Iran: Seventy Feared Dead in an Air Crash
January 10, 2011 by Trend PK
Filed under Breaking News
Seventy people are feared to have been killed in an air crash in Iran on Sunday night whereas 32 others were rescued with minor injuries.
The plane was on an internal flight from Mehrabad Airport in Tehran to the north-western city of Urmia when it crashed in heavy fog near its destination, state media reported.
Emergency crews were able to rescue up to 50 people from the wreckage with relatively light injuries, according to preliminary reports. Initial reports said that 105 people were on board in total.
The crash will once again focus attention on the state of the Iranian air industry, which has had difficulty in maintaining its fleet amid economic difficulties and international sanctions.
There have been at least five other major disasters since December 2005, the most recent being the loss of a Caspian Airlines jet en route for Yerevan in Armenia which came down in north-western Iran in July 2009 with the loss of all 168 on board.
According to reports, the plane involved in the latest incident, an Iran Air Boeing 727, was one hour late in departing because of bad weather across parts of the country.
Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project inked
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Iran on Sunday finalized US $ 7.5 billion gas project dubbed as a peace pipeline to start supply of natural gas to the former from 2014.
The landmark agreement was signed by Iran”s deputy oil minister Javad Ouji and Pakistani delegation including among other officials Secretary Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources Kamran Lashari and Managing Director Inter-State Gas Company Naeem Sharafat in Tehran.
” Now the project has entered into implementation phase and there are no further formalities left in way” Naeem Sharafat said.
He said the IP project was another testimony of the long historic andcordial relations between Pakistan and Iran,” the official said.
The pipeline will connect Iran”s giant South Fars gas field with Pakistan”s Balochistan and Sindh provinces.
Pakistan has to construct about 700-km pipeline from the border, traversing along the Makran Coastal Highway to connect with its existing gas transmission network at Nawabshah. A 42-inch diameter pipeline is planned to be built, which is estimated to cost US$ 1.65 billion.
The project is crucial for Pakistan to avert a growing energy crisis,already causing severe electricity shortages in the country and the project would help generate around 5,000 megawatts of electricity.
Under the gas sale and purchase agreement (GSPA), Pakistan will import about 750 million cubic feet a day (mmcfd) with a provision to increase it to one billion cubic feet a day (bcfd).
The volume of imported gas will be about 20 per cent of Pakistan”s current gas production and the agreement is for a period of 25 years, renewable for another five years.
Iran has the world”s second largest gas reserves after Russia but hasstruggled for years to develop its oil and gas resources.
Sanctions by the West, political turmoil and construction delays haveslowed Iran”s development as an exporter.
Iran state television said the pipeline was 1,000 km (620 miles) long, with about 907 km of it already built.
Pakistan-India (IPI) gas pipeline project was conceived in early nineties. However, the project could not take off for various reasons, including the new gas discoveries in Pakistan of Miano, Sawan and Zamzama, Indian concerns on pipeline security and Iranian indecisiveness on certain issues.
Pakistan would be allowed under an agreement signed in March to charge a transit fee if the proposed pipeline is eventually extended to India.
The project was revived and bilateral Iran-Pakistan Joint Working Group (JWG) was constituted and the first meeting was held on December 29-30, 2003 in Islamabad.
President Zardari Calls Ahmadinejad, To Condemn Attack
President Zardari said the incident was “horrible and barbaric” and bore the “signature of a cowardly enemy to the race.”
He said both Pakistan and Iran have deep historical and assured that Pakistan will continue to support and cooperate with Iran in reducing militancy and the fight against extremism and terrorism.
The President expressed his heartfelt sympathies with the Government and people of Iran by the sad incident. Also prayed for those who lost their lives in the incident.
President Zardari Calls Ahmadinejad, To Condemn Attack was first posted on October 19, 2009 at 4:54 pm.
