Canadian officials rescue 23 people who floated away on ice sheet

Published

2 hours ago

2026/03/9

Priyan

Twenty-three people have been rescued by helicopter crews in Ontario, Canada, after the ice shelf they were standing on broke, sending the group floating into Lake Huron.

Ontario Provincial Police said on social media that the rescue began around noon (16:00 GMT) on Sunday after “winds and current moved the ice shelf away from shore” approximately 2km (1.2 miles).

The rescue involved two helicopters making multiple trips to pluck people off the shelf as it continued to fracture into more pieces in the Owen Sound, about 200km north-west of Toronto.

One member of the group said that he only realised the ice he was fishing on had detached from shore when he noticed that his GPS showed him moving.

Members of the rescued group described harrowing moments, with several of them becoming partially submerged in the cold waters as they sought out the thickest ice on the floe, or sheet.

“I looked at my GPS. We were moving,” fisherman Kevin Fox wrote, identifying himself on Facebook as one of those who were caught up in the incident. “I turned around and saw waves forming behind us.”

He said that he and several others started running towards a route that they hoped still connected to shore.

Ontario Provincial Police Helicopters seen landing people at a golf course along the water

“We decided to run toward one side of the bay, but when we got there the ice had already separated from shore. We turned and ran the other way, but the ice there was breaking apart too,” he wrote.

Some started phoning their families, said Fox, adding: “It’s something I will never forget – seeing grown men crying while saying goodbye to the people they love.”

Fellow fisherman Alfie How told The Owen Sound Sun Times that they eventually “just sat down as a group and said this could be the end”.

Fox told the paper that the rescue occurred during high wind, and the group was concerned that the helicopters would not be able to fly.

“It was being eroded,” Fox said. “It kept getting smaller, and smaller.”

Police say several members of the group suffered hypothermia, but that everyone was expected to make a full recovery.

“Great teamwork and a quick response by all involved,” police added.

Last month in the US state of Vermont, police rescued a group of ice skaters who had also become trapped on floating ice.

Using kayaks and ferry boats, rescuers brought the group back from the icy Lake Champlain.

Officials warn that ice fishing conditions can change rapidly during the relatively warm daylight hours.

[BBC]

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North Korea cancels Pyongyang Marathon for ‘some reasons’

Published

2 hours ago

2026/03/9

Priyan

The annual marathon is usually held in April [BBC]

North Korea has cancelled the Pyongyang marathon for unspecified reasons, a tour agency linked to the event has said.

British-owned Koryo Tours, which describes itself as the official partner of the marathon, said on Monday that it had received notice of the cancellation from North Korea’s athletics association.

A message it attributed to the association said the marathon was being cancelled “due to some reasons”.

The annual event was established in 1981 to celebrate the birth of North Korea’s founding leader Kim Il Sung. The 2026 race was set to take place on 5 April.

The message, purportedly from the North Korea athletics association’s general secretary, thanked “all the Elite Marathoners and Amateur Runners of the world who are interested in Pyongyang International Marathon”.

The message gave no further explanation on what the reasons for the cancellation were.

Koryo Tours said it understood the decision was final and had been taken “at a level above the organisers of the event itself”.

It said it would be seeking clarification on the circumstances surrounding the decision.

The tour company added that neither organisers nor event partners were involved in making the decision, and said it recognised “this announcement will be disappointing to many runners who had already registered or were planning to participate”.

Koryo Tours, based in Beijing, China, offers several marathon packages to foreigners, departing from Beijing, Shanghai and Shenyang.

Packages start from €2,190 ($2,529; £1,894) for 2.5 nights in the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, including a marathon place and “highlights” of the capital and tickets were sold out this year, according to the agency’s website.

It said all deposits paid will be returned and runners have the option to retain their deposit for a future event or North Korea tour.

A date for the 2027 marathon has not yet been set.

The event had only returned last year after it was suspended for five consecutive years due to the Covid pandemic.

It is open to both amateur and some professional athletes and offers several race distances – 5km (3.1 miles), 10km (6.2 miles), half marathon (21.1km; 13.1 miles) or full marathon (42.2km; 26.2 miles).

[BBC]

Foreign News

Heavy rains and flooding kills at least 23 in Nairobi

Published

1 day ago

2026/03/8

Priyan

A man looks through the wreckage of private vehicles destroyed following heavy rainfall in the Grogan area of Nairobi [BBC]

At least 23 people have been killed in Nairobi after heavy rain overnight caused severe flooding in Kenya’s capital city.

Police said about 30 people had been rescued but many others drowned after being swept into rivers – some have been electrocuted.

Kenya’s military has been deployed to help people trapped inside their cars as police described widespread damage to properties as well as road closures.

Several flights bound for Nairobi Airport had to be cancelled or diverted to the coastal city of Mombasa.

“The torrential rains have led to significant flooding, unfortunately resulting in 23 fatalities so far, the destruction of property, road closures, and the displacement of residents,” police said in a statement on Saturday afternoon.

[BBC]

Foreign News

Qatar partially reopens airspace as Iranian strikes continue to hit Gulf

Published

2 days ago

2026/03/7

Priyan

A Qatar Airways Airbus A350-900 plane is seen in Doha, Qatar [File: Aljazeera]

Qatar has partially reopened its airspace days after Iranian missile and drone strikes forced the country to ground all flights as a United States-Israeli military campaign against Iran continues into its seventh day.

The Qatar Civil Aviation Authority announced the limited opening on Friday evening, saying flights would operate through “designated navigational contingency routes with limited operational capacity” in coordination with the Qatari armed forces.

The move marks a cautious first step towards restoring air links to one of the Gulf’s most important aviation hubs but falls well short of a return to normality, with scheduled commercial flights to and from Doha remaining suspended until a further official announcement is made.

The Qatar Civil Aviation Authority said the partial reopening covers only a narrow category of flights “designated for passenger evacuation” and air cargo services.

Passengers with confirmed bookings were urged to follow updates from their airlines directly before travelling to the airport.

Early on Saturday, Qatar Airways said it “intends to operate repatriation flights on 07 March, departing Hamad International Airport to the following airports: London (LHR), Paris (CDG), Madrid (MAD), Rome (FCO), Frankfurt (FRA)”.

It added that priority would be given to “stranded passengers with families, elderly passengers, and those with urgent medical and compassionate travel needs”.

Qatar initially closed its airspace on February 28, citing “precautionary measures” taken in response to “the latest developments in the region” and a need to guarantee “the highest levels of safety and security for all flights”

The Gulf country has been repeatedly struck by Iranian missiles and drones throughout the now seven-day conflict, forcing the country to activate its air force and use interceptors to defend its territory. Qatar’s Ministry of Defence confirmed the country had been struck by 14 ballistic missiles and four drones fired from Iran on Thursday.

More than 2,000 flights have been cancelled at Doha’s Hamad international airport since the conflict began.

Aviation across the Gulf

Across the Gulf, airports and airlines have been scrambling to manage the fallout from nearly a week of Iranian missile and drone barrages, launched in retaliation for the ongoing US-Israeli military campaign – codenamed Operation Epic Fury – which has killed at least 1,332 people in Iran since strikes began last Saturday, according to Iranian officials.

Emirates airline announced it is operating a reduced schedule while working to restore full network operations, carrying approximately 30,000 passengers out of Dubai on Friday alone.

By Saturday, the airline said it would have 106 daily return flights operating to 83 destinations, close to 60 percent of its full network, with a return to 100 percent expected “within the coming days, subject to airspace availability”.

Dubai international airport, the world’s busiest airport for international passengers, was evacuated on Sunday following Iranian strikes and has recorded close to 4,000 flight cancellations since Monday.

Abu Dhabi’s Zayed international airport has seen more than 1,000 cancellations and continues to operate at limited capacity.

Kuwait, also impacted by Iranian strikes, saw its airport undergo sustained physical damage in drone strikes, leaving some workers with minor injuries, and its airspace remains fully closed to commercial traffic.

Kuwait Airways has begun rerouting citizens with prior bookings through Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

An estimated 23,000 flights have been cancelled since late February, according to analytics firm Cirium.

[Aljazeera]