Page 17 - Disaster Accident
12 missing as jeep plunges into river in Nepal
At least 12 people are missing after a passenger jeep skidded off a mountain road and plunged into a river in Nepal's Humla district on Tuesday afternoon, officials said.
Pakistani army helicopter saves 6 climbers hit by avalanche
A Pakistani army helicopter rescued on Tuesday four Italian and two Pakistani climbers stranded at an altitude of around 5,300 meters (17,390 feet) in the country's north, after an avalanche struck the team the previous day, a mountaineering worker said. A Pakistani member of the team was killed. The expedition was hit while descending a peak in the Ishkoman Valley, located in the northern district of Ghizar. Karrar Haidri, head of Pakistan's Alpine Club, told The Associated Press that the six surviving climbers were taken to a hospital in the nearby town of Gilgit for the treatment of injuries. "Sadly, one Pakistani mountaineer was killed, but six other members of the expedition are being treated at a hospital," he said. "A Pakistan army helicopter was used for this complicated but successful rescue operation, despite the fact that the stranded mountaineers were present at an altitude of around 5,300 meters," he added. Ashraf Aman, a Pakistani tour operator who arranged the ...
Govt to remove minimum educational qualification requirement for driving licence
The government has decided to do away with the requirement of minimum educational qualification for obtaining driving licence to boost employment opportunities, the road transport ministry said Tuesday. At present, under Rule 8 of the Central Motor Vehicle Rules, 1989, a transport vehicle driver needs to have passed class 8. "In a move to benefit skilled persons from economically underprivileged sections of the society, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has decided to remove the requirement of minimum educational qualification for driving a transport vehicle," according to an official statement. The removal of the requirement will open up employment opportunities for a large number of unemployed persons, especially the youth, and the decision will also help meet shortage of nearly 22 lakh drivers in transport and logistics sector, which is hindering its growth, the statement said. The ministry has initiated process to amend Rule 8 of Central Motor Vehicles 1989 and a draft ..
Balcony of three-storey building collapses in north Delhi
The balcony of a three-story building collapsed in north Delhi's Sadar Bazar Tuesday morning, the Delhi Fire Service said. No one was injured in the incident, they said. The fire department said they received a call at around 6.25 am after which four vehicles were rushed to the spot. "The balcony of a room situated on the first floor of the three-storey building collapsed," a senior fire official said. The debris were cleared by 6.55 am, the official said.
Screeners find 6 smoke grenades in airline passenger's bag
Transportation Security Administration screeners at Newark Liberty International Airport discovered six smoke grenades in a passenger's carry-on bag as he attempted to board a flight to the Dominican Republic. The TSA says an officer pulled the bag off the X-ray conveyor belt after spotting something unusual on Sunday and found the grenades neatly wrapped in bubble wrap. TSA deputy federal security director Christopher Murgia says while not illegal, the grenades are prohibited from being brought on an airplane because they could fill the cabin with smoke. The passenger handed the grenades off to a companion who was not traveling and boarded the flight. His name was not released.
Mizoram has taken many steps to ensure food safety: Minister
The Mizoram government has taken several steps to check the standard of food under the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and Food Safety and Standards Rules and Regulations 2011, Health Minister Dr R Lalthangliana informed the state Assembly Tuesday. Replying to questions from Dr Vanlaltanpuia of the ruling Mizo National Front (MNF), Lalthangliana said that inspection of hotels and restaurants and sampling of some food products have been conducted by the food administration officials. Most of the food samples were sent to State Public Health Laboratory in Guwahati, he said. A food testing laboratory is being set up at Zemabawk locality in Aizawl where equipment and machinery purchased by the state commerce and industries department have been already installed, he said. He said that the new laboratory would be commissioned after the equipment are handed over to the health department.
Himachal Pradesh makes GPS device must for trekkers
The Himachal Pradesh government on Tuesday make it mandatory for trekkers to carry a GPS device to tackle any exigency.
Five of family die in road mishap
Five members of a family were Tuesday killed when their car rammed into a stationary excavator in Madhya Pradesh's Sagar district, police said. The accident occurred occurred around 1 AM on Khurai bypass in the district, Khurai police station incharge Vijay Ken said, adding that the excavator--a JCB machine--was parked along the road when the car hit it. The deceased are identified as Subhash Sapre (50), his wife Guddi Devi (45) and their daughters Nisha (23), Munmun (17) and Baby (10), he said, adding that the car driver Sonu Kewat was injured in the accident. Sapre was a police constable from Guna district who was travelling to Sagar to participate in a marriage function.
Death toll in Indonesia ferry sinking rises to 18
The death toll from an Indonesian ferry sinking has risen to 18, authorities said Tuesday, the latest maritime accident to hit the archipelago nation. The overloaded passenger boat was carrying more than 60 people when it overturned Monday in rough seas near Madura island, off Java's north coast. Indonesia's search and rescue agency said 18 people had died, including several children, with 39 survivors. A fleet of rescue vessels, a plane and local fishing boats are searching the waters for at least four others still missing, authorities said. But local reports have suggested that there could be more victims who were not listed on the official manifest. "It's suspected that the boat was overloaded," East Java Police spokesman Frans Barung Mangera said. "The boat was hit by a large wave, overturned and sank." The 10-metre (32 foot) long traditional vessel was found by fishermen shortly after it was swamped, he added. Marine accidents are common in Indonesia, an archipelago nation of ...
Cong slams Vardhan over death of children in Bihar
The Congress hit out at Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Tuesday over the Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) outbreak in Bihar, which has claimed the lives of over 100 children, saying there is "no work, all talk". The death toll due to the outbreak has climbed to 105 in Bihar's Muzaffarpur district with the state-run Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH) and the privately-owned Kejriwal hospital reporting one casualty each in the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday. "In 2014, 139 children were killed in Muzaffarpur. In 2019, 104 children killed in Muzaffarpur. Same minister, Shri Harsh Vardhan, same reasons, same promises, no work, all talk," Congress's chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said in a tweet. He also tagged a media report with his tweet, which claimed that the promises made by Vardhan after a similar tragedy in 2014 were still unfulfilled.
Railways signs MoU with REL for upgrading signalling system
The Railways has signed an MoU with RailTel Enterprises Limited (REL), a wholly-owned subsidiary company of RailTel Corporation of India Ltd, to upgrade its signalling system on four busiest sections. The project includes setting up automatic train protection system with Long Term Evolution (LTE)-based Mobile Train Radio Communication System (MTRC) along with a provision of Electronic Interlocking (indoor), wherever required, the RailTel said in a statement. The MoU was signed by executive director of Signal Development (Railway Board), Pradeep M Sikdar, Member (Signal & Telecom) of Railway Board, Kashinath, and CMD of Railtel, Puneet Chawla Monday. The train control system modernisation project will be implemented on some of the busiest routes on Indian Railway with heavy traffic, it stated. These routes are: 165-km Renigunta-Yerraguntla section of the South Central Railway, 145-km Vizianagaram-Palasa section of the East Coast Railway, 155-km stretch on Jhansi-Bina
2 killed in motorcycle-truck collision in UP's Sant Kabirnagar
Two persons were killed when their motorcycle collided with a truck in Uttar Pradesh's Sant Kabirnagar district on Tuesday, police said. The accident happened this morning near Magher town on Gorakhpur-Lucknow highway, Circle Officer Ramesh Kumar said. Those killed have been identified as Bablu (28) and Sonu (25), he said. Police have seized the truck and a hunt is on for the driver who has gone missing.
Air passenger traffic of domestic airlines rises 3.0% in May 2019
Indigo gains market share to 49% in May 2019
Avalanche kills mountaineer, injures 6 in Pakistan
A Pakistani montaineer was killed while six others, including foreigners, were injured when an avalanche hit an expedition team while they were scaling a 5,300-metre high peak in the Gilgit-Baltistan region, the media reported on Tuesday.
8 killed, 24 injured in road accident in UP
Eight persons were killed and more than 24 injured when a milk tanker hit a tractor trolley here.
12 killed, over 100 injured as string of quakes jolt China
At least 12 people were killed and 125 others injured after two strong earthquakes hit China's southwest Sichuan province on Monday, authorities said Tuesday. The first 6.0-magnitude earthquake shook Changning county of Yibin city at 10:55 PM on Monday (local time) and according to the China Earthquake Centre (CENC), the second tremor of 5.3-magnitude hit the area on Tuesday. "As so far, 12 people died and another 125 were injured," the Ministry of Emergency Management said. The epicentre of Monday's quake was recorded at a depth of 16 km, the CNCC said. Most of the deaths were caused by damaged houses, according to rescuers. Fifty-three people are receiving treatment in two hospitals in Changning. Among them, two are in critical conditions and six others are severely injured. Official media reported that early warning systems installed in Chengdu and Yibin sounded alarms a minute before the quake struck. The deaths and injuries were reported from across the province. "Two people ...
Japan pushes 300 North Korean boats out of fishing grounds
The Japanese coast guard says its patrol boats have been pushing back hundreds of North Korean boats trying to poach in fishing grounds rich with squid off Japan's northern coast. Coast Guard officials said Tuesday they have forced more than 300 North Korean boats out of Japan's exclusive economic zone near Yamatotai since May. The patrol boats used water cannons on 50 North Korean boats that ignored warnings. Coast Guard footage obtained Tuesday showed North Korean crewmen on a wooden boat abandon a fishing rope after being sprayed water. Japanese authorities have stepped up patrols in the area as North Korean poaching has surged in recent years. Experts say Pyongyang's campaign to boost fish harvests has increased poaching by North Korean boats.
Venezuela receives second shipment of Red Cross aid
Venezuela Monday received a second shipment of Red Cross humanitarian aid, including 24 tonnes of medical supplies and generators provided by Panama, intended for hospitals to help address the country's acute health crisis. In a statement, the Venezuelan Red Cross said it had received "medicines, medical supplies and power generators" that will be distributed in hospitals across the country, which is experiencing the worst crisis in its recent history. Six trucks moved the supplies to a Red Cross warehouse in Caracas, an AFP journalist confirmed. The shipment seeks to mitigate a severe shortage of drugs and hospital supplies in Venezuela, which has suffered more than four years of recession and hyper-inflation marked by shortages of basic necessities such as food and medicine. The United Nations says a quarter of its 30 million population is in urgent need of aid. The oil-rich South American nation has suffered the collapse of its vital crude production and runaway inflation that the .
Marathwada water grid to cater to needs of parched region: CM
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday said his government was planning to ensure piped drinking water supply in every village of the parched Marathwada region through a water grid. Speaking in the state Assembly during the Question Hour, Fadnavis expressed his government's resolve to provide adequate drinking water to everyone. He said the agenda of the recent NITI Ayog meeting held in New Delhi was'Hargharmein nal se jal' (tap water supply in every household) in the next five years. The newly set up Jal Shakti Ministry at the Centre will plan and implement policies for water conservation and supply, he said. Fadnavis said a financial provisionof Rs 20,000 crore to Rs 25,000 crore will be made for the Marathwadawater grid, under which water from dams and other reservoirs will be supplied through pipelines to all villages in the scarcity-hit region. The chief minister was responding to Congress member Yashomati Thakur, who pointed out that the state's ...
Arizona wildfire spreads to over 37,000 acres
A massive wildfire in the US state of Arizona has spread to 37,765 acres in 10 days with only 6 per cent containment so far, authorities said.