Page 313 - Disaster Accident
Rescue work on to save trapped miners in Meghalaya
The Meghalaya government on Thursday said it will not call off the rescue operation to evacuate the 15 miners trapped inside a coal pit for the last 15 days in this remote Ksan mining area in East Jaintia Hills district.
3 British tourists die in Iceland crash, 4 severely hurt
An SUV carrying seven members of a British family plunged off a high bridge Thursday in Iceland, killing three people and critically injuring the others, authorities said. Icelandic police said one child was among the dead and two were among the injured. The accident occurred about 9.30 am Thursday when the vehicle slammed through a railing on the one-lane bridge at Skeidararsandur, a vast sand plain in southern Iceland. The car landed on a rocky river bank. Police say it remains unclear what caused the British driver to lose control of the vehicle but temperatures were around freezing at the time. The accident occurred hours before this North Atlantic island saw sunrise, which hit the capital, Reykjavik, at 11:23 am. Thursday. Tour guide Adolf Erlingsson was among the first on the scene. "It was horrible," he told The Associated Press. "The car seemed to have hit the ground many meters from where it stopped. We struggled getting everyone out." Police only identified the victims as ...
Fire in Kolkata metro, 16 injured
At least 16 people were injured after an air-conditioned rake of a metro train in Kolkata caught fire on Thursday evening, however no casualties were reported in the incident, police said.
Scare in Kolkata metro as fire breaks out
Hundreds of Metro travellers on Thursday faced some scary moments as fire was reported from one of the coaches during the peak time.The incident took place between Rabindra Sadan and Maidan stations.The fire has been doused with help of fire hydrants. West Bengal Fire Service and Kolkata Police Disaster Management are present at the spot.Passengers are currently being evacuated. More details of the incident are awaited.
12-year-old boy survives avalanche that buried him for 40 minutes
A 12-year-old boy in the French Alps was found alive and uninjured after being buried under an avalanche for 40 minutes, an event his rescuers are calling a true "miracle." French police in the town of Bourg Saint-Maurice said the boy was skiing off piste at the La Plagne ski resort in a group of seven skiers Wednesday when he was swept away. The boy started going down ahead of the others and was the only one caught when a large section of snow detached and roared down the mountain, police said. He was dragged at least 100 meters (110 yards) by the force of the avalanche. Rescue workers flew in a helicopter to the avalanche scene, which was at 2,400 meters altitude. A sniffer dog found the boy, whose winter jacket was not equipped with an avalanche detector. Rescue workers described the operation as "miraculous" because they said chances of survival are minuscule after 15 minutes under the snow. Police said among the reasons the boy survived is that his airways were not blocked by ...
Two Navy officers killed in freak accident
In a freak accident, two Naval officers were killed here on Thursday after getting trapped beneath the iron shutter of the helicopter hangar.
Strong 5.5 quake rattles Venezuela before dawn; people flee
A strong earthquake jolted Venezuelans from their sleep early Thursday, forcing residents in the capital to evacuate buildings in their pajamas before sunrise. There were no immediate reports of casualties. The 5.5 magnitude quake struck just before 5 a.m. Thursday (local time) and was centered near the town of San Diego, 165 kilometers west of Caracas, the capital. It had a depth of 10 kilometers and was felt across seven states, along with a 5.0 magnitude aftershock a few minutes later. Interior Minister Nestor Reverol said there were no major damages or casualties. Photos on social media showed large cracks to some buildings and fallen walls and debris from historic facades in San Diego, a suburb of Venezuela's third-largest city, Valencia. While earthquakes are common in Venezuela, they tend to be less frequent and not as strong as those that hit elsewhere in South America like neighbouring Colombia, Chile and Peru. Daniel Salazar said she ran nervously from bed in search of her ..
Smoke in Jet Airways Mangalore bound flight, all passengers safe
Reports of smoke in Jet Airways ATR plane from Bangalore to Mangalore before takeoff from Kempegowda International Airport came into light on Thursday.All passengers were moved to a different aircraft while the plane was grounded at the airport for repair work.All passengers are safe.As per an official's statement, the delay occurred due to a technical snag."9W 713, from Bangalore to Mangalore was delayed due to a technical snag, while parked at bay, prior to departure. An alternate aircraft was immediately arranged and the flight departed with 71 guests. The airline regrets the inconvenience caused to its guests," said Jet Airways spokesperson.
NHRC notices to Health Min, TN govt over pregnant woman contracting HIV after blood transfusion
The NHRC on Friday sent notices to the Centre and the Tamil Nadu in connection with a 24-year-old pregnant woman contracting HIV allegedly after being transfused contaminated blood supplied by a blood bank which failed to conduct proper screening for the virus. The National Human Rights Commission has issued notices to the Tamil Nadu's Chief Secretary seeking a detailed report, including action taken against the guilty and relief and counselling provided to the victim, within four weeks. The woman, who was eight months pregnant with her second child, had gone for a check-up at a private clinic in Sattur in Virudhunagar district of the state, where doctors advised her to have a blood transfusion citing haemoglobin deficiency, Joint Director of Health Services, R Manoharan had said Thursday. The Commission observed that this reported painful incident has raised a serious issue, regarding safe handling of blood samples, detection of diseases like HIV and transfusion of blood as per set ..
Rescuers from pvt firm reach Meghalaya mine site; IAF, Coal India teams to reach Friday
Two teams of a private pump manufacturing company, which has volunteered to provide equipment to drain out water from the rat-hole coal mine in Meghalaya where 15 diggers have been trapped for nearly a fortnight, arrived at the site Thursday. Rescuers from the Indian Air Force and Coal India are expected to reach the mine in East Jaintia Hills district Friday. Superintendent of Police Sylvester Mongtynger said two teams from Kirloskar Brothers Ltd arrived Thursday to help in rescuing the miners trapped in the 370-foot-deep illegal mine. "We are deeply concerned about the trapped miners in Meghalaya and are ready to help in whichever way possible. We are in touch with the officials of the Government of Meghalaya to offer our assistance in this regard," Kirloskar Brothers Ltd said in a statement late Wednesday night. Indian Air Force spokesperson Ratnakar Singh said the National Disaster Management Authority has requested the IAF to airlift rescuers from Bhubaneswar to either Guwahati ..
Fire in Kolkata Metro, no casualties
Panic gripped commuters as an air-conditioned rake of a metro train in Kolkata caught fire on Thursday evening, however no casualties were reported, police said.
Airline cancellation charges can't exceed half of basic fare, Indigo worst performer : Parliamentary Committee
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture has recommended that the flight cancellation charges cannot be more than 50 percent of the basic fare.Derek O' Brien, Chairman of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture Committee asserted that airlines are charging too much."Committee has recommended that cancellation charges cannot be more than 50 percent of the basic fare. Tax and fuel surcharge collected should be refunded to passengers. Airlines are charging too much," he said on Thursday.He said that some airlines charge 8-10 times more during the festival."During festivals, some airlines charge 8-10 times more. Our strong message to airlines through the Ministry is that we can't allow such high fares to happen," he said.He said that the Committee has found out that Indigo is the worst performing airline for the consumers."Our committee is very clear that the worst performing airline for consumers is Indigo, They haven't responded ..
5.6 magnitude quake jolts Venezuela
An earthquake measuring 5.6 on the Richter Scale shook northern Venezuela on Thursday morning, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said.The temblor was recorded 4 km northeast of San Diego at around 9:24 am (UTC) at a depth of about 10 km, the agency said.According to reports, tremors were felt over 100 km from the epicentre, including the country's capital Caracas.However, no casualties or damage to property has been reported so far.Venezuela is located in the seismically active 'Pacific Ring of Fire' and is highly susceptible to tremors and destructive earthquakes.Further details in the matter are awaited.
Meghalaya mining mishap: Kirloskar Brothers offer high power pumps to drain water from mine
A major pump manufacturing company has volunteered to provide equipment to drain out water from the mine in Meghalaya, where 15 diggers have been trapped for nearly a fortnight, to facilitate resumption of the halted search and rescue operation in the rat-hole coal pit. Pumping of water out of the mine was suspended on Saturday last after there were no visible results of the water levels receding. The district authorities have also written to the state government seeking high power pumps as the two 25 hp pumps were inadequate, said NDRF Assistant Commandant S K Singh, who is heading the force in the operation. National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) on Thursday contradicted media reports which quoted it as saying the trapped minors were suspected dead on the basis of the "foul odour" the force's divers had smelt when they had gone inside the mine. A statement from the NDRF battalion based at Guwahati, which is carrying out the rescue operation, said the statement of its Assistant ...
Rahul expresses sadness over bus accident in Himachal Pradesh
Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday expressed sadness over the bus accident in Himachal Pradesh in which 35 students were injured when their bus overturned and called for immediate relief for them. Gandhi, in a Facebook post, said he was very sad to hear the news of the bus accident. "I pray to God that those who are injured get relief as soon as possible. I express my deepest sympathy with the parents of the children," he said. As many as 35 students of a computer training centre were injured when their bus overturned in Jawali sub-division of Kangra district on Thursday morning. They were on their way to Police Grounds, Dharamshala, in a private school bus to attend Modi's 'Jan Abhar Rally' being organised to mark the first anniversary of the BJP government in Himachal Pradesh.
China hijacker killed two before commandeering bus
The man who hijacked a bus and crashed it into pedestrians in east China's Fujian province had killed two others before the incident, state media reported. The hijacker, a 48-year-old identified only by his surname Qiu, killed a local official and police officer Tuesday before fleeing the scene and taking over a public bus in Longyan city, Fujian TV said Wednesday. After Qiu killed the cadre who was visiting his home, he went to a local community office where he fatally wounded a police officer using a knife hidden in his clothes, the report said. Photos taken by Fujian TV showed broken glass and a blood-splattered floor. Qiu fled the scene and hijacked a bus, which he drove into a crowd. Eight people were killed and 22 injured in the incident. Longyan police did not immediately respond to AFP's request for comment. In a video posted by Duowei news, a Chinese media outlet based in the US, several injured people were shown lying on the street near a crashed bus, its front badly ...
Karnataka CM demands Centre for immediate coal supply to Raichur Thermal Power Station
Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy met Union Coal Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday here and demanded the Centre to ensure immediate supply of coal to Raichur Thermal Power Station (RTPS). RTPS, Yermarus Thermal Power Station and Ballari Thermal Power Station are facing coal shortages for quite some time. "During the meeting, the chief minister requested him (Goyal) to allot coal blocks for RTPS, BTPS and Yaramaras plants," said an official statement issued by the Karnataka government. Kumaraswamy also requested the Centre to direct state-run Coal India and its subsidiary Western Coalfields to supply coal immediately to RTPS which has low stock. Besides coal, the chief minister also discussed a railway-related project with Goyal, who also holds the charge of the railways ministry. Kumaraswamy sought the Centre to take up construction of a new railway line from Bidar to Naded. Bidar is one of the most backward districts in the Hyderabad-Karnataka region and it also a pilgrimage ..
Songs and toys for Indonesia's disaster-zone kids
Via Sundari Octavia keeps a watchful eye on her small children as they sing and dance -- part of a trauma healing programme for kids displaced by Indonesia's deadly tsunami. Octavia was with dozens of parents lining the edge of a futsal pitch turned evacuation shelter in the town of Labuan Thursday, where relief workers played games with children to take their minds off the disaster. The 30-year-old, her husband and three children -- two sons aged three and five and a baby boy -- survived the killer wave that killed more than 400 people and left many homeless. But they have little left beyond the clothes on their back and some meagre belongings strewn on the floor. "My house was swept away by the waves," Octavia told AFP, as she sat on a tarpaulin, clothes drying on a fence behind her. "I only brought few things with me, everything else is gone." At another relief centre in hard-hit Kalianda, volunteers handed out drawings for kids to colour along with stuffed animals and other ...
Two Navy officials killed in freak accident
In a freak accident, two Naval officers were killed here on Thursday after getting trapped beneath the iron shutter of the helicopter hangar, police said.
Coal India to start rescue ops in Meghalaya coal mine
Coal India Limited (CIL) on Thursday said it is preparing to launch a rescue operation at the coal mine in Meghalaya's East Jaintia Hills to rescue the 15 trapped miners.