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AN INDIAN TELEVISION journalist reporting on the deadly floods that have swept northern India has defended his decision to file a report while perched on a survivor’s shoulders.
Narayan Pargaien, who works for the local News Express channel, told Indian media website newslaundry.com that the criticism he has faced since the video was posted online was unfair.
“People are talking about us being inhuman and wrong but we were actually helping some of the victims there,” Pargaien said.
The reporter claimed that the slight man who carried him, who can be seen wobbling under the strain while standing in ankle-high water, had hoisted him onto his shoulders as a sign of respect.
The man “wanted to show me some respect, as it was the first time someone of my level had visited his house. So while crossing the river he offered to help by carrying me… between which, I thought of reporting”‘, Pargaien said.
(YouTube: Javed Khan)
The journalist also attacked his cameraman for framing the shot so it showed him sitting on the floods survivor’s shoulders and accused him of posting the video online.
“The report was supposed to be telecast only with footage of me chest-up. This was entirely the cameraman’s fault, who… tried to sabotage my career by shooting from that distance and angle and releasing the video,” he said.
“I was wrong as well. That was the wrong thing to do, and the wrong time to have shot that sequence. But what my cameraman did was even more unacceptable.”
The video has been viewed more than 11,600 times since it was posted on Saturday.
Some 1000 people have died in flash floods and landslides caused by heavy downpours in India’s Uttarakhand state, known as the “Land of the Gods” for its revered Hindu shrines.
Helicopters and soldiers have evacuated tens of thousands of people, but several thousand pilgrims and tourists remain stranded throughout the state since early rains struck on June 15.
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always wear a seatbelt while seated on an airplane even at cruising altitude.
@Red hurley: totally agree I always reattach the seat belt every time for reasons like this
@Michael Hayden: knowing my luck that would happen just as I got up to go to the toilet
@Peter Cavey:
It would be worse if you were ON the toilet…mid-shlte.
@Peter Cavey: or in the jax. Pissing all over the place.
Clear Air Turbulence (not “Clean Air”)
Sounds like a terrible experience for all passengers on this flight.If i was on it they would have to send the lads in with full body suits and alot of cleaning products!!!
Terrified of flying so i can safely say i would pass out. I get nervous when they wheel the drink trolley around FFS. Poor children they must of been petrified. Some turbulence. Total carnage. Looked like a crash. What is it about flights around Asia Malaysia etc seems to always be very bad episodes of turbulence. Wouldn’t be flying on holiday anywhere near there. Spain is as far as i go and i need counselling before and after.
@Ní Maith Liom Eva: lived in Asia for years and in my experience landings coming into Ireland can match almost anywhere that I’ve flown into. Between Cork and Dublin I’ve had aborted landings, lightning strikes and two occasions where the whole plane fell deathly silent from the sheer volume of turbulence approaching the airport. Not to say that I’ve never had an incident in Asia but they are far less common, at least in my experience
@China Photo Daily: jeez really. Wow wouldn’t ever of thought that. That deathly silence. Oh fu(k I’d be passed out.
scary stuff
I hope Meredith Grey was on board
Sounds like a bit of an aero flop
Yesterday’s news
Russian plane in turbulence incident was Boeing 777 but this photo looks like Airbus 320 or 310. Journal.ie appears no knowledge of plane model….
Looks like a A320 the A300 series has a double bogie main landing gear, Up in the pointy end of the aircraft there is 5 point seat belts for the crew once in the cruise the shoulder and crotch belts are normally released but the strap across the waist is always kept on.
Good old Aeroflot!!
Couldn’t happen to nicer people
Climate change likely to increase frequency and severity of air turbulence http://www.independent.co.uk/Travel-0/climate-change-air-tubulence-increase-bumpier-flights-passenger-planes-commercial-carbon-dioxide-a7670481.html
Hard to know if there is more incidents of significant turbulence or are we just more well informed. Not a very enjoyable flight I’d say.
Russian plane in tur
Thats what can happen when you fly with a party of international competitors and put beans on the flight menu.
The International Flatulance Awards almost lost half the entrants.
have your say