International
The Legal Medical Institute identifies all 62 victims of the plane crash in Brazil
The Medical Forensic Institute (IML) of São Paulo reported on Thursday that it concluded the identification of all 62 victims of the Voepass airline plane crash that occurred last week in this state of Brazil.
The agency indicated that it has already delivered the respective mortal remains to the relatives of 42 of the victims and that it hopes to release the rest this Thursday.
Of the 62 victims, 40 were identified by typing examinations and the others by analysis of their dental arch or by other physical characteristics.
The IML collected genetic samples from the relatives of all the victims, but it was not necessary to use genetic comparison methods to identify them, explained the superintendent of Technical-Scientific Police of the IML, Claudinei Salomão.
“The identification processes dispensed with complementary DNA tests because the experience we have allowed us to compare the bodies with pre-existing data, such as fingerprints or radiological images of the victims,” he said.
Despite the difficulties due to the state in which some of the bodies were left after the explosion and the fire that occurred after the fall, which destroyed a large part of the aircraft, the forensic doctors said that none of the corpses were completely charred.
Those responsible for the investigation of the accident managed to recover all the information contained in the black boxes of the crashed plane and promise to deliver a preliminary report in 30 days.
The Brazilian Air Force clarified on Thursday in a statement that so far no media has had access to the contents of the black boxes, after Globo television published statements by the pilot allegedly taken from the transcript of the cabin recording.
According to that version, in the last minutes of the flight the co-pilot is heard saying that the plane was without power.
The crashed plane, a twin-engine ATR-72-500 model and French manufacture, covered the route between the city of Cascavel and São Paulo with 58 passengers and 4 crew members on board and crashed when it had about 80 kilometers left to reach its destination.
The device crashed in the backyards of a set of residences in the municipality of Vinhedo, without affecting any building or leaving any victims on the ground.
International
Armed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
Ecuador’s Armed Forces carried out an operation on Monday — including airstrikes — against illegal mining in the town of Buenos Aires, in the country’s north, Defense Minister Gian Carlo Loffredo reported.
The mountainous, gold-rich area has been a hotspot for illegal mining since 2017, located in the Andean province of Imbabura.
In 2019, former president Lenín Moreno deployed around 2,400 soldiers to the region in an attempt to curb the illegal activity. “The operation began with mortar fire, followed by gunfire and bombing runs by Supertucano aircraft,” Loffredo said in a video released by the Defense Ministry.
He added that the operation would continue on Tuesday with patrols across the area to locate possible members of “irregular armed groups that may have crossed from the Colombian border.”
The Armed Forces stated on X that the intervention focused on the “complete elimination of multiple illegal mining tunnels” in the areas known as Mina Nueva and Mina Vieja.
The operation coincided with the deployment of a military and police convoy into Imbabura, which has been the epicenter of protests against President Daniel Noboa since September 22, following his decision to scrap the diesel subsidy.
International
Caracas shuts embassy in Oslo without explanation following Machado’s Nobel win
Venezuela has announced the closure of its embassy in Norway, just days after opposition leader María Corina Machado was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Venezuelan diplomatic mission provided no explanation for its decision on Monday.
“It is regrettable,” a ministry spokesperson said. “Despite our differences on several issues, Norway wishes to keep the dialogue with Venezuela open and will continue to work in that direction.” The ministry also emphasized that the Nobel Committee operates entirely independently from the Norwegian government.
In its announcement, the Nobel Committee stated that Machado met the criteria established by Alfred Nobel, “embodying the hope for a different future, where the fundamental rights of Venezuelans are heard.”
International
Sheinbaum: Urgent to restore access to towns cut off by heavy rains
Thousands of military personnel and civilians in Mexico worked tirelessly on Tuesday to clear roads blocked by the torrential rains of recent days, which have left more than 300 communities cut off across central and eastern regions of the country. Authorities also launched mass fumigation efforts in several affected areas to prevent the spread of dengue fever.
The official death toll remains at 64, though dozens of people are still missing. President Claudia Sheinbaumacknowledged that the government does not yet know the full situation in many of the isolated villages, which range in population from 500 to 1,000 inhabitants.
“The reopening of roads is one of the greatest urgencies,” Sheinbaum said. “It’s essential to guarantee air bridges, food supplies, clean water, and a proper census of the isolated communities so we can determine the condition of every person living there.”
Private construction companies are also assisting the effort with heavy machinery and technical support to help reopen highways and reconnect rural areas.
Armed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
Caracas shuts embassy in Oslo without explanation following Machado’s Nobel win
Sheinbaum: Urgent to restore access to towns cut off by heavy rains
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
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