Page 320 - Disaster Accident

Thousands evacuated after 5.8-magnitude quake hits Tibet

More than 2,100 people were evacuated on Monday after a 5.8-magnitude earthquake jolted China's Tibet Autonomous Region. No casualty has been reported so far in the quake which hit the Xaitongmoin County in the city of Xigaze at 3:32 am (local time). The quake struck at a depth of 8 km, according to the China Earthquake Networks Centre. Investigators have found cracks in some rural houses and damage on some live-stock sheds in the county, according to the county's publicity department. The local authorities have prepared tents, quilts, coats and medical supplies for the affected people. Traffic and telecommunications in the region have remained undisturbed, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

India stands by tsunami-hit Indonesia, says Swaraj

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj Monday expressed grief over the loss of life in a volcano-triggered tsunami in Indonesia and said India stands by Indonesians in this hour of grief. On Sunday, a powerful tsunami hit Indonesia, known for its thousands of islands stretching from the Andaman Sea to Indian Ocean and South China Sea, killing at least 281 people and injuring thousands. "My deepest condolences to the families of victims who lost their lives in the Tsunami that struck the coast of Sunda Straits in Indonesia. Our prayers are with them as we stand by our Indonesian brothers in this hour of grief @Menlu_RI," Swaraj tweeted tagging the foreign ministry of Indonesia -- Menteri Luar Negeri. In October, when a deadly tsunami hit Indonesia India had pressed its Air Force and Navy for rescue and humanitarian work.

Sydney apartment high-rise evacuated after 'cracking' heard

A 33-story apartment high-rise near central Sydney was evacuated Monday after residents reported hearing cracking noises. More than 140 residents of the Opal Tower in Sydney's Olympic Park were forced from their homes along with occupants of nearby houses. Train stations and roads near the building were closed while New South Wales state fire and rescue personnel assessed the structural integrity of the building. Aerial footage showed firefighters setting up tents around the building and redirecting pedestrians. New South Wales police said in a statement that several residents left the building in the morning after hearing "cracking noises." The tower was completed in August and has 392 apartments, a retail area and a childcare center. Water and gas services were shut off and the tower was being isolated from the power grid, Fire and Rescue Acting Inspector Greg Wright said. Meriton, the operator of the neighbouring building, said in an email to residents that there was "potential for

Over 2,000 evacuated as 5.8 quake strikes Tibet

More than 2,100 people were evacuated after a 5.8-magnitude earthquake jolted Xigaze city in Tibet autonomous region early on Monday, authorities said. No casualties were reported.

Operation to rescue trapped miners temporarily suspended: DC

Authorities in Meghalaya's East Jaintia Hills district on Monday temporarily suspended operations to rescue 15 miners trapped in a 370-foot-deep illegal coal mine in Ksan area of Lumthari village since December 13. The exercise will resume once more powerful pumps are made available to district authorities, district Deputy Commissioner, F M Dopth, told PTI. The miners were trapped in the illegal pit after water from nearby Lytein River gushed into the mine. About 20 miners on December 13 entered the quarry owned by Krip Chullet. After reaching the bottom of the pit, they entered horizontal manholes, often termed as 'rat-holes', as each just about fits one person. Five persons were able to climb out of the flooded mine, leaving the others behind. "We have temporarily suspended pumping of water out of the mine as the exercise did not yield any positive result. The water level has not subsided," Dopth said. NDRF assistant commandant S K Singh said the current water level in the mine

ITBP personnel killed, 24 injured as bus falls into gorge in J-K's Ramban

An Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel was killed and 34 others were injured Monday when a bus carrying them skidded off the road and fell into a gorge along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, police said. Five of the injured ITBP personnel are in a critical condition, a police officer said. The vehicle was part of a Jammu-bound convoy and the accident occurred near Khuni Nallah in Ramban district around 8.45 am, a police officer said. Trees prevented the bus from falling further down in the gorge, the officer said. He said an ITBP personnel identified as Mohammad Ali was killed while 34 others, including civilian driver and conductor, were rescued in an injured condition and shifted to district hospital Ramban. He said the ITBP column was deployed in Budgam district of central Kashmir in connection with the recently held panchayat polls and the personnel were returning to their base outside the state when the accident occurred.

4 charred to death in Mumbai

Four persons, who were killed in a massive blaze that engulfed a garment factory in Kandivali slum area here, their bodies were recovered early on Monday, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Disaster Control officials said.

8 killed in Haryana pileup due to fog

Eight persons, including seven women, were killed in a vehicle pileup due to dense fog on the Rohtak-Rewari highway in Haryana on Monday, police said.

Hunt for survivors as Indonesian tsunami death toll tops 280

Indonesian rescuers raced to find survivors Monday after a volcano-triggered tsunami killed at least 281 people, with experts warning the devastated region could be slammed by more deadly waves. Rescue teams used their bare hands, diggers and other heavy equipment to haul debris from the stricken area around the Sunda Strait, as thousands were evacuated to higher ground. The powerful tsunami struck without any warning on Saturday night, sweeping over popular beaches of southern Sumatra and the western tip of Java and inundating tourist hotels and coastal settlements. More than 1,000 people were injured and the death toll "will continue to rise", said disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho. Hundreds of buildings were destroyed by the wave that left a tangled mess of corrugated steel roofing, timber and rubble at Carita beach, a popular spot for day-trippers on the west coast of Java. Beachside cottages at one resort were flattened while the dining room's mud-caked floor was ...

7 killed in vehicle pileup caused by dense fog in Haryana's Jhajjar

Seven people were killed on Monday as their car collided with a truck in Haryana's Jhajjar district, leading to a massive pileup involving several vehicles, police said. The accident took place on the Jhajjar bypass here in the morning, resulting in a pileup as multiple vehicles rammed into each other due to reduced visibility caused by dense fog in the area, they said. The victims were travelling in a jeep, officials said. "As the cruiser jeep was involved in an accident with a truck, other vehicles which were close behind also rammed into each other. The visibility was poor due to dense fog," a Jhajjar police official said.

Australia to beef up technology for drone 'crackdown'

Australia will introduce new surveillance technology for a "crackdown" on drones next year, aviation authorities said Monday, as concerns mount over their increasing prevalence in public areas. Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) plans to roll out new monitoring equipment at major airports across the country next month. The technology has the ability to identify a drone, its serial number and the location of the controller while in flight, CASA communications manager Peter Gibson told AFP. "We can identify therefore who is flying it," he said. The technology, coupled with new registration requirements, will "dramatically" change the way rules relating to drones are enforced, Gibson added. "2019 will be a drone safety crackdown," he said. While the new equipment has been in planning for some time, the incident last week at London's Gatwick airport - which saw nearly 140,000 passengers affected by three days of disruption after reports of drone sightings - "highlights ...

IIT Kharagpur's city-level maps to help cut damage from earthquakes

Scientists at IIT Kharagpur are developing detailed city-level maps that can help identify areas likely to experience maximum damage in the event of an earthquake. The research will help state governments quickly identify areas with high hazard risk and send in rescue and relief teams when a disaster strikes, without losing precious time manually surveying the affected region. "Saving time during a disaster is important, because time is life," said Professor Sankar Kumar Nath from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur, West Bengal. Nath presented his research, which he says encompasses 25 years of his work, at the 16th Symposium on Earthquake Engineering organised at IIT Roorkee, Uttarakhand in collaboration with the Indian society of Earthquake Technology. Seismic microzoning is a technique that involves mapping the different factors such as plate tectonics, soil quality, ground motion equations, topography, type of buildings etc to understand which areas within a city may ..

Four die in cloth godown fire in Mumbai

Four men were charred to death in a fire that gutted a cloth godown in suburban Kandivli here Sunday, a civic official said Monday. The blaze was reported in the facility, located in Damu Nagar near MIDC bus stop, at around 4 pm Sunday, said an official from the Disaster Management Unit of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). "Four casualties were recovered from debris of the godown by fire personnel who were conduction fire fighting operations at the spot by 5 AM Monday", he said. They were taken to Shatabdi Hospital in Kandivli, where doctors declared them brought dead, he said. The cause of the blaze is under investigation. The official said fire personnel are conducting search operations at the storeroom premises. When asked about the identity of the deceased, the official said prima facie they are workers but it is yet to be confirmed.

4 charred to death in Mumbai fire

At least four people have died in a fire that broke out at a cloth factory in Mumbai's Damu Nagar.The Level-2 fire erupted near MIDC bus stop in Kandivali (East) on Sunday. Several people were also injured in the incident.Four fire tenders were immediately rushed to the spot to douse the flame and carry out the rescue operation.

Linking Kerala floods to anthropogenic climate change 'difficult', finds a study

Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 24 (IANS/Mongabay) Is the devastating 2018 flood in Kerala linked to climate change? Based on a study that does not find any long-term increase in the mean or heavy monsoon rainfall in the state, researchers argue that attributing the event to climate change can be "difficult".

1 ITBP personnel dead, 24 injured in J-K bus accident

An Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel was killed and 24 others sustained injuries after a bus they were travelling in plunged into a deep gorge near Khooni Nala area on Jammu-Srinagar highway in Ramban district on Monday.The injured passengers have been rushed to Ramban district hospital for treatment, while those who were critically injured are being evacuated to Jammu via chopper."We have rescued 24 persons with injuries and one has been killed. We are evacuating seriously injured to Jammu via chopper. 35 persons were travelling in the bus," said Ramban Deputy Commissioner Showkat Aijaz.The cause of the accident is yet to be ascertained.Further details are awaited.

Indonesian tsunami toll rises to 281 amid fresh warnings issued

Indonesian authorities have confirmed the death of at least 281 people in the devastating tsunami that hit the Sunda Strait in the western part of the archipelago on Saturday night, which also left 1,016 injured. Emergency teams on Monday resumed rescue efforts.

Coal sector: journey begins from monopoly to competition

By opening the door to private players for commercial mining, the coal sector this year witnessed its biggest reform in over four decades. However, it may still take some five-seven years before coal blocks are auctioned and results become visible as exploration and mine development for actual production of private commercial mines begin, say people associated with the coal sector. But, this has not deterred the management of Coal India to sensitise its employees about the looming threat that the private sector poses in the long run. The world's biggest coal miner has asked its staff to pull up their socks and embrace the new challenges facing them. Former Coal India chairman Partha Bhattacharyya observed that revenue maximisation should not be the only focus of the auction methodology and mining experience and core competence should get more weightage in the bidding process. He emphasised that in order to attract large domestic and global miners it is important to offer larger coal ..

India condoles loss of life in Indonesian tsunami

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Monday expressed grief over the loss of life and damage caused by a tsunami that hit the coast Sunda Strait in Indonesia killing 281 people.

Trooper killed in ITBP bus accident in J&K

One Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) trooper was killed and 34 injured in a road accident on the Jammu-Srinagar highway on Monday, police said.