Threat Matrix: Daily Terror Threat - Thread Eleven

WND ^ | 6/24/04 | N/A

[cgk]

Nothing new, really. 71 dead according to FNC, and their article says this happened Thursday evening, not Wed evening as another article says. The numbers of the dead are varied. Anywhere from 70 to up to 200. I still am highly skeptical that this was an accident. One FReeper pointed out that the truck was apparently carrying 4500 gallons of gasoline.

It would be less than paranoid to think of this as a test run. Tanker trucks filled with gas we've been warned about here in the states. Iran would be a "good" place to test it's capabilities for a couple reasons: they're not expecting terrorism attacks because they are sending and funding terrorists (into Iraq and Israel), and because the victims would "only be pro-American anyway", as a good portion of the Iranians are.

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Here's the IndoLink story:

Tehran, June 25 (NNN): Up to 200 people were feared dead after a tanker-truck caught fire following a collision outside the southeastern city of Zahedan, Iranian state television said on Friday, quoting a Red Crescent official.

The flames engulfed six buses and five other trucks, two of which were charred beyond recognition.

Five other buses were then hit by the fireball.

The petrol tanker crashed into buses which had stopped at a police post outside the city of Zahedan on the road from Bam, a local official told state TV.

A Red Crescent official said 90 bodies had been recovered, some of which are said to be burnt beyond recognition.

The Red Crescent has put the death toll as between 100 and 200, the television said.

An inquiry has begun into the crash on the main road from Iran to Pakistan.

The tanker had been travelling into Zahedan, about 1,100kms from Tehran. It struck the buses near Nosrabad, about 110km west of the city, as they were undergoing routine checks at the police post.

Police posts are common in the region which is a favoured route for drug smugglers.

Reports of the accident began to emerge on Friday morning though it happened at 2215 local time (1745 GMT) on Thursday.

There have been varied estimates of the number of dead and injured, but reports say the accident is one of the worst single losses of life on Iran's roads.

Zahedan Governor Heidar Ali Nouraei told state TV: "The disaster is so grave we cannot identify faces and cannot differentiate between corpses."

Many of the passengers burned to death because of a lack of fire-fighting equipment at the scene, he added.

Policemen at the post said the tanker, which was carrying 18,000 litres (4,680 gallons) of petrol, had been going too fast and careered out of control before turning over. It hit one of the buses and burst into flames as leaking petrol turned the whole area into an inferno, incinerating the buses and several other vehicles.

Reports suggest that at least one other lorry - possibly a second tanker or a vehicle carrying tar - was caught up in the blaze, which firemen took more than two hours to extinguish.

"The disaster is so grave we cannot identify faces and cannot differentiate between corpses," Haidar Ali Nourai, governor of the southeastern city of Zahedan, told state television.

The Governor said the accident happened when the bus was unable to stop at a police checkpoint at Nosratabad.

Television showed bodies charred beyond recognition. A gold watch was seen stuck to an arm scorched to the bone.

Nosratabad lies on the road from Zahedan to Bam, which was hit by an earthquake last year that killed more than 20,000 people.

The road is dotted with checkpoints because it is the main route for drugs smugglers taking opiates from Afghanistan and Pakistan to the West.

It is worth mentioning here that around 22,000 people are killed every year in traffic accidents across Iran. On a monthly average, that is higher than the death rate in the eight-year war with Iraq in the 1980s.

In February, about 300 people were killed when a train carrying fuel and chemicals caught fire and exploded in the north-east of the country.

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And here's the Persian Journal story:

Over 100 Iranians Die in Fuel Tanker Crash in Iran Jun 25, 2004, 21:01

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A gasoline truck exploded after smashing into a bus in southeast Iran late Thursday, killing 90 people and injuring more than 100, officials said Friday.

"The disaster is so grave we cannot identify faces and cannot differentiate between corpses," Haidar Ali Nourai, governor of the southeastern city of Zahedan, told state television.

He said the accident happened when the truck lost control and plowed into a bus waiting at Nosratabad police checkpoint. The fireball then enveloped five other buses.

Television showed bodies charred beyond recognition. A gold watch was seen stuck to an arm scorched to the bone.

Red Crescent spokesman Mehran Nourbakhsh said 90 people had died in the blast and 114 had been injured. The aid group has sent 40 workers to the scene.

Zahedan parliamentarian Hossein Ali Shahriari said the checkpoint was badly positioned on a sharp bend.

"Inspections at this checkpoint use stone-age methods," he told the ISNA student new agency. "We always see lots of buses and cars caught in queues at this road block."

Iran has one of the highest road accident rates in the world, averaging five deaths every two hours.

Nosratabad lies on the road from Zahedan to Bam, which was hit by an earthquake last year that killed more than 20,000 people.

Zahedan is about 30 km (20 miles) from the Pakistan border

© Iranian.ws

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[nw_arizona_granny]

Google mail wants a 7.1 Netscape and I have 4.7.

Windows 95 won't work with it, as I couldn't go to 6 for Netscape, said it wouldn't work.

I hat tried Hotmail etc, before and couldn't work with this set up.

But I love your for trying.

[Donna Lee Nardo]

I neglected to ping you to this post #575 (battle of Baghdad?)

[Letitring]

Looks like it might be a heavy duty weekend in Iraq. Prayers up for everyone. BBL.

[KylaStarr]

I've been a Charlie Daniels fan forever it seems. He has a great website and posts what he calls his Soapbox, twice a week now. If you get a chance read this one:

http://www.charliedaniels.com/soapbox/04/047.html

He tells it like it is and I love him for that. Would love to see him on a talk show sometime.

[swarthyguy]

Thanks. Yup, I think it's coming and will be the background to our July 4th festivities.

Allawi will prevail, and I hope we don't tie his hands.

And, IMO, even a Battle for Riyadh simulataneously.

Ever notice that the flag Zarqawi stands in front of on his videos and some of the other jihadi groups is a spitting image of the Saudi flag, albeit the green background replaced with the black flag of jihad.

I wish we'd get all Americans out of Saudi. They're sittiing ducks with big fat targets on their backs.

[EternalHope]

Prayers on the way.

Plus a big THANK YOU! to God that your son and his fiance are relatively OK.

[KylaStarr]

Prayers for your son and his fiancee Jill. We are so thankful that they escaped with minor injuries. Thank you Jesus!

[all4one]

Prayers to your son, his fiance', and your family. I hope that he has a speedy recovery. With someone hitting them at that speed; I think that they had their guardian angels protecting them from greater injuries. Take care.

[nw_arizona_granny]

When their friends are killed in a shopping mall attack, it won't be any different than 9-11.

Move on past it and here have a joint and chill out.

For them legal drugs means more than my death.

I fear that the real world will be a great shock to most of America, too long on credit cards (what is money) and too much TV, hey the dead man will be on a different program tomorrow.

Real life.

Dead forever. No, not forever, we will save your head and keep it until science catches up.

Stem cells, so we kill a baby, need it to keep a rich person alive.

Sorry, I don't want to live longer than God's plan, but will fight to keep going that long.

We have become a country that I don't know, in a time that I don't like.

[WestCoastGal]

Prayers and thankful to God that they were not seriously injured.

Street racing is becoming a BIG problem here in California. I'm not sure where you are, but there are deaths here almost weekly somewhere from these punks with their little chopped up cars who think they are macho because they can go fast. The only thing they do is kill innocent people and sometimes themselves. The police are trying to keep them in check but they text message each other where the race will be that night, no warning and always a different place.

[Godzilla]

It would be less than paranoid to think of this as a test run. Tanker trucks filled with gas we've been warned about here in the states. Iran would be a "good" place to test it's capabilities for a couple reasons: they're not expecting terrorism attacks because they are sending and funding terrorists (into Iraq and Israel), and because the victims would "only be pro-American anyway", as a good portion of the Iranians are.

With the abundance of explosive materials, there would be more efficient ways of using a fuel truck as a bomb other than raming it with a car or crashing it.

[ExSoldier]

I have five hand made holsters, two shoulder rigs and three strong side hip holster from this guy: SAM ANDREWS. He's not cheap, but he's got a great product! Check out his online catalog. Most all my holsters have my initials on them. Nice touch.

[Calpernia]

>>>While the images are not as gruesome as the recent beheading videos of Kim Sun Il and Nick Berg they are nonetheless just as disturbing.

Now there is a perception I disagree with.

IMO, the children playing terrorist is more disturbing the the terrorists.

But, that may be just a 'mom' way of seeing things.

[cgk]

Yes but I'm thinking of this more as made to look like an accident, than looking for a more symbolic target, which would happen here in the states. Just a test to see how much damage a simple car accident would cause.

[cgk]

You have my prayers... God be with you and yours.

[Domestic Church]

Okay Donna, I'm indulging your request about posting the freepmail...

This pertains to those who are unable to listen to our " stotting" and it might help some here understand their perspective and recognize our own talents on another level...

"About the co-worker in Queens...many aren't able to emotionally process 9/11 to the degree we are able to (motivated to prevention action) and unless they compartmentalize it and "move on" mentally or physically they will remain in a state of severe panic which would be lethal longterm...the mind/body will do all sorts of splits in order to preserve functional sanity...including a functional dissociation of past experience. There are millions of Americans right now in this situation. They just don't have the "right stuf" to handle this and that stuff just might be a genetic predisposition, a sensitivity phenotype - those on TM do and are more focused on survival and have more intuitive traits than the average person. The pharmaceutical industry is reaping the bounty of those who are trying to compartmentalize their angst...and these poor souls need our prayers as they are in a way blind."

[nw_arizona_granny]

Do we have enough oil to keep going? you asked.

Mexico is full of oil, we close the border and send the illegals all home, maybe the one with work cards also and the oil will flow from Mexico. It isn't the best, but I would be surprised if it can't be made to work.

Then we put all the environmental protesters in those waiting concentration camps and open the wells that they protested about and have forced to be capped.

Then there is Alaska and the off shore rigs.

With the issue of gas stamps and rationing, we will survive.

[Godzilla]

Yes but I'm thinking of this more as made to look like an accident, than looking for a more symbolic target, which would happen here in the states. Just a test to see how much damage a simple car accident would cause.

I understand, however it is a waste of material and personel for something that is more easily researched (just read our newspapers).

[flutters]

Flutters has a bump list for SARs tracking. Flutters, can you add that URL here?

Sure will. Here it is:

SARS Threads