Page 112 - Disaster Accident
UN chief appeals for resources for Cyclone Kenneth-hit areas
The UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres appealed to the international community for further resources as Cyclone Kenneth made landfall in Mozambique and Comoros, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.He is "deeply saddened" at the loss of lives in the cyclone-hit region, Xinhua quoted his spokesman Stephane Dujarric as saying.The latest tropical cyclone comes just six weeks after cyclone Idai made landfall in Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe. Scores of people lost their lives, while thousands were injured. Millions have been displaced due to the widespread destruction caused by the cyclone.The UN chief condoled the loss of life and property in Mozambique and Comoros, showing his solidarity with the affected.He made an appeal for further resources, highlighting their need in funding the response to the calamity.Over 30,000 people were evacuated by authorities in Mozambique in an effort to protect human lives in the wake of the storm last week.Cyclone Kenneth battered northern ...
Lack of accident data prevents govt from framing policy on school transport: Official
Absence of specific data on road accidents and deaths of school children is preventing the government from formulating a policy on school transport, a senior official said. "We account for about 11 per cent of road fatalities across the world... About seven per cent of the deaths that occur in the country is...(of those children which are) below 18 (years)... In absence of data, we are really failing to make our policies," Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) Joint Secretary Abhay Damle said here. He was speaking during a two-day conference on the 'Formulation of Draft Policy for the Safety of Transporting School Children'. "This number of seven per cent is 10,000 deaths in absolute numbers... But, in absence of data, we don't have an exact number as to how many of them are due to accidents because of their commute towards education (institutions) (by) the school transportation," he said. The Institute of Road Traffic Education (IRTE), a research-based organisation which ...
Floods in Indonesia kill dozens, thousands displaced
Floods sparked by torrential rains have killed nearly 40 in Indonesia with a dozen more still missing, officials said Monday, marking the latest calamity for a disaster-prone nation. Landslides and floods are common during the monsoon season between October and April, when rains lash the vast Southeast Asian archipelago. On Monday, Indonesia's disaster agency confirmed 29 deaths and said at least 13 more people were missing in Sumatra island's Bengkulu province. A landslide triggered by heavy rain in neighbouring Lampung province on Saturday also killed a family of six. Meanwhile, flooding in and around parts of the capital Jakarta last week killed at least two people, forced more than 2,000 to evacuate their homes and set 14 pet pythons on the loose. In Bogor, a satellite city of Jakarta, residents had to contend with the prospect of coming face to face with the giant serpents, after they were set loose from a private property due to the high waters. Six of the snakes -- which were ..
Official assesses preparedness for cyclone 'Fani'
Cabinet Secretary P.K. Sinha on Monday took stock of the situation arising out of the cyclonic storm 'Fani' that has been intensifying in the in southeast Bay of Bengal in a National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) meeting here, a Home Ministry statement said.
Cyclone Fani: Odisha alerts District Collectors
With cyclonic storm 'Fani' likely to trigger rainfall in Odisha from Thursday (May 2), the state government on Monday asked all its District Collectors to stay alert.
Mozambique's 2nd cyclone floods northeastern centers
Rains from Cyclone Kenneth, the second tropical storm to hit Mozambique within weeks, continued to pound the northeastern city of Pemba and surrounding areas causing massive flooding and destruction. One death has been confirmed so far and 160,000 people are at risk, with more torrential rain forecast for the days ahead. The government described the situation as "critical" in other centers of Cabo Delgado province which are unreachable by road. In a statement Sunday night, the government said the death toll could rise due to "worrying" rains. The towns of Ibo, Macomia and Quissanga have been badly flooded and many buildings and homes destroyed. Access to those centers is currently not possible by road and the heavy rains have made air contact difficult. Safe drinking water has become scarce.
Cyclone Fani very likely to intensify into severe cyclonic storm by evening: IMD
Cyclone 'Fani' is very likely to intensify into a 'severe cyclonic storm' by Monday evening and could take shape of an 'extremely severe cyclone' by Thursday, prompting the government to put the NDRF and the Indian Coast Guard on high alert, officials said Monday. In its 1 pm bulletin, the Cyclone Warning Division of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the storm currently lays about 620 km east of Trincomalee (Sri Lanka), 880 km southeast of Chennai (Tamil Nadu) and 1050 km south-southeast of Machilipatnam (Andhra Pradesh). "It is very likely to intensify into a severe cyclonic storm during next six hours and into a very severe cyclonic storm during subsequent 24 hours. It is very likely to move northwestwards till May 1 evening and thereafter recurve north-northeastwards gradually," the bulletin said. It is likely to further intensify into an "extremely severe cyclone" by Thursday, the IMD said. The National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC), the country's top body to ...
3 members of marriage party killed in road accident in Punjab
Three members of a marriage party were killed and another two suffered serious injuries Monday when the SUV they were travelling in hit a crop harvesting machine parked on the roadside near here, police said. The accident occurred about 15 km away from here near Sahnewal on GT road and two of the deceased are women, Station House Officer (SHO), Sahnewal, Sub-Inspector Iqbal Singh said. The injured were rushed to a local hospital and their condition is stated to be serious, he said. The Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) was coming from Jagadhri in Haryana, the SHO said.
Major fire in chemical factory in Delhi
A major fire engulfed a chemical factory in Naraina here on Monday, a fire officer said. No casualty was reported in the blaze.
UP: Major fire in 3 paper factories; properties, raw material worth crores gutted
A major fire broke out in a paper mill and spread over two other similar units, gutting out properties and raw material worth around Rs 6 crore in Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar district, an official said Monday. No loss of life was reported in the incident which occurred Sunday evening in the industrial area on Bhopa road here, he said. The fire first broke out in Tehri paper mill, burning down two trucks loaded with raw material, and later spread to neighbouring Bindal paper factory and Shakumbhri paper factory, fire officer Antram Singh said. Fire tenders rushed to the spot and fire services from neighbouring districts were also brought in to douse the flames, he said. The cause of fire is being ascertained and the blaze has yet not been doused completely, the officer added.
Fire breaks out in four chemical factories in Naraina
A major fire broke out in four chemical factories in west Delhi's Naraina area on Monday, a senior officer of the Delhi Fire Service said. No casualty has been reported so far, he said. Thirty fire tenders were rushed to the spot after a call about the blaze was received at 11.35 am. The officer said four factories are affected by the fire and fire fighting operations are underway. The fire broke out in the factories behind Payal Cinema at the Naraina industrial area. Further details are awaited.
Kamdhenu intimates of fire accident at its paint factory in Alwar, Rajasthan
Further it is informed that there has been no human casualty in said fire incident.
PM Modi monitoring preparedness for cyclone 'Fani'
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday directed officials to take stock of preparedness for Cyclone 'Fani' that has been gaining strength in the southeast Bay of Bengal and is likely to intensify into a very severe cyclonic storm on Tuesday, a Home Ministry statement said.
Floods in Indonesia kill 29, dozen missing
Floods sparked by torrential rains have killed 29 people in Indonesia with a dozen more still missing, officials said Monday, marking the latest calamity for a disaster-prone nation. Landslides and floods are common, especially during the monsoon season between October and April, when rains lash the vast Southeast Asian archipelago. On Monday, Indonesia's disaster agency confirmed 29 deaths and said at least 13 more people were missing after days of pounding storms on the island of Sumatra. Some 12,000 others have been evacuated from water-logged Bengkulu province with hundreds of buildings, bridges and roads damaged. Hardest hit was Bengkulu Tengah district, just outside of the provincial capital, where 22 people were killed along with hundreds of livestock. Authorities have set up temporary shelters and public kitchens for the evacuees. Meanwhile, a landslide triggered by heavy rain in Sumatra's Lampung province on Saturday killed a family of six and disrupted transportation links .
Villager dies after fire breaks out in Amethi
A villager allegedly died after a fire broke out at 75 acres agricultural land in Badherika village of Amethi on Sunday."We don't know the exact reason for the fire. The Rabi crop of wheat was planted in the farm and the estimated loss would be of around 30-35 quintal. A villager Pancham Yadav also lost his life in the fire," a local, Manoj Kumar Pandey, told ANI."Priyanka Gandhi had crossed the village while the fire was on in the afternoon. She didn't address the issue and just passed by. The villagers with the help of fire brigade doused the fire," he added.Congress General Secretary for Uttar Pradesh (East) Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was campaigning in the district for the ongoing Lok Sabha polls.Congress president Rahul Gandhi is the MP from Amethi, which will go to polls on May 6 in the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections. The counting of votes will take place on May 23.
Two killed, 1 injured in road accident
Two people were killed and another was seriously injured when their motorcycle was hit by a truck in the Kokhraj area here, police said Monday. The accident took place late Sunday night at Rohi bypass, they said. Roshan Lal, 25, and Mohan, 30, died on the spot, police said. The injured has been admitted to a hospital, they said. The truck driver fled the spot after the incident, police said.
Cyclone 'Fani' may head towards north coastal Andhra
Cyclonic storm 'Fani' in southeast Bay of Bengal is likely to turn severe on Monday and intensify further into a "very severe" cyclonic storm on Tuesday before heading towards north coastal Andhra and Odisha coast, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Monday
Toll from Indonesia floods, landslides reaches 31
The death toll from floods and landslides in Indonesia's Bengkulu province and the capital Jakarta increased to 31 on Monday, while the search for 13 missing people was underway, disaster agency officials said.
One killed, 7 injured as bus hits car
One person was killed and seven others were injured when their car was hit by a roadways bus in Khatauli near here, police said. They accident took place Sunday evening on Delhi-Dehradun national highway, they said. The deceased has been identified as Dharav, 30, police said. The injured were rushed to a nearby hospital, they said. Police said a case has been registered against the driver of the bus.
Cyclone Fani: PM asks officials to take preventive measures
Expressing concern over the situation arising due to Cyclone Fani, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he had spoken to officials to take preventive measure and provide assistance. Cyclone Fani, that has been gaining strength in the south-east Bay of Bengal, is likely to intensify into a very severe cyclonic storm in the next 24 hours, the weather department said on Sunday. It is likely to bring light to moderate rain across Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh over the next two days. "Spoke to officials regarding the situation arising due to Cyclone Fani. Asked them to take preventive measures and be prepared to provide all possible assistance. Also urged them to work closely with Governments of the affected states. Praying for everyone's safety and wellbeing," Modi tweeted.