Cochin airport to open on August 29
Kochi, Aug 22: The Cochin International Airport, shut on August 15 due to floods, will reopen on August 29, it was announced on Wednesday.
The airport had said on Tuesday that it would resume operations on August 26.
The airport was closed on August 15 after it was flooded when various dams in Idukki district opened their sluice gates in the wake of torrential rains.
Officials said the opening had been put off by three days as 90 per cent of the staff had been affected by Kerala's worst flooding in a century and they needed to report to work.
The airport was first closed on August 9, for a few hours, and then on August 15. The Cochin airport is one of three airports in Kerala and also the busiest.
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US military refuelling plane crashes in Iraq, rescue is underway
Washington (AP): An American military refuelling plane taking part in the operation against Iran crashed in Iraq and rescue efforts were underway, US Central Command said Thursday.
It was not immediately clear if there were any casualties. A US official, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss the developing situation, said the KC-135 aircraft that crashed had at least five crew members aboard.
The crash was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire, the military said in a statement, which described the plane as “a loss.”
US Central Command, which oversees the Middle East, said that two aircraft were involved and that one landed safely and the other went down in western Iraq.
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A second US official, who similarly spoke on condition of anonymity, said the other plane involved also was a KC-135 tanker.
“More information will be made available as the situation develops,” Central Command said. “We ask for continued patience to gather additional details and provide clarity for the families of service members.”
The tanker is the fourth publicly acknowledged aircraft to crash as part of the US military's operations against Iran. Last week, three American fighter jets were mistakenly downed by friendly Kuwaiti fire.
All six crew members safely ejected from the F-15E Strike Eagles and were in stable condition after being recovered, the US said.
Seven American troops have been killed in combat during the Iran war so far, while about 140 US service members have been injured, including eight severely, the Pentagon said earlier this week.
Both President Donald Trump and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth have warned that the Iran war would likely claim more American lives before it ends.
Six of the fallen service members were killed when an Iranian drone struck an operations centre at a civilian port in Kuwait. They were in the Army Reserve and worked in logistics, keeping troops supplied with food and equipment.
They died one day after the US and Israel launched the military campaign against Iran on February 28. The Islamic Republic has retaliated with missiles and drones against Israel and several Gulf Arab states that host US armed forces.
The seventh American service member died after being wounded during a March 1 attack on the Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia.
Trump joined grieving families for a dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base when the remains of the first six soldiers were returned to the United States. Vice President JD Vance, Hegseth and others saluted the seventh flag-draped transfer case as it arrived this week at Dover.
The KC-135 tanker involved in the latest crash is based on the same design as the Boeing 707 airliner and entered military service more than 60 years ago. Like other long-serving aircraft, the planes have undergone various retrofits and upgrades over the years.
The KC-135 tankers typically have a crew of three. It's not immediately clear what role the extra crew members were serving aboard the flight.
According to a report from the Congressional Research Service, the Air Force last year had a total of 376 KC-135s, including 151 on active duty, 163 in the Air National Guard and 62 in the Air Force Reserve.
