Page 23 - Disaster Accident
10 Indian crew members of sinking dhow rescued off Omani port
Ten Indian crew members of a dhow, which was sinking in Omani waters due to some technical problem in the engines, have been rescued off the port city of Dhalkut, according to the Indian Embassy here. "An unfortunate incident of drowning of a dhow with Indian crew happened in Omani waters today morning. Due to swift action of Omani authorities, 10 persons were rescued and only one is missing," the Indian Embassy in Muscat tweeted. The Indian Embassy is extending full assistance to the survivors and will help them in repatriation. "We deeply appreciate the timely support extended by Omani authorities in saving lives of Indian nationals," it said. The Royal Oman Sea Vessel Sadah, in coordination with the Maritime Security Center, carried out a rescue operation at a distance of 4 nautical miles from the port of Dhalkut in Dhofar governorate, Oman News Agency said. The dhow was slowly filling with water, the agency said.
Water crisis deepens in TN, soaring temp adds to woes
Tamil Nadu is reeling under acute water crisis for the past several months after Chennai's Porur Lake, which is considered one of the main sources of water, has reached its lowest level. Moreover, with mercury soaring in the region, there seems to be no respite for perturbed locals here.In Chennai, locals installed hand-pumps near Marina Beach to extract groundwater to manage their daily needs. However, the water, residents say, is of a compromised quality owing to pollutants, thereby forcing them to buy packaged water from shops for consumption.Speaking to ANI, a local said, "We have to stand in a queue for hours under this scorching heat to fetch some water as borewells in the area have gone dry. This is for the third time in a row that Chennai is facing a severe water crisis.""Most of the time, the water we get from these hand pumps can't be used for drinking as it stinks. For drinking and cooking, we have to buy water from the shops," she added.Earlier this week, DMK leaders had ..
Drought forces Namibia to auction 1,000 wild animals
Drought-hit Namibia has authorised the sale of at least 1,000 wild animals -- including elephants and giraffes -- to limit loss of life and generate USD1.1 million for conservation, the authorities confirmed Saturday. "Given that this year is a drought year, the [environment] ministry would like to sell various type of game species from various protected areas to protect grazing and at the same time to also generate much needed funding for parks and wildlife management," environment ministry spokesman Romeo Muyunda told AFP. The authorities declared a national disaster last month, and the meteorological services in the southern African nation estimate that some parts of the country faced the deadliest drought in as many as 90 years. "The grazing condition in most of our parks is extremely poor and if we do not reduce the number of animals, this will lead to loss of an animals due to starvation," Muyunda said. In April, an agriculture ministry report said 63,700 animals died in 2018 ...
German stunt pilot dies in river crash at Polish air show
A German stunt pilot died on Saturday after his plane crashed into the Vistula river while he was performing an acrobatic manoeuvre at an air show in central Poland, local media and firefighters said. The man, whom local media said was a German citizen, was doing a spin when his small Yak-52 Soviet plane plunged into the water by the riverbank in the central city of Plock. "The pilot's body has been removed from the wreck... The doctor on site confirmed his death," local firefighter spokesman Edward Mysera said, quoted by the Polish news agency PAP. He added that the pilot, who once worked for Lufthansa according to the event organisers, was around 60 years old. The air show was suspended after the accident as police investigate the crash cause.
Assam CM seeks enhanced assistance for people hit by calamities
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal Saturday sought enhanced assistance to the people affected by natural calamities like floods, which hit the state every year. Addressing the 5th governing council meeting of the NITI Aayog here, he raised key issues pertinent to the state's development and underlined the future roadmap for state and central government's partnership. He stressed on the need for effective management of flood and erosion problems afflicting a large part of Assam every year, a state government release said. Sonowal pointed out that the norms of relief and rehabilitation provided to the flood-affected people according to Disaster Relief Fund guidelines are low and sought its increase substantially. He also vouched for NITI Aayog's intervention to include river erosion in the admissible list of calamities for funding under National Disaster Relief Fund or State Disaster Relief Fund so that quick and timely steps can be taken to counter erosion. Thanking Prime Minister
Three Indian labourers killed in Nepal building collapse
Three Indian labourers were killed and three others injured when a part of an under-construction building of a cement factory collapsed in Nepal's Dang district on Saturday, said a media report. The incident happened when the labourers were working to set up the sixth floor of a building belonging to Samrat Cement factory , My Republica reported. "The deceased have been identified as Saheb Bodra, Dayal Haren and Mangal Kashyap," the general manager of the factory was quoted as saying in the report. In the same incident, three more Indian labourers were injured and have been undergoing treatment at a Bhairahawa-based hospital.
Eight killed by explosion in Somalia capital: emergency services
A car bomb went off Saturday at a checkpoint near the Somali parliament, killing eight people and injuring 16, medical and police sources said. "We have confirmed eight people killed and 16 others wounded in the blast," the private Aamin Ambulance service said. A second blast on a key road leading to the airport of the Somali capital Mogadishu did not cause any casualties.
Faced with issues, IAF shifts to civilian airlines from AN-32 for Andaman ops
India has more than 90 of these planes which were imported during the Soviet era and several of them have been upgraded recently in a contract with Ukraine."Over the sea, the AN-32 flies at altitudes (18 - 20 thousand feet) that encounters heavy icing (Zero to minus Degrees Celsius outside air temperature). That is why we have shifted most of the passenger load from An 32 to Civil Airlines in the Andaman and Nicobar Sector," top IAF sources told ANI.Sources said the Defence Ministry is also of the view that the AN-32 should be avoided being used in risk-prone areas in view of the crashes and other issues.The recent crash took place in Arunachal Pradesh where 13 personnel lost their lives in the accident over the mountainous terrain of the Northeastern state after taking off from Jorhat.Three years ago, an IAF AN-32 took off from Chennai to Port Blair in Andamans but crashed over the Bay of Bengal killing all the 29 personnel on board. The plane could never be found despite an ...
Stunt pilot killed after his plane plunges into Polish river
A Polish radio station says the pilot of a small stunt plane was killed after it plunged into the Vistula River during a performance at an air show in central Poland. Radio Zet News said Saturday on Twitter that rescuers in the town of Plock were not able to save the life of the pilot, who sustained serious injuries when the plane hit the water. Earlier, a spokesman for firefighters in Plock, Edward Mystera, confirmed that a small plane had crashed into the river and rescue teams had been dispatched. Private PolsatNews.pl says the experienced German acrobatic pilot was taking part in the VII Air Picnic in Plock, which features some 40 pilots. Polish media reported he was flying a Jak-52 two-seater. The show was closed after the crash and police and prosecutors are investigating the cause of the crash.
3 Indian labourers killed in Nepal building collapse
Three Indian labourers were killed and three others injured when a part of an under-construction building collapsed in Nepal's Dang district on Saturday, officials said.
Extend GST compensation beyond 2022: Ktaka CM
Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy Saturday asked the Centre to extend GST compensation beyond five years, saying that the state will face "severe financial crunch" after the recompense period ends in 2022. He was speaking at the first meeting of the Governing Council of Niti Aayog chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi here. While implementing the Goods and Services Tax (GST), the Centre had assured the states to compensate them for loss of their revenue for five years till 2022. "While the revenue gap is being bridged by the assured compensation till 2022, the state has limited scope to mobilise additional revenue thereafter," Kumaraswamay said. It is evident that at the end of 2022-23, there would be a steep fall in revenues of the state as compared to the protected revenue of 2021-22 which would have accrued to the state due to the constitutionally guaranteed compensation, he said. "This would adversely impact developmental and other infrastructural projects implemented in .
Indian-origin woman asleep at the wheel jailed for killing another driver in UK
A tired and sleep-deprived Indian-origin woman who fell asleep at the wheel while driving with her baby in the car has been jailed for killing another driver in a crash in Oxfordshire, south-east England. Anusha Ranganathan was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison at Oxford Crown Court on Friday after pleading guilty to causing the death of 70-year-old Patricia Robinson by dangerous driving in July last year. The 41-year-old IT expert was tired after multiple sleepless night with her baby who had recently undergone heart surgery, the court was told. "When someone is driving a car and they fall asleep, it turns into a lethal weapon. This was a poor piece of driving to put it mildly, said Judge Ian Pringle. "We will never know why you drove in the way that you did, but it seems that you fell asleep behind the wheel. Ms Robinson suffered injuries described by doctors as the most extensive in a road traffic accident who had not died, and this was caused by you," he said. The court .
Two killed in tractor trolley-truck collision in Muzaffarnagar
Two people were killed and six others injured when the tractor trolley they were travelling in collided with a speeding truck on the Dehradun-Delhi Highway near Nawla village in the district here on Saturday, officials said. Police said the injured were hospitalised. The victims were identified as Bamit Kumar (18) and Babli (36). The incident took place when the victims were returning from Shukartal. In another incident, a seven-year-old boy, Zulfikar, was crushed to death in a road accident at Puththi village in the district.
Cyclone VAYU currently moving away from coast, says IMD
Very Severe Cyclonic storm "VAYU" lay centred at 1530 hrs IST, about 335 km west-southwest of Porbandar (Gujarat) and is currently moving away from the coast, India Meteorological Department said on Saturday evening.Earlier it was reported that Cyclone VAYU is moving towards westwards and is "likely to hit Kutch as a deep depression.""Due to the Cyclone Vayu Kutch along with nearby areas such as Saurashtra will receive heavy downpour for a couple of hours. Though the wind speed in these regions will not be very strong," said IMD director Jayant Sarkar.The IMD director also assured that the Cyclone will not cause any substantial damage in the areas where it will come. The Cyclone is expected to move towards North Gujarat in a weakening state on June 18. Light to moderate rains will continue in the areas such as Junagadh and Porbandar.The IMD has advised fishermen not to venture into the sea for the next few days.The Indian Coast Guard, the Navy, the National Disaster Response Force and
Ugandan medics now tackling Ebola say they lack supplies
The isolation ward for Ebola patients is a tent erected in the garden of the local hospital. Gloves are given out sparingly to health workers. And when the second person in this Uganda border town died after the virus outbreak spread from neighbouring Congo , the hospital for several hours couldn't find a vehicle to take away the body. "We don't really have an isolation ward," the Bwera Hospital's administrator, Pedson Buthalha, told The Associated Press. "It's just a tent. To be honest, we can't accommodate more than five people." Medical workers leading Uganda's effort against Ebola lament what they call limited support in the days since infected members of a Congolese-Ugandan family showed up, one vomiting blood. Three have since died. While Ugandan authorities praise the health workers as "heroes" and say they are prepared to contain the virus, some of the health workers disagree, wondering where the millions of dollars spent on preparing for Ebola have gone if a hospital on the ..
Inclement weather hampers operation to retrieve bodies of IAF aircraft crash victims
Inclement weather on Saturday hampered rescue efforts to retrieve the mortal remains of 13 air-warriors who were on board the Indian Air Force aircraft that crashed in the mountains of Arunachal Pradesh, an IAF spokesman said. Shillong-based IAF spokesman Ratnakar Singh said the rescue operation, which commenced early Saturday morning, could not progress further due to inclement weather at the crash site. Cheetah and ALH helicopters are on standby and are waiting to commence operations once the weather improves. At present there are low clouds accompanied with rain in the area, the spokesman said in a statement. The IAF is making all efforts to retrieve the mortal remains of the deceased air-warriors. IAF personnel are in constant contact with the families of these air-warriors and they are being updated regularly about the ongoing rescue operations. They are also being explained the challenges being faced by the rescue team, he added. The rescue team on Friday recovered the cockpit ..
5 die in UK listeria outbreak linked to hospital food
The British government has ordered a review of hospital food after five patients died in a listeria outbreak linked to sandwiches and salads. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said Saturday he wants "a radical new approach" to the food served in hospitals. Officials have linked the outbreak to food from the Good Food Chain, which supplies dozens of U.K. hospitals, and to a meat supplier for the company. Three of the patients died at hospitals in Manchester and Liverpool in northwest England. The other two locations have not been identified. Public Health England says no deaths have been reported since the affected products were withdrawn in late May. Listeria is a bacteria that usually causes mild illness in healthy people, but can be fatal to those with weakened immune systems.
Underground fires in UP forests spark panic
Underground fires in the forest ranges of Lakhimpur Kheri district in Uttar Pradesh have triggered panic among the local villagers who have started fleeing their homes as smoke has been seen emerging from cracks in the ground.
Ktaka CM meets PM; seeks funds to tackle drought
Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and sought central assistance to the state reeling under severe drought due to 45 per cent shortfall in the rainfall. Before the Lok Sabha polls, the state government in its memorandum to the Centre had sought a financial assistance of Rs 2,064 crore to provide relief to farmers hit by drought during the rabi season. Kumaraswamy also requested Modi to ensure the pending funds under MNREGA scheme are released at the earliest besides sharing the state government's success in implementing the farm loan waiver, an official statement said. In the meeting, the Karnataka chief minister informed Modi that the state was facing drought this year too because of 45 per cent shortfall in rainfall. "The CM requested the prime minister to come forward to help the state in this situation," the statement added. Kumaraswamy also raised the matter of pending funds of Rs 1,500 crore to the state under the Mahatma Gandhi ...
Portion of road caves in, three vehicles damaged
A portion of a road in Wagle Estate locality here caved in, causing damage to three vehicles parked there, an official said Saturday. The incident took place around 11.30 pm on Friday, the official said. "Nobody was injured in the incident, but two cars and an autorickshaw parked there fell off the road when a section of it caved in," Santosh Kadam, chief of the Regional Disaster Management Cell (RDMC) of the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) said. Operation to pull the vehicles up was on, he said. Authorities suspect that the incident was a fallout of the inferior quality of road construction. Thane city has received medium to heavy rainfall over the past couple of days.