Page 334 - Disaster Accident
Man held for operating illegal Meghalaya mine, rescue ops on
One person was arrested for his alleged involvement in operating an illegal coal mine in the state's East Jaintia Hills district where 13 miners have been trapped and feared dead due to flooding, the police said Saturday. The accused was arrested from his home in Norman Village in the same district on Friday night, they said. "We have arrested Krip Chulet of Norman village one of the accused persons involved in illegal mining at Ksan area of Lumthari village," the Superintendent of Police (SP) of East Jaintia Hills district, Sylvester Nongtynger, told PTI. Krip was wanted by the police for causing death due to negligence and various sections of the Prevention of Damages to Public Property Act and the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, the SP said. Krip was involved in hiring labourers and overseeing the work and sending them down the 370 ft vertical shaft, a police officer said, adding that the mine was not registered and locals claimed that it had several ...
Traffic resumes on Jammu-Srinagar NH after clearance of landslide
Traffic resumed Saturday on Jammu-Srinagar national highway after remaining suspended for over five hours following a landslide near here, officials said. The landslide struck the highway at Gangroo near Ramsu around 11 am, blocking the 270-km highway and leaving hundreds of vehicles stranded. After a five-hour clearance operation, the road was reopened for traffic this evening, the officials said. Vehicle movement on the all-weather road, which is the only link between Kashmir and the rest of the country, was suspended on Wednesday after the area around Jawahar tunnel the gateway to Kashmir experienced heavy snowfall, rendering the road in an extremely slippery condition. One-way traffic on the highway resumed Friday after being closed for two days. The road closure had left over 1,800 vehicles stranded. Traffic on the highway plies alternately from the twin capitals of Srinagar and Jammu to ensure smooth movement of vehicles.
'Titli' cyclone assistance to Odisha soon: Naveen
The Centre has assured that it would release the assistance for damage inflicted by cyclone 'Titli' and subsequent flood and landslides in 17 districts of the state, chief minister Naveen Patnaik said Saturday. The assusrance was given by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh when Patnaik spoke to him over phone Saturday. "The Union Home Minister has assured Chief Minister to release the assistance immediately," a release issued by the Chief Minister's Office said. On December 13, Patnaik, in a letter to Singh, had demanded immediate release of central assistance for the devastation caused by the cyclone to Odisha. Patnaik said "Titli", which lashed Odisha in October 2018 and caused the subsequent flood and landslides, had severely affected a vast population of about 60.31 lakh in 128 blocks spread over 17 districts. The state government had earlier submitted a memorandum to the Centre seeking assistance of Rs 2,023.13 crore against total requirement of Rs 2,779.32 crore for
Landslide hits traffic on Jammu-Srinagar National Highway
A landslide on Saturday at Gangroo near Ramsu here suspended traffic on the 270-km-long Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, leaving hundreds of vehicles stranded, officials said. The landslide struck the highway along the Banihal-Ramban stretch, officials said, adding road clearance operation had been taken up to ensure early resumption of vehicle movement. "Traffic on the Jammu-Srinagar highway was stopped at around 11 am due to landlips. Road clearance operation is going on in full swing and traffic is expected to resume soon," they said. Vehicle movement on the all-weather road, which is the only link between Kashmir and the rest of the country, had been suspended on Wednesday after the area around Jawahar tunnel the gateway to Kashmir experienced heavy snowfall, rendering the road in an extremely slippery condition. One-way traffic on the highway resumed on Friday after being closed for two days. The road closure had left over 1,800 vehicles stranded. Traffic on the highway plies ..
Storm to cross coast near Kakinada, heavy rain forecast for
Coastal Andhra Pradesh and north Tamil Nadu are likely to experience rainfall in the next two days with a deep depression set to intensify into a severe cyclonic storm and make a landfall between Ongole and Kakinada in the neighbouring state on Monday. Squally winds, with a speed of 45-55 kmph gusting to 65 kmph is likely off Andhra Pradesh, north Tamil Nadu and Puducherry coasts from Saturday, a Met bulletin said. The deep depression over southeast Bay of Bengal moved further west-northwestwards and lay centred on Saturday morning over southwest and adjoining southeast Bay of Bengal. It lay about 690 km southeast of here, 890 km south-southeast of Machilipatnam in Andhra Pradesh and 440 km east-northeast of Trincomalee in Sri Lanka. "It is very likely to intensify further into a cyclonic storm during the next 24 hours (between Saturday and Sunday) and into a severe cyclonic storm in subsequent 24 hours (between Sunday and Monday morning)," it said. The system is very ...
Open trauma centre in HP's BBN area, Shimla MP urges Nadda
Asserting that lack of emergency healthcare facilities led to loss of many lives in road accidents, Shimla MP Virender Kashyap has demanded that a trauma centre be set up in Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh (BBN) industrial area of Himachal Pradesh's Solan district. During his meeting with Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda at Parliament House in New Delhi Friday, Kashyap requested him to open the trauma center in the area that falls under the Shimla parliamentary constituency and is touted as the state's largest industrial hub. In a press statement issued here Saturday, the Shimla MP said he told Nadda that 66 persons died and 196 others were injured in 168 road accidents in the area in two years. Of them, 41 died and 148 were injured in 121 road accidents in BBN area till November this year, he added. The Himachal Pradesh government has provided Rs 5.44 crore as compensation to the kin of those killed or injured in road accidents in the area, he added. According to Kashyap, the ...
Bring violators of international human rights laws to justice: India
India has called for international efforts to bring to justice those violating international human rights laws and to ensure protection of humanitarian workers in conflict situations.
UN envoy says 'robust monitoring regime' urgently needed in Yemen
UN special envoy Martin Griffiths on Friday urged the creation of a "robust and competent monitoring regime" in war-ravaged Yemen, one day after fighting parties agreed to a ceasefire at a vital port. "A robust and competent monitoring regime is not just essential. It is also urgently needed," Griffiths told the Security Council, adding that "allowing the UN the lead role in the ports is the vital first step". If implemented, the deal on Hodeida port, a key gateway for aid and food imports, could bring relief to a country where 14 million people stand on the brink of famine.
Nepal: 18 dead, 16 injured after mini-truck plunges into river
At least 18 people died while 16 others sustained injuries after a mini-truck plunged into a river from a height of approximately 400 metres in Central Nepal on Friday.The mini truck, ferrying passengers from Shikharbesi to Ghyangfedi in Nuwakot District, met with an accident at Dupcheshwor Rural Municipality, leaving 18 dead. Fatalities are expected to rise."As of now we have got the report of 18 dead and 16 injured in the accident. The accident occurred at around 5 PM in the evening and we got the information about half an hour later. The death toll is expected to rise," Bhimlal Bhattarai, DSP at the District Police Office, Nuwakot, told ANI in a telephonic conversation.The ill-fated mini-truck is said to have been carrying at least 40 people. All passengers were returning from a funeral. The exact reason for the accident is yet to be ascertained.A rescue operation is underway.
Palaniswami seeks PM Modi's intervention regarding Dam Safety Bill, 2018
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking his urgent personal intervention regarding the Dam Safety Bill, 2018.Palaniswami wrote in the letter to Prime Minister, "I seek your urgent personal intervention regarding the Dam Safety Bill, 2018. You may kindly recall that on 15.6.2018, I wrote to you not to legislate an Act on Dam Safety till such time all the States are consulted and the consensus is evolved."The Chief Minister also claimed in the letter that the Resolution passed by the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly on June 26, expressing the concerns of the people of Tamil Nadu, on the proposed Dam Safety Bill was also sent to Government of India for taking immediate action."However the serious concerns of Tamil Nadu have not been addressed at all by the Government of India and a Bill has now been introduced in the Lok Sabha without considering the views/comments of the State Governments," the letter read.On June 13,
J-K administration releases Rs 8 cr for road safety
To reduce the number of road accidents and to ensure effective traffic management in Jammu and Kashmir, the state administration has for the first time released Rs 8 crore under road safety fund, an official said Friday. According to an official spokesperson this information was given at a high-level meeting chaired by the principal secretary, transport, Asgar Hassan Samoon, and attended by the IGP Traffic, Alok Kumar, and the additional transport commissioner. The initiative is in tune with the directions of a Supreme Court-appointed committee on road safety which has called for establishment of non-lapsable road safety funds in states, he said. At the meeting, it was decided that Rs 2.5 crore would be provided for establishment of traffic and design wings in Transport Commissioner's office at Srinagar and Jammu for effective planning of traffic management in the two regions, spokesperson said. For mobile checking of pollution standards of vehicles, Rs 1 crore has been earmarked for .
Fire at Behala godown
A fire broke out at a godown of a decorator in Behala on Friday and six fire tenders were pressed into service to tame the flames, fire service department officials said. The incident took place at Bamacharan Roy Road under Behala police station. Since wooden and bamboo items were in store, the flames were huge, they said. People came out on the roads as panic spread that the fire could engulf the neighbouring residential area. However, the police said that there was no report of any injury or casualty as yet. The cause of the fire was yet to be ascertained.
Deep depression in Bay of Bengal to intensify into cyclone,
A deep depression in the Bay of Bengal was around 900 kms off Chennai and is likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm in the next 24 hours bringing rains in coastal areas of north Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Odisha, regional weather office said Friday. Addressing reporters here, Director of Area Cyclone Warning Centre S Balachandran said the deep depression lying over southeast Bay of Bengal, about 900 kms from Chennai, is likely to intensify further into a cyclonic storm during next 24 hours and into a severe cyclonic storm in subsequent 24 hours. "It is very likely to move north-northwestwards and cross Andhra Pradesh coast between Ongole and Kakinada during December 17 afternoon," he said. Rainfall of various degrees (heavy to very heavy) is likely to occur over coastal Andhra Pradesh, south Chhattisgarh and Odisha from December 15 to 17, the department said even as it warned of high speed winds gradually reaching upto 100 km per hour during the ...
Guj: newly-married woman among four killed in road accident
A newly-wed woman and three others were killed in an accident in Valsad district of Gujarat Friday, police said. The incident took place at Vaghaldhara village on Surat-Mumbai highway. While the woman, Chaitali Rana (27), died on the spot, her husband Chirag Rana (26) suffered severe injuries and was undergoing treatment. The couple had got married Thursday evening. Eight members of the Rana family including the newly married couple were travelling to Bilimora in an SUV after the marriage at Pardi town of the district, police said. "In the early hours, the driver lost control over the vehicle, and it crossed to the wrong side and collided with a truck coming from the opposite direction. Four persons died on the spot," said sub-inspector A D Gamit of Dungri police station. The other three deceased were identified as Nikunj Rana (36) who was driving the car, Yashwanti Rana (75) and Pushti Rana (2).
Strict action will be taken against illegal miners: Meghalaya CM
After 13 miners got trapped in an illegal coal mine in East Jaintia Hills yesterday, Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma on Friday asserted that strict action will be taken against the illegal miners at the right time, however, the initiative to rescue the trapped miners are underway.Reportedly, the miners got trapped in a coal pit filled with water.Stressing upon the continuous rise of illegal mining cases even after the ban imposed by the National Green Tribunal in 2014, Sangma said, "We got to know about the illegal mining incidents and appropriate action will be taken at appropriate time against people who are involved in it".Acknowledging the on-going rescue operations, which were initiated to save the miners, the Chief Minister stated: "The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team and police have started search and rescue operations and we all are very concerned about the lives of the miners.""For now, the most important thing at this time is to save the life of ...
Coast Guard on high alert following cyclone forecast for AP,
The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) here has kept on stand by its personnel and assets following the forecast that a severe cyclonic storm was likely to hit Ongole and Kakinada regions of Andhra Pradesh on December 17. It has also initiated proactive and preemptive measures to prevent the loss of lives of fishermen at sea and ensure their safe return as the regional weather office has predicted the formation of a deep depression that may transform into a severe cyclonic storm, an official release said. Ships and aircraft in the eastern seaboard, especially in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh,have been kept on stand by to provide any assistance to the states and carry out relief operations if the need arose, it said. The ICG has made necessary arrangements to inform fishermen who have ventured into the sea. Based on the information received by Coast Guard station in Chennai, two ships, Sarang and Rani Gaidinliu have been despatched to escort the fishing boats to safety. In ...
Mumbai metal loft crash kills one
One person was killed when a portion of a metal loft crashed in suburban Mumbai's Kandivali on Friday, the BMC Disaster Control said.
9 flights diverted due to fog, low visibility at Delhi airport
As many as nine flights of various airlines were diverted Friday due to low visibility and fog that engulfed the Delhi airport for about two hours in the morning, an official said. Delhi airport is CAT IIIB compliant, where flights can land in visibility as low as 50 metre. However, the diversions on Friday were on account of non-compliant aircraft and flights crew, low-fuel and ATC congestion, the Delhi airport official said. All the diversions took place between 8.30 am and 10 am, the official said, adding after that the visibility improved. As per the DGCA norms, airlines are required to deploy only CAT-IIIB compliant planes as well as trained crew for operations in dense fog during winter. Of the nine flights that were diverted out of Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), three flights each were of SpiceJet and GoAir, while two were of Air India. An IndiGo flight was also diverted during the period, the official said. He, however, did not give the details of the
Heavy rainfall, Cyclone Phethai may hit Andhra Pradesh in forthcoming days
After of the warning of Cyclone Phethai in Andhra Pradesh, the metrological department (MeT) on Friday predicted that heavy rains and thunderstorms are expected at isolated places of the state in the next two days."Heavy rainfalls are likely to occur at isolated places of Andhra Pradesh on Dec 16 and 17," stated the MeT department.Along with Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu is likely to witness incessant rainfall from Saturday.Earlier, the MeT department also confirmed that Cyclone Phethai may hit the state on Dec 17 and then move towards the North Eastern states due to upper-level heavy easterly winds.Currently, several cities in Andhra Pradesh are witnessing cloudy weather. however, with the forthcoming rains and Cyclone, the temperature of Southern India is likely to go down.
16 killed in truck accident in central Nepal
At least 16 people were killed when a mini-truck met with an accident in Nepal's Nuwakot district, 80 kms west of Kathmandu, on Friday evening. The victims died after the ill-fated vehicle rolled 500 feet down a hill, said a police officer at the Nuwakot police office. The identities of the deceased are yet to be established. The vehicle was heading for Sisiphu from Kimtang when it fell off the cliff into a river at Dupcheshwor, the police said. There were around 40-45 people travelling in the truck when the tragedy struck, said the police officer quoting eyewitnesses. The accident may have been caused due to overloading, according to preliminary investigation.