TransAsia Plane Crashes Into Taiwan River - 23 Reported Dead [Photos]

TransAsia Airways GE235 plane crashed into the Taiwan River earlier today with about 58 people on board, and up to 23 are reported to be dead, with several more injured, including two infants. As more photos from the crash emerge, it has been reported that the small passenger plane clipped a road bridge and crashed into the river. Dozens of passengers remain unaccounted for as the rescue operation in the capital city of Taipei continues.

Terrifying footage of the disaster, filmed by a passing motorist's dashboard camera, showed the aircraft plunging into the water only three minutes after taking off from an airport which was 5km away.

South African President Announce 67 SA Citizens Dead in Collapsed Synagogue Church Building

South African president, Jacob Zuma has announced that 67 SA citizens perished when a Synagogue church building collapsed last week. The building approval for the collapsed SCOAN structure is still missing, and NEMA has said that only about 50 bodies have been recovered so far.

The guest house is under the management of TB Joshua and the Synagogue Church and had collapsed on September 12th while construction was going on to raise it from 3 stories to 5 without approval from the state or local government.

The South Africans who were lodged there were in Nigeria to seek spiritual help from TB Joshua, and while some have been pulled alive from the rubble, it is clear now that more lives than we thought were lost.

Below is the full statement by South African president, Jacob Zuma.

WHO Says Ebola Death Toll Is Now Over 2,000 With Thousands More Cases Expected in Liberia

The death toll from the worst Ebola outbreak in history has risen to at least 2,296 out of 4,293 cases in five West African countries, the World Health Organization said Tuesday September 9th. The director of WHO’s department of pandemic and epidemic diseases, Sylvie Briand, said this in Geneva;

"We know that the numbers are under-estimated. We are currently working to estimate the under-estimation. It’s a war against this virus. It’s a very difficult war. What we try now is to win some battles at least in some places.” 

The death toll, according to WHO, jumped by almost 200 in a single day and the figure was as of September 6th. WHO also said it did not have new figures for Liberia, the worst-affected country so far, suggesting the real number is higher than 2,296.

Meanwhile, the WHO has also predicted that Liberia would see thousands of new cases of Ebola virus in coming weeks as the virus was spreading exponentially.

Contact of Port Harcourt Ebola Victim Dies at Treatment Center

Another person has died today who contracted the Ebola virus disease from Dr. Iyke Enemuo who had died of Ebola disease on August 22 after treating an Ecowas official.

As the Rivers State Government is planning to burn the corpse of Doctor Iyke Enemuo, it has been announced that one of his primary contacts has also died of the Ebola Virus Disease.

Dan Nwomeh, Special Assistant to the Minister of Health on Media and Communication, confirmed  the death today in a series of tweets updating Nigerians on the status of the disease earlier today.

Dr Enemuo's wife, Mrs. Enemuo is still being treated at the Ebola Isolation Center in Lagos. She has a 3-month-old baby who is being cared for by relatives, also in Lagos.

Nurse Justina Ejelonu Who Came in Contact with Patrick Sawyer Dies at 25

25-year-old Obi Justina Ejelonu has died. She was one of the nurses who attended to Liberian-American Patrick Sawyer, the first Ebola victim in Nigeria.

Sahara Reporters confirmed the story through a telephone call to her family. They say she passed away this morning.

Ejelonu was quarantine in Lagos, along with several others who had contact with Patrick Sawyer. Justina has spoken out about her experience and I was among the first to blog about the campaign for the Zmapp experimental drug to be sent to Nigeria using her comments and picture.

Painful Exit - Juliet Igbinoba Dies in Road Accident One Month to Wedding

Juliet Igbinoba was looking forward to marryng her friend and fiancé Jackson Igbinadolor April 19th but unfortunately death in a fatal crash on Monday March 17 along the Lagos – Benin road cut short their expectations. With just one month to their marriage, Juliet had sent out the invitations cards, announced the event on social media and it was on a trip as part of the wedding plans that the accident occurred.

Kano Bus Station Bomb Blast: Death Toll Rises

When I saw the news of the Kano bomb blast yesterday on some blogs, I didn't want to read it, it was beginning to look like bomb blasts were a daily affair in Nigeria. And it's just too depressing to see all the bloody pictures that come with such news. But I've not been able to escape it today as it made international news and the death toll has continued to rise, some are saying up to 50 or more.

I guess we should never become numb to these incidents, maybe that is what the terrorists want. I honestly don't know what future Nigeria as a country has with bombs raining mass death almost on a weekly basis, especially when it appears, like in this case, that there is an ethnic bias to the killings.

Supposedly the government through JTF and even with amnesty and peace talks are on it, but the results are definitely not people have been hoping for. I will sound selfish if I say that my biggest fear is that it gets down south, or that it affect my friends and family, but that is the truth. But whether in the north or south, I wish this mindless violence would stop. And it's not like the south is totally trouble free, kidnappings are on the increase, and some end in the victim's death.

May the souls of those lost in all the violence rest in peace.