Page 338 - Disaster Accident
HC pulls up state for failure to implement Disaster Management Act
The Bombay High Court came down heavily on the Maharashtra government Wednesday for failing to implement scrupulously the provisions of the Disaster Management Act, 2005. A division bench of justices A S Oka and M S Sonak said it was "distressed" with the government's inaction and lethargy towards implementing provisions of the Act and setting up district disaster management authorities. "The state government quite reluctantly constituted the State Disaster Management Authority and the District Disaster Management Authorities for Mumbai city and suburban Mumbai. Even after it was constituted, these authorities are not functional or are not functioning with the seriousness they are expected to function," the court said. The bench noted that the last meeting of the state authority was held on May 29 this year and thereafter, no meetings were held. "This is quite distressing. There are serious issues like flooding of urban areas and drought in rural areas that the state is facing," the ..
Fire breaks out at furniture shop in west Delhi
A fire broke out at a furniture shop in west Delhi's Kirti Nagar on Wednesday, the Delhi Fire Service said. A call about the blaze was received at 2.50 pm and 20 fire tenders were rushed to the spot, a senior officer from Delhi Fire Service said. The fire broke out on the first, second and third floor of the furniture shop and it has been brought under control, the officer said. No casualty or injury has been reported so far, he said.
'Value of India's coal imports up 38% at Rs 1.38 lakh cr in FY18'
India's coal imports rose by 38.2 per cent to Rs 1,38,477 crore in monetary terms last fiscal, Parliament was informed on Wednesday. In quantity terms, the coal imports increased by 9.1 per cent to 208.27 million tonnes (MT) from 190.95 MT. "The value of India's coal imports have risen by 38.2 per cent to Rs 1,38,477 crore in 2017-18. However, the quantity of coal imports has increased only by 9.1 per cent from 190.95 MT to 208.27 MT," Coal and Railways Minister Piyush Goyal said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. He said upsurge in value of coal imports is primarily due to rise in international price leading to greater value increase as compared to absolute quantity increase in 2017-18. "India is deficient in coking coal and as such imports of coking coal are inevitable. In 2017-18 the value of imported coking coal grew by 44 per cent, from Rs 41,230.06 crore to Rs 59,522.63 crore," Goyal said. The minister said many thermal power stations are configured to use imported coal and as
After quakes and flooding, Japan picks 'disaster' as 2018 symbol
Japan on Wednesday selected the Chinese character for "disaster" as its "defining symbol" for 2018, a year that saw the country hit by deadly floods, earthquakes and storms. Japanese TV stations broadcast the annual announcement live, with Seihan Mori, master of the ancient Kiyomizu temple in Kyoto, writing the character on a huge white panel with an ink-soaked calligraphy brush. "Many people experienced the threat of natural disasters such as earthquakes, heavy rain, typhoons and heatwaves," the Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, which organises the event, said in a press release. At the end of every year, the general public votes for the Chinese character they think embodies the key news and events of the previous 12 months. A total of 20,858 people out of 193,214 chose the character "disaster". The country was hit by a series of natural disasters in 2018, starting with massive flooding in western regions that killed over 200 people. It was also battered by a typhoon that ...
Navy inducts deep submergence rescue vehicle
The Indian Navy Wednesday inducted the 'Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle' into service at the Western Naval Command here. Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Sunil Lanba inducted the vehicle into the Navy. "The induction of the vehicle has put the Indian Navy into a small league of world navies that have an integral submarine rescue capability," a statement issued by the defence force read. The Navy successfully concluded maiden trials of the Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle (DSRV) on October 15, it said. The vehicle can rescue as many as 14 people in one dive, a Navy official said. The DSRV carried out underwater mating with a bottomed submarine, at a depth of over 300 feet. On successful mating, the DSRV opened its hatches and the submarine hatches and carried out transfer of personnel from the submarine to the DSRV, the Navy said. These sea trials have proven the newly inducted DSRV's ability to undertake rescue operations from disabled submarines at sea and provided the Navy with a ...
Seven dead in fireworks blast at Mexico church
A massive fireworks explosion during a procession at a Mexican church killed seven people Tuesday and left some 50 wounded, authorities said. Two children aged 11 and 12 were among those killed in the accident, which occurred around dawn at the San Jose parish atrium in Tequisquiapan, some 145 kilometers (90 miles) northwest of Mexico City. Parishioners had donated the fireworks for a festival, but "something went wrong and they exploded," said Gabriel Bastarrachea, emergency response official for the state of Queretaro. A video posted on social media showed people marching toward the church in a festive procession when suddenly a giant, fiery blast sent them running and screaming. It was the latest in a string of deadly fireworks accidents in Mexico, where a thriving but dangerous cottage industry supplies a seemingly endless array of colorful explosives to celebrate holidays and festivals. At least 24 people were killed in a series of fireworks explosions last July in the town of ...
1 dead, 9 injured in France's Strasbourg shooting
At least one person was killed and nine wounded in a shooting near a Christmas market in the French city of Strasbourg on Tuesday evening, media reported.
5 dead in fireworks blast in Mexico
At least five people were killed and nine injured on Tuesday after a fireworks explosion outside a church in the central Mexican state of Queretaro, the local government said.
China introduces credit-based security check for air passengers
The airport in Shenzhen city, one of the tech hubs in China, has introduced a new system under which passengers with good safety credit scores will be able to clear security faster, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Tuesday.
Indigo flight makes emergency landing after smoke detected in cabin
An IndiGo flight operating on the Jaipur-Kolkata route made an emergency landing on Tuesday as a precaution after smoke was detected in the cabin.As per a statement released by the airline, "The flight landed safely at Kolkata. On reaching the bay a few passengers evacuated via the aft exit deployed slides, most passengers deplaned via front step ladder. There was no earlier report of any malfunction with the aeroplane."Reacting to the incident, Directorate General of Civil Aviation said, "Indigo flight 6E- 237 of Dec 10 on sector Jaipur-Kolkata, made an emergency landing at CCU due to smoke in cockpit and cabin. The flight landed safely at CCU. On request from Captain, aircraft proceeded to isolation bay. No injury to any passenger has been reported."The incident is being investigated by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau and IndiGo has been asked to submit a preliminary report after detailed technical inspection.
4 die in road accident in UP
Four men died when the car they were travelling in dashed into a roadside tree after the driver lost control over the wheels in Mau district, police said Tuesday. The deceased were identified as Ravikant Yadav (23), Uday Yadav (20), Abinendra Yadav (22) and Sandip Singh (26), they said. The four were returning from a party on Monday night when the accident happened. They died on the spot, they said. The bodies have been sent for postmortem. A case has been registered in Haldharpur police station.
US marines declared dead after aircraft collision off Japan
Five US marines missing after an air accident off Japan last week have been declared dead and the search for them has been called off, the US Marine Corps said on Tuesday.
Government agency probing Jaipur-Kolkata IndiGo flight incident
The Central government on Tuesday said that Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is probing the incident in which a Jaipur-Kolkata IndiGo flight had to make an emergency landing at Kolkata due to smoke inside the cabin and cockpit area.
Space station crew to inspect mysterious hole on spacewalk
Two Russian cosmonauts are preparing to venture outside the International Space Station to inspect a section where a mysterious leak has been discovered. The leak was spotted on August 30 in the Russian Soyuz spacecraft attached to the station. The crew quickly located and sealed the tiny hole that created a slight loss of pressure, and space officials said the station has remained safe to operate. Russian cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Sergei Prokopyev will conduct a six-hour spacewalk Wednesday to inspect the Soyuz's outer surface. They will uncover the thermal insulation covering the patched hole and take samples that would be studied by experts. Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin has previously said that the hole could have been drilled during manufacturing or while in orbit.
US Marine aircraft crash: Marines declared dead
Almost a week after two Marine planes crashed off the coast of Japan, the United States military called off the search and rescue operation, declaring five marines dead.According to Defence officials, five individuals were aboard a KC-130aircraft, while two persons were onboard an F/A 18. Two Marines were rescued, one of whom was subsequently declared dead, bringing the total death toll to six.The Washington Post quoted Lt. Gen. Eric Smith, commander of the III Marine Expeditionary Force as saying, "Every possible effort was made to recover our crew and I hope the families of these selfless Americans will find comfort in the incredible efforts made by U.S., Japanese, and Australian forces during the search."The Marine Corps stated that the circumstances of the accident are being investigated.In a statement issued by the Marine Corps, it was revealed that the aircraft was conducting regularly scheduled training. They further stated that the cause of the accident is not yet confirmed ...
Mid-air smoke forces IndiGo flight to make emergency landing in Kolkata
A Jaipur-Kolkata IndiGo flight with 136 passengers on board made an emergency landing in Kolkata after smoke engulfed the plane mid-air, prompting the government to order a probe, an official said Tuesday. However, no passengers were injured in the incident that happened on Monday, a senior DGCA official said. The pilot had to issue a 'May Day' call, made to seek help in times of distress, and the the Pratt & Whitney-powered Airbus A320 Neo plane landed at the Kolkata airport under full emergency conditions, a source said. On landing, some of the passengers were evacuated using emergency chutes, the source said. "The IndiGo aircraft VT ITR was about 45 miles off Kolkata when the smoke engulfed the aircraft. Amid the passengers' safety in danger, the pilot issued May Day and sought an emergency landing at the Kolkata airport," the source said. IndiGo confirmed the incident but said the aircraft did not face any technical issue in the past. "An IndiGo flight (A320 aircraft) .
Traffic resumes on Jammu-Srinagar highway
The traffic on Jammu-Srinagar National Highway resumed on Tuesday after day-long closure due to inclement weather, while the Mughal road and Srinagar-Leh highway remained closed for the second day owing to heavy snowfall in the high altitude areas of the state, officials said. The Jammu-Srinagar highway, the only all weather road linking Kashmir with the rest of the country, was cleared for traffic Tuesday morning, after being in precautionary suspension since Monday due to bad weather, they said. Minor landslides occurred at a few places, including Hingli-Ramsu and Sherbeebi along Ramban-Banihal stretch, during the night but were cleared by the agencies concerned, they said. The snow clearance operation was also carried out on both sides of the Jawahar Tunnel, which got over six inches of snowfall, the officials said. Over two feet of snow had accumulated on the ground in Peer Ki Gali area along the Mughal road, while heavy snowfall was also reported in Zojila pass along the ...
2 student leaders among 4 killed in UP accident
Four young men, including two student leaders, were killed early on Tuesday when their speeding vehicle rammed into a roadside tree in Mau district of Uttar Pradesh, police said.
Indonesia tsunami clue found on seabed
A scientific survey has found a clue to the tsunami that struck Indonesia in September that killed over 2,000 people, on the seabed, the media reported on Tuesday.
US military declares five missing Marines dead after Japan crash
The US military said Tuesday it had pronounced five missing Marines dead and was ending search operations nearly a week after two US military aircraft crashed off Japan. The announcement brings the final toll in the December 6 crash to six, with a seventh crew member rescued after the deadly incident. The crash involving an F/A-18 fighter jet with two crew onboard and a KC-130 refuelling tanker with five crew occurred in the early morning around 100 kilometres (55 nautical miles) off the cape of Muroto in southwestern Japan. It prompted a massive search and rescue operation, which the US military said had now been called off. "Every possible effort was made to recover our crew and I hope the families of these selfless Americans will find comfort in the incredible efforts made by US, Japanese, and Australian forces during the search," said US Marine Corps Lieutenant General Eric Smith, commanding general of the III Marine Expeditionary Force. The accident was initially reported to have