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WORLD NEWS Thursday 24 augusT 2023

Russian mercenary leader was listed among the

passengers in a deadly plane crash

By DASHA LITVINOVA TAL-
LINN, Estonia
Mercenary leader Yevgeny
Prigozhin, who led a brief
armed rebellion against the
Russian military earlier this
year, was on the passen-
ger list of a private jet that
crashed Wednesday, kill-
ing all 10 people on board,
emergency officials said. It
wasn’t immediately clear if
Prigozhin was on the plane.
The crash immediately rais-
es suspicions since the fate
of the founder of the Wag-
ner private military com-
pany has been the subject
of intense speculation ever
since he mounted the mu-
tiny. The Kremlin said he
would be exiled to Belarus,
but the mercenary chief,
whose troops were some Russian businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin is shown prior to a meeting of Russian President Vladimir
of the best fighting forces Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, on July 4, 2017.
Associated Press
for Russia in Ukraine, has
since reportedly popped Russia’s state news agency when the plane crashed. name to Yevgeniy Prigo-
up in Russia. The crash also Tass. It was not clear if Pr- “We have seen the reports. zhin, as part of his efforts to
comes after Russian media igozhin was among those If confirmed, no one should obfuscate his travels.”
reported that a top gen- on board, though Russia’s be surprised,” said U.S. “Let’s not be surprised if he
eral linked to Prigozhin was civilian aviation regulator, National Security Council pops up shortly in a new
dismissed from his position Rosaviatsia, said he was on spokeswoman Adrienne video from Africa,” Giles
as commander of the air the manifest. Watson said in a statement. said. Flight tracking data
force. A plane carrying Vladimir Rogov, a Russia- However, Keir Giles, a Rus- reviewed by The Associat-
three pilots and seven pas- appointed official in the sia expert with the inter- ed Press showed a private
sengers that was en route partially occupied Zapori- national affairs think-tank jet that Prigozhin had used
from Moscow to St. Peters- zhzhia region in Ukraine, Chatham House, urged previously took off from
burg went down more than said he talked to Wagner caution about reports of Pr- Moscow on Wednesday
100 kilometers (60 miles) commanders who con- igozhin’s death. evening and its transpon-
north of the capital, ac- firmed that Prigozhin and a He said “multiple individu- der signal disappeared
cording to officials cited by top associate were aboard als have changed their minutes later.q

Swiss police warn that heat wave raises danger of

falling ice, rock in the Alps

By JAMEY KEATEN “With the heat wave of level is heightened in the Leger said in an email.
Associated Press the last few days, and the high mountains,” regional The high temperatures
GENEVA (AP) — Police days to come, the danger police spokesman Steve have jeopardized the usu-
in southwest Switzerland al night-time refreeze that
warned Wednesday that a helps keep ice frozen solid.
heat wave has increased The resulting thaw means
the risk of falling rock and ice patches such as gla-
ice in the Alpine region, ciers and seracs blocks or
where it’s been particularly towers of ice on top of gla-
deadly this year for moun- ciers as well as rocky for-
taineers and hikers. Most of mations held together by
the victims have been for- ice could get dislodged,
eigners. posing a threat to moun-
Valais regional police say a tain climbers.
spike in temperatures and So far this year, 17 alpinists
a record high altitude of or mountaineers who trek
nearly 5,300 meters (about to the highest altitudes in
17,300 feet) for a bell- the Alps have lost their lives
wether zero-degree Celsius People cool off in the water during hot weather at the public in the Valais region. That’s
reading over Switzerland swimming pool Bellerive on the shore of the Geneva Lake, in more than the annual tal-
has accelerated erosion in Lausanne, Switzerland, Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023. lies recorded in each of the
the Alps. Associated Press five previous years.q