Helicopter crash kills 8 U.S. troops
SHAHJOI, Afghanistan After radioing in an unexplained loss of power and engine failure, a military helicopter crashed early Sunday in southeastern Afghanistan, killing eight U.S. service members. Fourteen survived with injuries.
Officials immediately ruled out enemy fire as a cause of the crash, which left charred wreckage of the twin-rotor Chinook scattered on a dusty, open plain in Zabul province.
There were no immediate claims of responsibility for any attack on the chopper, which went down under overcast skies in a region where Taliban militants are active.
It was the deadliest incident this year for the 47,000 U.S.-led coalition and NATO forces in Afghanistan.
The helicopter was carrying 22 U.S. service members when it had a “sudden, unexplained loss of power and control and crashed,” U.S. military spokesman Lt. Col. David Accetta told The Associated Press, adding the cause would be investigated.
“It was not enemy-fire related,” said Col. Tom Collins, spokesman for NATO’s International Security Assistance Force.
“The pilot was able to radio in that he was having engine problems. We’re confident it was not due to enemy action.”
The military relies heavily on helicopters for transport and operations because of Afghanistan’s forbidding terrain and lack of passable roads.
Dust and high altitude of Afghanistan’s mountains take a heavy toll on helicopter engines.
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6 hurt in McDonald’s blast
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia An explosion hit a McDonald’s restaurant in the city center on Sunday, injuring at least six people, officials said.
The explosion blew out windows at the restaurant and partially destroyed the ceiling, said Irina Andriyanova, spokeswoman for the Emergency Situations Ministry.
She said six people were wounded, including four who were hospitalized with various injuries, including concussions and cuts from flying glass.
Ekho Moskvy radio, citing eyewitnesses, said the blast went off in the handbag of a restaurant patron.
Officials did not say whether they believed the explosion was related to terrorism or a criminal act. McDonald’s restaurants have been targets of both criminal gang disputes and terrorist attacks in Russia in the past.
In 2002, a car bombing at a McDonald’s restaurant in Moscow killed one person and injured eight. Several Chechen men were convicted in the blast, which prosecutors said was part of a series of terrorist attacks planned by Chechen rebels.
In 1998, a small bomb exploded at a McDonald’s under construction in another part of St. Petersburg.
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Car bombings kill 63
Militants struck back Sunday against a security clampdown in Baghdad with car bombings that killed at least 63 people and sent a grim message to officials boasting that extremists were on the run. Just hours before the blasts, Lt. Gen. Abboud Qanbar led reporters on a tour of the neighborhood near the marketplace that was attacked and promised to “chase the terrorists out of Baghdad.”
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Prostitutes test AIDS vaccine
New Jersey-based Merck & Co. is testing an AIDS vaccine in the Dominican Republic, with the help of 175 prostitutes. The prostitutes are among some 3,000 people in eight countries testing the experimental vaccine, a combination of deactivated cold viruses and synthetically produced HIV genes meant to train the body to destroy infected cells.
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28 bombings, 3 deaths
At least 28 bombs exploded Sunday in coordinated attacks in parts of southern Thailand plagued by a Muslim insurgency, killing three people and wounding more than 50, the military said. The bombings targeted hotels, karaoke bars, power grids and commercial sites in the country’s southernmost provinces, the only parts of predominantly Buddhist Thailand with Muslim majorities.
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64 die on India train
A train traveling to Pakistan caught fire early Monday in northern India, killing at least 64 people, and officials said two suitcases filled with flammable material that appeared to be explosive devices were found at the scene. V.N. Mathur, general manager of the Northern Railway, said one of the suitcases was found inside a burned train car, and the other was on the railroad track.
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WHAT’S YOUR SIGN?
Sunday marked the first day of the Lunar New Year, ushering in the Year of the Pig. The pig is one of 12 animals on the 12-year cycle of the Chinese zodiac. According to Chinese astrology, people born in pig years are polite, honest, hardworking, loyal–and lucky, which is why many Chinese like to have babies in a pig year. A look at the other signs:
Rat
1948, ’60, ’72, ’84, ’96
Charming, creative, generous
Ox
1949, ’61, ’73, ’85, ’97
Leaders, good at making things
Tiger
1950, ’62, ’74, ’86, ’98:
Risk takers with plenty of initiative
Rabbit
1951, ’63, ’75, ’87, ’99
Affectionate with lots of friends
Dragon
1952, ’64, ’76, ’88, 2000
Popular and fun
Snake
1953, ’65, ’77, ’89, 2001
Wise and romantic
Horse
1954, ’66, ’78, ’90, 2002
Hardworking and independent
Ram
1955, ’67, ’79, ’91, 2003
Elegant and artistic
Monkey
1956, ’68, ’80, ’92, 2004
Intelligent, well-liked
Rooster
1957, ’69, ’81, ’93, 2005
Decisive and hardworking
Dog
1958, ’70, ’82, ’94, 2006
Honest and faithful
Pig
1959, ’71, ’83, ’95, 2007
Tolerant, friendly
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FROM NEWS SERVICES
