China Southern Airlines flight CZ8805 was supposed to leave from Sanya and go to Beijing at 10 a.m the plane was supposed to leave at 2 p.m on March 6, but it didn’t leave until around 2:16 p.m the time in the area, as shown on the websites Flightradar24 and Flight Aware, which track flights.
In a video posted by many news channels, a flight attendant talks to a passenger who is suspected of throwing coins. The flight attendant asks how many coins were thrown into the airplane’s engine. The person in the video did not say their name, but they were heard saying “three to five” coins.
The person who reportedly threw coins was taken away by airport police, according to Chinese Southern Airlines.
“The people who fix the airplane checked to make sure it was safe and found that everything was okay before it took off,” the airline’s customer service told the news.
‘A prayer for a safe plane journey’
China Southern Airlines posted a message on their social media account warning people not to throw coins at their planes because it could be dangerous and could result in punishment. But they didn’t mention a specific incident.
In China, there have been more cases of people throwing coins at planes for good luck.
In October, a flight from China Southern Airlines was late in Guangzhou because a person threw coins at the plane. In 2021, a GX Airlines flight from Weifang to Haikou was stopped because some coins wrapped in red paper were found on the ground. In 2017, an old person threw coins at a China Southern Airlines plane in Shanghai’s Pudong International Airport before boarding. They said it was to pray for a safe flight.
The man did something when the plane going to Guatemala City was stuck on the runway for a long time without air conditioning or water for the passengers.
The airport in Mexico said that the passenger didn’t cause any harm, but they were given to the police.
Other people on the plane wrote a statement together, saying they all supported the man.
The event happened last Thursday, at around 11:30 – about three hours after the Aeromexico flight was supposed to leave Mexico City.
The delay happened because there was a problem with maintenance, according to a report.
It said that they had to change planes because a passenger made a sudden decision without consulting others.
It is not known if the man is still in jail or what crimes he might be accused of.
Angry passengers had a different view of the incident.
“All the people on the plane from Mexico City to Guatemala, flight AM 0672, say that the person who opened the emergency window did it to keep everyone safe. They had everyone’s help because the plane was delayed and didn’t have enough air, which was dangerous for the passengers’ health,” a note from other passengers says.
“They wrote that he saved our lives and signed their names before posting it on social media. “
Despite regulations in Ghana prohibiting pastors and vendors from addressing public transport users during commutes, it has become a common occurrence on various roads.
The laws explicitly discourage preaching or advertising products during journeys, yet many passengers and drivers overlook the rules.
In a viral video posted by EDHUB, a man expressed his displeasure at a preacher who was delivering a sermon in close proximity. The incident highlights the ongoing challenge of enforcing regulations related to public transport activities in Ghana.
The pastor, a man in his 30s, was preaching about repentance and could be heard exclaiming; “Our Lord Jesus Christ would be coming again, repent!”
However, the man seated beside him refused to accept it. The pastor was upsetting the quiet in the car, so he told him to stop talking.
“Brother close the Bible; you are making noise… Masa you are making noise, shut up. We need peace,” the man said in Twi.
A video circulating online captured a man forcefully closing the Bible of a pastor who was engaged in preaching within a trotro (public transport) in Ghana. Despite the interruption, the undeterred pastor declared his intent to continue spreading the word of God.
The incident triggered a significant debate among passengers within the trotro. One woman, supporting the pastor, argued that drivers often play loud and profane music without facing similar interventions.
This altercation sheds light on the broader issue of noise disturbances in public transport, explicitly prohibited by Regulation 116 of L. I 2180/2012, known as the Prohibition of Nuisance In A Commercial Vehicle. This regulation categorizes preaching in trotros as a punishable offense.
“A person SHALL NOT cause or permit to cause nuisance including PREACHING and HAWKING on a public or commercial vehicle while the motor vehicle is in MOTION,” parts of the law reads.
An altercation broke out among passengers of a moving bus(Trotro) after one passenger complained about another passenger loudly preaching the word of God while sitting beside him. pic.twitter.com/1W25MjeO4n
A jobless man named Dela Anim is currently searching for a passenger who inadvertently left behind an amount exceeding GH¢100,000 in a taxi that he had hailed.
This incident occurred nearly a year after another taxi driver, Akwasi Ackon, earned widespread praise for returning ¢8,400 to a fishmonger who had left it in his vehicle.
According to Dela, he had boarded a taxi at the Mobile filling station in Nima, with his destination being Abossey Okai. During the course of the journey, he stumbled upon a blue-black polythene bag in the back seat of the car.
Upon opening it, he was surprised to discover a substantial sum of money.
However, Dela made the decision not to inform the taxi driver about the money but instead brought it to the studios of Adom FM.
“I didn’t trust the taxi driver to return the money if I had told him about it. Also, I didn’t want any stories from him so I just kept it to myself. I checked the money at the reception and realised it was GH¢105,000.00,” he narrated.
In addition to the substantial sum of money, Dela mentioned that he came across a key, a list, and an identification card inside the bag. He believes that these items could potentially aid in identifying the rightful owner.
When questioned about why he chose not to retain the money, especially considering the ongoing economic challenges and his own unemployment status, Dela explained that his decision was guided by his personal principles and values.
“I owned a transport business but it has collapsed so I’m unemployed and depend on the benevolence of my family to survive. Growing up as a Christian and Presbyterian, my parents taught me not to take what is not mine and that has guided my siblings and I throughout life,” he said.
Dela mentioned that he does not anticipate any form of compensation for his act of kindness but would graciously accept any token of appreciation once the rightful owner is located.
Furthermore, upon hearing Dela’s story, several Ghanaians have expressed their admiration and approval of his commendable actions.
A morning altercation inside a commercial vehicle, commonly referred to as a trotro, erupted when a passenger was accused of pilfering GH¢3,000 from the bag of the individual seated next to him.
The accused passenger was apprehended and subjected to harsh words from fellow passengers.
In a video obtained by GhanaWeb Business, one passenger was heard condemning the accused: “You are stealing this early morning. Shame on you.”
Another passenger inquired, “Someone is holding his bag, and you’ve opened it to take all the money. How can an elderly man like you do this?”
A market woman, donned in an apron tied around her waist, can also be seen in the video confronting and urging the suspected thief to confess.
Throughout the incident, the driver appeared unfazed and continued driving to their destination, with the bus conductor sitting quietly, observing the passengers‘ reaction to the suspected thief.
It should be noted that GhanaWeb Business cannot confirm the exact location and date of this incident as of the time of reporting.
An elderly man was caught by the occupants of a public bus(Trotro) after he stole 3,000 cedis from a young passenger. pic.twitter.com/1ymqDYCQ55
A video circulating on social media depicts an unconscious man aboard a public transport vehicle commonly referred to as a “trotro.”
The specific destination of the bus is not clear from the video.
But according to reports, the man tragically passed away while seated in the moving vehicle.
The bus conductor (mate), initially tried to wake the man up, thinking he might be asleep, but received no response.
It was at that point that both the bus conductor and the passengers came to the unsettling realization that they were traveling alongside a deceased individual.
The cause of death is unknown but some social media users are asserting that the man gave up due to the current hardship in the economy while others are just speechless over the shock of event.
A video circulating on social media depicts an irate man, believed to be in his 60s, engaging in a confrontation with a “trotro mate” in a public minibus, (trosky).
It was an altercation revolving around an alleged 50-pesewa refund that the passenger claims he is owed.
Their exact destination is unclear, but the frustrated passenger had probably paid his fare already and had received his change.
Nevertheless, he insisted on an additional fifty pesewas from the young bus conductor, who declined the request.
This provoked him to the point where he decided to aggressively hold up the mates shirt as though he was about to beat him up.
The passenger is heard in the video repeatedly commanding the bus conducted to pay back his alleged money.
“Give me my 50 pesewas! Give me my 50 pesewas! Give me my 50 pesewas! “Give me my 50 pesewas!,” the old man made demands on top of his voice.
The ‘trotro mate,” however, remained unperturbed and fearless over the passenger’s confrontational demeanor.
“Stop quarelling over 50 pesewas because right now you are not going to get it back. There is nothing that you will say that I will give you back the 50p,” the bus conductor boldly told the passenger.
The video below has more evidence to the situation:
A physical altercation occurred between a passenger and a bus conductor in a trotro over the conductor’s refusal to give the passenger change of GH¢0.50
Megapolis with world’s worst traffic gets train metro after 12-year wait
Lagos, Nigeria’s congested commercial hub, inaugurated its inaugural light-rail system on Monday, marking a significant milestone after 12 years of planning and development.
Construction of the 13-kilometer (8-mile) line commenced in 2009, with an initial service launch expected in 2011. However, funding challenges for the 100 billion naira ($132 million) project resulted in delays.
The line, constructed by China Civil Engineering Construction Corp., was officially opened by Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Monday and is projected to accommodate 150,000 daily passengers, as reported by the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority.
Lagos, a city of 20 million inhabitants, grapples with some of the world’s worst traffic congestion, according to Numbeo, a crowd-sourced online database. While the new “blue line” rail system is expected to alleviate some of these issues, Sanwo-Olu emphasized in 2021 that the city, which draws Nigerians from all over the country, requires $15 billion over five years to enhance its road and transportation infrastructure.
During the inauguration event, Governor Sanwo-Olu, dressed in a train operator’s uniform, personally engaged with passengers, announcing station names and addressing the crowd.
When fully operational, the train will accommodate up to 1,200 passengers per trip and significantly reduce travel time from Mile 2 near Tin Can Island (the country’s busiest seaport) to Marina on Lagos Island, reducing it from potentially 3 hours to just 25 minutes.
“A mega city cannot function without an effective metro line,” said Adetilewa Adebajo, chief executive of Lagos-based CFG Advisory. “However, Lagos needs not just the metro line. It has to develop waterways too, being a coastal city. It needs an integrated transport system. Those are what will be able to relieve the congestions in the city.”
At present, the government grapples with an annual expenditure of approximately 4 trillion naira due to traffic gridlock, resulting in lost work-hours as commuters collectively spend 14.1 million hours daily stuck in traffic, as indicated by a 2021 report from Lagos-based Danne Institute of Research.
Governor Sanwo-Olu initially commissioned the blue line in December; however, operational commencement was delayed because the necessary facility to power the tracks was not ready. For the interim, the metro will utilize a diesel locomotive for four weeks until the power plant can be connected to the tracks.
Nigeria faces similar inefficiencies in its transportation infrastructure. For instance, in 2018, the government inaugurated a train linking the capital city, Abuja, with its airport. Five years later, train cars remain unused in a depot, while the country continues to service the project’s $500 million loans from the Export-Import Bank of China, amounting to $50 million annually.
Lagos has previously experimented with other mass transit solutions, such as the World Bank-funded bus rapid transit system (BRT-lite) introduced in 2008. While approximately 4 million people have obtained the required cards for BRT, the system struggles to meet the demands of the city’s growing population.
The blue line will initially operate 12 trips per day for two weeks, eventually increasing to 76 trips daily, serving an expected 150,000 passengers daily, according to the state administration. The second phase, which extends the network from Mile 2 to Okokomaiko and is en route to Badagry at the state’s border with neighboring Benin, is currently under construction, bringing the total track length to 27.5 kilometers.
Additionally, Lagos plans to complete another 37 kilometers of rail by the end of the year, connecting the eastern and western parts of the city to further alleviate traffic. This line, referred to as the “red line,” is reported to be 95% complete.
Lagos, home to major companies like Dangote Cement Plc, Unilever Plc, and Heineken NV, experiences a population density of 13,800 residents per square kilometer, significantly higher than cities like Johannesburg (3,100) and Dar es Salaam (6,900).
The Economist Intelligence Unit’s Global Livability index for 2023 ranked Lagos among the least livable cities out of 173 evaluated.
In June, President Bola Tinubu lifted price caps on gasoline and allowed the naira to depreciate, leading to significant increases in prices for various commodities, from transportation to food. As a result, many Lagos residents had to curtail their use of private vehicles.
Transportation expenses absorb the largest proportion of household budgets among major African cities, according to the World Bank.
To provide some relief to residents, the metro service will offer passengers half the recommended fare of 750 naira ($0.97) per trip, with the government subsidizing part of the cost to mitigate the impact of rising living costs, according to the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority. If the train operates at full capacity, this subsidy could cost the government 1.7 billion naira monthly, based on Bloomberg’s estimation.
“This will bring a huge relief to Lagos in terms of commuting from one point to another point,” said Frank Momoh, a businessman, who was on the metro on Monday. “I will drop my car for the train ride because it is faster and it is more convenient.”
A tragic incident unfolded on a LATAM Airlines flight from Miami, U.S., to Chile, where an airline pilot lost his life after collapsing in the aircraft’s restroom. The flight, bearing 271 passengers, was in the hands of Captain Ivan Andaur, aged 56.
Captain Andaur’s discomfort emerged approximately three hours into the journey. Despite receiving immediate emergency aid from the crew after collapsing in the restroom, his condition rapidly deteriorated.
The flight promptly altered its course, diverting to Panama City’s Tocumen International Airport.
Tragically, the skilled veteran pilot’s life could not be saved, and he was pronounced deceased by first responders upon the plane’s arrival.
The flight, identified as LA505 and utilizing a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, had embarked from Miami at 10:11 pm on Monday, August 14.
It’s notable that the flight roster included a relief captain and a first officer when this unfortunate event transpired.
Following the incident, the flight left Panama City on Tuesday and continued on to Chile.
One passenger was killed and four injured when a “rogue wave” hit their cruise ship during a storm earlier this week.
The passengers had been taking an Antarctic cruise aboard the Viking Polaris when it was hit by the storm as it sailed towards Ushuaia, Argentina, late on Tuesday evening.
The storm caused a giant wave that broke several panes of glass on the cruise ship and these fell onto and killed an American woman.
Viking Cruises confirmed in a statement issued Saturday that the ship had been hit by a “rogue wave” – a type of wave the US National Ocean Service describes as being “greater than twice the size of surrounding waves.”
“It is with great sadness that we confirmed a guest passed away following the incident,” Viking Cruises said.
It did not reveal the passenger’s name or nationality.
However, the Argentine state news agency Telam said the dead passenger was an American woman who “received blows from a glass surface that collapsed in the middle of the storm.”
“Four other guests sustained non-life-threatening injuries during the incident and were treated by the ship’s onboard doctor and medical staff,” Viking said.
The cruise line said it is investigating and has canceled the Viking Polaris’ next trip scheduled for December 5 to 17.
The boat arrived in Argentina Wednesday and had sustained “limited damage” during the incident, Viking Cruises said.
The US National Ocean Service describes rogue waves as being “very unpredictable” and says they often come unexpectedly from directions other than prevailing wind and waves.”
An angry passenger who objected to the new fare rise of GH2 got into a physical altercation with the bus conductor and driver, according to a Twitter user named Antwi Edmond.
“During the force applied by the trotro mates at the station, the man decided to fight them back which led to a huge fight between him and our bus conductor and his mate with the backing of their co-workers after several minutes of the fight, this male passenger lost his life.
“He lost his life after one unawares [SIC] punch, which made his head hit one of the pavements at the terminal and lost his precious life. May his soul rest in perfect peace. I can’t believe he lost his life sake of [SIC] 2 cedis increment,” the eyewitness with the Twitter username @Murphy_Vainn wrote in a thread.
Tweeps have shared varied and mixed reactions to the news.
While some have attributed it to the current economic hardships, others have blamed commercial drivers for wrongly charging new fares.
On Tuesday, August 16, 2022, three people were shot dead close to the entrance of the Bawku Senior High School. Â They were returning from Bolgatanga in a commercial vehicle.
The deceased are; Fatawu Ibrahim, Bunyaminu Adam and Ibrahim Abdulai.
Even though the cause of the killing is yet to be ascertained, it has been linked to the ethnic disturbances in Bawku.
The driver of the vehicle who sustained a gunshot wound in the leg together with one passenger managed to flee to for their lives.
In a bid to prevent more accidents on our roads, passengers onboard a Toyota Hiace car caused the arrest of another driver for reckless driving on the Cape Coast – Takoradi highway.
Ahmed Alidu, aged 35-years and driving a Mercedes splinter with registration number GT 3601- 17 was arrested after a complaint was made to personnel at the Inchaban Police barrier.
Confirming the arrest, Western Region Commander of the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service, Chief Superintendent Richard Appiah said Ahmed left the Kaneshie lorry station for Takoradi loaded with passengers and dangerously overtook the Toyota Hiace with registration number WR 1481 -17 which had loaded from Cape Coast to Takoradi.
According to him, the passengers alleged that, their driver had to move swiftly from the road when the splinter bus came to overtake them, or risk being hit by the speeding car.
They said, they monitored as Ahmed continued to drive recklessly and overtake different cars, a situation that nearly resulted in a head-on collision with a truck.
From Dominase to Daboase and Asamasa, Ahmed continued to overtake from all sides of the road while driving at top speed and on the shoulders of the road.
Chief Superintendent Richard Appiah said after his arrest, his vehicle was impounded and brought to the MTTD office in Sekondi. His statement was taken in which he admitted to driving recklessly.
He has subsequently been processed for court on Monday, February 10.
Meanwhile, as more and more people continue to endorse the latest road safety campaign #ArriveAlive by JoyNews, the police administration says it wants amendment of laws governing the sector.
Outgone director of the Motor Transport Traffic Department (MTTD), Commissioner of Police Christian Yohuno, who described the initiative as laudable said it will lead to more punitive actions against drivers who “negligently and recklessly cause accidents.â€
