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Nation & World i _ Dozens of animals die in aquarium fire; survivors live in firefighter's bathroom by John Curran Associated Press Ocean City, N J. — When the Ocean City Aquari um caught fire, firefighters feared its dpzens of snakes, sharks and alligators were dead—until an 18 -foot python slithered up through the ashes. Then two laige alligators appeared, and a few tur tles. And the firefighters’ attention shifted to what crea tures were still alive and lurking in the next puddle as they stomped through the aquarium’s charred ruins in the dark. “It would be hard to explain how one of your men got bit by a caiman while he was fighting a fire,” Fire Capt. Bill McDonnell said early Sunday as he helped direct cautious firefighters into the building after the flames had been extinguished. The smoke and flames killed more than 60 reptiles and 100 fish and sharks. Among the survivors: 20 turtles, 12 alligators and crocodiles, three boa constrictors, two pythons and a moray eel, aquarium owner Angelo Cuculino said Sun day. The fire early Saturday evening destroyed the 11/2 story pink stucco building that houses the 4-year-old aquarium and about 40,000 visitors a year. A neighbor reported hearing an explosion, but by the time fire fighters arrived, the aquarium was engulfed in flames. One of the first on the scene spotted was an 18-foot African rock python. Cuculino grabbed it behind the head and stuffed it into a Styrofoam box. His wife, June, carried a red-eared slider turtle to safety, and firefighter Ed Kooker rescued four caimans and stuffed them into wire cages. Then came the big alligators. Kooker struggled out of the charred building with a 5-footer as his fellow firefighters rushed in with duct tape to fasten the animal’s snout shut. The only place to keep the four alligators was to leave them writhing in the back seat of Mrs. Cuculino’s 1988 Mazda. For now, the four are living in Cuculino’s bathroom. Sunday morning, a 10-foot Burmese python turned up — coiled in a comer window of the aquarium gift shop, still alive. A 4-foot anaconda found Cuculino, biting him on the thumb, but causing no serious injury. None of the firefighters was badly hurt. The cause of the fire was still under investigation, said Deputy Chief Mark McCulley. It happened on Mischief Night, the night before Hal loween, when vandals and arsonists have been known to strike. ‘It would be hard to explain how one of your men got bit by a caiman while he was fighting a fire.’ Bill McDonnell Ocean City Fire Captain Feeding the children 1_: . I _£_£l_J Special to The Gamecock A British peacekeeper gives food to some street children Sunday in Pristina, Kosovo. British soldiers have been collecting money to buy food for these children, who spend their days searching for food in the piles of garbage along the street. Man confesses to 140 murders in Colombia by Martin Hodgson Associated Press Pereka, Colombia—Twelve freshly planted palms stand as a memorial to the 25 children whose skele tal remains were found here last year, leading po lice officers to a man who might be one of history’s worst serial killers. Brightly painted figures of children at play are carved into an overlooking hillside, and a sign at the bottom of the grassy gully reads: “If we continue with the indifference and the abandonment, we’ll never know what happened to the children of Pereira.” The gruesome findings last November in the ravine and a nearby overgrown city lot in Colom bia’s bustling western coffee belt sparked a public outcry that prompted a nationwide investigation in to more than 100 missing children over the past sev eral years. This week, the break came. A 42-year-old drifter confessed to killing 140 children during a five-year rampage, chief federal prosecutor Alfonso Gomez said. Luis Alfredo Garavito, who was jailed on at tempted rape charges in April, confessed to the killings after being presented with overwhelming evidence linking him to the attacks, the prosecutor said. Luring his victims with a myriad of disguises— a cripple, a monk, a beggar, a priest, a charity work er — Garavito gained his victims’ confidence by of fering them soft drinks and money. In several of the 59 towns he drifted through, Garavito earned nicknames, including “El Loco” and “Goofy.” ■ Most of his victims were boys from poor fami lies between the ages of 8 and 16. Many had their throats slit, and some of their remains were found tied to trees with nylon rope. Others were buried in shallow graves. Gomez said Saturday that Garavito had raped some of the children. Prosecutors have not yet formally chaiged Gar avito, who lived in neighboring Ecuador during part of 1998 and is being investigated in connection with child slayings there. Nor have they identified all of the 114 bodies found so far. Prosecutors said Garavito was himself a victim of child abuse, and would undergo extensive psy chological testing. Although not yet formally facing murder charges, Garavito still faces charges of at tempting to rape a 12-year-old boy. The principal of an elementary school, from which an 8-year-old student was missing in August 1998, said city residents are still on edge, even with Garavito behind bars. “With Halloween approaching, the mothers are worried once again,” Maria Teresa Correa said. For a mother whose son and nephew, aged 11 and 8, were among those whose remains were found, Garavito’s announced confession was no comfort. “They should kill him, not put him in a prison where he’ll get fat like a pig,” Maria Consuelo Velez, 34, told The Associated Press. Colombia doesn’t have the death penalty. In October 1998, the two boys went out to sell newspapers and never returned. Velez said police investigated only after it was too late: “When I need ed them to help, they did nothing.” Unlike many of Garavito’s alleged victims — children of the vendors who sell everything from cigarettes to shoelaces on the streets of Colom bia’s cities — the Velez boys had a home. Crash from page 4 EgyptAir of a terrorist threat. “We take all precautions, and we have plenty of warnings from everybody, including the FA A,” he said. Armed security guards routinely fly on EgyptAir flights. After the airline’s passengers go through the normal airport security check, they’re again subjected to baggage search just before they board the aircraft. Jim Hall, chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, said EgyptAir and Egyptian government of ficials were heading to the United States to assist in the investigation. You Can Earn $$$$, Win Prizes and Save Lives within the next several weeks | Earn up to $ 1,500 or more for your organization or charity. | Contest open to all fraternities, sororities, | campus clubs and organizations. or stop in to enter the contest 1916 Taylor Street - Columbia (803) 254-6683 Solomon-Tenenbaum Lectureship in Jewish Studies 1999 Wednesday, November 3, in Russell House Theater Screening of the film “Nasty Girl” at 1:30 p.m. Followed by: Panel Discussion at 3:00 p.m. ' Panelists: Anna Rosmus (subject of the film), Prof. Alfred Nordmann (PHIL), Prof. Natalie Kaufman (GINT), Prof. Stanley Levine (FREN, USC- Aiken) Samuel Tenenbaum; Prof. Kevin Lewis (RELG), moderator. 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