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Indonesia widens search area for crashed plane wreckage, victims (Second Lead)

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Jakarta, Oct 30 (IANS) Indonesian search and rescue teams on Tuesday widened the search area as they looked for the fuselage, black boxes and victims of the Lion Air plane that crashed in the Java Sea a day earlier with 189 people on board.

An Indonesian official said that the remains of at least 10 people were retrieved and only fragments of the plane were found, Efe news reported.

Flight JT 610 went down on Monday 13 minutes after take off from Jakarta to Pangkal Pinang on the Indonesian island of Bangka. There was no indication yet of what caused the plane to go down.

Didi Hamzar, Director of Preparedness, Indonesian Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), said that the search radius from the suspected crash site now extended to 10 nautical miles (18.5 km) compared to Monday’s 5 nautical miles.

The plane is believed to have plunged into the water, about 8 km east of Cape Tanjung Karawang, located in the eastern part of Jakarta Bay.

More than 100 rescue personnel were searching the area with 35 boats, a total of 50 divers and with the help of remote controlled underwater sonar technology that tracks the sea floor up to the depth of 30 to 60 metres.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo joined search teams at Tanjung Priok port on Tuesday, where the remains and debris recovered from the crash site were unloaded.

The police said late Monday that 24 body bags were transferred from the crash to a local hospital for post mortem.

DNA samples were taken from 132 family members of the passengers on board to help with identification, but the Jakarta police commissioner warned this could be difficult, and each body bag so far transferred could contain the remains of more than one person.

Muhammad Syaugi of Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency said the identification process was proceeding as quickly as possible, but warned that it was unlikely that the remains of all passengers would be found, CNN said.

Agency staff was going through personal items recovered from the crash site, including passports, wallets and IDs.

The plane was flown by Indian captain Bhavye Suneja who before the crash, requested for permission to return to the airport of the Indonesian capital, but did not send an emergency signal, officials said.

According to Basarnas, the plane shattered due to its severe impact with the sea surface after it dived at rapid speed, allegedly from some 3,000-feet height, making it break into pieces.

Basarnas Operation Director Bambang Suryo Aji dismissed allegations that the plane exploded in the sky as there were no burn signs on the parts of the plane and the bodies found floating around the crash site.

Founded in 1999, Lion Air is Indonesia’s largest low-cost airline and has had half a dozen non-fatal accidents and one fatal accident, which occurred in 2004 in the city of Solo, leaving 25 people dead.

–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma

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World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.

Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.

During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.

On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”

Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.

It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.

Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.

Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”

On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”

The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.

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