathe again when she said: 'Mommy, I'm okay — but I want to come home.'' Relief only came when Ward Councillor Angus McKenzie phoned to confirm that a rescue operation was under way. 'All I can say is thank you. I think she googled his number — I didn't even ask. I'm just thankful she's back. When she came through that door… wow!' Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ McKenzie detailed how he worked swiftly to verify her story, contacting DA international relations spokesperson Emma Powell and anti-trafficking NGO A21, while coordinating with the Department of International Relations (DIRCO) and the South African embassy in Thailand. 'She was left in very uncomfortable circumstances — things no person should face,' said McKenzie. 'She was afraid, hadn't eaten, and had no money. Once she escaped to a safe location, we were able to get her into a partner embassy in Cambodia.' There, she was cared for while officials worked around the clock to secure her emergency travel documents. She was then flown from Cambodia to Phuket, then to Dubai, and finally home to Cape Town. 'We spoke every day,' McKenzie said. 'I had to keep her hopeful, keep her believing that we were coming for her. And we did.' Emma Powell, who assisted in the coordination efforts, said the case underscores the rising risk of modern slavery targeting vulnerable South Africans abroad. 'Unemployment drives people to search for opportunities overseas, and that's when we see trafficking syndicates exploiting the desperate,' she said. 'Never hand over your passport to recruiters. Always have terms and conditions agreed in writing. And if in trouble abroad, go straight to the local South African embassy.' Siseko Maposa, Director of Surgetower Associates, said the woman's case was part of a disturbing pattern. 'This is not an isolated incident — it reflects systemic failures and the growing sophistication of cross-border criminal networks,' he said. Angus Mckenzie Image: File Glory Matipile, founder and CEO of Baagi Ba South Africa, a local anti-trafficking organisation, criticised government inaction and the lack of public awareness campaigns on modern slavery. 'Human trafficking is a real and persistent crisis, yet government silence has made it feel like a taboo topic — even in Parliament,' said Matipile. 'Cases like this will continue, because for too long it's been business as usual in South Africa. Victims are still ignored, and organisations like ours often have to use the media just to get attention.'
BBC News
02-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
A21 set for traffic lights as part of Queensway Gateway works
Temporary traffic lights have returned to a road in Hastings as the final phase of a major highway improvement scheme continues at Sussex Highways has been working with Balfour Beatty Living Places since last September to carry out works to connect Queensway Gateway to the A21 Sedlescombe Road work forms part of the Queensway Gateway Project which is expected to be completed this summer. It was originally due to be finished by Sussex Highways has confirmed that traffic lights will remain in place on the A21 until the final stage of the junction improvement work is complete. A spokesperson said: "The temporary lights will cover half the distance as they did previously, from The Ridge flyover to the southern side of Junction Road. This should reduce the amount of queuing."John Bownas, manager of Love Hastings, says the concern is that this is "going to slow down traffic even more"."The real worry that we're looking at here is chaos being caused by two-way traffic lights," he East Sussex Highways spokesperson said that everything is being done to "minimise the disruption and complete the work as quickly as possible".During the final phase of work, 3,000 cubic metres of earth will be removed from an embankment, a water main will be relocated, and work will be carried out on the northern filter lane and signalised complete, the road - which will connect Queensway with the A21 in northern Hastings/St Leonards - is expected to improve traffic flow between Bexhill and and Rye MP Helena Dollimore has been critical of the delays to this project, telling House of Commons in December that residents refer to it as the "road to nowhere".
