Cargo plane carrying money crashes near Bolivia's capital, killing at least 15 people, official says
La Paz (Bolivia)(AP): A cargo plane carrying money crashed Friday near Bolivia's capital, damaging about a dozen vehicles on highway, scattering bills on the ground and leaving at least 15 people dead and others injured, an official said.
Defense Minister Marcelo Salinas said the Hercules C-130 plane was transporting newly printed Bolivian currency when it “landed and veered off the runway" at an airport in El Alto, a city adjacent to the capital of La Paz, before ending up in a nearby field. Firefighters managed to put out the flames that engulfed the aircraft.
Fire chief Pavel Tovar said at least 15 people died but he did not clarify if the dead were in the plane or in the cars on the nearby highway.
Salinas did not specify how many people had been killed in the crash and said the cause was being investigated.
Bolivian Air Force Gen. Sergio Lora said two of the plane's six crew members had not been found as of late Friday, adding that the aircraft was arriving from the eastern city of Santa Cruz.
Images on social media showed debris from the aircraft, destroyed cars and bodies scattered on the road. According to Tovar, at least 15 vehicles were damaged.
The plane, belonging to the Bolivian air force, was transporting money to La Paz and images on social media showed people rushing to collect the bills scattered at the crash site, while police in riot gear tried to disperse them.
Tovar said the hundreds of people trying to collect the spilled bills were hindering rescue efforts.
More than 500 soldiers and 100 police officers took control of the area to disperse the mob, according to official reports. Police and military personnel burned the cash boxes in the presence of Central Bank President David Espinoza, who said the bills “have no legal value because they never entered circulation,” without clarifying what that meant.
Espinoza did not specify the amount of money being transported but he said the banknotes had arrived in Santa Cruz from abroad.
Authorities temporarily suspended all flights to and from the terminal.
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Kerala Imam's call to open mosques for Attukal Pongala devotees goes viral
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): The appeal of Palayam Imam V P Suhaib Maulavi to open mosques and Muslim houses to Hindu devotees on the upcoming Attukal Pongala festival day here has gone viral on social media platforms, with many netizens describing it as the example of the real Kerala story.
Attukal Pongala, which falls on March 3 this year, is considered one of the largest women gatherings in the world, in which lakhs of women, cutting across ages, gather in the capital city to take part in the festivities.
Maulavi, during his Friday sermon, urged the members of the Muslim community to extend hospitality to Hindu devotees arriving in the city for the Pongala festival.
In his address, he said that although Attukal Pongala is associated with a different faith and Muslims do not take part in its rituals and ceremonies, the occasion presents an opportunity to serve as gracious hosts to the thousands of women and children who visit Thiruvananthapuram as guests.
"Like last year, Pongala is being observed during the holy month of Ramadan this time as well. We must share the spirit of joy, fraternity and love that defines Ramadan with our sisters and their children who come here for Pongala," he said.
Maulavi called upon the community to arrange drinking water and Ramadan food items for the devotees and to ensure facilities for their rest.
"Arrangements should be made for their rest. Our mosques and homes should be opened to them. This is an occasion to openly demonstrate our love and brotherhood," he said.
Maulavi further stressed that the growing Islamophobia and hatred in the country and the world can be countered effectively only through love and fraternity.
He described the festival as an ideal opportunity to reinforce the message of harmony.
The Muslim cleric's speech soon went viral on social media platforms.
Cutting across religion, people shared his video clippings on various platforms and hailed his gesture as an example of the real Kerala story, harmony and brotherhood among different religions and communities in Kerala.
His appeal assumed significance in view of the ongoing row over the "Kerala Story 2: Goes Beyond" movie.
