Japan Volcano: More Than 30 Hikers Feared Dead

More than 30 hikers are believed to have died near the peak of an erupting volcano in Japan.

Police said they were found unconscious and in cardiac arrest near the summit of the 3,067 metre (10,121ft) Mount Ontake, which erupted on Saturday, spewing large white plumes of gas and ash high into the sky and blanketing the surrounding area in ash.

Video footage posted online of the aftermath of the eruption shows huge grey clouds boiling towards climbers at the peak and people scrambling to get down as blackness envelops them.

Footage on NHK national television shows windows in a mountain lodge darkening and people screaming as heavy objects pelt the roof.

Hundreds of rescue workers are trying to reach those who are stranded

"We have confirmed that more than 30 individuals in cardiac arrest have been found near the summit," a Nagano prefecture police spokesman told the AFP news agency, without elaborating further.

Nagano prefecture posted on its website that those found have heart and lung failure - the customary way for Japanese authorities to describe a body until police doctors can examine it.

Broadcaster NHK later reported that four of those who have been found have been brought down and confirmed dead.

Hundreds of soldiers, police officers and firefighters have been involved in a large-scale search and rescue operation in an effort to save dozens of hikers who were thought to have been stranded on the volcano since it erupted without warning.

The mountain is popular with tourists and hikers

Military helicopters rescued seven people off the mountainside earlier on Sunday.

But a Nagano prefectural government official told AFP that rescue efforts were called off mid-afternoon on Sunday because the environment was becoming too dangerous for emergency workers.

At least 250 people were initially trapped, but most made their way down by Saturday night. More than 40 people have been injured, and several have broken bones.

A suffocating blanket of ash up to 20cm (eight inches) thick covered a large area of the volcano, which is some 200km (125 miles) west of the capital, Tokyo.

Climbers come down the mountain after the eruption

The volcano was still erupting on Sunday, pouring smoke and ash hundreds of metres into the sky.

Ash has been found on cars as far as 80km (50 miles) away.

Although details remain unclear, local officials believe 45 to 49 hikers sheltered overnight in cabins on the mountain, which is popular with tourists and hikers.

A worker in a mountain lodge just below the peak, Shuichi Mukai, said: "All of a sudden ash piled up so quickly that we couldn't even open the door.

A restricted zone has been set up in the area

"We were really packed in here, maybe 150 people. There were some children crying, but most people were calm. We waited there in hard hats until they told us it was safe to come down."

Mount Ontake sits on the border of Nagano and Gifu prefectures, on the main Japanese island of Honshu.

The volcano's last major eruption was in 1979.

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Jordanians Fear IS Backlash After Airstrikes

By Tom Rayner, Middle East Reporter, in Amman

Jordan's involvement in the US-led airstrikes against Islamic State targets has led to growing concerns in the country of a potential backlash.

Reports of IS banners in areas like the eastern city of Ma'an have fuelled fears of destabilisation by a force wreaking havoc in neighbouring Syria and Iraq.

The installation of a public siren system in parts of capital Amman, days after Jordan confirmed it had carried out strikes, sparked panic on social media.

Fears the alert system was an indicator of an imminent retaliation forced authorities to reassure the public the installations were part of a long-planned programme.

Authorities say installation of new sirens are no cause for panic

Brigadier General Fareed Shariah of the Jordanian Civil Defence Authority said the sirens were part of a "comprehensive system for exceptional situations".

"We can use it to deliver all kinds of audio messages, to warn people of snow, floods or even terrorist attacks - any incident that could harm the Jordanian people," Mr Shariah said.

Information Minister Mohammed Momani also took to state television to dismiss rumours that US and French citizens were warned to avoid malls in the capital.

He said the revised travel advice notices simply called for "heightened vigilance".

Amman's tolerant atmosphere is a contrast to some areas of Jordan where more conservative attitudes prevail.

Asile Moussa says she believes airstrikes are the 'right thing to do'

The fact that it has been the target of terrorist attacks in the past, means some residents are wary it could be targeted once again.

Murad Faouri, a doctor in the city, said he believed Jordan's involvement in airstrikes made it an "obvious" focus for a potential backlash.

"We are more exposed now, to more attacks, because we just tried to attack Da'ash [Islamic State], so it's obvious they will now just be thinking how they can hit us back," he said.

However, Asile Moussa, an architecture student, said she backed her government.

"It's a good thing. After all, we're fighting terrorism, around the globe. It's attacking us now, it's near to our borders, so therefore I believe it's the right thing to do," she said.

Freed radical preacher Abu Qatada may influence opinions in Jordan

But it is not just the chaos in neighbouring Iraq and Syria that threatens the country's long-term stability.

Jordan's domestic Salafist Muslim community could also play a role in destabilisation, through its sympathies with jihadist movements.

The recent release from Jordanian prisons of radical preachers Abu Qatada and Abu Mohammed al Maqdisi may come to have a significant bearing on events.

Both have issued condemnations of IS which could stunt growth of support for the group.

But they also bitterly condemn the US-led coalition of which Jordan is a part, and support the al Qaeda-affiliated rebel group Jahbat al Nusra, fighting in Syria.

If they choose to voice their opposition to the airstrikes, more loudly than their opposition to Islamic State, their influence could yet disrupt the balance in Jordan.

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Beheading Suspect's 'Odd' Behaviour In Mosque

A man accused of beheading a woman and stabbing another after he was fired from a food-processing plant "exhibited odd and bizarre behaviour" at a local mosque, according to a religious leader.

Imad Enchassi, senior imam of the Islamic Society of Greater Oklahoma City, told local media that Alton Nolen's conduct had raised eyebrows among worshippers.

Nolen was fired from Vaughan Foods Pic: Facebook

He said the 30-year-old had improperly handled Islam's holy book, the Quran, slept on the prayer floor, and worshipped in an unconventional manner.

The imam said mosque members had been shocked by Thursday's attack at Vaughan Foods.

Mr Enchassi told the Oklahoman newspaper: "He's as far away from Islam as he could be."

A spokesman for the Islamic Council of Oklahoma said Muslims were "shocked, horrified and saddened" about what happened.

Factory boss Mark Vaughan is being hailed as a hero for shooting Nolen

Nolen went on an apparently random knife rampage after being fired, say Moore police, for reasons that remain unclear.

He allegedly decapitated Colleen Hufford, 54, and was stabbing Traci Johnson, 43, when warehouse boss Mark Vaughan shot him.

Nolen was "co-operative" when interviewed by detectives in hospital on Friday, police spokesman Jeremy Lewis told Sky News.

He said the suspect, who was in a stable condition, is expected to be transferred to jail "within the next few days".

He faces a charge of first-degree murder.

Ms Johnson, meanwhile, remains in a stable condition in intensive care with "multiple" stab wounds.

Nolen had tried to convert workers to Islam, colleagues told investigators, though it is not clear if his beliefs had any link to the attack.

The FBI is investigating.

The suspect's Facebook page, where he used the name Jah'Keem Yisrael, is filled with bizarre rants in capital letters.

The scene outside the factory after the attack

He posted an image of Batman villain the Joker, writing: "I upload this pik because America and Israel are wicked. Wake up Muslims!!!"

Another comment ended: "Jihad Jihad Jihad!"

The Oklahoma county sheriff, meanwhile, said he was "extremely proud" of Mr Vaughan.

The reserve police officer reportedly used a rifle he kept in his office to shoot the attacker.

Nolen was incarcerated until March 2013 after his conviction two years earlier of drug offences, escape from detention and assaulting a police officer.

According to state corrections department records, he has several tattoos including "as-salaamu alaikum", Arabic for "peace be with you", on his abdomen, and "Jesus Christ" on his chest.

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Chelsea Clinton Gives Birth To Her First Child

Chelsea Clinton, the former first daughter of the United States, has announced she has given birth to a girl.

The 34-year-old, Bill and Hillary Clinton's only child, confirmed on Twitter that she has named her baby Charlotte – and her remarks were quickly retweeted by her doting parents.

She wrote: "Marc and I are full of love, awe and gratitude as we celebrate the birth of our daughter, Charlotte Clinton Mezvinsky."

Bill and Hillary beam with joy as they meet Charlotte Pic: @BillClinton

Mrs Clinton has long been tipped to follow in her parent's footsteps by entering politics.

Until recently, she was a special correspondent for a US broadcaster, but now works with her family's charities, including the Clinton Foundation.

Hillary gets used to her role of grandmother Pic: @HillaryClinton

Earlier, President Barack Obama had poked fun at the family, warning of possible gridlock in New York because of the UN General Assembly.

"I was just discussing with President Clinton – if Chelsea begins delivery while I am speaking, she has my motorcade and will able to navigate traffic," he said.

"Actually, it's pretty smooth for me during the week. I don't know what the problem is – everybody hypes the traffic… I haven't noticed."

Hillary, who is expected to enter the 2016 presidential race, recently said that she had been calling Chelsea "every five minutes" for an update on her granddaughter-to-be.

The 66-year-old has said that becoming a grandmother is her "most exciting title yet".

Meanwhile, Bill Clinton has spoken of his high expectations for his grandchildren, and the world they live in.

He said: "I want them to get up every day and look at the world with wonder and reverence. I want them to respect everyone they meet, whatever their background.

"I want them to really love being alive. It's my first and whatever other grandchildren I have – that's what I want."

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Abu Qatada Says He's Forgotten About Britain

Timeline: Qatada Legal Battle

Updated: 10:35am UK, Wednesday 24 September 2014

Abu Qatada challenged and ultimately thwarted every attempt by the Government to detain and deport him for many years.

Here is a timeline of the legal battle.

1993: Abu Qatada claims asylum when he arrives in Britain on a forged passport.

1994: Allowed to stay in Britain.

1995: Issues a "fatwa" justifying the killing of converts from Islam, their wives and children in Algeria.

1998: Applies for indefinite leave to remain in Britain.

1999: April - Convicted in his absence on terror charges in Jordan and sentenced to life imprisonment.

October - Speaks in London advocating the killing of Jews and praising attacks on Americans.

2001: February - Arrested by anti-terror police over involvement in a plot to bomb Strasbourg Christmas market. Officers find him with £170,000 in cash, including £805 in an envelope marked "For the mujahedin in Chechnya".

December - Becomes one of Britain's most wanted men after going on the run from his home in west London.

2002: Arrested by police in a council house in south London and detained in Belmarsh high-security jail.

2005: Freed on conditional bail and placed on a control order but arrested again in August under immigration rules as the Government seeks to deport him to Jordan.

2008: April: Court of Appeal rules deportation would breach his human rights because evidence used against him in Jordan might have been obtained through torture.

May - Granted bail by the immigration tribunal but told he must stay inside for 22 hours a day.

June - Released from Long Lartin jail in Worcestershire and moves into a four-bedroom house in west London.

November - He is rearrested after the Home Office tells an immigration hearing of fears he plans to abscond.

December - Qatada's bail is revoked by the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (Siac) after hearing secret evidence that the risk of him absconding has increased.

2009: Five Law Lords unanimously back the Government's policy of removing terror suspects from Britain on the basis of assurances from foreign governments and it is ruled he can be deported to Jordan to face a retrial on the terror charges.

He is awarded 2,800 euro (£2,500) compensation by the European Court of Human Rights after the judges rule that his detention without trial in the UK under anti-terrorism powers breached his human rights.

2012: January - European judges rule he can be sent to Jordan with diplomatic assurances but not while "there remains a real risk that evidence obtained by torture will be used against him".

February - He is released on strict bail conditions.

April - Rearrested as the Government prepares to deport him after Jordan gives assurances it will "bend over backwards" to ensure he receives a fair trial.

March - Qatada's legal team loses its bid to have the case heard by the Europe's human rights judges, clearing the way for deportation proceedings to continue.

May and August - Siac rejects Qatada's applications for bail.

October - Siac holds appeal hearing.

November - His appeal is granted and he is granted bail.

December - Qatada is moved to a larger residence in the greater London area.

2013: March 9 - It emerges Qatada has been arrested for allegedly breaching his bail conditions. He is ordered to stay in custody and sent to Belmarsh.

March 21 - Police reveal the cleric is being investigated over extremist material.

March 27 - Home Secretary Theresa May loses her appeal over Siac's decision to allow Qatada to stay in the UK. The Home Office vows to appeal.

April 17 - The Home Office formally announces that it is seeking leave from the Court of Appeal to take the case to the Supreme Court.

April 22 - The Court of Appeal refuses permission to go to the Supreme Court, forcing the Home Office to appeal directly to the highest court in the land.

April 23 - Theresa May tells MPs she has signed a new treaty with Jordan that should pave the way to deportation, but warns it might take "many months".

May 10 - Qatada's barrister says he will go back to Jordan voluntarily if the treaty on the use of evidence obtained by torture, guaranteeing he will not be tortured, is ratified by the Jordanian parliament.

May 20 - Qatada is refused bail by the Special Immigrations Appeals Commission after "jihadist material" is found on a computer memory stick.

July 2 - The new treaty between Jordan and Britain is fully ratified, sparking claims Qatada could be on a plane within days.

July 3 - A Jordanian government official tells AFP the cleric is due back on Sunday.

July 7 - Flown from RAF Northolt to Jordan

December 10: Pleads not guilty to terrorism charges at a state security court in the Jordanian capital, Amman.

2014: June 26 - Acquitted of conspiracy to commit acts of terrorism over 1998 bomb plots allegations.

September 24 - Acquitted over plot to target Western tourists over the New Year in Jordan in 2000.

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Clooney And Bride Appear In Public After Wedding

By Tom Kington, for Sky News in Venice

George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin have appeared in public for the first time as a married couple.

They waved from a motor launch on Venice's Grand Canal after tying the knot at a ceremony in the lagoon city on Saturday.

Hollywood's most eligible bachelor no more, with Amal Alamuddin

The couple smiled to crowds after leaving the Aman hotel in Venice where they had exchanged vows the evening before and spent their first night together as Mr and Mrs Clooney.

Stepping into a motor launch, the Hollywood star and the British-Lebanese lawyer set off to join friends and family staying at Venice's Cipriani hotel.

Gondoliers said the wedding flotilla caused a 'tsunami' of bow waves

The couple were surrounded by over 20 launches packed with photographers and police who made up an impressive flotilla which stretched across the width of the canal.

Fifty-three-year-old Clooney, wearing a grey suit and tie, waved as members of the public cheered him and his wife, who was wearing a white dress embroidered with pink and fuschia designs.

Cindy Crawford's husband, Rande Gerber, is thought to have been best man

The dress was among a number of striking outfits that human rights lawyer Alamuddin, 36, has worn in Venice, reportedly on the advice of US Vogue editor Anna Wintour, who was a guest at the wedding.

Police launches sounded their sirens as boats jostled to squeeze round a water bus filled with surprised tourists in the canal, moments before Clooney's launch passed under the Accademia bridge, where up at 200 people waved and threw flowers. 

Bill Murray gives a regal wave

The previous night, guests including Matt Damon, Bono, Cindy Crawford and actress Emily Blunt partied until 2am after Clooney and Alamuddin reportedly entered the palazzo through an arch of white roses before exchanging vows.

Waiters wearing fezzes served lobster while Clooney's hand was reportedly shaking badly from nerves when he cut the cake.

Matt Damon looks more like Bond than Bourne in this tux

A jazz trio and string quartet played Clooney's favourite songs, including "When I fall in love", the song made famous by Nat King Cole.

U2 frontman Bono flashes his trademark V-sign

The announcement that the couple had tied the knot on Saturday was made by Clooney's spokesman Stan Rosenfield when the party was under way.

"George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin were married today (September 27) in a private ceremony in Venice, Italy," Rosenfield said in Los Angeles.

The inscrutable Vogue editor Anna Wintour is also among guests

The announcement came as a surprise since the couple are officially due to wed in a civil ceremony in Venice on Monday.

Venice City Council had previously said it would block off streets around the municipal building due to host the ceremony to keep onlookers away.

The groom's party in a taxi boat on the Grand Canal

Italian media suggested on Saturday that the Monday ceremony would go ahead to render the marriage legal in Italy.

The wedding was Clooney's second after he was married in 1989 to actress Talia Balsam.

Clooney and Balsam exchanged vows before an Elvis impersonator in Las Vegas and separated four years later.

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Reality Check On UK's Combat Role Against IS

Britain's Role In Anti-IS Mission Explained

Updated: 4:37pm UK, Saturday 27 September 2014

Codenamed Operation Shader, the British military action now under way sees UK warplanes swap their surveillance role in Iraq for combat missions.

There are six Tornado GR4s based at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, and on missions they will be armed with Paveway and Brimstone missiles capable of hitting moving targets.

Having carried out reconnaissance missions over Iraq for the last six weeks, the pilots know the terrain well.

The combat operation is directed out of Qatar from the Al Udeid airbase - shared by both the British and US.

The man heading the RAF mission is Air commodore Al Gillespie, but it is the US directing the growing coalition air operation in Iraq, which also includes Australia, Denmark, and France.

Former RAF navigator John Nichol, who flew in the 1991 Gulf War, told Sky News: "The Americans will be telling each different nation what the target list is, where to patrol, what sort of weapons might be needed, and then they will be launched into the air."

While the Tornado aircraft is 40 years old, Mr Nichol said: "It's been hugely updated. The big updates are the weapons systems.

"When I was flying it was very much what I would call 'dumb bombs'. The weapons that this GR4 deploys are all precision-guided, very, very accurate munitions."

While the planes are capable of flying quicker than the speed of sound, on patrol the planes would travel at around 300-400mph to conserve fuel.

The Tornados fly in pairs and take around two hours to reach northern Iraq from Cyprus.

The two-man crews can be on board for up to eight hours in the cramped cockpits.

The on-board technology allows them to operate at low level, day or night and in poor weather.

During the recent reconnaissance missions the jets often refuelled in mid-air by connecting to fuel lines from an RAF Voyager plane - like "trying to refuel your car on the motorway at night, at 600mph, when the petrol station is doing 600mph", according to Mr Nichol.

The crews are highly skilled and normally very experienced, who have flown many times over Iraq in previous deployments.

Mr Nichol said: "These are young men and women. They are trained to do a job. They want to do the job.

"I compare it to a firefighter. You never want to see anyone's house burning down but its your job to put those flames out and that's what they are getting a chance to do.

"Some of them are battle-hardened veterans, but you have the younger members there as well.

"There's an excitement about what you are going to go and do but a reality and a knowledge of what the cost could be as well."

In the absence of IS command and control centres, he believed  the air crews would be looking at the ground in "real time" for targets.

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'Nothing Token' About Britain's Iraq Mission

Britain's Role In Anti-IS Mission Explained

Updated: 4:37pm UK, Saturday 27 September 2014

Codenamed Operation Shader, the British military action now under way sees UK warplanes swap their surveillance role in Iraq for combat missions.

There are six Tornado GR4s based at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, and on missions they will be armed with Paveway and Brimstone missiles capable of hitting moving targets.

Having carried out reconnaissance missions over Iraq for the last six weeks, the pilots know the terrain well.

The combat operation is directed out of Qatar from the Al Udeid airbase - shared by both the British and US.

The man heading the RAF mission is Air commodore Al Gillespie, but it is the US directing the growing coalition air operation in Iraq, which also includes Australia, Denmark, and France.

Former RAF navigator John Nichol, who flew in the 1991 Gulf War, told Sky News: "The Americans will be telling each different nation what the target list is, where to patrol, what sort of weapons might be needed, and then they will be launched into the air."

While the Tornado aircraft is 40 years old, Mr Nichol said: "It's been hugely updated. The big updates are the weapons systems.

"When I was flying it was very much what I would call 'dumb bombs'. The weapons that this GR4 deploys are all precision-guided, very, very accurate munitions."

While the planes are capable of flying quicker than the speed of sound, on patrol the planes would travel at around 300-400mph to conserve fuel.

The Tornados fly in pairs and take around two hours to reach northern Iraq from Cyprus.

The two-man crews can be on board for up to eight hours in the cramped cockpits.

The on-board technology allows them to operate at low level, day or night and in poor weather.

During the recent reconnaissance missions the jets often refuelled in mid-air by connecting to fuel lines from an RAF Voyager plane - like "trying to refuel your car on the motorway at night, at 600mph, when the petrol station is doing 600mph", according to Mr Nichol.

The crews are highly skilled and normally very experienced, who have flown many times over Iraq in previous deployments.

Mr Nichol said: "These are young men and women. They are trained to do a job. They want to do the job.

"I compare it to a firefighter. You never want to see anyone's house burning down but its your job to put those flames out and that's what they are getting a chance to do.

"Some of them are battle-hardened veterans, but you have the younger members there as well.

"There's an excitement about what you are going to go and do but a reality and a knowledge of what the cost could be as well."

In the absence of IS command and control centres, he believed  the air crews would be looking at the ground in "real time" for targets.

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Rubber Bullet Fears: Activists Urged To Leave

By Mark Stone, Asia Correspondent, in Hong Kong

Protesters have been urged to leave demonstrations in central Hong Kong over fears police could use rubber bullets to disperse the crowd.

Earlier in the day, officers fired tear gas to try to clear a road that was blocked by thousands of pro-democracy protesters.

Activists fled several hundred metres down Harcourt Road in the government district amid chaotic scenes, with protesters screaming "shame" at officers.

But many activists came right back to continue their protests in the Admiralty area.

Thousands gathered in the Admiralty area of Hong Kong Island

Several scuffles broke out between riot police and demonstrators who were angered by the use of tear gas, which is rare in Hong Kong.

An elderly woman was seen being carried away by protesters.

Police had also used hand-held pepper spray aimed at dispersing the activists - but without success - and they warned greater force could be carried out.

A student group has now called on its supporters to withdraw from the demonstrations amid the rubber bullet fears.

Protesters wear goggles and plastic wrap to protect against pepper spray

The movement to occupy central Hong Kong, in protest at China's interference in the former British colony, had begun three days ahead of schedule with many protesters gathering overnight.

The leader of 'Occupy Central', Benny Tai, had planned to bring the heart of Hong Kong to a standstill this coming Wednesday - National Day.

But he has taken advantage of a separate student protest which has been gathering pace through the week.

Although 'Occupy Central' and the student protests are separate movements, their motivation is the same.

Police have made a number of arrests

They are calling for the Chinese central government to stop interfering with Hong Kong politics.

They want China to allow the people of Hong Kong to choose their own leaders: one person, one vote.

On Saturday, more than 60 of the student protesters were arrested after they entered a government area.

Overnight, the new protesters gathered wearing masks and ponchos in an effort to counter the pepper spray.

Protesters are angry at Chinese interference in the island's politics

Last month, the Communist Party's top political body ruled on changes to the political system in the territory, once a British colony but now a semi-autonomous part of China.

The ruling said that while Hong Kongers could choose their next leader, or Chief Executive, in 2017, they must select from candidates picked by Beijing.

The chosen candidates must declare their "love" for China and its Communist system.

Political protests are banned across mainland China but under the agreement of the 1997 handover from Britain to China, Hong Kong was given autonomy.

Some protesters slept on the pavement overnight

That autonomy allows Hong Kong an independent legal and political framework: 'one country, two systems'.

Under this agreement, protests can take place in Hong Kong.

However, in the 17 years since the handover, there has never been such a large call for the central government in Beijing to back off.

It is not yet clear how the protest will disrupt the city, Asia's financial hub.

Reports suggest that 30 people have suffered minor injuries over the past few days in clashes with the authorities.

News of the protests has been censored on the Chinese mainland with little or no mention of it on mainstream newspapers and TV stations across China. 

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Monster Truck Crash Reportedly Kills Three

A monster truck has crashed into a crowd in the Netherlands, reportedly killing two adults and a child and wounding a dozen more.

The vehicle had been attempting a stunt during an annual car show in the eastern city of Haaksbergen. 

It was trying to drive over several parked cars when it lost control and careered off into the crowd.

Local media is reporting that three people were killed, including one child, and another 15 were injured.

A screenshot from the event's website Pic: www.sterevenementen.nl

Dutch national broadcaster NOS is reporting that two children were among the dead.

National newspaper De Telegraaf says the truck, with tractor-sized wheels, was 1500 horsepower.

Emergency teams are at the scene.

Hospitals in the area are reported to have called in extra staff to treat the wounded.

More follows...

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