A passenger plane has crashed and burst into flames at Brazil's busiest airport, in the heart of Sao Paulo, killing up to 200 people.



Rescue crews said none of the 186 people on board the Airbus A320 could have survived, while more people were killed on the ground.

The TAM airliner skidded off the runway as it landed in wet weather, shot over a busy road and hit a fuel depot.

Concerns had been raised about the safety of the runway during heavy rain.

There had been persistent, heavy downpours in the two hours before the accident.
TAM Express flight 3054 was carrying 186 passengers and crew when it attempted to land at Congonhas airport, which is mainly used for regional flights from other parts of Brazil and South America.

After touching down on the main runway at 1850 (2150 GMT) on Tuesday, the jet began to skid and then dropped down a steep slope at the end of the runway.

It then shot over a major road and crashed into a four-storey building used for storing cargo and fuel.

The warehouse was busy with airport workers, some of whom had to jump out of windows.

The plane's tail could later be seen sticking out from the building in flames.

Fires were still burning hours after the crash, with black smoke trailing off into the night sky.

An eyewitness, TAM employee Elias Rodrigues Jesus, said the plane exploded after slamming into the depot.


"All of a sudden I heard a loud explosion, and the ground beneath my feet shook," he told the Associated Press news agency.


"I looked up and I saw a huge ball of fire, and then I smelled the stench of kerosene and sulphur."

A doctor at Sao Paulo's mortuary said 30 badly charred bodies had been brought in.

Sao Paulo State Governor Jose Serra said: "I was told that the temperature inside the plane was 1,000C [1,830F], so the chances of there being any survivors are practically nil."

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva declared three days of national mourning for the victims.

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Labels: shocking

Chris Benoit is only one in the long list of freakishly muscled carnival attractions for whom a pro wrestling career ended tragically.

Toxicology results are pending and Benoit may well have been battling deeper, more primal personal demons when he reportedly killed his wife and son before taking his own life, but only the most naive observer could ignore the overwhelming evidence that most wrestlers who look like Benoit have undergone countless cycles of chemical enhancement.

The prescription anabolic steroids found at Benoit's home have long been known to contribute to paranoia, depression and the violent outbursts we've come to know as "roid rage." Couple that with the near-compulsory painkillers a wrestler must take to do his job effectively after enduring countless body slams and you have a cocktail for massive, mind-altering mood swings.

The Benoit story is the latest and most tragic installment in an ongoing saga that the men who get rich promoting professional wrestling would prefer their fans didn't know too much about.

Let's remember some of the others from the world of pro wrestling, who died before their time:

Ravishing Rick Rude














Died at 40 of an apparent heart attack in 1999, a bottle of prescription pills for his bad back at his side. The autopsy report said he died of "mixed medications." Rude was an admitted user of anabolic steroids.

Louis Mucciolo, a.k.a, Louie Spicolli

Died in 1998 at age 27 when he suffocated on his own vomit after ingesting massive amounts of Soma and alcohol. Investigators also found an empty vial of testosterone, pain pills and an anti-anxiety drug at the scene.









Brian Pillman











An admitted user of steroids, he died of a heart attack at age 35 in 1997 on the morning of WWF's In Your House: Badd Blood pay-per-view event.

Rick "the Renegade" Williams










Died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at age 33 after being released from his World Championship Wrestling contract in 1999.


"Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig














Found dead of a cocaine overdose at age 44 in his motel room on April 10, 2003, the morning of a match. Hennig's father maintained that steroids and painkillers contributed to his death.


Rodney "Yokozuna" Anoa'i











Died of a heart attack in 2002 at 34.


Davey Boy Smith, "The British Bulldog"











Died of a heart attack at age 39 on May 17, 2002. An autopsy report indicated that past steroid use had likely played a part in his death.

Michael "Road Warrior Hawk" Hegstrand










He died of a heart attack at age 46 in 2003.


Michael Lockwood, "Crash Holly"














In 2003, at the age of 32, he choked to death on his own vomit after ingesting 90 painkiller pills.

Jerry Tuite, "The Wall" a.k.a. "Malice"














Died at age 36 in 2003 of an apparent heart attack in his hotel room.


Raymond "Hercules" Hernandez














Dead of heart failure in 2004 at age 47.

Ray "The Big Boss Man" Traylor














Found dead of a heart attack in 2004 at age 42.

Eddie Guerrero












After a long battle with painkillers, he was found dead of a heart attack by his nephew in his hotel room at age 38. The first person his nephew reportedly called was Guerrero's best friend, Chris Benoit.

Chris Candido














Died in 2005 at age 33 from a blood clot after breaking his tibia and fibula and dislocating his ankle in a pay-per-view event.

Owen Hart

Fell to his death at age 34 in 1999 when the rigging that was lowering him into the ring malfunctioned.











Thomas Russell Russ Haas


Haas died of a heart attack in his sleep at the age of 27.










Teddy ''Flyboy Rocco Rock'' Petty

Teddy Petty who also wrestled as The Cheetah Kid, Komodo Dragon II, Col. DeKlerk and as part of the tag team duo Public Enemy, died of a heart attack shortly after a show in New Jersey on Sept. 21 at the age of 49.









Bobby Duncum, Jr.



Duncum Jr. was recovering from an injury when he died of a prescription drug overdose at age 34.









Thomas Gilbert "Eddie hotstuff"



He died only 33 years old of a massive heart attack in his sleep.










Anthony Durante



Durante died on September 25, 2003 along with his wife due to drug overdoses. They overdosed on homemade Oxycontin and were found after lying in their home dead for days, all while their two small children were in the house among the bodies.






Elizabeth Hulette "Miss Elizabeth"

Elizabeth Ann Hulette was a U.S. professional wrestling manager and valet. She gained international fame during the late-1980s and early-1990s in the World Wrestling Federation, and the mid-1990s in World Championship Wrestling in her role as the ever-demure and graceful counterpart to the wild and brash pro wrestling character "Macho Man" Randy Savage.

She died at age 42 of an accidental drug overdose, having ingested some of the medications with vodka.




And then there's the story of the Von Erich wrestling family. Wrestling patriarch Fritz Von Erich, nee Jack Adkisson, had five wrestling sons: Kevin, David, Kerry, Mike and Chris.
David Von Erich

David died in a hotel room in Tokyo at the age of 25 in 1984 just as he was embarking on a three-week pro wrestling tour of Japan. The official cause of death was acute enteritis, severe inflammation of the intestines.

Devastated by the deaths of his older brothers and frustrated by his own limitations as a wrestler, the youngest and smallest brother, Chris, shot himself to death at the age of 21 in 1991.

Chris Von Erich

Three years later, Mike committed suicide by overdosing on the tranquilizer Placidyl at the age of 23. After David's death, Mike had suffered a series of setbacks including a serious shoulder injury that had left him severely depressed.

Two years later, Kerry, who had battled a long addiction to painkillers, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the age of 33, leaving eldest brother Kevin as the only survivor of the sport that had defined his family.

Mike Von Erich













Kerry Von Erich













And now Chris Benoit, his wife and son have been added to the long, unbearably sad list of victims claimed, in part, by the brutal chemical calculus that is professional wrestling.

Related posts:
Benoit deaths were murder-suicide
Chris Benoit and Family Found Dead in Georgia Home

Labels: Interesting-Stuff, shocking, sport

FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. (AP) - Pro wrestler Chris Benoit strangled his wife and smothered his son before hanging himself in his weight room, a law enforcement official close to the investigation told The Associated Press Tuesday.

The official spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Authorities also said they are investigating whether steroids may have been a factor in the deaths of Benoit, his wife and their 7-year-old son who were found dead in an apparent murder-suicide.

Fayette County District Attorney Scott Ballard said test results may not be back for weeks or even months.

Autopsies were scheduled Tuesday by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation in DeKalb County.

The bodies were found Monday afternoon in three separate rooms of the house, off a gravel road about two miles from the Whitewater Country Club.

Fayette County Coroner C.J. Mowell did not return calls seeking comment. The answering service for his funeral home said he was out of town.
Authorities also declined to say whether drugs or steroids were found inside the house. "We're not releasing any information as far as what was located inside the house," sheriff's Sgt. Keith Whiteside said Tuesday.
Asked about the condition of the interior of the house, Whiteside said investigators found "nothing really out of the ordinary." He said Benoit was found in the home's weight room, his wife in an office and the son in an upstairs bedroom.
Whiteside said toxicology tests could take up to a week or longer to complete.
Neighbors said the Benoits led a low-key lifestyle.
"They were nice," said Lorre Jones, who lives across the street. Her daughter Alaina said: "We would see Chris walking in his yard from time to time. He wasn't rude, but he wasn't really outwardly warm."
Jimmy Baswell, who was Benoit's driver for more than five years, placed a white wreath at the Benoits' gate Tuesday.
"I saw him with his family all the time," said Baswell. "They always seemed like they were the happiest people."
World Wrestling Entertainment said on its Web site that it asked authorities to check on Benoit and his family after being alerted by friends who received "several curious text messages sent by Benoit early Sunday morning."
The WWE, based in Stamford, Conn., said it had been asked by authorities not to release further information on the deaths.
Benoit, born in Montreal, was a former world heavyweight champion, Intercontinental champion and held several tag-team titles. His names in the ring included "The Canadian Crippler."
"WWE extends its sincerest thoughts and prayers to the Benoit family's relatives and loved ones in this time of tragedy," the company said in a statement on its Web site.
Benoit had maintained a home in metro Atlanta from the time he wrestled for the defunct World Championship Wrestling. The Fayette County Tax Assessors Office lists the value of the house, situated on more than 8.5 acres, at nearly $900,000.

The WWE canceled its live "Monday Night RAW" card in Corpus Christi, Texas, and USA Network aired a three-hour tribute to Benoit in place of the scheduled wrestling telecast.
Benoit's wife managed several wrestlers and went by the stage name "Woman," The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. They met when her then-husband drew up a script that had them involved in a relationship as part of a story line on World Championship Wrestling, the newspaper said.
Benoit has two other children from a prior relationship.
Benoit became a standout at an early age among wrestling prospects who trained in the dungeon basement of the house where fellow Canadians and professional wrestlers Owen and Bret Hart trained. Owen Hart was killed during a wrestling event in 1999.
"He was like a family member to me, and everyone in my family is taking it real hard," said Bret Hart, a five-time champion with the now-defunct World Wrestling Federation.

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Related articles:
Cris Benoit and family found dead...
Benoit tragedy is not the only one in the world of pro wrestling

Labels: shocking, sport

Pro wrestler Chris Benoit, his wife and 7-year-old son were found slain Monday at their Fayetteville home, authorities said.

Detective Bo Turner told television station WAGA that the case was being investigated as a murder-suicide, but said that could not be confirmed until the evidence was examined by a crime lab.

WAGA reported that investigators believe Benoit killed his wife and son over the weekend, and then himself sometime Monday.

A concerned neighbor called police. The bodies were found in three different rooms.

The lead investigator, Sheriff’s Lt. Tommy Pope, told The Associated Press that the deaths were being investigated as homicide, and said the cause of death awaited autopsy results on Tuesday.

Pope said the three were found about 2:30 p.m., but he would release no other details about the deaths at the house in a subdivision near White Water Country Club.

World Wrestling Entertainment said on its Web site that Benoit, 40, his wife, Nancy, and son, who was named Daniel, were found dead, but also had no other details.

Benoit, a native of Canada, was a former world heavyweight champion, Intercontinental champion and held several tag-team titles over his career.

“WWE extends its sincerest thoughts and prayers to the Benoit family’s relatives and loved ones in this time of tragedy,” the federation said in a statement on its Web site.

Benoit was scheduled to perform at the “Vengeance” pay-per-view event Sunday night in Houston, but was replaced at the last minute because of what announcer Jim Ross called “personal reasons.”

Benoit maintained a home in metro Atlanta from the time he wrestled for the defunct World Championship Wrestling.

The WWE canceled its live “Monday Night RAW” card in Corpus Christi, Texas, and USA Network aired a three-hour tribute to Benoit in place of the scheduled wrestling telecast.

Benoit’s wife managed several wrestlers and went by the stage name, “Woman,” The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported on its Web site.

They met when her then-husband drew up a script that had them involved in a relationship as part of an ongoing storyline on World Championship Wrestling, the newspaper said.

Benoit has two other children from a prior relationship.

The federal-style house is in a secluded neighborhood set back about 60 yards off a gravel road, surrounded by stacked stone wall and double-iron gate.

Monday night, the house was dark except for a few outside lights. There was a police car in front, and two uniformed officers.


Source: Celebspin

Related articles:

Benoit deaths were murder-suicide

Benoit tragedy is not the only one in the world of pro wrestling

Labels: shocking, sport

BEIJING (Reuters) - A Chinese girl who was raped and buried under stones for six days in a deserted coal mine has survived but is in critical condition, local media said on Thursday.

"Her left eye could become blind ... and the 21 wounds on her body are serious and could be life-threatening," the Beijing News quoted doctors as saying.

The alleged attacker, a partner in the victim's father's motorcycle taxi business, tricked the 15-year-old into going to the mine in a rural part of the southwestern municipality of Chongqing on the evening of June 8, the Beijing News said.

The man, surnamed Gou and in his 50s, raped and beat the girl unconscious before burying her facedown under stones, the newspaper said.

Police discovered the girl six days later. She told her mother that to survive she had to lick rain water that had flowed down into the mine well, it said.

Gou is in police custody, the newspaper said.

VIa: Reuters India

Labels: shocking

COLUMBIA, S.C. --Police on Wednesday were investigating how a naked couple fell 50 feet from the roof of a downtown office building to their deaths.

The bodies were found on the road by a passing cabdriver around 5 a.m. Wednesday.

Clothing was discovered on the roof, leading authorities to suspect the man and woman, in their early 20s, may have been having sex. Their identities were not released.

"It's too early to rule out anything," Columbia police Sgt. Florence McCants said, but McCants said a preliminary investigation didn't show any sign of foul play.

Via: Boston News

Labels: shocking, worlds-news

06/18/2007 05:16 am
The Associated Press (SELMER, Tenn.)

Cars for Kids has staged a charity car show for 18 years in this small town, and the drivers always do crowd-pleasing burnouts _ spinning the tires to make them heat up and smoke _ at the end of the parade.

There had never been an accident until this past weekend, when pro drag racer Troy Warren Critchley lost control of his car and six people lost their lives.

The six people killed were all in their teens and early 20s, Tennessee Highway Patrol spokesman Mike Browning said. Saturday's wreck injured at least 20 others, including a 5-year-old boy, who were taken to hospitals in Tennessee and Mississippi.

The Highway Patrol scheduled a news conference for Monday to talk about the accident investigation.

Witnesses questioned the decision Sunday to let the driver speed down a highway with no guard rails, lined on both sides by hundreds of spectators.

"It ain't really safe to do anything with drag cars on a city street," said 19-year-old Garett Moore, who said he was about 15 feet away from the wreck, but was uninjured. "They shouldn't have done it."

Amateur video of the crash, broadcast on WMC-TV in Memphis, showed the car's engine revving loudly before the vehicle sped down a highway. After a few hundred feet, the smoking car skidded off the road and into the crowd.


Critchley, an Australian drag racer who is now based in Wylie, Texas, suffered minor injuries and was taken by car to a nearby hospital for treatment, authorities said. No criminal charges have been filed against Critchley, Browning said.

There was a short guard rail along part of the highway, but not along the stretch where the crash occurred.

Nick Staples, who was at the car show and charity event with his wife and three children, said he was standing 20 feet from where the car plowed into the audience.

"There should have been guard rails," Staples said. "But even if there had been, it wouldn't have mattered."

Mourners placed small votive candles, flowers, teddy bears and a ceramic angel at the crash site, which is located along state Highway 64 near the intersection with state Highway 45.

The Highway Patrol said Raven Griswell, 15, of Finger; and Sean Michael Driskill, 22, of Adamsville, died at the scene. Four others _ Brook L. Pope, 20, of Selmer; Scarlett Replogle, 15, of Selmer; Kimberly A. Barfield, 17, of Adamsville; and Nicole Griswell, 19, of Selmer, all died later in area hospitals.

Authorities closed the festival after the crash.

Cars for Kids holds several events throughout the nation and raises close to $200,000 annually for charities that help children in need, according to its Web site.

The charity was formed in 1990, two years after founder Larry Price's son, Chad, suffered a severe head injury in a bicycle accident. Price promised that if his son was saved from lifelong injuries, he would spend the rest of his life raising funds for disabled children, according to the Web site.

Price said he hoped to keep the charity going, but he wouldn't do any more burnouts on public streets.

___

Associated Press writer Woody Baird contributed to this report.

Source: TalkingPhoneBook
Related Articles: 4 dead in Manchester...

Labels: shocking, worlds-news

Associated Press - June 16, 2007 11:05 PM ET

SELMER, Tenn. (AP) - A drag-racing vehicle lost control during a parade and spun into a crowd of bystanders on Saturday, killing four adults and injuring up to 15.

Tennessee Highway Patrol spokesman Mike Browning said authorities are trying to determine what caused the vehicle to careen into the crowd around 6:30 pm during a parade at the Cars for Kids charity event in Selmer, located about 80 miles east of Memphis.



The identities of the victims and the driver, or the driver's condition, were not immediately known after the accident.

Eight people were transported to three different hospitals in the region.

Scott Henley, of Selmer, witnessed the accident and said the vehicle started burning off its tires, then began to fishtail and careened into a light pole before spinning around into the audience.

About 40,000 to 60,000 people were expected to attend the weekend event in Selmer, which is held at the city park.

The car show parade took place along State Highway 45, near the city park.

McNairy County sheriff's officials and Selmer police began to close down the festival shortly after the accident.

Source: Wreg.com

Labels: shocking, worlds-news

Roy Cleveland Sullivan (February 7, 1912 – September 28, 1983) was a U.S. forest ranger in Shenandoah National Park in Virginia.

Sullivan was hit by lightning on seven different occasions and survived all of them. In his lifetime he gained "Human Lightning Rod" as a nickname.

Roy suffered assorted losses during these encounters: toenails, eyebrows, hair, and eventually his nerve. After the fourth incident he started to believe some higher power was trying to kill him, according to a 1989 St. Petersburg Times article; the fifth time came after he tried unsuccessfully to outrun a cloud he thought was following him. Lightning didn't end up killing Roy, though — he took his own life at age 71.

Two of his ranger hats are on display at two Guinness World Exhibit Halls in New York City and South Carolina.

The Seven Lightning Strikes

* 1942: Sullivan was hit for the first time when he was in a fire lookout tower. The lightning bolt struck him in a leg and he lost a nail on his big toe.

* 1969: The second bolt hit him in his truck when he was driving on a mountain road. It knocked him unconscious and burned his eyebrows.

* 1970: The third strike burned his left shoulder while in his front yard.

* 1972: The next hit happened in a ranger station. The strike set his hair on fire. After that, he began to carry a pitcher of water with him. He also started to believe that some higher power was trying to kill him, according to a 1989 St. Petersburg Times article.

* August 7, 1973: A lightning bolt hit Sullivan on the head, blasted him out of his car, and again set his hair on fire.

* June 5, 1974: Sullivan was struck by the sixth bolt in a campground, injuring his ankle. It came after he tried unsuccessfully to outrun a cloud he thought was following him.

* June 25, 1977: The seventh and final lightning bolt hit him when he was fishing. Sullivan was hospitalized for burns in his chest and stomach.

Ignoring Bayesian considerations, the chances of being struck seven times in your life are about 1:1.6 x 1025 .

External links: 1, 2, 3

Labels: Interesting-Stuff, shocking

A Polish man has woken up from a 19-year coma to find the Communist party no longer in power and food no longer rationed, Polish TV reports.

Railway worker Jan Grzebski, 65, fell into a coma after he was hit by a train in 1988.

"Now I see people on the streets with mobile phones and there are so many goods in the shops it makes my head spin," he told Polish television.

He credits his survival to his wife, Gertruda, who cared for him.

Doctors gave him only two or three years to live after the accident.

A comatose patient is in a profound state of unconsciousness which renders them unaware of both self and the world around them, and from which they cannot be roused.

Although those in a coma do not respond to stimuli in a meaningful way, contrary to popular belief they do not always lie quiet and still - in some cases they can move, open their eyes and even talk.

Fall of communists

"It was Gertruda that saved me, and I'll never forget it," Mr Grzebski told news channel TVN24 of his recovery.

Mrs Grzebski is reported to have moved her husband every hour to prevent bed sores.

"I cried a lot, and I prayed a lot," Mrs Grzebski said on Polsat television.

"Those who came to see us kept asking: 'When is he going to die?' But he's not dead."

When Mr Grzebski had his accident Poland was still ruled by its last communist leader, Wojciech Jaruzelski.

"When I went into a coma there was only tea and vinegar in the shops, meat was rationed and huge petrol queues were everywhere," Mr Grzebski said.

The following year's elections ushered in eastern Europe's first post-communist government.

Poland joined the Nato alliance in 1999 and the European Union in 2004.

"What amazes me today is all these people who walk around with their mobile phones and never stop moaning," said Mr Grzebski.

"I've got nothing to complain about."

Source: BBC News

Labels: shocking, worlds-news

INNSBRUCK, Austria — Workers remodeling a house in western Austria found the bodies of two infants, and police discovered a third set of remains after a search, authorities said Saturday.

Officials said the discovery was made Friday at an apartment building in the alpine city of Innsbruck.

Workers were excavating the building's cellar when they came upon the bodies, which had been stuffed into plastic bags and buried, police said.

The ages of the three infants were not immediately clear. Investigators said they were awaiting the results of autopsies on the remains to determine the cause of death, but police spokesman Walter Pupp said two of the newborns appeared to have been boys.

The Austria Press Agency quoted an unidentified official as saying the evidence suggested the bodies had been in the cellar "for years."

Pupp said Saturday that investigators were trying to track down former tenants as part of their effort to find the infants' parents and determine whether the babies were stillborn or whether foul play was involved.

Although a search turned up no other bodies, Pupp said police could not rule out the possibility of unearthing more remains.

Friday's discovery was reminiscent of a 2005 case in the southern Austrian city of Graz, where the bodies of four infants — two in a freezer, the other two entombed in cement-filled buckets — were found at a home.

The mother is serving a sentence for murder after pleading guilty to the slayings.

Source: FoxNews

Labels: shocking, worlds-news