Explosion happend near traveled area.

An explosive device, possibly set along the route that the Shiite travel to celebrate their holy day, Chehlum, killed possibly 18 people on Sunday, January 15th, 2012. As they passed along their route in Khanpur which is located in the district of Rahim Yar Kha in the Southern Punjab Province, the bomb went off. There were over 30 others wounded in the explosion. Some of the wounded had serious injuries which could result in the number of deaths from the explosion being many more.

All that died were Shiite pilgrims making their journey. Chehium is 40 days after the date of the death of Imam Hussain who was the grandson of the prophet Mohammed. The Shitte Muslims mourn the death of Imam Hussain for 40 days. The time of mourning ends with them traveling to their holy cities. Pakistan has a lengthy history of sectarian attacks Every year as the Shiite travel their routes to their holy cities, there is much fear of violence against them. and .

The President of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari, has verbalized much heartbreak and sadness over the deaths of the Shiite. About 20 percent of the 174 million people living in Pakistan are Shiite Muslims. Since the attacks started in the 1980′s, there have been over 4000 people die of sectarian violence. Police are waiting to hear from the bomb squad’s investigation. No one at this time has stood up and said that they planned the attack.

Truck Crash in Haiti Results in 23 Deaths

In Haiti, along the Route Delmas, one of the most traveled highways in the capital, Port-Au-Prince, a truck and bus accident has taken 23 lives. The accident happened Monday evening before midnight.

The trucks brakes quit working as the driver tried to maintain control. The out of control truck hit a small bus and then ended up on the sidewalk. There were 67 people wounded in the accident that had to be transported to hospitals for evaluation and treatment.

There was a press release from the President Michel Martelly that stated that the president went to the area of the accident which occured in front of the national television headquaters.

Tribal Violence Cause 47 Deaths in South Sudan

Tribal violence, that resulted from a prior attack against the Murle community, has resulted in the deaths of 47 people in the Lou Nuer ethnic community in Duk County. It happened in the Jonglei state on Monday.

Of the 47 people that died, most were children and older people according to Philip Thon Leek Deng, a member of the parliament. One small child that had been out with her mother and sisters had to be taken out from under her dead mother. She had also suffered a gunshot wound but survived. Her sisters weren’t so lucky.

Apparently the Lou Nuer trive has been raiding the Murle communites over the start of the new year causing tens of thousands to leave. This attack is the latest in a string of violence amongst the two areas.

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Italian Cruise Ship Runs Aground

There are possibly still 40 people missing from the Italian cruise ship Costa Concordia which ended up grounded on the west coastal area of Italy. The ship ran a ground and is lying on it’s side 650 feet off of Giglio Island.  Divers are frantically searching the cabins of the ship hoping to find any of the people missing still alive. The ship is half underwater at this time. They did locate a man and a woman in a cabin 2 landings down still alive. Three other people were not so lucky having perished. The ship ran a ground on Friday night. It was the first night that the passengers had been on the cruise ship. There were 4000 people on the ship at the time of the accident. Most of the passengers and crew were able to swim to the shore line.

It is not really know how many people could still be missing. It has been calculated that the number could possibly be 41 at this time. The numbers had been higher, but there is the possiblity of some passengers being taken care of in homes on the island. Until all who made it safely to land are located, the number is only an estimate.

The divers have checked the surrounding waters finding no bodies. It is possible that they could find more of the missing inside the belly part of the ship. Passengers and crew that didn’t swim to shore were rescued by lifeboats and helicopters.

The reason for the accident is unknown at this time. There is a big cut in the hull of the boat. It is possible that they ran into some rocks. Some reported hearing a loud noise during dinner time. The ship took on water quickly. A drill to teach passengers what to do if such an incident ever occured had not been done yet. Instructions were to be given on Saturday afternoon. Little to say there was a lot of panic.

Muslim Shia Pilgrims Hit by Suicide Bomb Killing 50

In Basra, as the Muslim Shia pilgrims where celebrating the festival of Arbain, one of thier main holy days on the Shia calender, a suicide bombing took 50 lives. There is always a fear that attacks may happen during the festival time and security was watching out incase insurgents came around. There have been quite a few deaths in the last few weeks in attacks against the pilgrims.

The pilgrims were at a check point area that they visit as they travel to a popular Shia mosque in the area of Zubeir. The mosque is located 12 miles on the south western side of Basra. It is a very popular area for the Shia pilgrims to visit that reside in the area of southern Iraq as they are not able to get to the shrines located in the main holy city of Karbala which is up north of them.

The insurgent was wearing a police office uniform and was using a false ID. He was able to make his way to the police check point where he set off his explosives blowing up himself, police officers and pilgrims. There were quite a few officers that died in the explosion.

Mudslides and Flooding Take Lives in Brazil

Even though this is the rainy time of year for Brazil, you can never be prepared enough. Mudslides and flooding water have hit the areas of Sapucais located in Rio de Janeiro taking the lives of 13 people plus one other in Laje do Muriae. Last year the rains in January caused flooding in Rio de Janeiro that took the lives of 800 people.

In Minas Ferais, a state that borders Rio de Janeiro, there were another 15 people that lost thier lives. The heavy rainfall in the area has caused 116 cities to declare a state of emergency. Many are in the area of  Rio de Janeiro. There is also reason to believe that there could be an additional 9 people buried beneath the mud in Sapucais.

It is not uncommon to get this type of rainfall in January. Only last there were 800 people that perished due to the large amount of rainfall causing much of Rio de Janeiro to experience heavy flooding.

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