Georgia

Families cheer troops’ return

Hundreds of troops returning home from Iraq marched late Saturday into the gym at Fort Stewart and stood in formation as loved ones erupted into cheers and waved flags, banners and red-white-and-blue balloons.

Col. Roberta Woods, commander of 24th Corps Support Group, said the 600 soldiers had been trying to get a flight out of Kuwait and hadn’t been able to until now.

“Probably the hardest thing has been the long wait, maintaining morale,” she said. “They’ve been in the hot desert, waiting to come home.”

The soldiers’ spouses and children gathered early at the Fort Stewart practice field, where the troops were scheduled to arrive by bus. Because of rain, the family members moved inside the gym.

Turkey

Explosions at gas station injure nearly 200 people

Explosions at a liquefied petroleum gas station injured nearly 200 people Saturday, officials said, after a fireball was launched into the air as a wedding reception was being held upstairs.

Misty Valentin and her children, Grant and Lauren, gathered early at the Fort Stewart practice field, where the troops were scheduled to arrive by bus. Because of rain, the family members moved inside the gym

The explosions in a low-income district in Ankara occurred while a tanker was discharging LPG at the station, the Anatolia news agency reported. The exact cause of the explosion was not known.

Firefighters soon brought the flames under control, but thick smoke still filled the sky. The blaze also spread to three nearby homes, but those fires were quickly extinguished.

Health Minister Recep Akdag said some 180 people sought treatment in hospitals. Many of them were promptly released, but some 40 were hospitalized — at least 11 with serious injuries.

Taiwan

WHO says SARS contained

The World Health Organization removed the last SARS hot spot — Taiwan — from its list of infected areas, saying Saturday the illness that killed more than 800 people worldwide has been contained.

There are lingering fears the virus could return, but experts said the public health lessons learned from this crisis would help in any future outbreak of infectious disease.