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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Integrity of electoral process severely compromised, Cong to soon launch movement: CWC
New Delhi (PTI): The Congress Working Committee met here on Friday and adopted a resolution alleging the integrity of the entire electoral process was being severely compromised against which the party would soon launch a movement.
In the resolution of the top body of the Congress, the party said free and fair elections is a Constitutional mandate that was being called into "serious question by the partisan functioning of the Election Commission".
The CWC, which met amid the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament, said the session has been a washout so far because of the Narendra Modi government's "stubborn refusal" to have an immediate discussion on three pressing national issues -- "the recent revelations regarding corruption by a business group, and the violence in Manipur and Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal".
Asked why the Congress Working Committee (CWC) resolution does not name the business group, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said, "The answer is the Adani group".
"The CWC believes the integrity of the entire electoral process is being severely compromised. Free and fair elections is a Constitutional mandate that is being called into serious question by the partisan functioning of the Election Commission.
"Increasing sections of society are becoming frustrated and deeply apprehensive. The Congress will take these up these public concerns as a national movement," the resolution stated.
Addressing a joint press conference along with Ramesh and Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera, party general secretary, organisation, K C Venugopal said the party discussed the political situation in the country for four-and-half hours and adopted the resolution.
He said the CWC has decided to constitute internal committees to look into electoral performance and organisational matters.
About the Assembly polls results in Maharashtra, Venugopal said the electoral outcome in the state was "beyond normal understanding and it appears to be a clear case of targeted manipulation".
