Former vice-president Mike Pence has declared himself a candidate in the 2024 Republican race for the White House - pitting himself against Donald Trump.
Mr Pence's campaign filed a declaration of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission.
He will formally launch his campaign with a video and a speech in the early nominating state of Iowa on Wednesday, three sources familiar with the situation told Reuters, which is his 64th birthday.
The 48th vice-president of the United States will challenge his former boss just two years after their White House tenure ended with the Capitol riots - which saw Mr Pence, who was in the building with his family, flee for safety.
Mr Trump is currently leading the early fight for the nomination, with Florida governor, Ron DeSantis, polling consistently in second.
However, Mr Pence's supporters see a gap in the race for a traditional conservative who backs many of the previous administration's policies - but does not bring the turmoil associated with Mr Trump's leadership.
He once stood loyally by the billionaire businessman turned politician - but refused to back the former president when he attempted to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
More on Mike Pence
Related Topics:
Mr Pence said what Mr Trump did was "wrong", insisting the presidency "belongs to the American people and the American people alone".
The White House hopeful has spent months laying the groundwork for an expected run - holding events, visiting churches and speaking to potential donors in Iowa, South Carolina and New Hampshire.
Advertisement
On Sunday he and DeSantis joined hundreds of motorcyclists in Iowa to take part in Republican US Senator Joni Ernst's annual Roast and Ride event, in aid of a veterans' charity, the Freedom Foundation.
Mr Pence, joined by his wife, Karen, was pictured wearing a black leather waistcoat as he rode a blue Harley Davidson in the convoy.
Image:Mr Pence told crowds at the Roast and Ride event that he would be announcing in Iowa on Wednesday Pic: AP
Later he told cheering crowds at the event: "I have to tell you over the last two years, Karen and I have spent a lot of time reflecting and praying about... everything this country is dealing with and what we might do to serve.
"I don't have anything to announce today, but I can tell you, when I got time to announce, come this Wednesday, I am announcing in Iowa."
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
1:25
Mike Pence 'outraged' over Trump
The former governor of Indiana describes himself as a "Christian, a conservative and a Republican, in that order".
He is strongly opposed to abortion and has backed calls for a national ban, while also campaigning against policies that support transgender people in schools.
Mr Pence has also urged US officials to give more help to Ukraine in its war against Russia and has criticised "Putin apologists" for failing to stand up to the Russian president.
He joins a growing number of Republican rivals, including US senator Tim Scott, and the former governor of South Carolina, Nikki Haley.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
0:37
Trump reacts to DeSantis launch
Sources close to North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum have said he intends to throw his hat into the ring on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the former governor of New Jersey, Chris Christie, is also planning to enter the race on Tuesday.
But the number of candidates vying for the nomination has caused concern among Trump opponents inside the Republican party, who fear the anti-Trump vote could be split - handing the candidacy to the former president.
Train runs past site of deadly India derailment that killed 275 people
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails
Sign up to our free breaking news emails
Authorities in Odisha have released graphic pictures of dozens of bodies of the victims of Friday’s train crash, as services finally resumed on the tracks involved.
The Odisha government hopes the images will help families of passengers to find their loved ones’ remains. The names of around 300 injured passengers who are still in hospital have also been released.
Officials say preliminary investigations point to an error in the electronic signalling system as being the most likely cause of the crash, which killed at least 275 people and left more than 1,100 injured.
India’s railways minister, who has faced calls from the opposition to resign over the crash, oversaw the resumption of train services on Sunday night after some 51 hours of rescue and restoration work.
Ashwini Vaishnaw said the authorities are still working so that “missing persons’ family members can find them as soon as possible”.
The accident involving two packed passenger express trains and a stationary freight train has sparked anger across India over the management of the country’s massive rail network, which serves 22 million people every day.
Indian Railways orders week-long safety drive of signals across country
Indian Railways, the operator of the country’s nationalised rail network, has initiated a comprehensive week-long safety campaign across the country to focus on the signalling system, particularly the “double locking” signalling mechanism at stations.
The drive aims to ensure the proper functioning of the signalling apparatus and the effective generation of SMS alerts whenever the signalling relay rooms are accessed and secured.
Eyewitnesses recall ‘horrific and heart-wrenching’ scenes after deadly train crash in India
Eyewitnesses recalled “horrific and heart-wrenching” scenes after two passenger locomotives derailed in India, killing nearly 300 people and injuring hundreds more in one of the country’s deadliest train crashes in decades.
The accident, which happened about 220km (137 miles) southwest of the eastern city of Kolkata on Friday night, led to a chaotic scene as rescuers climbed atop the mangled trains to break open doors and windows using cutting torches to free survivors.
“The dead bodies were lying all over the tracks, people were screaming for help. This was my worst nightmare and the images will haunt me for life,” Santosh Jain, a passenger on one of the affected trains, told The Indian Express.
Opposition Congress party writes letter to PM Modi asking why ‘crucial warning’ was ignored
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge wrote a letter to prime minister Narendra Modi, asking him why a “crucial warning” about the potential for signal failure was ignored by railway officials.
In his scathing letter, the chief of the oldest Indian political party, said Odisha train accident was an “eye-opener”.
“All the empty safety claims of the railway minister have now been exposed. There is serious concern among the common passengers about this deterioration in safety. Therefore, it is incumbent upon the government to ascertain and bring to light the real reasons that caused this grave accident,” he said.
In one of his 11-questions that he posed to Mr Modi, he referred to a letter written by a top official in the Karnataka-based South Western Railway operator who had flagged his concerns about the danger of “signal failure”, which was identified as the root cause of an accident in February as well.
“Why and how could the Ministry of Railways ignore this crucial warning?” he asked.
First responder says police took an hour to reach site after train crash
One of the first responders at the site of the Odisha train crash said he rushed outside after hearing a “thunderous sound” and was left in shock by what he saw next.
Onkar Nath Panda, who lives just 50 metres away from the train tracks where the crash took place, tells The Independent that he saw a huge cloud of smoke, people screaming and everything had turned red before the police and officials arrived.
“It was like an earthquake,” he says. “The only thing dividing the train track from this house is a pond.
“We rushed out. And what we saw was smoke. Everything was covered in smoke. We heard people screaming.”
He said police only arrived at the scene more than an hour later, and in the meantime he and other locals jumped into action.
“I went back and took out sheets and an electrical cutter from my workshop to break open train doors. But the electricity had snapped by then.
“We tried calling for help but the lines were not working. We pulled out bodies as well as injured while the women of the house brought out buckets after buckets of water.”
“Everything was red. The police and officers arrived an hour later.”
Mr Panda said he hasn’t slept in days and was unable to eat after witnessing such horrific scenes.
Onkar Nath Panda, who lives just 50 metres away from the train tracks where the crash took place, shows the electric cutter he used to rescued passengers
Watch live as workers repair a train crossing at site of Odisha train crash
Train services have resumed along the tracks in Odisha, which suffered the country’s deadliest crash in more than two decades on Friday, as family members continued a desperate search for their missing loved ones.
Officials say preliminary investigations point to an error in the electronic signalling system as being the most likely cause of the crash, which killed at least 275 people and left more than 1,100 injured.
House painter, 21, who was about to get married next month among Indian train crash dead
A group of six-seven men in their early 20s were on their way to Chennai in the south of the country from Medinipur district in the eastern state of West Bengal on board the Coromandal express when the accident took place on Friday night.
Rajib Dakua, 21, who painted houses in Chennai, was among them. People from his village arrived in Odisha on Saturday and this morning were able to identify Dakua’s decomposing corpse.
Repair work on tracks continue 60 hours after deadly train accident
Repair work at one of the tracks that suffered a deadly train crash continued after three days.
Workers were seen repairing the loop line where a freight train was stationed when a high-speed passenger train packed with people rammed into it.
Trains were resumed on two of the train tracks following 51 hours of restoration work. The resumption of the first train was overseen by railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.
A goods train has derailed in Odisha’s Bargarh district, as relief and rescue work following the country’s deadliest train disaster this century came to an end in Balasore in the same state.
No casualties have been reported in the incident.
The goods train was operated by a private cement company and it derailed inside the factory premises near Mendhapali.
“There is no role of Railways in this matter,” operator East Coast Railway said.
The second derailment comes three days after a triple train collision left around 275 people dead and more than 1,100 people injured.
Julian Borger provides this latest update from Kyiv for the Guardian:
Russia has claimed to have repelled a “major offensive” in the Donetsk region and to have killed hundreds of Ukrainian troops, but the claims could not be independently verified.
Ukrainian officials made no comment, and have emphasised the need for secrecy about operations in recent days as anticipation grows for a major counteroffensive. Ukrainian military officers have predicted that any such counteroffensive would be preceded and accompanied by feints and diversionary attacks to “shape the battlefield” and cause as much confusion as possible in Russian ranks.
The defence ministry in Moscow said Ukraine had attacked with six mechanised and two tank battalions.
“On the morning of June 4, the enemy launched a large-scale offensive in five sectors of the front in the South Donetsk direction,” the ministry said in a statement posted on the Telegram messaging app at 1:30 am Moscow time.
“The enemy’s goal was to break through our defences in the most vulnerable, in its opinion, sector of the front,” it said. “The enemy did not achieve its tasks, it had no success.”
The ministry claimed that 250 Ukrainian troops had been killed, and 16 tanks, three infantry fighting vehicles and 21 armoured personnel carriers destroyed.
Videos of combat posted online showed what were purported to be Ukrainian armoured cars blowing up in fields near Velyka Novosilka, 60 miles west of Donetsk city, but it was impossible to tell from the videos when they were taken and what the outcome of the battle was.
The daily update from the Ukrainian general staff on Sunday made no mention of a major offensive in Donetsk but did report 29 clashes in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions and 15 airstrikes on enemy troops across the country.
Ukraine’s defence minister, Oleksiy Reznikov posted a message on Twitter on Sunday, quoting from a song by Depeche Mode, Enjoy the Silence.
“Words are very unnecessary, they can only do harm,” the tweet said.
Reuters has a quick snap that Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin said on Monday that Ukrainian forces had retaken part of the settlement of Berkhivka, north of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, calling it a “disgrace”.
Tass reports that at his daily press call, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on any questions about a Ukrainian counteroffensive.
It quotes him saying:
This is connected with the course of the “special military operation”. Therefore, the ministry of defence has the absolute prerogative here. You saw today’s statement that was made by the department.
“Special military operation” is the preferred term by Russian authorities for the full scale invasion of Ukraine launched in February 2022.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy has posted to his official Telegram channel a message of encouragement for his nation, without specifically referencing the increase in fighting on the ground that is being observed in some quarters today. Ukraine’s president wrote:
Russian terror must be defeated every day and every night, in every region of Ukraine, in the skies of every Ukrainian city and village. When any attack by Russian terrorists ends in failure for the terrorists, their defeats will become a source of our long-term security.
Julian Borger and Dan Sabbagh in Kyiv have this updated news story on what we know so far about developments today:
A significant escalation in fighting along the frontlines in the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions has been reported overnight, but there was no confirmation from Ukrainian officials that it marked the started of their long-planned counteroffensive.
Russia claimed to have repelled a “major offensive” in the Donetsk region and to have killed hundreds of Ukrainian troops, but the claims could not be independently verified. A Moscow-backed militia leader and Russian military bloggers admitted that Ukrainian forces had achieved a breakthrough in at least one point in south-western Donetsk.
Ukrainian officials made no comment, and emphasised the need for secrecy about operations in recent days as anticipation grows for a major counteroffensive. Ukrainian military officers have predicted that any such counteroffensive would be preceded and accompanied by feints and diversionary attacks to “shape the battlefield” and cause as much confusion as possible in Russian ranks.
Russian military bloggers also said Ukraine had breached Russian lines in Velykonovosilkivskyi. The blogger Wargonzo said: “This time the news is much more disturbing.”
The head of Russia’s puppet administration in Zaporizhzhia region, Vladimir Rogov, said there had also been a significant attack there.
“The enemy threw even greater forces into the attack than yesterday, attempting a larger-scale breakthrough in an organised manner,” Rogov reported on his Telegram channel. “The fight is on.”
“It is clear, however, that the enemy has not yet made full use of his main forces,” Igor Girkin, a Russian nationalist critic of the Kremlin and former “defence minister” in the Russian-installed authority in Donetsk. “If the enemy’s offensive has really begun, and is not a ‘test of strength’, the intensity of the battles will only increase in the coming days. The outcome of the battle is not yet completely predetermined – it is just beginning.”
Poland’s agriculture minister has received a draft regulation from the European Commission extending a ban on Ukrainian grain imports until 15 September, he said on Monday.
“We have received from the EC a draft of a new regulation banning the import of four products to the five countries,” Robert Telus wrote on Twitter. “The effective date provided for in the draft is 15 September this year.”
The agricultural sector in several countries bordering Ukraine has been vocal in protesting that Ukrainian products are under-cutting local producers by being imported into the EU, when they would normally be exported out of Europe via the Black Sea.
With Ukraine frequently imposing an information blackout when it is carrying out military operations, and Ukraine’s defence minister, Oleksiy Reznikov quoting Depeche Mode’s Enjoy The Silence, information on the situation on the ground in Donetsk is sparse.
My colleague Dan Sabbagh points out that one of Russia’s military bloggers, Igor Girkin, has suggested that Ukraine has successfully “cut into our position” on southern front.
Suspilne, Ukraine's state broadcaster, reports that a 55-year-old security guard has been killed by a Russian attack on a business in Kherson, citing the head of the region, Oleksandr Prokudin.
Belgium will ask Ukraine for clarification on reports that rifles made in Belgium had been used by pro-Ukrainian forces to fight Russian troops inside Russia’s western border, Belgian prime minister Alexander De Croo said on Monday.
“Our defence ministry and its intelligence agencies have started an investigation and are asking for information to determine what has happened exactly,” Reuters report De Croo said on Belgium’s Radio 1.
“European weapons are delivered to Ukraine under the condition that they are used on Ukrainian territory with the purpose of defending that territory. And we have strict controls in place to see that this is the case,” he said.
De Croo declined to comment on possible consequences if the reports were confirmed.
“We must not get ahead of ourselves here,” the prime minister said. “But we are analysing the situation and we would take this very seriously.”
The Washington Post on Saturday reported that anti-Kremlin fighters who launched a cross-border attack from Ukraine into the Russian Belgorod region last month used tactical vehicles originally given to Ukraine by the US and Poland and carried rifles made in Belgium and the Czech Republic.
Tobias Ellwood, chair of UK parliament’s defence select committee, has said “it is worth pausing to reflect gravity of this movement – Ukraine launching its own counterattack to liberate its own territory after halting the advance of the third largest army in the world. That is quite an incredible movement moving from defence to attack.”
“We should really manage expectations. While Ukraine has been preparing for this moment, Russia has been busy building its own significant defences, pouring concrete anti tank obstacles hoping to stall this offensive.
“They want this offensive to be frozen so that support dries up, and talks can then begin. Ukraine needs to demonstrate progress to ensure western support continues with those tanks, long range missiles, and F-16s.
“This may take a series of waves for this to conclude. This won’t happen overnight.”
My colleague Dan Sabbagh reports that at least one Russian military blogger on Telegram is concerned about developments in Donetsk, writing that the situation grows “more alarming by the hour”.
Russia’s Baltic fleet started naval exercises in the Baltic Sea on Monday, the Russian military’s press service said.
About 3,500 soldiers and up to 40 ships and boats will take part in the drills, which are scheduled to last until 15 June, Reuters reports the military said.
Suspilne, Ukraine’s state broadcaster, has this update on overnight casualties, writing on its official Telegram channel:
There were no casualties due to a rocket attack on Chuhuiv in Kharkiv oblast last night, the head of the region Synyehubov reported. Nikopol in Dnipropetrovsk Region was also hit twice at night – no one was hurt. During the past day, two people were injured in Kherson oblast as a result of Russian strikes, and three people were injured in Donetsk oblast.
The claims have not been independently verified.
Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, who has been tasked by Pope Francis to carry out a peace mission to try to help end the war in Ukraine, will visit Kyiv on 5-6 June, Reuters reports the Vatican said in a statement on Monday.
Pavlo Kyrylenko, Ukraine’s governor of Donetsk, has given a standard operational update on Telegram this morning. As is his custom, he has listed places under Ukrainian control in the region which have been shelled by Russian forces, with casualty figures and a list of damages to property.
Among his claims are that “a high-rise building and three private houses were damaged in the Chasiv Yar” and that “a person was injured in Toretsk – the city was bombarded by air”. He stated that three residents have been injured overall in the previous 24 hours.
Kyrylenko makes no mention of any offensive manoeuvres by Ukrainian forces.
Donetsk is one of four Ukrainian regions that the Russian Federation claimed to annex in 2022.
Julian Borger reports for the Guardian from Kyiv:
Alexander Khodakovsky, the head of the pro-Moscow Vostok Battalion in the Donbas, said there had been Ukrainian military gains in the Velykonovosilkivskyi area of western Donetsk.
“The enemy is trying to break through. Having grouped their forces into a fist, they were able to achieve tactical success,” Khodakovsky said on Telegram. “They took one position from us, but suffered tangible losses. Now the enemy are reinforcing their presence at the point of breakthrough, obviously trying to make further gains.”
Khodakovsky estimated the attacks did not represent the promised counter-offensive, but if Ukraine did achieve a breakthrough, many more troops could pour into the breach.
Sky News is carrying an exclusive this morning which claims the network has seen documents it believes are authentic that show Iran suppling arms to Russia. In its report, security and defence editor Deborah Haynes writes:
A purported arms contract seen by Sky News offers the first hard evidence that Iran has sold ammunition to Russia for its war in Ukraine, an informed security source has claimed.
If authentic, the 16-page document, dated 14 September 2022, appears to be for samples of varying sizes of artillery and tank shells and rockets worth just over $1m (£800,000).
Sky News has not been able to verify the authenticity of the documents independently.
However, the security source alleged: “This is a contract between the Iranians and the Russians regarding munitions … We believe it is 100% authentic.”
Russia’s embassy and Iran’s embassy to the UK respectively did not respond to a request for comment.
Kyiv and London said they planned to investigate the authenticity of the material and would take action if it was found to be credible.
Julian Borger provides this latest update from Kyiv for the Guardian:
Russia has claimed to have repelled a “major offensive” in the Donetsk region and to have killed hundreds of Ukrainian troops, but the claims could not be independently verified.
Ukrainian officials made no comment, and have emphasised the need for secrecy about operations in recent days as anticipation grows for a major counteroffensive. Ukrainian military officers have predicted that any such counteroffensive would be preceded and accompanied by feints and diversionary attacks to “shape the battlefield” and cause as much confusion as possible in Russian ranks.
The defence ministry in Moscow said Ukraine had attacked with six mechanised and two tank battalions.
“On the morning of June 4, the enemy launched a large-scale offensive in five sectors of the front in the South Donetsk direction,” the ministry said in a statement posted on the Telegram messaging app at 1:30 am Moscow time.
“The enemy’s goal was to break through our defences in the most vulnerable, in its opinion, sector of the front,” it said. “The enemy did not achieve its tasks, it had no success.”
The ministry claimed that 250 Ukrainian troops had been killed, and 16 tanks, three infantry fighting vehicles and 21 armoured personnel carriers destroyed.
Videos of combat posted online showed what were purported to be Ukrainian armoured cars blowing up in fields near Velyka Novosilka, 60 miles west of Donetsk city, but it was impossible to tell from the videos when they were taken and what the outcome of the battle was.
The daily update from the Ukrainian general staff on Sunday made no mention of a major offensive in Donetsk but did report 29 clashes in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions and 15 airstrikes on enemy troops across the country.
Ukraine’s defence minister, Oleksiy Reznikov posted a message on Twitter on Sunday, quoting from a song by Depeche Mode, Enjoy the Silence.
“Words are very unnecessary, they can only do harm,” the tweet said.
Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine appears to have spurred support for Ukraine’s LGBT community and a draft civil union law that would give same-sex partnerships legal status for the first time.
“Anything that our enemy hates … I will support,” said the Ukrainian MP Andrii Kozhemiakin, a wiry, conservative ex-spy who likes to emphasise his Christian faith and large family. “If it will never exist in Russia, it should exist and be supported here, to show them and signal to them that we are different. This law is like a smile towards Europe and a middle finger to Russia. So I support it.”
Inna Sovsun, the MP who drafted the law and is trying to shepherd it through parliament, said Kozhemiakin’s speech was “the most unexpected thing in my political career”.
You read more here on the report by Emma Graham-HarrisonandArtem Mazhulinin Kyiv.
By George Wright in London & James Waterhouse in Kyiv
BBC News
Russia's defence ministry says it has thwarted a major Ukrainian offensive in Donetsk, claiming to have killed 250 troops and destroyed armoured vehicles.
Video of what Russia says is the battle appears to show military vehicles coming under heavy fire in fields.
But there has been no comment from Kyiv and Russia's claim has not been independently verified.
A Ukrainian counter-offensive has been long awaited but Kyiv says it will not give advance warning of its start.
It is too early to say whether this alleged offensive is the start of Kyiv's long-awaited counterpunch.
However, with Ukraine claiming to have made marginal gains elsewhere on the front line, there has been a notable increase in military activity.
The Russian defence ministry said Ukraine had launched the "large-scale offensive" in the Donetsk region on Sunday using six mechanised and two tank battalions.
It claimed the Ukrainians tried to break through Russian defences in what Kyiv saw as the most vulnerable part of the front line - but that it "did not achieve its tasks, it had no success".
Moscow claimed Ukraine had lost 250 troops as well as 16 tanks.
The footage featured masked and well-armed troops holding their fingers against their lips.
The claims by Russia's defence ministry are not yet verified. If the footage of armoured vehicles coming under heavy fire is authentic, then it reflects the stiff resistance Ukrainian forces will face as they try to liberate more territory.
And if it is not what it seems, it is still an attempt by Moscow to take control of the narrative.
There has been a significant increase in Ukrainian messaging on when and how their much-anticipated counter-offensive could take shape.
Ukraine has been planning a counter-offensive for months. But it has wanted as much time as possible to train troops and to receive military equipment from Western allies.
Officials in Kyiv have warned against public speculation over the offensive, saying it could help the enemy.
"Plans love silence. There will be no announcement of the start," the defence ministry said in a video posted to Telegram on Sunday. Its footage featured masked and well-armed troops holding their fingers against their lips.
It will take Ukraine time to achieve its goal of liberating territory taken by Russia as far back as nine years ago.
And Moscow has had time to prepare. It means if Ukraine is able to mount a counter-offensive, it is going to take a while.
Much is at stake because the government in Kyiv needs to show the people of Ukraine - and Western allies - that it can break through Russian lines, end the effective military deadlock and recapture some of its sovereign territory.
On Monday morning, the commander of Ukraine's ground forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said troops were "moving forward" towards Bakhmut and had destroyed a Russian position near the city.
The claim was made by the Liberty of Russia Legion (FRL), which described the announcement as a joint statement with the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK).
Both groups want to topple President Vladimir Putin. They oppose the full-scale invasion of Ukraine that he launched in February last year.
Belgorod's top official, Vyacheslav Gladkov, replied to say he had agreed to meet the men's captors if the soldiers were still alive. But the fighters later said that the governor "had not found the courage" to meet them and they would hand over their captives to Ukraine.
Russia has blamed Ukraine for recent attacks in its border territories, but Kyiv denies being directly involved.
Authorities in Belgorod said an energy plant was ablaze following a drone attack on Monday morning.
And in Russia's Kaluga region - which borders the southern districts around Moscow - governor Vladislav Shapsha said two drones fell onto a main road. Mr Shapsha said there had not been an explosion and the area was now cordoned off.
There has been no independent confirmation of either attack, but Moscow says the Belgorod region has been the regular target of drone attacks from Ukraine.
Sonic boom caused by fighter jets heard in Virginia
Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news
Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email
A prominent Florida businessman has identified himself as the owner of the private jet that crashed in the Virginia wilderness after it flew over Washington DC’s restricted airspace.
There was a loud sonic boom across the capital region as two F-16s were scrambled to meet the Cessna jet, which flew by sensitive sites including the White House and the US Capitol before coming down in a sparsely populated area.
John Rumpel was quoted by The Washington Post as saying that his “entire family” was on the plane when it crashed. Earlier, investigative sources told Reuters that the private jet, which has a capacity of up to 12, had four people on board.
Virginia State Police said that they were unable to locate any survivors at the crash site so far.
The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that the flight of private jet began when the Cessna took off from Tennessee to Long Island, New York.
It had flown at an altitude of 34,000 and reached Long Island but did not land, instead heading back toward the DC area.
Flight data shows the jet flew directly over the centre of Washington DC, entering and passing through the city’s restricted airspace.
It reportedly overshot its destination by 315 miles before crashing in the Virginia wilderness.
ICYMI: Private jet overshot its planned destination by 315 miles before crashing
The pilot of the Cessna Citation private jet overshot its planned destination by 315 miles before crashing into the mountains of Virginia, sources familiar with the matter were quoted as saying by CNN.
Four people were reportedly on the private plane.
The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that the flight began when the Cessna took off from Tennessee to Long Island, New York.
It had flown at an altitude of 34,000 and reached Long Island, but it appears not to have landed, instead heading back toward the DC area.
Meanwhile, Virginia State Police has said that no survivors were located at the crash site.
Authorities were notified around 3.50pm of a possible crash.
The owner of the private jet that crashed into the mountains of Virginia is certain “nobody could survive a crash from that speed”.
John Rumpel, 75, a Florida businessman who owned the Cessna Citation plane that flew into restricted Washington DC airspace before crashing told New York Times that he had little information about the crash but added if the plane lost pressurisation, “they all just would have gone to sleep and never woke up”.
“I don’t think they’ve found the wreckage yet,” Mr Rumpel said. “It descended at 20,000 feet a minute, and nobody could survive a crash from that speed.”
Mr Rumpel earlier said that the plane was carrying his daughter, a 2-year-old granddaughter, her nanny and the pilot.
A sonic boom is a thunder-like noise caused when an object, like an aircraft, flies overhead faster than the speed of sound.
According to Nasa, “the shock wave forms a ‘cone’ of pressurised or built-up air molecules, which move outward and rearward in all directions and extend all the way to the ground. As this cone spreads across the landscape along the flight path, it creates a continuous sonic boom along the full width of the cone’s base. The sharp release of pressure, after the buildup by the shock wave, is heard as the sonic boom”.
The change in air pressure associated with a sonic boom is only a few pounds per square foot – about the same pressure change experienced riding an elevator down two or three floors, Nasa website explains.
“It is the rate of change, the sudden changing of the pressure, which makes the sonic boom audible.”
Washington DC businessman says ‘entire family’ was on the private jet
John Rumpel, a prominent Florida businessman was quoted as saying by The Washington Post that his “entire family” was on the plane when it crashed.
It was reported that at least four people were on the private jet that was chased by the F-16s causing a loud sonic boom over the Washington DC region.
Mr Rumpel identified himself as the owner of the private Cessna passenger aircraft, according to WaPo.
It said that his daughter, a grandchild and her nanny were on the plane when it crashed over the Virginia mountains.
“We know nothing about the crash,” he said. “We are talking to the FAA [Federal Aviation Administration] now. … I’ve got to keep the line clear.”
Meanwhile, Virginia State Police said that they were unable to locate any survivors at the crash site so far.
Virginia State Police say they have been unable to locate any survivors at the crash site so far.
A private jet crashed into the mountains in Virginia after being chased by US Department of Defence fighter jets that led to a massive sonic boom over the capital region.
Jets were scrambled to intercept the plane after the pilot appeared to be unresponsive.
It was reported that four people were on board the Cessna small aircraft at the time.
A Florida businessman, John Rumpel, has said that his “entire family” was on the jet.
The Federal Aviation Administration [FAA] said in a statement that the Cessna appeared to have crashed at 3.30pm – around 10 minutes after the F-16s had intercepted it.
Two fighter jets authorised to fly at supersonic speeds caused the sonic boom
Two fighter jets were sent from Joint Base Andrews to intercept a private plane which entered restricted airspace over Washington DC yesterday afternoon.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command [Norad] said in a statement that two F-16 jets were deployed after the Cessna 560 Citation V flew over Washington and Northern Virginia.
Norad said that the fighter jets “were authorised to travel at supersonic speeds,” which led to a sonic boom heard in the capital region.
It was reported that the F-16s used flares to try and get the attention of the private jet’s pilot, who was unresponsive.
The owner of the private jet that crashed into the mountains of Virginia is certain “nobody could survive a crash from that speed”.
John Rumpel, 75, a Florida businessman who owned the Cessna Citation plane that flew into restricted Washington DC airspace before crashing told New York Times that he had little information about the crash but added if the plane lost pressurisation, “they all just would have gone to sleep and never woke up”.
“I don’t think they’ve found the wreckage yet,” Mr Rumpel said. “It descended at 20,000 feet a minute, and nobody could survive a crash from that speed.”
Mr Rumpel earlier said that the plane was carrying his daughter, a 2-year-old granddaughter, her nanny and the pilot.
Private jet overshot its planned destination by 315 miles before crashing
The pilot of the Cessna Citation private jet overshot its planned destination by 315 miles before crashing into the mountains of Virginia, sources familiar with the matter were quoted as saying by CNN.
Four people were reportedly on the private plane.
The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that the flight began when the Cessna took off from Tennessee to Long Island, New York.
It had flown at an altitude of 34,000 and reached Long Island, but it appears not to have landed, instead heading back toward the DC area.
Meanwhile, Virginia State Police has said that no survivors were located at the crash site.
Authorities were notified around 3.50pm of a possible crash.
ICYMI: Capitol Hill was briefly put on ‘elevated alert’
The US Capitol Police said on Sunday that the Capitol complex was placed on an “elevated alert” when the private jet flew over Washington DC’s airspace.
US Capitol Police said in a statement issued yesterday: “This afternoon, our officials were working closely with our federal partners to monitor an unresponsive pilot who was flying an airplane near the National Capital Region. The US Capitol Complex was briefly placed on an elevated alert until the airplane left the area.”
The US Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said that the incident “had no impact on Secret Service”.
Joe Biden was playing golf at the Andrews Air Force Base golf course near Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. He was briefed about the incident later.
A woman once branded "Australia's worst female serial killer" has been pardoned after new evidence suggested she did not kill her four infant children.
Kathleen Folbigg spent 20 years in prison after a jury found she killed sons Caleb and Patrick and daughters Sarah and Laura over a decade.
But a recent inquiry heard scientists believe they may have died naturally.
The 55-year-old's case has been described as one of Australia's greatest miscarriages of justice.
Ms Folbigg, who has always maintained her innocence, was jailed for 25 years in 2003 for the murders of three of the children, and the manslaughter of her first son, Caleb.
Each child died suddenly between 1989 and 1999, aged between 19 days and 19 months, with prosecutors at her trial alleging she had smothered them.
Previous appeals and a separate 2019 inquiry into the case found no grounds for reasonable doubt, and gave greater weight to circumstantial evidence in Ms Folbigg's original trial.
But at the fresh inquiry, headed by retired judge Tom Bathurst, prosecutors accepted that research on gene mutations had changed their understanding of the children's deaths.
New South Wales (NSW) Attorney General Michael Daley on Monday announced that Mr Bathurst had come to the "firm view" there was reasonable doubt that Ms Folbigg was guilty of each offence.
As a result, the NSW governor had signed a full pardon, and ordered Ms Folbigg's immediate release from prison.
"It has been a 20-year-long ordeal for her... I wish her peace," Mr Daley said, adding his thoughts were also with Craig Folbigg, the children's father.
At the 2022 inquiry Mr Folbigg's lawyers pointed to the "fundamental implausibility" of four children from one family dying of natural causes under the age of two.
The unconditional pardon does not quash Ms Folbigg's convictions, Mr Daley said. That would be a decision for the Court of Criminal Appeal, if Mr Bathurst chooses to refer the case to it - a process which could take up to a year.
If her convictions are overturned, she could then potentially sue the government for millions of dollars in compensation.
Alternatively, she could receive a settlement similar to that of Lindy Chamberlain, who was awarded $1.3m (£690,000, $US858,000) in 1992 for her wrongful conviction over the death of her daughter Azaria.
But some advocates say the case of Ms Chamberlain, imprisoned for three years, pales in comparison with Ms Folbigg's.
"It is impossible to comprehend the injury that has been inflicted upon Kathleen Folbigg - the pain of losing her children [and] close to two decades locked away in maximum security prisons for crimes which science has proved never occurred," said her lawyer, Rhanee Rego.
Ms Folbigg was met at prison gate by friends involved in the years-long campaign for her freedom, and Mr Daley appealed privacy so she can "move on with her life".
Law must be more 'science sensitive'
Ms Folbigg's 2003 trial centred on circumstantial evidence, most notably diaries which expressed her struggles with motherhood.
But there was no physical evidence of smothering or injuries to the children presented to the trial.
At the recent inquiry, experts suggested the diaries were a coping mechanism written by a grieving mother with limited support, and that it would be unlikely all four children could be smothered without a trace.
EPA
But the key evidence was from a team of immunologists who found Ms Folbigg's daughters, Sarah and Laura, shared a genetic mutation - called CALM2 G114R - that can cause sudden cardiac death.
Evidence was also uncovered that her sons, Caleb and Patrick, possessed a different genetic mutation, linked to sudden-onset epilepsy in mice.
Professor Carola Vinuesa, who led the research team from the Australian National University, said an unusual genetic sequence was immediately obvious in Ms Folbigg's DNA, before the children's samples were even tested.
"We did the first test and found a [gene] variant that looked very suspicious... even then in November 2018, we thought this [a] very high likelihood, if found in the children, to be the culprit," she told the BBC.
Prof Vinuesa said there were only 134 known cases worldwide of the potentially deadly heart condition linked to the genetic mutation.
She described the decision to pardon Ms Folbigg as a "beautiful moment" that could offer hope to other women in similar situations.
"We've been approached about women who have lost children, or who have been accused of inflicting harm, and the cases look as if they're also children with severe genetic conditions," she said.
The Australian Academy of Science says the case shows the need for reform that makes the legal system more "science sensitive", a call echoed by Ms Folbigg's lawyer.
