Fiery plane crash claims 9 people on Oahu's North Shore
Honolulu: Nine people died in a fiery crash of a small airplane used in a sky dive operation, officials in Hawaii said.
There were no survivors after the twin engine King Air plane crashed Friday night near Dillingham Airfield, on Oahu's North Shore, Hawaii Department of Transportation spokesman Tim Sakahara said.
"Upon arrival, we saw the plane fully engulfed in fire," Honolulu Fire Chief Manuel Neves told reporters on the scene. "The first crews on scene extinguished the fire."
Neves said the crashed occurred near the perimeter fencing of the small airport. "They're quite a ways away from the runway," he said.
The plane was used in a sky dive operation, and Neves said some family members of those on board waited at the airport for the plane to return.
The debris field was relatively small, about 50 feet (15 meters) by 50 feet (15 meters), he said.
"In my 40 years as a firefighter here in Hawaii, this is the most tragic aircraft incident what we've had," he told reporters at the scene, about an hour's drive north of Honolulu.
Crews with Honolulu Emergency Services said it assisted with death pronouncements of the nine after receiving the call at 6:26 pm local time, agency spokeswoman Shayne Enright said.
Names, ages and genders of the deceased have not been released.
Neves said many details are still not known about the flight. But he says witnesses have said the plane was inbound to the airport when the crash occurred but that has not been confirmed.
Officials initially reported that six people had been on board.
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India asks its nationals in Iran to leave by available means
New Delhi (PTI): India on Wednesday asked all its nationals residing in Iran to leave by available means and avoid any travel to the country as tensions mounted over possible military intervention by the US over Tehran's crackdown on nationwide protests that killed over 2,500 people.
In a fresh advisory, the Indian embassy in Tehran urged all Indians, including students, pilgrims, business persons and tourists, to leave Iran by available means of transport, including commercial flights.
According to estimates, a little over 10,000 Indians, including students, are currently living in Iran.
The mission also urged all Indian citizens and PIOs (Persons of Indian Origin) to exercise due caution, avoid areas of protests or demonstrations and stay in contact with the embassy.
It also urged the Indian nationals to have their travel and immigration documents, including passports, readily available. Indians living in Iran on resident visas were also advised to register with the embassy.
In case any Indian national is unable to register due to internet disruptions in Iran, their families in India are requested to do so, the mission said.
"In view of the evolving situation in Iran, Indian nationals who are currently in Iran (students, pilgrims, business persons and tourists) are advised to leave Iran by available means of transport, including commercial flights," the embassy said.
India's advisory came amid rising tensions in Iran and the region after Trump indicated military action if Tehran continues its crackdown on the protesters.
"If they hang them, you're going to see some things... We will take very strong action if they do such a thing," the US president told CBS News.
In a message to the protesters, Trump said on Tuesday that "help is on the way". The US president has already announced a 25 per cent tariff on countries having trade with Tehran.
The protests began late last month in Tehran after the Iranian currency rial plunged to record lows. The protests have since spread to all 31 provinces, evolving from an agitation against economic woes to a demand for political change.
Separately, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) advised Indians to avoid travelling to Iran.
In view of the ongoing developments in Iran, Indian nationals are once again strongly advised to avoid travel to the Islamic Republic of Iran until further notice, it said.
In a previous advisory issued on January 5, the MEA urged its nationals to avoid non-essential travel to Iran.
It had also asked Indian citizens and PIOs residing in Iran to exercise due caution and avoid visiting areas of protests.
The overall situation in Iran in the last few days has deteriorated dramatically as the death toll from the nationwide protests has increased to over 2,500, according to US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).
