Posted on 07/23/2004 8:12:45 AM PDT by dead
A van carrying Iraqi civilians collided with a US tank near Baghdad, killing nine people and injuring 10 others, the US military said yesterday.
The accident occurred about 10pm on Thursday night (0400 AEST Friday), said Specialist Justin McCue, a press official of the US-led military coalition.
"The van was attempting to pass another vehicle when it collided with the tank," McCue said. "All the injured were taken to a medical facility."
There were no US or coalition casualties, McCue said. He had no other details.
There were slightly different accounts of the crash.
Iraqi police Captain Adnan Salih said nine people were killed and 18 injured in the tank collision with a bus in Tarmiyah, 50km north of Baghdad.
Salih said the fatalities included four men, four women and one child - all of whom had been attending a wedding party in Tarmiyah.
Footage taken by Associated Press Television News showed the twisted wreckage of a minibus and several bodies of accident victims covered by blankets. A small child's orange dress was found amid the wreckage and pools of blood covered the road.
US forces and Iraqi police surrounded the crash site.
An unidentified eyewitness, who said he was a passenger on the bus, told APTN the vehicle was carrying 12 people from the same family when the tank crashed into it.
"They were in a wedding party on their way from Tarmiyah to Baghdad ... (when) an American armoured vehicle hit them and left," the man said.
AP
or another Iraqi vehicle.
Exactly, people die in car accidents all the time all over the world and it doesn't get worldwide attentions. Although the press may not know it, car accidents occur even in the United States of America!
I propose the following ammendment to Murphy's Law: When speeding down a highway located in a war zone, all 70-ton armored vehicles have the right-of-way.
So someone trying to pass (presumably by going into the opposite direction lane) and getting into an accident is now somehow an indictment of our military presence in Iraq?
What on earth are you talking about? Where in this article is the indictment of our military? One witness gave an account that tried to put the blame on the tank, but apparently other witness disagree. Other than that, it’s an article about an accident in which nine people died.
Why is this in the news?
Because nine people died in an accident when they crashed into an American tank. That's not something that happens every day.
Anyone else wonder, what is it about these so called late night weddings that they seem to do? Or is it something else?
WEAR BLACK.
The society page of the Iraqi Inquirer said the bridesmades carried beatiful posies that concealed claymores, while the ushers wore matching black face scarves and carried RPG-7's. The Bride & Groom caution their guests against discharging their AK's in the air, as this might draw more that rice in return...
Our soldiers die all over the world all the time in various types of accidents. Ive lost a couple of friends to accidents on military bases.
Ive never checked it out but i have a feeling that the number of non hostile fire deaths in the military is fairly high.
According to my calculations, that makes a total of 27 accident victims. Were all these people in the minivan, or were some of those injured merely standing on the street nearby? No mention of any explosion, or whether it could have been muffled by the sound of the collision. Perhaps the detonator didn't work. And the presence of a child's dress doesn't necessarily mean there was a little girl present. We haven't heard the other side of this story, and probably never will.
everything that happens that is bad is an indictment of the nearest responsible Republican or US military.
It's news because it hurst the US effort in Iraq.
US military digging a well for a school of crippled Iraqis for example is not news.
If wild dogs in Baghdad attack people, then the headline is:
"Military fails to protect Iraqis from wild dogs"
If the military shoots the dogs in response:
"Military shoots defenseless dogs"
(replace 'dogs' with 'insurgents' and you get the REAL template of actual iraqi reporting)
the nyt had an sunday mag article last year on iraqi weddings.
vehy interesting! they marry their cousins, in order to secure the families from outside influences.
The accident happened at night, the tank probably is not equipped with running lights, tail lights, headlights? etc.
You are right... there have been a lot of 'rollover' car accident deaths in Iraq.
And I'd guess a 40 mph headon with an M1A1 cant be pretty for the other vehicle.
This is a sad and unfortunate incident.
You're being sarcastic, right?
Note to me:
If ever invited to a wedding in Iraq, just send a card and a gift certificate from Crate and Barrel.
That's one big freakin' van. A Ford Econoline seats 15 max.
No.
Weddings are so dangerous in Iraq these days.
It is all Bush's fault, and he should fire Cheney and apologize! (sarcasm for those who don't know me!)
That's what you get when you put 7th century comprehension and thinking behind the wheel of a 20th century machine.
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