Page 2 - Disaster Accident

Vizag tragedy: Gas leak at LG Polymers plant leaves at least 11 people dead

3,000 people evacuated after styrene leak at LG Polymers plant in Visakhapatnam; 7 fall ill after gas leak in Chhattisgarh; 8 suffer burns in TN furnace fire

Aiming for $5 trn economy, India needs enhanced disaster management: Shah

Disaster management and fire services remained neglected areas after Independence, he alleged

At least 15 killed in Pune wall collapse following incessant rains

Deceased include four children; housing society crashes on to shanty housing labourers

Papua New Guinea volcano spews ash, triggering eruption alert

Papua New Guinea's volatile Ulawun volcano -- designated one of the world's most hazardous -- began spewing ash Wednesday, turning the sky dark, sending residents fleeing and prompting an eruption warning. The volcano on the remote Bismarck Archipelago chain is listed as one of 16 "Decade Volcanoes" targeted for research because they pose a significant risk of large, violent eruptions. "The volcanic activity at Mt Ulawun began at 7:00 am this morning after slight rumbling and light emission," Leo Porikura, an official with the West New Britain Disaster Office, told AFP. "The Rabaul Volcano Observatory has declared a stage one alert warning of a possible eruption." Witnesses reported ash spewing out of the 2,334 metre (7,657 foot) summit, sending trails spanning high overhead. "The sky has turned black," said Kingsly Quou, manager of the nearby Mavo Estates palm plantation. Quou said that villagers living at the base of the volcano had already been evacuated and he and his colleagues ..

Strong quake hits Costa Rica-Panama border, likely 'significant damage': USGS

A 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit the Panama-Costa Rica border around midnight on Tuesday, the US Geological Survey said, with the potential to cause casualties and "significant damage". The shallow quake struck at a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles), about two kilometers from the nearest town of Progreso in Panama, USGS said. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties, but US seismologists said the disaster was "potentially widespread," with the USGS website pointing out that "past events with this alert level have required a regional or national level response." "Estimated economic losses are 0-4 percent GDP of Panama," the website said. According to the National Seismological Network (RSN) in Costa Rica, the quake struck at 0523 GMT Wednesday (11.23 pm Tuesday) with its epicenter located 11 kilometers east of the Panamanian border town of Puerto Armuelles. The tremor was felt in Costa Rica's capital San Jose and in many parts of the Central American country, according to ..

One killed, six injured in truck-car collision in Firozabad

One member of a marriage party was killed and six others, including bridegroom, were injured when their car collided with a truck in Jasrana area here, police said. The marriage party was on its way to a village under Aurangabad area when it collided with a truck on Mustafabad road near Bhadau village on Tuesday night killing Chandrapal (60), SP (rural) Rajesh Kumar said. Six injured, including the bridegroom, have been admitted to the district hospital, the SP added.

Uttarakhand minister's son killed in UP road accident

Uttarakhand Education Minister Arvind Pandey's son Ankur has been killed after the car in which he was travelling hit a truck in Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly district, police said Wednesday. Ankur, 24, was on his to Gorakhpur on Tuesday night along with two friends to attend a wedding when the incident happened near Future College on Lucknow Road in the district's Faridpur area. His friend Munni Giri (26) was also killed in the accident, police said. The other person has been injured and is currently undergoing treatment at a hospital, they added. Both the bodies have been sent for postmortem examination, said Senior Superintendent of Police Muniraj. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has expressed grief over the deaths and extended condolences to the bereaved family.

3 children dead, 1 injured as lightning strikes Sultanpur's Haji Patti village

At least three children died, one was critically injured after lightning struck Sultanpur's Haji Patti village.The injured child was admitted to the district hospital.The incident took place on Tuesday when few children were playing outside their home. The family members immediately rushed to the hospital in a hassle.Lightning and thunderstorm are likely to lash over several states in the next few days.Thunderstorm accompanied with lighting and gusty winds at isolated places very likely over Rajasthan, Gangetic West Bengal, Odisha is predicted for next few days, as said by Indian Meteorological Department in its All India Weather Warning.

R'than transport dept officers to get wireless sets, blue beacons

The officers of Rajasthan Transport Department's enforcement wing will be provided with wireless sets and blue beacons for their vehicles, state minister Pratap Singh said Tuesday. The transport minister said field officers of the department's enforcement wing require these things for performing their duty. Chairing a review meeting of the department, Singh asked the officials to conduct drives to check fitness of school vans and to stop illegal transportation of sand gravel, an official statement said. He also directed the officials to ensure public facilities in department's offices and to rope in volunteers for assistance in case of traffic jams and accidents, it said. During the meeting, Additional Chief Secretary (transport) Rajeeva Swarup asked the officials to make the departmental functions free from brokers, the statement said. Transport Commissioner Rajesh Yadav and other senior officers also attended the meeting, it said.

Greater Noida: Man killed, 4 injured after bike collides with car

A 32-year-old man riding on a motorcycle was killed and four others injured in a collision with a car in Greater Noida Tuesday, police said. The deceased was on the motorcycle with two other men, while two persons were sitting in the car when the speeding vehicles collided on a service road near a filling station around 6.30 pm, a police official said. The deceased was identified as Dinesh Kumar, a resident of Veerampur village, under Rabupura police station limits, the official said. The injured were admitted to a hospital where they are undergoing treatment, Rabupura Station House Officer (SHO) Vineet Kumar said. He said police were yet to ascertain whose fault led to the accident. "There were three persons on the bike but it is still not clear how the accident took place. The bikers had worn helmets also," he said. The SHO said there has been no compliant in the case by anyone so far and that is why no FIR has been registered in the matter.

3 killed as Howrah-Jagdalpur Samaleswari Express hits maintenance tower car in Odisha

Three Railway personnel were killed when the engine of the Howrah-Jagdalpur Samaleswari Express caught fire after hitting a maintenance tower car in Odisha's Rayagada district Tuesday, officials said. All three deceased were engaged in the maintenance tower car when the accident took place between Singapur Road and Keutaguda, East Coast Railway (ECoR) spokesperson J P Mishra said. The incident happened after the engine, the front guard-cum-luggage van and a general second class coach of 18005 Howrah-Jagdalpur Express got derailed after hitting the maintenance tower car engaged in some work, he said. The engine caught fire after it hit the tower car and later, it was detached from the rake, the spokesperson said, adding only the engine was affected and the train and passengers remained unharmed, while three staff engaged in the tower car died. The Railways ordered an inquiry by the Commissioner of Railway Safety, Kolkata, Mishra said, adding that the matter has been viewed seriously ...

5 soldiers killed in accident in Sri Lanka

A speeding train collided with an army truck in Sri Lanka's Kilinochchi district on Tuesday, killing at least five soldiers and injuring two others. The accident occurred when the train, travelling from capital Colombo to Jaffna, collided with the truck at a railway crossing in between Kilinochchi and Murukkandi train stations in the Northern Province. At least five army soldiers were killed while another 2 were wounded, Colombo Page reported. Army Spokesman Brigadier Sumith Atapattu said the injured soldiers were rushed to Kilinochchi hospital and one of the wounded was in critical condition. At the time of accident, seven army personnel were inside the truck, Atapattu added. An investigation has been launched into the accident.

Odisha: Engine of Samaleshwari Express catches fire, 3 dead

Three people were killed after the engine of the 18005 Howrah-Jagdalpur Samaleshwari Express on Tuesday caught fire and derailed after the train collided head-on with a maintenance engine on the railway track in Odisha's Rayagada district.The engine that caught fire detached from the train. Apart from the engine, the front guard cum luggage van and one general second class coach of the train also derailed on the impact.According to officials, three railway staff succumbed to their injuries in the accident.Those who were killed have been identified as Sagar, Gouri Naidu and Suresh.The mishap occurred between Keutugusa and Singapur road in Rayagada district at 4:30 pm.The fire brigade and ambulance arrived at the spot immediately afterwards.East Coast Railway has ordered an inquiry into the matter by Commissioner of Railway Safety, Kolkata, an independent statutory authority under the Ministry of Civil Aviation.According to sources, station masters on duty at Keutugusa and Singapur road

3 schoolchildren killed as dumper falls into river in J-K's Ramban district

Three schoolchildren were killed while one more was missing after a dumper they were travelling in skidded off the road and fell into the Chenab river in Jammu and Kashmir's Ramban district on Tuesday, police said. The driver and three other students were critically injured in the accident that took place on the Karol-Kundi link road near Jaishwal bridge, a police official said. He said the driver of the dumper, which was on its way to Kundi village, had given a lift to the children, including two of his own, who were returning from school. The vehicle rolled down over 400-ft before submerging in the river, the official said. The officials said a rescue operation was launched immediately and seven of the eight people travelling in the vehicle were taken to a hospital, where three students -- Manjit Singh (7), Pooja Devi (15) and driver Manmohan Singh's son Gaurav Singh -- succumbed to injuries. Ajay Singh (17), another son of the driver, is missing and feared drowned in the river, ...

Frida the rescue dog retires in Mexico

Frida the rescue dog, a labrador retriever who gained worldwide fame for her heroics after the earthquake that devastated Mexico on September 19, 2017, officially retired from duty Monday. Frida, who adorably sniffed through the rubble in her protective goggles and booties in the hours after the tragedy, was sent into doggy retirement at 10 years old in a ceremony at the canine unit of the Mexican marines. "Our dear labrador Frida is starting a new era," said Deputy Naval Minister Eduardo Redondo. "Frida stole the heart of all Mexico and thousands more abroad... Her bark always gave hope, and in moments of pain and uncertainty she brought relief." Frida saved 12 people's lives across her decade-long career as a search and rescue dog, the navy said. The emergency response efforts she took part in included earthquakes in Haiti and Ecuador in 2010 and 2016, respectively, and an explosion at the headquarters of Mexican state oil company Pemex in 2013. Her job after the 7.1-magnitude ...

6.6 magnitude quake rattles Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula

An earthquake measuring 6.6 on the Richter scale struck Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula on Tuesday, according to the United States Geological Survey.The quake hit at a depth of 33 kilometres, with an epicentre located about 113 kilometres east of Ust'-Kamchatsk district, reported Sputnik.There have been no reports of casualties or damage to the property yet as a result of the quake.No Tsunami warning has been issued.The Kamchatka Peninsula is prone to earthquakes because of its geographical positioning. The region lies in the 'Ring of Fire', an area in the basin of the Pacific Ocean, which is vulnerable to frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

Two schoolchildren killed after dumper falls into river in J-K's Ramban district

Two schoolchildren were killed when a dumper they were travelling in skidded off the road and fell into the Chenab river in Jammu and Kashmir's Ramban district on Tuesday, police said. The driver and five other students were critically injured in the accident which took place on the Karol-Kundi link road near Jaishwal bridge, a police official said. He said the driver of the dumper, which was on its way to Kundi village, had given lift to the children, including two of his own, who were returning from school. The vehicle rolled down over 400-ft before submerging in the river, the official said. A rescue operation was immediately launched and eight persons, including seven students, were evacuated and rushed to hospital. A girl and a boy succumbed to injuries at the hospital, he said. The condition of most of the injured is stated to be "critical", he added. The official said an operation was underway to rescue another person who was reportedly travelling in the vehicle at the time of .

2 killed, 165 injured in massive blast in southern Kazakhstan

Two people were killed and 165 others sustained injuries after an explosion rocked a military depot in the southern province of Turkestan, country's Ministry of Internal Affairs said on Tuesday.The blast occurred on Monday morning in the southern town of Arys. As many as 41,000 residents of the town have been evacuated following the incident, reported Xinhua news agency.Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Yuri Ilyin said that one person was killed after his car was hit by the shell, while the body of other person was found near the military unit during the search operations.The blasts were preceded by a massive fire at the military unit."At present, it is impossible to extinguish (the) fire at the military unit because of the explosion of the shells. There are 23 groups of firefighters working in Arys. Evacuation measures are ongoing, (and) 2815 people were evacuated from the territory of the emergency. More than 41,000 people have left the town," the press service of the Ministry of .

Seven people, including Chinese, charged over Cambodia building collapse

Seven people, including five Chinese nationals, have been charged with manslaughter or as accomplices to manslaughter in connection with a building collapse in Cambodia that killed 28 people and sparked anger over shoddy construction regulations. The collapse of a seven-storey, under-construction Chinese building in the resort town of Sihanoukville on Saturday is the deadliest industrial accident in recent memory in Cambodia. A close Beijing ally, Cambodia has seen an influx of investments from Chinese developers, including in the booming gambling hub of Sihanoukville. But the building frenzy has raised concerns about sub-standard safety regulations in a country where most construction workers are informal day-labourers. On Tuesday, Chinese building owner Cheng Kun was charged with involuntary manslaughter, causing bodily harm and causing destruction of property, according to a court warrant seen by AFP. Three other Chinese citizens -- contractor Deng Xin Gui, site manager Xie Ya Ping

Data, digital transformation to drive future customer experience: IATA

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) on Tuesday urged aviation stakeholders to embrace data and digital transformation to help deliver a frictionless customer experience while enhancing safety and efficiency."We must transform paper-based and legacy processes into digital ones and use data to drive decision-making in all facets of our business," said IATA's Director General and CEO Alexandre de Juniac."Organisational silos will need to be shed to ensure a holistic focus on the entire customer experience. And we will need to do all this while continuing to ensure the highest levels of safety, security and environmental sustainability," he said while addressing the IATA Aviation Data Symposium here.de Juniac asked industry leaders to develop core data science capabilities and use data to drive safety and operational improvement."Statistics tell us that despite yearly fluctuations, the long-term trend is toward improving safety. Nevertheless, we must intensify our efforts ..