Twelve dead in Colombia plane crash
Bogota: A plane crash in Colombia killed 12 people on Saturday, including a mayor and her family, aviation and emergency services said.
The Douglas DC-3 aircraft, an American-made twin-engine propeller plane that was first produced in the 1930s, crashed in the centre-east of the country on a flight between the towns of San Jose del Guaviare and Villavicencio. A fire department official told AFP it then caught fire.
"Unfortunately... there were no survivors," the Aeronautica Civil aviation authority said, adding that the wreckage was found close to Villavicencio. Among the victims was the mayor of the municipality of Taraira, Doris Villegas, and her husband and daughter, as well as the owner of the aircraft, pilot Jaime Carrillo, co-pilot Jaime Herrera and an aviation technician identified as Alex Moreno.
President Ivan Duque paid tribute to the victims on Twitter. "My solidarity with the families," he wrote.
The Defensa Civil emergency services put the death toll at 12, with director Colonel Jorge Martinez suggesting an engine failure could have caused the crash.
"At the moment of flying over the municipality of San Martin, an engine turns off and the pilot ... tries to land ... but it gets out of control," he theorized to RCN news channel.
But Aeronautica Civil gave no details on a cause and asked the press to show restraint in using images circulating on social media "out of respect for the victims and their families." Meanwhile, the fire department confirmed the flight had not faced unfavorable weather conditions.
The plane was operated by Laser Aereo, a cargo and passenger transport company. Contacted by the AFP, the company declined to comment on the accident.
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Former CEC SY Quraishi flags concerns over variation in Maharashtra voter turnout data
New Delhi: Former Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) SY Quraishi has expressed concern over the significant variation between the provisional and final voter turnout figures in the recently concluded Maharashtra Assembly elections.
The state went to polls on November 20, with the voter turnout recorded at 55% by 5 pm. However, the final turnout, announced the following day, rose to 67%, marking the highest figure in nearly three decades.
In an interview with India Today, Quraishi, who served as CEC from 2010 to 2012, termed the discrepancy "worrying." He explained that voter turnout figures are typically recorded in real-time using Form 17A, where voters' attendance is marked by the presiding officer. At the end of the polling day, Form 17C is completed, documenting the total votes cast, with signatures from candidates' agents.
"The data is generated on the same day. How it changes significantly the next day is something I fail to understand," Quraishi said, urging the Election Commission to address the issue. He warned that such discrepancies could erode public trust in the electoral process, stating, "If doubts spread across the country, it could undermine the entire system."
The opposition had raised similar concerns during the May 2024 Lok Sabha elections, pointing out discrepancies of 5-6% between initial and final turnout figures. The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) had filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking polling station-wise turnout data to be released within 48 hours of each phase.
However, the Supreme Court declined the plea, citing practical challenges, while the Election Commission argued that such disclosures could lead to logistical complications.
The Election Commission is yet to respond to the concerns raised regarding the Maharashtra election data.
