Europe

ANKARA: Turkish Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloglu has revealed ongoing discussions with Saudi Arabia on reviving the Hejaz Railway and extending it to the Sultanate of Oman as part of a broader vision to enhance regional connectivity and provide an alternative route to the Strait of Hormuz. According to Anadolu Agency report, Uraloglu said Turkiye aims to revive the historic railway as a modern line serving both tourism and transportation purposes. He noted that the section linking the Syrian capital Damascus with the Jordanian capital Amman could be reactivated as part of the project. He added that discussions are also underway with Saudi Arabia, with the ultimate goal of extending the railway to Oman and connecting it to the Indian Ocean, thereby creating an alternative route to the Strait of Hormuz. The Hejaz Railway is one of the region’s most prominent historical infrastructure projects. Built between 1900 and 1908, it originally stretched approximately 1,322 kilometres between the Levant and Madinah before later extensions increased its total length to around 1,900 kilometres. In a separate development, Uraloglu announced that preparations for the Development Road Project, a 1,200-kilometre transport corridor linking Iraq’s Grand Faw Port on the Arabian Gulf to the Turkish border, have been completed. Uraloglu said the corridor will include highways, railway networks, energy infrastructure and telecommunications links, making it a major strategic route for regional trade. The Development Road Project is designed to facilitate trade between the Gulf region and Europe by linking Iraq’s Grand Faw Port with Turkiye and onward to European markets through an integrated rail and road network.

Europe

Zagreb: A small plane crashed Thursday near an airfield people on Croatia's northern Adriatic coast killing four people, police and reports said. Emergency services were searching for two missing people, media reported. A police statement said four died in the crash at Campanoz outside the town of Medulin, on Croatia's Istria peninsula. statement said. The national firefighting association said in a social media post that the crash happened near Medulin sports airfield and firefighters and emergency medical teams were at the scene. Local media showed images of the crash scene and reported there was a search for two more people. According to the state-run HRT broadcaster, the plane, registered in Germany, had taken off from Austria with Medulin as its destination. A German black-red-gold flag could be seen on the tail of the plane wreckage in a photograph taken by AFP. Investigators from the national air, maritime and railway traffic accident investigation agency (AIN) were expected at the scene.

Europe

Zagreb: Four people were killed on Thursday in a plane crash on Croatia's northern Adriatic coast, police said. "According to currently available information four people have died" in the crash of the plane in Medulin, on Croatia's northwestern Istria peninsula, a police statement said. The accident occurred in the Campanoz area, outside the town, and "all emergency services are on the scene", it added. The national firefighting association said it had received a report of the crash near the Medulin sports airfield at 11:19 am (0919 GMT) on Thursday morning. Seven firefighters with three fire vehicles were sent with three emergency medical teams, a helicopter emergency medical team, and police, it said on Facebook. Local media, showing images of the crash site in an uninhabited area near the airfield, reported the search for two more people was ongoing. According to the state-run HRT broadcaster, it was a small aircraft registered in Germany, which had taken off from Austria with Medulin as its destination. Details and information about the accident are expected later on Thursday upon the arrival of investigators from the national air, maritime and railway traffic accidents investigation agency (AIN).