Page 308 - Disaster Accident
Now, farmers in Agra lock up stray cattle herds in govt schools, public health centres
Farmers in rural hinterland of Uttar Pradesh's Agra district have locked up herds of stray cattle, especially cows, in schools and other government buildings alleging that the bovines are destroying their crops, amid a spate of such incidents in the state. The development comes close on the heels of another such incident in Aligarh where farmers in the district herded stray cows inside government buildings to prevent crop damage. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath recently directed the officials concerned to make immediate arrangements for proper care of stray cows. He also ordered clearing of grazing grounds in different parts of the state from encroachments. In Agra, police had to intervene in at least six cases to free cows locked in schools and public health centres. On Saturday, villagers locked up stray cows in a school in Garhi Bachchi. A day earlier, cattle were locked up inside a primary school at Arela village in Etmadpur tehsil. Officials of the Basic Education department had ..
Maha: 3 dead, 1 injured in road accident in Parbhani
Three people were Sunday killed and one person seriously injured after their motorcycle collided head-on with an SUV in Maharashtra's Parbhani district, police said. The incident happened around 1:30am on the Parbhani-Selu Road when four persons on a motorcycle were returning after a visit to the Babasaheb Maharaj Mandir in Selu, an official said. "The motorcycle collided with a Mahindra Scorpio coming from Parbhani. Three of the persons on the two-wheeler died instantly while the fourth has been admitted in a nearby hospital with severe injuries," the official said. He identified the deceased as Sidharth Dawande (28), Avinash Makasre (28) and Shidharth Magar (30). A case has been registered and a probe was underway to ascertain the cause of the accident, he added.
Bali's Agung volcano spews ash in fresh eruption
A volcano on the Indonesian holiday island of Bali erupted Sunday, belching ash high into the air and over nearby villages as officials warned tourists to keep clear of the area. Mount Agung has been erupting periodically since it rumbled back to life in 2017, when it grounded hundreds of flights and left 120,000 visitors stranded. On Sunday morning, the volcano -- which is about 70 kilometres (44 miles) from the tourist hub of Kuta -- sent ash skywards as it erupted for about three minutes, according to the country's volcanology centre. "Residents near Mount Agung as well as climbers and tourists should not carry out any activity in the danger zone or within four-kilometre radius from the crater," the centre said in a statement. On December 22, an eruption from Anak Krakatoa triggered a tsunami which hit the western tip of the neighbouring island of Java and southern Sumatra, killing at least 426 and leaving more than 7,000 injured. In the latest eruption, several villages on Bali ...
Mine mishap: Rescue operations to resume with use of sophisticated equipment
The multi-agency operation to rescue the 15 miners trapped in a 370-foot-deep rat-hole coal mine is all set to resume Sunday, officials said. The miners have been trapped in the mine in the Ksan area of Lumthari village in Meghalaya's East Jaintia Hills district since December 13, after water from the nearby Lytein river gushed into it. The IAF helicopter transporting sophisticated diving equipment of the Navy landed at a football ground here. The machines are to be shortly transported to the accident site, 37 km from here, Superintendent of Police (SP) Sylvester Nongtynger told PTI. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is coordinating the rescue operations with the help of Navy, the NDMA and Coal India Ltd, he said. The Navy divers are likely to go inside the vertical shaft of the rat-hole coal mine Sunday, the SP said. "The Navy divers have reported that they have the capacity to go a depth of 100 feet, whereas the NDRF divers can go to a depth of 30 feet," he said. A ...
Jet bridge collapses at Baltimore airport, 6 injured
Six people were injured after a jet bridge collapsed at the Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) here on Saturday (local time)."Partial equipment failure involving jet bridge at #BWI Gate E-10. BWI Fire & Rescue Dept responded, along w/ mutual aid. Preliminary info indicates 6 individuals transported to local hospitals w/ non-life-threatening injuries," the airport tweeted.An investigation into the incident is underway while the jet bridge has been closed temporarily."The jet bridge will remain closed until the investigation is complete. Aircraft moved from the gate. No further impact to operations," the airport added.The airport is situated 9 miles south of downtown Baltimore and is around 30 miles away from Washington.
Philippine storm death toll rises to 22
At least 22 people died from a storm that swept through the central Philippine islands at the weekend, authorities said Sunday, with rescue operations under way in flood-inundated communities. The death toll rose from four a day after the storm brought heavy rain to the Bicol and Eastern Visayas regions, causing massive flooding and landslides, the government's office of civil defence said. Many of the deaths were due to landslides and drowning, it added, saying floods had yet to recede even as the weather disturbance known locally as "Usman" weakened into a low pressure area. "Most of the (affected) areas are underwater. We are sending troops and rubber boats to rescue families. In some areas the floods have reached the roofs of homes," Claudio Yucot, head of the Bicol region's office of civil defence, told AFP. At least 16 people died in Bicol while six others were killed in Eastern Visayas, civil defence officials said. More than 22,000 people fled their homes ahead of the storm, ..
Majority of museums in India at risk of suffering grave damage in case of fire: Global expert
A majority of museums and cultural repositories in India stand at risk of suffering "grave damage" in the event of a major fire, an international expert has cautioned and suggested that a disaster management plan should be properly implemented by these institutions. Vinod Daniel, an India-born Australian and a top museum specialist, said the fire at the National Museum of Brazil, in which a massive collection of it was destroyed, holds valuable lessons for developing countries, including India. "The fire in Brazil this year and the one which gutted the National Museum of Natural History in Delhi in 2016, should serve as grim reminders about the perils our invaluable treasures face, due to lack of or inadequacy of a disaster management plan, particularly against fire incidents," he said. The 56-year-old, who is also a board member of Paris-based International Council of Museums (ICOM), said, museums in India should immediately do a risk management exercise. "Once they conduct the ...
Two new NDRF battalions for Northeast
Two new battalions of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) with approximately 2,000 personnel will be coming up in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh soon. Union minister of state for home Kiren Rijiju said the battalion headquarters are being set up at Hallongi in Arunachal Pradesh and at Sarangi in Assam. "It was a happy occasion for the North-East as the foundation for establishment of 12th and 1st battalion headquarters of the NDRF were laid at Hollongi in Arunachal Pradesh & Sarangi at near Guwahati," he said. The foundation stone at the Arunachal Pradesh event was laid by Chief Minister Pema Khandu and the Assam event by the state's Chief Minister Sarbanand Sonowal on Saturday. "It has been possible due to the special efforts by the Ministry of Home Affairs," Rijiju said. Speaking on the occasion, Sonowal said the NDRF has always been playing a stellar role during natural calamity in the spheres of disaster management in the country and people depend on their services during
Bali volcano shoots new burst of ash; flights unaffected
A volcano on Indonesia's tourist island of Bali has shot a new burst of hot ash into the air. The Volcanology and Geological Mitigation agency says Mount Agung erupted for about three minutes Sunday, spewing white clouds of smoke and ash more than 700 meters (2,300 feet) into the air. The eruption of the 3,030-meter (9,940-foot) volcano didn't cause more evacuations, and its alert status remains at the second-highest level. Scientists are warning tourists to stay away from the danger zone in a 4-kilometer (2.5-mile) radius from the crater. A spokesman at Ngurah Rai International Airport, Arie Ahsanurrohim, says flights are operating normally. Sunday's eruption comes after Mount Anak Krakatau, a volcanic island in the Sunda Straits, erupted and collapsed last weekend, triggering a deadly tsunami that killed 431 people.
Anak Krakatau reduced to quarter of its original size
The volcanic Mount Anak Krakatau, also known as the 'angry child of Krakatoa', which had triggered a devastating tsunami striking the Sunda Strait here on the night of December 22, has reduced to a quarter of its size, Indonesia's Centre for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation confirmed.The Anak Krakatoa that had a height measuring 338 metres is now only 110 metres tall. It has also recorded reduction in its volume by of 40-70 million cubic metres after losing 150-180 million cubic metres since the eruption of December 22, AL Jazeera reported.In addition to this, according to CNN, further eruptions from December 24 to 27 had reportedly led to a loss in the volume by 150 million to 180 million cubic meters of the volcano. The eruption on December 22 caused a chunk of Anak Krakatau to slide into the Indian Ocean.The Indonesian National Board for Disaster Management (BNPB) had affirmed that the deadly tsunami, occurred as a result of underwater landslide and the collapse of ...
Air quality is likely to remain 'poor' in Delhi
With the dip in mercury in the national capital, along with a foggy weather, air quality was recorded in 'extremely poor' category on Saturday with major pollutants PM 2.5 at 260 in Lodhi Road area, according to the Air Quality Index (AQI) data.The AQI data also revealed that air quality is likely to remain in 'poor' category in Delhi and NCR regions like Ghaziabad. The levels of Ozone would remain at 29 and Nitrogen Oxide at 69 with major pollutants PM 10 at 261 on Sunday.The air quality was recorded moderate in the morning, however, it turned worst by evening. Notably, Delhi's air quality has been ranging from poor to severe categories for the last two weeks.Further, some delays in train and flight operations were reported in the past two days due to poor visibility.Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA) Chairperson Bhure Lal on Wednesday told ANI that there will be an improvement in the air quality in coming days.According to System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting ..
One killed, 10 injured after cranes collide at Kakinada Port
One died and 10 labourers were injured after two offshore cranes collided at Kakinada Deep Water Port in Andhra Pradesh on Saturday, confirmed police.Kakinada police informed ANI that one electrician named Lakshmana Rao lost his life in the hospital and six labourers are still undergoing treatment. However, some more are feared to be trapped under the debris."The incident occurred after two offshore cranes collided while workers were repairing the damage caused to the ships when Cyclone 'Phethai' hit the Kakinada coast on December 17. The labourers were taken to a nearby hospital," police added.Meanwhile, the government of Andhra Pradesh has ordered Kakinada Sea Port Ltd (KSPL) to pay compensation to the bereaved and injured in the accident. The govt directed KSPL to pay Rs 15 lakh each to the family of the bereaved, and Rs 2 lakh each to the injured labourers.Further, the government has asked to provide the best medical services to the injured and ordered the KSPL to reimburse them ..
US winter storms kill seven: Media
Parts of the US were digging out Saturday from winter storms that media reports said led to at least seven deaths, while warmer regions braced for potential flooding during the New Year's travel period. Hardest hit were parts of the northern Plains, the upper Midwest, and a southwestern region from Arizona to western Texas. As storm clouds moved east, they were set to bring heavy rain and probably flooding to the Gulf Coast, and both rain and freezing rain to New England. Flight tracker FlightAware reported more than 129 flight cancellations and 1,006 delays Saturday -- down from more than 500 cancellations and 5,700 delays on Friday -- as the winter storm hit north-central and Midwestern states with up to 12 inches (30 centimetres) of snow. In the southwestern state of New Mexico, forecasters called for up to 18 inches, with temperatures far below normal, the National Weather Service (NWS) said. Southeastern states braced for a deluge of rain, and millions in the South were warned of
Flights suspended at Hanover airport after car on runway
Airport traffic was suspended at Hanover airport on Saturday after a car crashed through a barrier onto the runway, police said. "A security incident occurred at Hanover airport around 15h40 (14H40 GMT). A man broke through a barrier in a car which went onto the runway," Hanover police said on Twitter. The man, whose car was registered in Poland, was quickly arrested and is being questioned. Check-in for some flights remained suspended as of 1830 GMT while police investigated. Part of terminal A was closed but the two other terminals were open, police told German news agency DPA. Incoming flights were being diverted to other airports.
Midair shocker, passenger strips on plane
The Aircraft crew swung into action and wrapped him in a blanket, sources in the airline told ANI.Two crew members held him and kept him seated as the flight kept moving, they said.The provocation for such an act by the passenger was not clear.The incident occurred on flight IX-194, which had over 150 passengers on board.The flight landed at Lucknow airport at 12.05 hours and the nude passenger was handed over to the security."As per the direction of the Captain of the flight, the passenger was handed over to Airlines Security at Lucknow Airport where investigation is underway," Air India Express spokesman told ANI.The same flight later departed from Lucknow to Dubai at 1405 hrs on Saturday.
Rescue team to go inside Meghalaya mine again on Sunday
Divers from the Navy and the NDRF went inside the flooded Meghalaya mine on Saturday to conduct a recce and measure the level of accumulated water as part of the rescue operation of the 15 trapped miners. The water level is estimated to be more than 77-80 feet in the vertical shaft of the rat-hole coal mine in East Jaintia Hills district, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Assistant Commandant Santosh Kumar Singh told PTI. "The Navy divers and I went down inside the mine and preparatory exercises were conducted. I hope that all the rescue agencies will begin the operations at the first ray of light tomorrow," Singh said. The operation could not proceed further due to technical issues concerning manpower and machineries, district officials said. The 15-member Navy team, equipped with specialised diving equipment, arrived at the site in the remote Lumthari village on Saturday. District officials said that the Odisha Fire and Emergency Services would press their 10 high-powered ...
Cyprus rescues five crew after explosion on oil tanker
Cyprus police rescued five injured crew from the water following an explosion on a Maltese-flagged oil tanker off the island's south coast on Saturday, authorities said. Two Indian crew were taken to the capital Nicosia for treatment for burns of between 30 and 70 percent, the head of the Cyprus Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC), Andreas Charalambides, told reporters. The other three, all Greek citizens, had symptoms of hypothermia and were briefly hospitalised in the island's main port of Limassol before being discharged, he said. The remaining crew managed to put out the fire but the Athlos tanker was listing some 200 metres (yards) off the fishing village of Zygi, the JRCC said. The ship was carrying around 100 tonnes of fuel for its own use but the rescue centre scrambled boats to contain any oil spill. There was no other dangerous cargo on board. The Athlos had been headed from the island to Greece with a crew of 17 -- one Georgian, seven Greeks and nine Indians.
Congress demands legalising coal mining in Meghalaya
The Opposition Congress in Meghalaya has urged the state government to take steps for legalising coal mining, alleging "rampant" unlawful mining activities in the region. The demand comes following the coal mine disaster in Meghalaya in which 15 people are still trapped in a flooded illegal rat-hole mine at Lumthari village in East Jaintia Hills district since December 13. "Why the state government is not taking up the matter of regularising coal mining in the state with the Centre? Legalising mining and strong regulations to surround the activity is the only way out," senior Congress leader Ampareen Lyngdoh said. Lyngdoh had on Friday led a six-member opposition team to the accident site and made recommendations to the state government for rescue efforts. "Fresh coal dumps are seen on both sides of the road from Khliehriat till Lumthari. This is evident of the rampant illegal mining that is still going on in the state," she alleged. "It seems lawlessness is becoming ...
China launches seven satellites
China successfully launched six atmospheric environment research satellites and a communication satellite on Saturday, state media reported. The satellites were launched by a Long March-2D rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. The six Yunhai-2 satellites will be used to study atmospheric environment, monitor space environment, prevent and reduce disasters, and conduct scientific experiments, the agency reported.
Navy divers get into rescue action at Meghalaya mine disaster site
A group of Indian Navy divers arrived from Vishakhapatnam Saturday to join operations underway to rescue 15 miners trapped in a flooded rat-hole coal mine in Meghalaya since December 13, a senior official said. The 15-member team, equipped with specialised diving equipment including a re-compression chamber and remotely operated vehicles capable of searching underwater, went straightway to the mine site in the remote Lumthari village in East Jaintia Hills district. They were thoroughly briefed by the NDRF personnel, who were supervising the entire rescue operations since their arrival on December 14, a senior official of the East Jaintia Hills district said. A team of rescuers with 10 high-powered Kirloskar pumps has also reached the spot from Bhubaneshwar, District Superintendent of Police Sylvester Nongtynger told PTI. The mechanical teams are doing the preparatory works and the pumps are expected to begin operations any time now, the SP added. Another 8 high powered pumps ...