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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 1, 2004)
Fire in Honduran sugar cane field kills 13 children The tragedy leads mill workers to question common practices and safety measures for cutting cane BY FREDDY CUEVAS THE ASSOCIATED PRESS TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras — Honduran children hunting rabbits who were running from a burning sugar cane field were caught in the blaze themselves. Thirteen young sters were killed, and a man and a 14th child were severely burned. Workers set the fire Monday night as part of the harvest on 40 acres of the Choluteca sugar company in San ta Cruz, 100 miles south of the capi tal, Tegucigalpa, Security Ministry spokesman Leonel Sauceda said. The children, who ranged in ages from 5 to 17, were in a nearby field, waiting to catch the rabbits as they escaped the fire. But the blaze spread out of control and trapped them, Sauceda said. “The wind spread the fire rapidly,” he said. Firefighter Mario Velasquez said the sudden change confused the chil dren, who began stripping off their clothes as they mistakenly ran toward the fire rather than away from it. Eleven of them died immediately; two died in a hospital. Workers did not know the children were nearby until they heard their screams and family members ran to rescue them, Sauceda said. Relatives of the victims sobbed as the charred bodies were laid out on a concrete floor Tliesday, then lowered under white sheets into coffins. Most of the 500 residents of Santa Cruz, a poor town on the border with Nicaragua, work as laborers in the sugar industry. Emil Hawit, Honduras chief pros ecutor for environmental affairs, said authorities were investigating to see if the company that owned the field, Azucarera Choluteca, could be accused of negligence. No formal charges had been filed in the case, however. “Even though it’s true the poverty of these people caused the tragedy, we should also determine if the com pany is at fault,” Hawit said. Azucarera Choluteca general manager Braulio Cruz said the mill did nothing wrong, adding that the burning of the fields had been planned months in advance. But he said that “the accident obli gates us to improve the process of cutting cane.” President Ricardo Maduro met with families of the victims and said he would study whether the sugarcane fields really needed to be burned, a common practice used to clear a field of snakes and debris before harvest. “We will do everything necessary so that similar tragedies don’t hap pen in this country,” he said. “This entire community is in pain, and it is really sad.” Velasquez said in the future offi cials would post guards around sug arcane fields before setting them on fire, an effort to keep residents away from the flames. So long, Smartypants Ken Jennings ended his record shattering 74-show winning streak on “Jeopardy!” during Tuesday’s episode. He earned $2,520,700 - the most money ever ^ won by a TV game show contestant. V& Correct j Average answers wager 2,613 out j $3,799 of 2,848 i on Daily attempts i Double 51 out of 74 i $7,727 in Final ! on Final Jeopardy ; Jeopardy Losing “Most of this firm’s 70,000 seasonal question white-collar employees work only four months a year. ' Show record i>P°ia S| leijM NOTE: Data is through 74 shows. SOURCES: King World Productions Inc.; tvgameshows.net ft ”' ** 1 1 IN BRIEF Ken Jennings, 'Jeopardy!' whiz, finally defeated NEW YORK — “Jeopardy” whiz Ken Jennings finally met his match after a 74-game run as a pop culture icon who made brainiacs cool, beat en by a woman whose own 8-year old daughter asked for his autograph when they first met. As someone who has always pre pared his own tax returns, Jennings was tripped up in Final Jeopardy by this answer: Most of this firm’s 70,000 seasonal white-collar employ ees work only four months a year. ( # Jh£ cprrect reply: “What is H&R Block?” But Jennings guessed Federal Express, ending his remarkable run as the biggest winner in TV game show history with a haul of $2,520,700. Having an accountant friend who’s nearly impossible to reach at tax time paid off big-time for his conqueror, California real estate agent Nancy Zerg, who ousted the baby-faced killer competitor in the episode airing Tuesday. During his streak that began June 2, Jennings usually had opponents so thoroughly beaten that the Final Jeopardy question was meaningless to the outcome. But Zerg was within striking range at that point, with $10,000 to Jennings’ $14,400. Her correct reply gave Zerg $14,001 to Jennings’ $8,799. — The Associated* Pre&f * IN BRIEF At least 31 dead in Indonesian plane crash JAKARTA, Indonesia — A Lion Air passenger plane carrying more than 150 people skidded off a run way in central Indonesia during heavy rain and split in two pieces Thesday, killing at least 31 people, airline officials and witnesses said. Three of the dead were children, and at least 62 people were injured, officials said. Some survivors re mained stuck in the wreckage for more than three hours after the crash, according to media reports. The accident occurred at about 6 p.m. as Flight JT583 landed in Solo, a thriving tourist town about 310 miles southeast of the capital, Jakarta, according to the station. The MD-82 plane took off from Jakarta with 141 passengers and five crew members aboard, airline officials said. The plane stopped in the East Java town of Surabaya before head ing to Solo, where it skidded off the runway, broke up and came to rest in a cemetery about 100 yards away, airport officials said. — The Associated Press Spring Intemshi January 16 - May 8, 2005 We are currently taking applications. This internship provides opportunities in Germany and Italy serving children and youth in child development centers and school-age programs, while networking with one of the country’s largest employers, the Department of Defense. Students' living expenses, housing and tr.v«i ^ Prior experience working with children and youth required and/or related major in Education or Leisure, Youth and Human Services. Please call 1-<800)-252-2118 or email directly to Susan Edginton at susan.edginton@uni.edu In the subject line, write EUROPE INTERNSHIPS and include your email address, home and cell phone numbers. 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