Taiwan's top military chief killed in chopper crash
Taipei: Taiwan's top military chief was killed in a helicopter crash on Thursday, the defence ministry said, just days before the island goes to polls to elect a new president.
The chief of the general staff, Shen Yi-ming, was among eight senior officers -- including three major generals -- who died when their Black Hawk helicopter smashed into mountains near Taipei.
The 62-year-old general and his entourage were on a routine mission to visit soldiers in northeast Yilan county when the incident happened.
"Five have survived while the other eight of our colleagues on board were killed. We are deeply saddened ... and give our condolences to their families," Air Force Commander Hsiung Hou-chi told reporters.
Survivor Tsao Ching-ping told rescuers in footage broadcast on local TV: "I am okay... two others are injured and only I can walk." "There is one more person who's more seriously wounded and two or three people in the cabin ... while two more with no signs of life."
President Tsai Ing-wen's office said that she will cancel all campaign activities for three days after the tragedy. The ruling Democratic Progressive Party will also suspend campaigning for three days.
"As commander-in-chief President Tsai and the cabinet team will focus on the rescue operations as well as clarifying the cause of the incident," it said in a statement.
Tsai is seeking a second term against Kaohsiung city mayor Han Kuo-yu of the Kuomintang (KMT) party in the January 11 elections when Taiwan will also elect a new parliament.
Han -- who will stop campaigning for two days -- and the KMT also expressed condolences to the victims.
There have been a number of incidents involving Black Hawk helicopters -- purchased from the United States -- in recent years in Taiwan.
In 2018, a chopper belonging to a government rescue agency crashed during a medical mission off outlying Orchid Island, killing six people on board.
There were also two crash landings in 2016 and 2018 with no casualties.
The chopper carrying 13 people disappeared from radar less than 15 minutes after taking off, according to Hsiung, adding that the ministry had set up a taskforce to investigate the incident.
"We are investigating whether (the cause) was environmental or mechanical," he said. An air force official said some on board were "trapped under fragments of the helicopter" without elaborating.
The ministry has dispatched ground troops and rescue helicopters to the crash site in northeastern Taiwan.
"It had been raining in the mountains in the past few days, the mountain roads are muddy and very steep. We are racing against time," Chen Chung-chi, a supervisor of the operation, said earlier Thursday. (AFP)
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Prominent temples in UP closed during lunar eclipse
Lucknow (PTI): Prominent temples across Uttar Pradesh, including the Ram temple in Ayodhya, Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi, Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi temple and the Vindhyavasini temple in Mirzapur, were closed on Tuesday in view of the lunar eclipse and will reopen in the evening after rituals.
According to Kashi Vishwanath temple authorities, the lunar eclipse will be visible in India and observed between 3.27 pm and 6.47 pm.
In keeping with religious scriptures, temples will observe ‘Sutak Kaal’, the inauspicious period preceding and during the eclipse, during which regular rituals and darshan are restricted.
The Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple Trust in Varanasi said that as per tradition, the temple gates are closed before the commencement of the eclipse. Following this custom, the temple doors were shut at 4.30 am.
After the conclusion of the eclipse, rituals related to ‘moksha’ (conclusion of the eclipse) would be performed in accordance with scriptures, followed by purification ceremonies.
The temple was scheduled to reopen for devotees after 7.15 pm.
In Ayodhya, the Ram Temple was closed from 9 am onwards due to the Sutak Kaal hours prior to the eclipse.
Temple sources said the Mangala Aarti at 4.30 am and the Shringar Aarti at 6.30 am were conducted as per schedule.
‘Bal Bhog’ was offered to Ram Lalla at 8.15 am. After the Shringar Aarti, darshan was allowed from 6.30 am to 9 am. The temple doors were then closed and were to reopen after evening aarti, with darshan available from 8.30 pm to 11 pm, Ram temple trust officials said.
In Mathura and Vrindavan, most temples closed early for morning darshan and were scheduled to reopen after the eclipse ended around 7 pm.
However, the historic Dwarkadhish Temple followed its regular schedule and remained open during the eclipse.
Rakesh Tiwari, media in-charge of the temple, said that in the Pushtimarg tradition, Lord Krishna is worshipped in his child form and devotees believe they must remain with the deity during difficult times.
The Banke Bihari Temple in Vrindavan opened early at 5.15 am and closed at 8.30 am.
According to a press release issued by the temple’s high-powered committee, it was scheduled to reopen for evening darshan at 7 pm and close at 10 pm.
At the Shri Krishna Janmasthan in Mathura, the temple opened at 5 am for Mangala Aarti and closed at 6 am for darshan.
Kapil Sharma, secretary of the Shri Krishna Janmasthan Seva Sansthan, said the temple would reopen for evening darshan at 8 pm and close at 9 pm.
The Radha Rani Temple in Barsana was also scheduled to reopen at 7 pm for evening darshan and close at 9 pm, Madhav Krishna Goswami, sewayat of the temple, said.
In Mirzapur, the Vindhyavasini Temple remained closed in the morning in view of the eclipse.
Bhanu Pathak of the Vindhya Panda Samaj, said the temple doors were shut from 3.15 pm to 8 pm during the Sutak and eclipse period.
After completion of rituals and aarti, devotees will be allowed to offer prayers.
Temple authorities across the state appealed to devotees to adhere to the revised schedules and cooperate with the arrangements made in view of the eclipse.
