Page 126 - Disaster Accident
Army rescues policemen, civilian injured in accident in Assam
Four persons, including three policemen, were injured when their car met with an accident while escorting vehicles carrying EVM machines in Karbi Anglong district of Assam, a Defence official said here Friday. The Army, on receiving a request from the additional director general of Police (Law and Order), Assam, rescued the three policemen and a civilian who were seriously injured in the accident at Bokajan village Thursday. The injured persons were taken to the nearest Army Hospital at Dimapur, the official said. The four, who had suffered head and chest injuries, were immediately resuscitated and admitted in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the hospital. A surgical team attended to the patients and provided treatment. The condition of all the patients was stable and they were out of danger, the official said.
13 killed in South Africa church collapse
At least 13 people have died and many injured in South Africa after a wall collapsed at a Pentecostal church at the start of an Easter service, authorities said.
Jammu-Srinagar highway opens for stranded vehicles
The Jammu-Srinagar highway was on Friday opened to clear stranded vehicles after remaining closed for a day due to landslides, officials said.
8 killed as passenger bus overturns in Pakistan
At least eight people were killed and 44 others injured when a passenger bus overturned in Pakistan's Sindh province on Friday.
UK issues travel advisory on Pakistan, cautions people of violence
The United Kingdom's Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) on Thursday in an advisory to its citizens planning a trip to Pakistan has urged them to avoid visiting numerous places, including areas located close to the Line of Control. The UK FCO, in an advisory, said that foreigners may become "direct targets" of the attacks especially in densely populated areas, such as markets, shopping malls and restaurants."Protests can take place with little warning and turn violent quickly. You should avoid demonstrations, large crowds of people and public events throughout Pakistan. You should be extra vigilant at all times and minimize your exposure to areas that pose a higher risk," the FCO said.The FCO said that the British High Commission's ability to deliver consular assistance, including in an emergency, may be restricted or delayed in certain parts of Pakistan where the federal government does not allow permission to travel.The advisory further noted: "Certain flight routes or airports ...
13 killed as church roof collapses in South Africa
The roof of a church collapsed during mass near the eastern South African city of Durban, killing 13 people and injuring at least 16, officials said Friday. The accident happened on Thursday evening in the town of Dlangubo, north of Durban, after heavy rains. "The roof of the building collapsed because of heavy rains last night ... at this point we have a total of 13 fatalities," said Lennox Mabaso, spokesman for the provincial traditional affairs department. "Such a tragedy. 13 fatalities 16 people treated by paramedics," tweeted Robert McKenzie, spokesman for Kwa-Zulu Natal province's emergency services.
Four killed, one injured after truck hit them in Mumbai's Vikhroli
Four people were killed and one other sustained critical injuries after they were hit by a truck at Surya Nagar Road in Mumbai's Vikhroli on Thursday, police said. The truck driver was arrested."While taking a turn, a ration truck got toppled due to under construction work of a manhole. The four people, who were standing on the spot, were hit by the truck and later succumbed to their injuries. One more person sustained injuries in the incident," said Deputy Commissioner of police, Akhilesh Kumar Singh.The deceased were identified as Ashwin Hiware (32), Vishal (22), Abdul Hamid Sheikh (42), and Chandrashekar (40). Chand Hassan Sheikh, who sustained injuries, is being treated at Rajawadi Hospital.The accident occurred at 11.45 pm on Thursday. An eyewitness Chandan Giri told ANI: "I heard people were shouting. When I reached the spot, I saw five people have met with an accident. They all were taken to the hospital, but three of them died on the spot.""The accident happened as the ...
Pakistan: At least seven killed, over 40 injured in bus accident near Badin
At least seven people were killed and over 40 others suffered injuries after a passenger bus travelling to Karachi, Pakistan overturned at Morghar near Badin on Friday.Quoting police sources, the Radio Pakistan confirmed that the accident occurred due to over speeding of the bus.The injured were immediately rushed to the local hospital for medical assistance.Further details are awaited.
3 professional climbers presumed dead in Canada
Three professional climbers are presumed dead after an avalanche hit the Canadian Rockies, authorities have said.
Three mountaineers presumed dead in Canada avalanche
Three world-renowned professional mountaineers -- two Austrians and an American -- were missing and presumed dead after an avalanche on a western Canadian summit, the country's national parks agency said Thursday. American Jess Roskelley, 36, and Austrians Hansjorg Auer, 35, and David Lama, 28, went missing Tuesday evening in Banff National Park, according to media reports. Authorities launched an aerial search the next day. The three men were attempting to climb the east face of Howse Pass, an isolated and highly difficult route, according to Parks Canada. They were part of a team of experienced athletes sponsored by American outdoor equipment firm The North Face, the company confirmed to AFP. Rescuers found signs of several avalanches and debris consistent with climbing equipment, Parks Canada said, leading them to presume that the climbers were dead. Poor weather conditions have increased avalanche risks in the mountainous area on the border between Alberta and British Columbia, ...
France pays tribute to Notre Dame firefighters
France on Thursday paid a day of tribute to hundreds of firefighters who had put their lives at risk to douse a blaze which devastated Paris' Notre Dame Cathedral, one of the country's landmark symbols.
NASA's 1st female astronaut candidate, Jerrie Cobb, dies
NASA's first female astronaut candidate, pilot Jerrie Cobb, has died. Cobb died in Florida at age 88 last month. News of her death came Thursday from journalist Miles O'Brien, serving as a family spokesman. In 1961, Cobb became the first woman to pass astronaut testing. Altogether, 13 women passed the arduous physical testing and became known as the Mercury 13. But NASA already had its Mercury 7 astronauts, all test pilots and men. None of the Mercury 13 ever reached space. Cobb served for decades as a humanitarian aid pilot in the Amazon jungle. She emerged in 1998 to make another pitch for space, as NASA prepared to launch John Glenn on shuttle Discovery at age 77. Cobb argued unsuccessfully that the research should include an older woman.
Metro services affected on Red Line, Blue Line due to tech snag
Services were affected on the Red Line and a section of the Blue Line corridors of the Delhi Metro on Thursday evening due to technical glitches, officials said. The snag on the Blue Line, which connects Dwarka to Noida Electronic City, affected services for around 30 minutes, a senior official said. The glitch affected services between Ramkrishna Mission Ashram and Dwarka metro stations. However, services were later restored. "The Red Line corridor was affected too and trains were running less frequently than usual. Services were affected for some time but were later restored," he said. Red Line connects Rithala in Delhi to Shaheed Sthal (New Bus Adda) in Ghaziabad.
Avoid predatory pricing, government tells airlines
A day after Jet Airways temporarily suspended operations, the government has strictly advised domestic airlines not to indulge in predatory pricing and keep air fares affordable, a senior official said here on Thursday.
Saudi, UAE send relief aid to flood-stricken Iran
Saudi Arabia and the UAE have sent 95 tons of humanitarian aid to their rival Iran as it reels from deadly floods, officials said Thursday, after Tehran complained US sanctions were obstructing relief. "The Saudi Red Crescent, as part of a joint Saudi-UAE initiative to alleviate the suffering of Iranian citizens, has dispatched a relief plane to Tehran with 95 tons of humanitarian aid to support those affected by floods," the official Saudi Press Agency said. The aid, which includes food and shelter material, was authorised by Saudi Arabia's king and crown prince, it added. The Emirates Red Crescent was also involved in the relief operation, the UAE's official WAM news agency said. At least 76 people have died in Iran after torrential rainfall, which has also caused billions of dollars worth of damage since March 19. Iran's Red Crescent has repeatedly complained that US banking sanctions re-imposed last year make it impossible to receive donations from outside the country. US ...
DR Congo mourns as 127 feared dead in boat sinking
Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi has declared Friday a day of mourning with 114 people still missing days after a boat capsized on Lake Kivu, killing 13, the presidency said. He has also decided to make it obligatory for passengers on the lake, the site of regular drownings, to wear lifebuoys, Tshisekedi's office said in a statement. The motorised boat, known locally as a pirogue, had left the city of Goma on Lake Kivu's northern shore, and was headed for the town of Kalehe to the west when it capsized Monday night. According to the passenger manifest, which does not list stowaways, there were 49 adults and seven children on board the vessel, laden with goods. On Tuesday, emergency services said 35 people had been rescued alive. Apollinaire Bulindi, an honorary provincial minister and engineer urged Tshisekedi on Tuesday to make good on a campaign pledge to repair the Goma-Bukavu highway that many of the drowned passengers may have taken but is currently ...
Six dead as mini-truck plunges into ditch in Chhattisgarh
Six people were killed and 15 others injured when a mini-truck carrying a marriage party fell into a roadside ditch in Chhattisgarh's Balodabazar district Thursday evening, police said. The accident took place near Amodi village when the vehicle, carrying around 25 people, was going to Rikokala from Gidhauri, a local police official said. The victims were returning after attending a wedding in the Dadsena family, residents of Gidhauri, he said. The driver reportedly lost control over the vehicle following which it overturned and fell into the ditch, he said. "While five people died on the spot, another succumbed at the hospital," he added. Fifteen others who sustained injuries were admitted to a community health centre in Kasdol.
AI offers 'rescue' fares to stranded international passengers of Jet Airways
Air India on Thursday announced special fares to international passengers of Jet Airways who have been stranded due to the grounding of the airline. The state-owned carrier's decision came hours after the civil aviation ministry asked airlines to look at whether there can be "rescue fares" for stranded passengers of Jet Airways. The "special stranded" fares have been offered to passengers at overseas airports such as Paris, London Heathrow, Singapore, Dubai, Hong Kong, Abu Dhabi, Jeddah, Dammam, and Muscat, among others, Air India said in a statement. As a gesture of goodwill and to mitigate the hardship of the '9W' (Jet Airways flight code) at international stations, Air India would offer special fares to such passengers. Passengers holding confirmed return tickets on Jet Airways would be allowed to avail special stranded passenger fares from the destinations common with Air India, the statement said. In New Delhi, Civil Aviation Secretary Pradeep Singh Kharola said that during a ...
Crop damage: Amarinder calls disaster management panel meet
Following damage to crops resulting from unseasonal rain and winds, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Thursday called for an urgent meeting of the Disaster Management Committee to assess the extent of the losses.
Air India to offer 'special fares' for stranded Jet flyers
Air India will offer "special" fares to Jet Airways passengers stranded at international stations, informed sources told IANS on Thursday.