Page 26 - Disaster Accident
Cyclone Vayu: Gujarat out of danger, normal life will resume soon, says Vijay Rupani
Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Friday said the state government has decided to recall all ministers and officials who were sent to tackle the effects of cyclone Vayu which was supposed to drastically affect 10 areas."It has become clear that cyclone Vayu will not hit Gujarat, the state is safe now. Government has decided to call back all senior ministers and officials that were sent to tackle the situation in 10 areas that were expected to be affected," Rupani said at a press conference here.Rupani added that the residents who were evacuated can now return to their homes as the danger had passed and also announced a small sum of money to be given to children and adults for three days."For three days, cash doles of rupees 60, to adults and 45, to kids will be given to those who were evacuated. State transport has resumed and people who were living in camps can now go back to their houses, from tomorrow schools and colleges will also reopen. With God's grace the state is out of .
Crew on Japan tanker saw 'flying object' before attack: company head
The crew of a Japanese-owned tanker hit in an apparent attack in the Gulf of Oman saw a "flying object" before a second blast on board, the operator's head said Friday. "The crew members are saying that they were hit by a flying object. They saw it with their own eyes," Yutaka Katada, head of Kokuka Sangyo shipping company, told reporters. "We have received a report saying that something seems to have flew in, there was an explosion and it created a hole in the body of the ship," he added. Katada on Thursday had told reporters that the Kokuka Courageous, which was loaded with methanol, had suffered two apparent attacks. After the first, "our crew members made evasive manoeuvres but three hours later it was hit again," he said Thursday. On Friday he said he did not yet have information about the nature of the first attack on the tanker. The blasts caused a fire on board, but Katada said Friday there had not been major damage. The crew were evacuated, with one member suffering minor ...
Body of a minor girl, believed to be Indian, found near US-Mexico border
Body of a seven-year-old girl, believed to be Indian, has been found near the remote and deserted US-Mexico border area, according to the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The girl was found dead 27 kms west of Lukeville in Arizona state by the US border patrol agents on Wednesday. Our sympathies are with this little girl and her family. This is a senseless death driven by cartels who are profiting from putting lives at risk," Roy Villareal, Tucson Chief Patrol Agent, said. The girl was travelling with four other persons and dropped near the border by human smugglers who ordered the group to cross in the dangerous and austere location. The patrol agents got the information after encountering two women from India, who explained how they came to the United States and that three others, a woman and two children, got separated from them hours earlier, the US agency said in a statement. The agents took the two women into custody and began searching the area north of the international
FAW outbreak 'more or less' contained in Mizoram: Agri min
The Fall Army Worm (FAW) outbreak in Mizoram, affecting maize cultivation in the state, has been "more or less" contained, state Agriculture Minister C Lalrinsanga said Friday. The state government had provided assistance to the maize cultivators by distributing bio-pesticide, bio-agents and pesticides free of cost to deal with the FAW outbreak, he said in the Assembly. The FAW outbreak was reported in the state since early April. The minister said this in a written reply to a question from Vanlalhlana of the Zoram People's Movement (ZPM) and Vanlaltanpuia of the ruling Mizo National Front (MNF). The state government had constituted a sub-committee on the incidence of FAW, and a Rapid Response Team to take measures to mitigate the loss of crops caused by the pest, he said. The Centre was asked to provide assistance to the farmers under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) and National Food Security Mission (NFSM), he said. Coordinated efforts were made with local NGOs in
Cyclone Vayu no more a threat, evacuees can return: Gujarat CM
Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Friday said cyclonic storm Vayu no longer posed any threat to the state as it had moved away westward. Following a meeting with top officials in Gandhinagar, Rupani asked the authorities to let around 2.75 lakh people who had been shifted to safety to return to their homes. "Gujarat is now completely safe. There exists no threat from cyclone Vayu now as the storm has veered towards the west in the Arabian Sea. "Around 2.75 lakh people who were evacuated from the coastal areas are free to return to their homes," the chief minister told reporters. The state government will pay an allowance totaling around Rs 5.5 crore to the evacuees for daily expenses over the next three days, he announced. As per the latest weather report by the Meteorological Centre here, the cyclone is "moving slowly away from the coast" and currently located in the Arabian Sea, around 150 km from Porbandar. "Schools and colleges will start as per their schedules .
13 die in UP dust storm Wednesday
At least 13 people have lost their lives in Uttar Pradesh in a thunderstorm on Wednesday, the office of the state relief commissioner said. Siddhartha Nagar bore the maximum onslaught with four deaths reported from the district, followed by Deoria where three people died and Ballia where two died, state Relief Commissioner G S Priyadarshi told PTI on Friday. One person was injured, while 22 animals have also died. As many as 93 houses have been damaged across the state, the official said. The official added that one death each was reported from Ayodhya (snake bite), Lakhimpur Khiri, Kushinagar and Sonbhadra. Meanwhile, the meteorological department said rain or thunderstorm was very likely at few places over eastern Uttar Pradesh on Sunday. Rain/thunderstorm is very likely at isolated places over western Uttar Pradesh on Saturday and at a few places over western Uttar Pradesh on Sunday. On June 7, severe dust storm and lightning in the state claimed 26 lives and left over 50 injured ..
Cyclone Vayu: 37 mainline trains cancelled, 9 terminated: Western Railways
Western Railways cancelled 37 mainline trains and short terminated nine other in view of Cyclone Vayu on Friday, taking the total number of affected trains to 174. Cyclone Vayu has changed course and moved towards Oman, according to officials.Keeping in mind the safety and security of the passengers, Western Railways cancelled 88 mainline trains and short terminated 40 other trains yesterday. While on 14th June, 47 mainline trains were terminated with partial cancellation as a precautionary measure.Till now, a total of 174 trains have been affected in view of the precautionary measures taken by the Western Railways to safeguard the interests of the passengers. Out of these 174 trains, 125 trains have been fully cancelled and 49 trains have been short terminated.In a press release, Western Railways had said, "Various safety and security precautions are also being taken by Western Railways for train passengers of these cyclone prone areas under the jurisdiction of Western Railways i.e. .
Train accident averted due to CCTV cameras in hilly section
CCTV cameras installed in the 'ghat' (hilly) section of Mumbai-Pune route for monitoring during monsoon proved useful Thursday night as a train was stopped well in time before it could hit a fallen boulder. A huge boulder fell on the track near Lonavala around 8.15 pm Thursday, which held up the Mumbai-Kolhapur Sahyadri Express for over two hours. But an accident was averted as CCTV monitoring staff noticed the boulder in time, a railway official said Friday. "The monitoring staff not only alerted higher authorities, but also ensured that power supply to the overhead equipment was switched off and oncoming trains were stopped well in time," said Sunil Udasi, Chief Spokesperson, Central Railway. The Sahyadri Express was reversed to Thakurwadi station and then it resumed its journey towards Kolhapur about 10.30 pm, he said. "Passengers were provided water at Thakurwadi and snacks when the train reached Lonavala around 11 pm," Udasi added. The boulder, 2.3 meters long, 1.6 .
Earthquake of 6.5 magnitude hit Coquimbo
An earthquake measuring 6.5 on the Richter scale rattled Chile's coast near the coastal city of Coquimbo, the U.S. Geological Survey said on Thursday.No casualties have been reported yet.The quake hit an earthquake-prone area at the depth of 10 km and 51 miles (82 km) west of Coquimbo.Further details are awaited.
Heavy rains, tidal waves damage properties in Mangaluru's Ullal
Heavy rains and tidal waves caused severe loss to properties, with many houses being damaged in the coastal city of Ullal in Mangaluru district in Karnataka on Thursday.Around 15 houses were severely damaged after tidal waves hit them in the city.Fears gripped the area as a danger of cyclone Vayu loomed large on the citizens.A scientist blamed soil erosion as the root cause of the problem. He claimed that more than 300-meter area of land submerged in the last 20 years."It is the effect of Vayu and not of monsoon. The type of waves of cyclone and monsoon are different," MeT scientist Aloysius Albuquerque Pai told ANI.
Over 2,600 jailed, 12,700 booked for drunk driving in Hyderabad
As many as 2,612 were sent to jail and cases were registered against 12,900 for drunk driving in Hyderabad in this year.Out of the total 12,900 violators, charge sheets have been filed against 12,700 people, out of which a total of 2,612 were sent to jail, police said.A whopping 10,088 people were levied fine amounting to Rs 2.68 crore by the court, the police said."The number of cases has gone up because the violators are consuming alcohol in the outskirts and other parts and coming into the city. We are also counselling each and every violator so that they do not repeat the same thing next time," Additional Hyderabad Commissioner (Traffic) Anil Kumar told ANI.The cases of traffic violations have shot up even as the police have been carrying out a drive to contain the malpractice.The police said, "Our main purpose to conduct the drive is to ensure that there are no road accidents due to drunk driving. We are taking it seriously and have deployed special teams in the city to ensure ...
Airports in Gujarat to resume normal flight operations: AAI
Airports Authority of India (AAI) on Thursday said that airports that were shut as a precautionary step due to Cyclone Vayu will resume normal flight operations at their respective times."Kandla and Keshod airports will resume normal flight operations from 12 midnight today. Normal flight operations will resume at Bhavnagar airport from 6 am on Friday. Normal flight operations to resume at Diu and Porbandar airports (Gujarat) from 10 am tomorrow," AAI said after reviewing the status of its airport in the state.Earlier in the day, the AAI said that no damage to airport infrastructure or facilities has been reported in Gujarat and the "effect of Cyclone Vayu is milder at most of the airports".India Meteorological Department (IMD) tweeted, "VSCS 'VAYU' moved northwestwards with a speed of about 9 kmph located near latitude 20.9degN and longitude 69.0degE over northeast and adjoining eastcentral Arabian Sea, about 100 km south-southwest of Porbandar. It will move west-northwestwards ...
Train held up due to boulder on track near Lonavala
The Mumbai-Kolhapur Sahyadri Express was delayed between Mumbai and Pune Thursday evening after a huge boulder fell on the tracks near Lonavala, railway officials said. The driver applied brakes after spotting the boulder between Monkey Hill and Thakurwadi stations around 8.30 pm. "Around 10, the train was sent to Pune on an alternative track. The work to remove the boulder is going on," the official added. The train traffic was not affected otherwise, he added.
An-32 crash: No survivors, bodies to be taken to Jorhat: IAF (3rd Lead)
The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Thursday said all the 13 occupants of the An-32 aircraft that crashed in Arunachal Pradesh on June 3 were dead and no effort was being spared in ensuring expeditious transfer of their mortal remains to their parent base at Assam's Jorhat.
AN-32 crash: Grief-stricken family of deceased Flight Lt blames govt
As the news broke out on Thursday that all the IAF personnel onboard the AN-32 aircraft lost their lives, grief struck the family of Flight Lieutenant Ashish Tanwar.The Flight Lieutenant's mother has been crying profusely ever since she heard the news of her son's demise.Ashish's family members have blamed the government for the AN-32 crash. Lamenting the cuts in defence expenditure, the family alleged that out of the sum channelised for defence expenditure, most of it is spent on bureaucrats."The number of soldiers who lose their lives due to faulty equipment is far larger than those who get martyred on the border or in wars," the IAF officer's uncle told ANI.While the family is proud of their son, they have demanded that a stadium be constructed in their village in his memory so that young people get inspired by him and join the Armed Forces.The AN-32 transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force with 13 air warriors on board went missing on June 3 after getting airborne from Assam's ..
Cyclone Vayu: Flights to resume across 5 airports in Gujarat
In the wake of Cyclone Vayu, flight services to some 5 airports in Gujarat will become operational from Thursday.
Keshod, Kandla airports to resume ops from Thursday mid-night: AAI
State-owned AAI Thursday said Keshod and Kandla airports will resume operations from Thursday mid-night, while services from Diu, Porbandar and Bhavnagar will restart from Friday morning. To avoid disruptions and damages to infrastructure due to cyclone Vayu, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) had suspended flight operations from these airports for 24 hours starting midnight Wednesday. The decision to recommence operations was taken after a review of the situation held through video conference, AAI said in a release. "After assessing the situation and the prevalent weather patterns as per the locally available meteorological reports, it has been decided that Kandla and Keshod Airports will resume normal flight operations from 12 midnight Thursday," the release stated. It also said that normal flight operations will resume at Bhavnagar airport from 6 am, and at Diu and Porbandar Airports from 10 am Friday, it added. All the AAI-run airport directors in Gujarat have been advised to ..
Congress condoles death of IAF personnel killed in AN-32 crash
The Congress on Thursday condoled the death of 13 Indian Air Force (IAF) officials who were killed in the AN-32 aircraft crash in Arunachal Pradesh.
Second patient dies of Ebola in Uganda, as death toll climbs in DRC
Uganda on Thursday recorded its second Ebola fatality since the virus spread from neighbouring DR Congo, where officials said a 10-month-old epidemic had now killed more than 1,400 people. The new toll came as Uganda's health ministry announced that five people, including one with Ebola, had been repatriated to the Democratic Republic of Congo after coming into close contact with the two deceased victims. The lethal virus crossed into Uganda when a family with small children and their nanny travelled to the DRC to take care of a relative, who later died of Ebola. The six people "escaped" an isolation ward in the DRC and returned to Uganda via an unofficial crossing on the porous border on Sunday, according to the UN's World Health Organization (WHO). The next day a five-year-old boy was checked into hospital in western Bwera vomiting blood. Both he and his grandmother have since died from Ebola, and his three-year-old brother is fighting the virus. "Both victims had attended the ...
ICG rescues pregnant woman from island, ensures safe delivery
Amid cyclone 'Vayu' in Gujarat, a pregnant woman was Thursday rescued from an island village cut off from the mainland in Amreli district by the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and shifted to a hospital where she delivered a child. The heartwarming tale came from the island village of Shiyal Bet amid concern about the impact of the cyclone which eventually changed its course and moved away from the Gujarat, coast, much to the relief of the local administration and people living in areas along the shore. The woman was taken to a hospital in Amreli district where her condition was reported to be stable after delivery, the ICG said. The ICG received a call from the civil administration for assistance after which it dispatched a ship for her rescue from the island that was cut off from the mainland, the maritime security agency said in a release. "The station received a call from the civil administration for assistance. The disaster response team was dispatched. "The patient is ...