hTrain derailment toll

hTrain derailment toll
TOKYO -- The death toll in a train derailment in northern Japan rose to five as rescuers searched the snow-covered wreck Wednesday, after reports that more passengers could be trapped inside. All six cars of the train -- reportedly traveling up to 60 mph -- derailed Sunday in rural Yamagata state, 180 miles north of Tokyo, during a blizzard. The first three cars flipped onto their sides and skidded along the snow embankment. Authorities had earlier concluded that four people died, but renewed their search for victims after reports said three other passengers were missing. Workers later spotted the head and shoulder of a passenger, who was later confirmed dead, police said. The president of East Japan Railway Co., operator of the ill-fated express train, visited the crash site Tuesday to lay flowers for the dead, and the government called for a review of railway lines vulnerable to strong wind gusts.
Cause of plane crash
BAKU, Azerbaijan -- The crash of an Azerbaijani airliner that killed 23 people was caused by flight instrument failure, leaving the crew unable to pilot the aircraft, airline officials said Wednesday. The Ukrainian-built An-140 plane operated by state-run Azerbaijani Airlines crashed on land near the Caspian Sea shore just north of the Azerbaijani capital, Baku, minutes after takeoff late Friday during a flight to Kazakhstan. All 18 passengers and five crew were killed. Azerbaijan Airlines' chief Jahangir Askerov said that the study of the plane's flight recorders revealed that the pilots' instruments failed immediately after takeoff, making the crew unable to see the plane's position in the air.
Salvador Dali aide dies
MADRID, Spain -- John Peter Moore, a close Salvador Dali aide convicted of tampering with one of the surrealist master's paintings, has died, according to press reports and funeral officials. He was 86. Moore died Monday in Port Lligat, a Mediterranean town where he ran an art gallery yards away from Dali's main studio, according to the Spanish news agency EFE and the respected daily El Pais. The Empordanesa funeral agency in the nearby city of Figueres told The Associated Press that Moore's body had been brought to the funeral home. No cause of death was reported. Known as Capt. Moore because of his WWII service in Britain's Royal Navy, Moore accompanied Dali on many of his world tours during his 20 years as personal assistant.
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