Bhutan Daily News 31-03-23

The Drukair Helicopter which crashed at Wachey in Lunana on 3rd March did not have the Vision 1000 device, which was removed for maintenance on 1st March, according to the Preliminary accident investigation report by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Team. The device (Vision 1000) collects inertial and positioning data, ambient acoustic data and cockpit imagery, which are stored on a crash-hardened memory module, as well as a removable secure memory card. It is also critical in supporting accident investigations. In addition, the flight tracker device which tracks and records the flight path every 15- seconds also failed to record two minutes before the crash. Further, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Team has recommended Drukair Helicopter Services to immediately ground the pilot who was involved in the accident from flying until further notice. The investigation is ongoing. The Druk Air helicopter crash at Wachey, Lunana killed a woman and her daughter on 3rd March. According to Druk Air, there were four passengers and a pilot on board who were on their way from Khuruthang in Punakha to Lunana. The accident took place around 2:30 PM.

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The Wangsel Institute for the Deaf in Paro and the Khotokha Primary School from Wangdue Phodrang won the National Innovation Challenge held today at Thimphu. A total of 12 participants from various schools, institutes, and youth centers across the country took part in the challenge. The program was initiated by the Education and Skills Development ministry in partnership with Bhutan Youth Development Fund, Loden Foundation, and UNICEF Bhutan.

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The Paro District Court has acquitted the foreign woman who was charged for illegally boarding the Drukair flight bound for Bangkok in January this year in Paro. The judgment was passed on Monday. She will now be deported to the neighboring town of Jaigoan where she first entered the country from.

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Until now, the farmers of Dechhenling Gewog in Pema Gatshel have been depending on oranges and maize to sustain their livelihood. But from this year, a few villagers have started exploring other farming works like oyster mushroom cultivation. Three villagers who started the business said it is lucrative.

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The residents of Tshoden chiwog at Samrang Gewog in Samdrup Jongkhar are facing an acute shortage of drinking water. The villagers say they are unable to maintain hygiene or practise farming due to the water shortage.

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A total of 12 schools and institutions from the 65 that piloted the Adolescent Skilling and Employability (ASE) project is competing at the #nationalinnovationchallenge to win funds to scale up their ongoing social innovative project in Thimphu today. The ASE project is led by Sherig Bhutan in partnership with The Bhutan Youth Development Fund Loden Foundation and UNICEF Bhutan.

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The number of tourists may have declined, but revenue generated from tourists is comparatively higher going by the number of tourists Bhutan received this month.

The South Asian Football Federation’s Executive Committee meeting which was held today virtually has endorsed All India Football Federation’s proposal to host the SAFF Championship 2023 in Bengaluru from 21st June – 3rd July 2023.The Executive Committee also held discussions on inviting one or two teams from outside the SAFF region to participate in the SAFF Championship 2023 with a view to increase the total number of participants to eight teams and make the event more competitive.

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Oita-Khesar Gyalpo University of Medical Sciences of Bhutan (GUMSB) gastric cancer collaborative project gifted a high-end gastroscope endoscope machine set to JDWNRH on March 27. KGUMSB’s Director General, Dr Sithar Dorjee said that the machine is the most advanced in the market and not many hospitals in the world have it.