Page 304 - Disaster Accident
SC to hear plea on trapped Meghalaya miners on Thursday
The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a petition seeking adequate manpower and equipment for rescuing miners on Thursday, who are trapped in an illegal flooded coal mine in Meghalaya's East Jaintia Hills since December 13 last year.A two-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul has agreed to hear the matter on Thursday.The petition was filed by lawyer Aditya N Prasad, seeking a direction from the Central government and other authorities to prepare a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the rescue operations.Senior lawyer Anand Grover, who raised the issue in the Apex Court on Wednesday, expressed concerns over the fact the SOP and other apparatus are missing during the search operation.As many as 15 miners have been trapped in a 370-feet deep illegal mine in Lumthari village since December 13, when the water from the nearby river Lytein flooded the mine.Since then, more than a fortnight has passed and rescuers are struggling hard to pump out ...
6 killed in Denmark train accident
At least six people were killed in a train accident on the Great Belt Bridge in Denmark on Wednesday, the police said.
Fire breaks out in a Jaipur factory, no casualties
A fire broke out in a three-storey building of a foam manufacturing factory here on Tuesday morning, a fire official said. No loss of live was reported in the incident. Raw material kept at the factory was gutted in the fire, Chief Fire Safety Officer Jagdish Prasad said. The fire broke out on the second floor of the factory in the Vishwakarma industrial area, he said. Prasad said 12 fire tenders were pressed into service and the fire was doused. The reason behind the fire is being investigated. No case has been registered yet, he added.
China approves $33.8 billion railway projects in Jiangsu and Anhui
BEIJING (Reuters) - China's state planner said on Wednesday it has approved inter-city railway projects in the eastern provinces of Jiangsu and Anhui, with a combined total investment value of 231.7 billion yuan ($33.82 billion).
14 confirmed dead in Russia high-rise blast: reports
At least 14 people are confirmed dead from the New Year's Eve explosion at a high-rise apartment building in the Russian city of Magnitogorsk, news agencies reported Wednesday. Citing local emergency officials, the RIA Novosti, TASS and Interfax news agencies said the number of dead had risen to 14 as rescuers pulled more bodies from the rubble of the collapsed building.
Death toll in Philippines storm reaches 85
At least 85 people have died and 20 remain missing in floods and landslides triggered by storm Usman as it passed through the Philippines, officials said on Wednesday.
2 killed in road accident on UP's Ballia
Two persons were killed and as many injured after two motorcycles collided in Khujri here, police said Wednesday. The incident took place on Tuesday near Baheri village. Roshan (18) and Akhilesh Yadav (35) died on the spot, they said. The injured were rushed to a local hospital and their condition was stated as stable, police said.
SC agrees to hear plea seeking urgent steps for rescue of trapped Meghalaya miners
The Supreme Court Wednesday agreed to hear on Thursday a plea seeking urgent steps to rescue 15 miners trapped inside an illegal coal mine in Meghalaya since December 13. The matter was mentioned for urgent listing before a bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice S K Kaul. The PIL filed by Aditya N Prasad also sought a direction to the Centre and other authorities concerned to prepare a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for rescue operations in mining. The rat-hole mine, located on top of a hillock fully covered with trees in East Jaintia Hills district, had got flooded when water from the nearby Lytein river gushed into it, trapping the miners. Rat-hole mining involves digging of narrow tunnels, usually three-four feet high, for workers to enter and extract coal. The horizontal tunnels are often termed "rat holes" as each just about fits one person. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) had Thursday contradicted media reports which quoted it as saying the ...
SC to hear plea on mine disaster in Meghalaya
The Supreme Court will hear on Thursday a plea seeking the deployment of adequate manpower and equipment for the rescue of miners trapped in a flooded mine in Meghalaya.
Metro services hit after door of AC rake malfunctions
Metro services in Kolkata were hit for a brief period after doors of a Dum Dum-bound AC rake malfunctioned at Kavi Nazrul station, officials said. The situation was brought under control within few minutes after technicians opened the doors and the passengers disembarked safely from the train. The incident happened during peak office hours. "We are looking into the technical glitches," said a metro official. The metro services were also suspended for around half-an-hour between Dum Dum and Kavi Subhash stations on Tuesday evening, following a problem on the tracks. On December 27, a fire broke out on board a metro train here during rush hours, causing a stampede-like situation and leaving at least 16 passengers injured.
Sharp rise in air crash deaths in 2018: Report
The year 2018 saw a sharp rise in fatalities from air crashes compared with 2017, but 2018 was still the ninth safest year on record, reports said.
15 killed in Indonesia landslide
At least 15 persons were killed in the landslide which has hit Indonesia's Java province, authorities said.
16 of 21 crew members rescued from burning ship near Hawaii
The US Coast Guard says good Samaritans on nearby merchant vessels rescued 16 members of the crew of a Panamanian car carrier heading from Japan to Hawaii that caught fire in the Pacific Ocean. The Coast Guard said Sunday three of the remaining five crew members of the Sincerity Ace were found but are still in the water because they are unresponsive. The agency says the other two crew members haven't been found. The Serenity Ace caught fire early Monday morning 1,800 nautical miles (3,333 kilometres) northwest of Hawaii. The Coast Guard has not said what caused the fire on the 198-metre ship. The US Navy is helping with search efforts.
Muzaffarpur fire: Death toll rises to 10, inquiry ordered
The death toll in Muzaffarpur fire incident that took place on Monday has increased to 10 from three.A massive fire broke out in a factory in the Chaknooran area on Monday afternoon.An inquiry has been ordered into the incident by Muzaffarpur district magistrate Mohd. Sohail to ascertain the cause of the fire."Bodies of seven people who were feared to be trapped in the fire on Monday have been recovered today. An inquiry has been ordered to find out about the lapses, different types of required approvals for running the factory and its construction plan," the district magistrate said.Compensation for the deceased's families is yet to be announced.
Trapped Meghalaya miners untraced even as Odisha firefighters pump out water
National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) rescuers and Odisha firefighters on Tuesday began dewatering the coal mine in their bid to rescue 15 coal miners trapped in Meghalaya's East Jaintia Hills district, an official said.
Meghalaya mining tragedy: No change in water level even after using high-pressure pumps
Even as high pressure pumps were deployed to drain out water from the inundated illegal coal mine in East Jaintia Hills for almost three hours on Monday afternoon there is no change in the water level.More than a fortnight has passed since 15 miners get trapped inside an illegal coal mine here rescuers are struggling hard to pump out water from the inundated mine."The Indian Navy Divers along with the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel went down inside the main shaft at 4.30 pm to check the water level under the main shaft and reported that the water level has not changed," an Odisha Fire Service official said.The Odisha Fire services have stopped pumping the water from the nearby old shaft located about 500 meters from the main shaft."After three hours of pumping the water out from the old shaft located nearby it was found that the water level in the old Shaft descended only by 6 inches," said the Odisha Fire Service official.The official told that only after 8 hours ..
New year revelry: Six men die in Chennai road accidents
Six men, who were out on the streets here during celebrations welcoming the new year, died in road accidents at various locations, police said Tuesday. Over 10 non-fatal accidents were recorded across the city and suburbs late Monday, mostly involving youths, they said. There were 16 non-fatal accidents recorded last year while eight people died, police said. On January 1, 2017, 10 people died while there were 31 non-fatal accidents, they said. Also, cases under the Motor Vehicles Act were registered against 263 men for drunk driving, and 33 for over speeding between December 31 night and early hours of January 1 this year. The police also held special camps in 57 locations on new year's eve and sensitised people on the perils of violating traffic regulations. As many as 2,000 police personnel were deployed as part of security measures on New year's eve in the city.
Kolkata Metro services briefly suspended after spark on tracks
Metro Rail services were suspended for around half-an-hour between Dum Dum and Kavi Subhash stations on Tuesday evening, following a problem on the tracks, a senior official said. Kabi Subhash-bound trains were stopped for 25 minutes after a spark was noticed on the tracks near the Rabindra Sadan Station around 6.50 pm, Kolkata Metro's chief public relations officer Indrani Banerjee said. "A thorough inspection of the tracks was conducted and normal services towards Kavi Subhash resumed around 7.05 pm," she said. On December 27, a fire broke out on board a metro train here during rush hours, causing a stampede-like situation and leaving at least 16 passengers injured.
Yemen rebels 'surprised' by UN accusations of stealing aid
Yemen's Houthi rebels on Tuesday said they were surprised by accusations from the United Nations food agency that they are stealing "from the mouths of hungry people" by diverting food deliveries. Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, head of the Supreme Revolutionary Council, said in a statement that the rebels were taken aback by the World Food Program allegations. "We were surprised by the statement of the WFP Executive Director, which included threats to stop supplying food for large numbers of needy people in Yemen," he said. The World Food Program on Monday threatened to suspend some aid shipments to Yemen if the Houthi rebels do not investigate and stop theft and fraud in food distribution, warning that the suspension would affect some 3 million people. Al-Houthi said WFP "did not communicate officially" with the rebels regarding the alleged theft of aid, adding that making the critical comments to the media is considered "a major deviation in the work of the program." He called on the WFP ..
Mumbai hospital fire: Labour minister rewards food delivery boy for saving lives
Labour Minister Santosh Gangwar Monday gave a monetary award of Rs 1 lakh to the food delivery boy who saved lives of 10 persons during the fire incident at Mumbai's ESIC hospital. Gangwar honoured Siddrameshwar Siddharam Humanabade, a food delivery boy who has acted as a saviour in helping the fire victims of the tragic fire accident at ESIC Hospital at Andheri, Mumbai on December 17, 2018, the labour ministry said in a release. He saved lives of 10 persons beyond the call of his duty, it further said. "It is also praiseworthy to mention that Siddrameshwar contiuned his selfless service for rescuing the victims until he started feeling uncomfortable due to inhaling of toxic gases due to the fire. In recognition of his courage, selfless nature and missionay zeal, I am also pleased to reward Siddrameshwar a sum of Rs 1 lakh," Gangwar said. Though not an employee of ESIC, Siddrameshwar has set an example for the whole ESIC team working in hospitals and other units and to the country as .