Confusion over abducted Kerala priest’s fate in Yemen

March 29, 2016

Kottayam, Mar 29: The reports about the crucifixion of Father Tom Uzhunnalil, the Salesian priest who was abducted from an old-age home run by the Missionaries of Charity in Aden in strife-torn Yemen, remain to be confirmed by official sources.

Confusion reigned over the priest’s fate on Monday, with conflicting versions being aired by different Church segments. Father Paul Thelakkat, spokesperson of the Syro-Malabar Church, the biggest Catholic church formation in Kerala, informed The media on Monday evening that the reports of Father Uzhunnalil’s crucifixion had finally been confirmed by the Salesian Order based in Bengaluru, to which Father Uzhunnalil belonged. Father Thelakkat had earlier in the day affirmed in a TV phone-in that he had enough reasons to believe that the reports of the crucifixion were right.

However, Fr. Joyce Francis, Provincial Superior of the Salesian Order contested Father Thelekkat’s contention. “I do not know from where Father Thelekkat got this information. I am the Provincial Superior and I have not made any statement of this nature,” he told The media.

The Syro-Malabar Church spokesperson retracted his statement by night. He informed The media that he now had credible information from Church sources in Yemen that Father Uzhunnalil was safe as of now.

Sources with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) informed that they had no verifiable confirmation of the reported crucifixion of the priest. “We have spoken to the Vatican, but they have not confirmed the incident to us,” they said. The MEA sources also said they do not know whether the priest was abducted by the Islamic State. “There is even a possibility that he might have been abducted by a criminal gang,” they said.

The MEA sources also took a serious view of some Church authorities issuing statements independently on the matter, which still needed clarity. “Are they bigger than the Vatican,” they retorted.

Meanwhile, Fr. Uzhunnalil’s family at Ramapuram, near Pala, said they have been informed by one of their relatives who spoke to Archbishop Paul Hinder of Abu Dhabi, that reports about the crucifixion have not been confirmed.

Archbishop Hinder is the Apostolic Vicar of Southern Arabia, which has jurisdiction over the area where the abduction took place.

The Catholic priest was abducted on March 4 by an armed gang of four who shot at least 15 persons in the old-age home in Aden.

Fr Uzhunnalil was reportedly caught by them, tied with ropes and thrown into a vehicle before they sped away. Father Uzhunnalil has been working in Yemen for the last five years.

Comments

Add new comment

Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.

Rajdhani Express Derails, 7 elephants killed after collision in Assam

News Network

December 20,2025

At least seven elephants were killed and one calf injured after a herd collided with the Sairang-New Delhi Rajdhani Express in Assam's Hojai on Saturday morning, leading to disruption of rail services.

The Sairang-New Delhi Rajdhani Express struck a herd of elephants, resulting in the derailment of the locomotive and five coaches. No passenger casualties or injuries were reported, officials said.

The New Delhi-bound train met with the accident around 2.17 am, PTI reported. The Sairang-New Delhi Rajdhani Express connects Mizoram's Sairang (near Aizawl) to Anand Vihar Terminal (Delhi).

Railway has issued helpline numbers at the Guwahati Railway Station:-

•   0361-2731621
•   0361-2731622
•   0361-2731623

The accident site is located about 126 km from Guwahati. Following the incident, accident relief trains and railway officials rushed to the spot to initiate rescue operations.

Train Services Disrupted

Sources said that due to the derailment and elephant body parts scattered on the tracks, train services to Upper Assam and other parts of the Northeast were affected.

Passengers from the affected coaches were temporarily accommodated in vacant berths available in other coaches of the train. Once the train reaches Guwahati, additional coaches will be attached to accommodate all passengers, after which the train will resume its onward journey.

The incident occurred at a location that is not a designated elephant corridor. The loco pilot, upon spotting the herd on the tracks, applied emergency brakes. Despite this, the elephants dashed into the train, leading to the collision and derailment.

Last month, an elephant was killed after being hit by a train in Dhupguri in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri district. The incident took place on November 30.

The adult elephant was killed on the spot, and a calf was discovered lying injured beside the tracks.

Over 70 Elephants Killed In Train Collisions Over Last 5 Years

At least 79 elephants have died in train collisions across the country in the last five years, the Environment Ministry had informed Parliament in August.

In a written reply in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Environment Kirti Vardhan Singh had said the figure is based on reports from state governments and Union Territory administrations for the period 2020-21 to 2024-25.

He said that the ministry does not maintain consolidated data on the deaths of other wild animals on railway tracks, including in designated elephant corridors.

Singh confirmed that three elephants, including a mother and her calf, were killed on July 18 this year after being hit by a speeding express train on the Kharagpur-Tatanagar section in West Bengal's Paschim Midnapore district. The incident took place near Banstala between Jhargram and Banstala stations.

The minister said several measures have been taken jointly by the Environment Ministry and the Railways to prevent such accidents.

These include imposing speed restrictions in elephant habitats, pilot projects such as seismic sensor-based detection of elephants near tracks and construction of underpasses, ramps and fencing at vulnerable points.

The Wildlife Institute of India, in consultation with the ministry and other stakeholders, has also issued guidelines titled 'Eco-friendly Measures to Mitigate Impacts of Linear Infrastructure' to help agencies design railways and other projects in ways that reduce human-animal conflicts.

Singh added that capacity-building workshops were conducted for railway officials at the Wildlife Institute of India in 2023 and 2024 to raise awareness on elephant conservation and protection.

A detailed report titled 'Suggested Measures to Mitigate Elephant & Other Wildlife Train Collisions on Vulnerable Railway Stretches in India' had also been prepared after surveys across 127 railway stretches covering 3,452 km.

Of these, 77 stretches spanning 1,965 km in 14 states were prioritised for mitigation, with site-specific interventions suggested.

Comments