Helicopter ride along Mangaluru coastline to be special attraction of Karavali Utsav 2024
Mangaluru: Visitors are being offered a special aerial view of Mangaluru’s coastline by helicopter, at a rate of Rs 4,500 per person, during this year’s Karavali Utsav, which will commence on Saturday, December 21 and continue till 31.
The helicopter, which will be operated by Thumbi Helitourism Private Limited of Bengaluru, will take off from the helipad at Maryhill. A helicopter that can carry six people is being provided for every such trip, which is expected to be completed in 5-7 minutes, before the copter returns to Maryhill.
The helicopter tour is reportedly not just a special attraction for the Karavali Utsav 2024 but also a major step to introduce and promote helitourism in Mangaluru.
A group of journalists went on an aerial tour of the city on Friday evening in a helicopter piloted by Captain VS Malik of Thumbi Helitourism Private Limited. The 3-minute trip, which started from Maryhill, covered areas like Panambur, Mangaluru Mahanagara Palike, Pumpwell and the banks of River Nethravathi, before returning to the helipad at Maryhill.
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South African police arrest suspect in mass shooting that killed 12, including 3 children
Johannesburg (AP): A 32-year-old suspect has been arrested in connection with a mass shooting which claimed the lives of 12 people including three children at an unlicensed pub earlier this month, South African police said on Monday.
The man is suspected of being one of the three people who opened fire on patrons in a pub at Saulsville township, west of South Africa's capital Pretoria, killing 12 people including three children aged 3, 12 and 16.
At least 13 people were also injured during the attack, whose motive remains unknown.
According to the police, the suspect was arrested on Sunday while traveling to Botlokwa in Limpopo province, more than 340 km from where the mass shooting took place on Dec 6.
An unlicensed firearm believed to have been used during the attack was recovered from the suspect's vehicle.
“The 32-year-old suspect was intercepted by Limpopo Tracking Team on the R101 Road in Westenburg precinct. During the arrest, the team recovered an unlicensed firearm, a hand gun, believed to have been used in the commission of the multiple murders. The firearm will be taken to the Forensic Science Laboratory for ballistic analysis,” police said in statement.
The suspect was arrested on the same day that another mass shooting at a pub took place in the Bekkersdal township, west of Johannesburg, in which nine people were killed and 10 wounded when unknown gunmen opened fire on patrons.
Police have since launched a search for the suspects.
South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world and recorded more than 26,000 homicides in 2024 — an average of more than 70 a day. Firearms are by far the leading cause of death in homicides.
The country of 62 million people has relatively strict gun ownership laws, but many killings are committed with illegal guns, according to authorities.
According to police, mass shootings at unlicensed bars are becoming a serious problem. Police shut down more than 11,000 illegal taverns between April and September this year and arrested more than 18,000 people for involvement in illegal liquor sales.
