Page 339 - Disaster Accident
UN: 20 million Yemenis are hungry, 250,000 face catastrophe
Twenty million people in war-torn Yemen are hungry a staggering 70 per cent of the population and a 15 per cent increase from last year and for the first time 250,000 are facing "catastrophe," the U.N. humanitarian chief said Monday. Mark Lowcock, who recently returned from Yemen, told reporters there has been "a significant, dramatic deterioration" of the humanitarian situation in the country and "it's alarming." He said that for the first time, 250,000 Yemenis are in Phase 5 on the global scale for classifying the severity and magnitude of food insecurity and malnutrition the severest level, defined as people facing "starvation, death and destitution." Lowcock, the U.N. undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs, said those 250,000 Yemenis facing "catastrophe" are overwhelmingly concentrated in four provinces "where the conflict is raging quite intensely" Taiz, Saada, Hajja and Hodeida. The only other country where anyone is in Phase 5 is South Sudan, with 25,000 people ...
Three drown as boat capsizes in Yamuna river in Allahabad
Three persons were drowned in the Yamuna river here on Monday evening as their boat capsized, police said.
Allahabad: 3 dead, 5 missing as boat capsizes in Yamuna
Three women died and five others are missing after a boat capsized in the Yamuna river here on Monday evening, police said. The incident occurred near Kydganj area of the Uttar Pradesh city at around 6.30 pm. Six people have been rescued and a rescue operation is on for the five missing people, the police said. Twelve people from Maharashtra were on the boat, along with the boatman and a priest. They came to Allahabad to immerse the ashes of a person, the police said. According to the rescued people, the boat had developed a leak and water had seeped in, an official said. The deceased have been identified as Radha Bai, Laxmi Bai, Bagha Bai, aged 55-60. The rescued have been admitted to a hospital, the official said. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed condolences over the incident and directed that the NDRF and the SDRF teams be deployed for the rescue efforts.
Prayagraj: 5 missing, 3 critical after boat capsizes in Yamuna river
Three persons were critical and five others went missing after a boat carrying 14 people capsized in river Yamuna here earlier today.Reportedly, nine people have been rescued.The critically injured people have been admitted to nearby hospitals.Search and rescue operation is underway.Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has taken cognizance of the incident and has ordered for deployment of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF). The state disaster response force (SDRF) has also been pressed into action for the rescue operationMore details awaited.
HAL's light utility helicopter achieves important milestone
The Light Utility Helicopter to replace the aging Cheetah and Chetak helicopters achieved an important milestone of flying at 6 km altitude in Bengaluru recently, the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited said Monday. The helicopter was flown by chief test pilot Wg Cdr (Retd) Unni K Pillai and test pilot, Wg Cdr (Retd) Anil Bhambhani, an HAL statement said. Exuding confidence that the LUH was fit to undertake high altitude cold weather trials planned in January 2019, HAL said "the flight was carried out under the envelope expansion tests and flying at 6 km altitude is a critical requirement towards the certification of LUH. The helicopter exhibited satisfactory performance and handling qualities." The LUH is a 3-ton class new generation helicopter designed and developed by the HAL's Rotary Wing Research and Design Center (RWR&DC). The First flight of LUH PT-1 was carried out on September 6, 2016 and the second prototype flew on May 22, 2017, HAL said, adding, it has, in ...
HP CM's security officer dies in road accident
A Himachal Pradesh Police sub-inspector, who was deployed in the chief minister's security, died in a road accident in Solan district on Monday, police said. Brij Bhushan Dutta, 54, died when his car collided with an army vehicle on the Kalka-Shimla national highway near Dharampur town. Dutta is survived by his mother, wife and three daughters, the police said. An FIR has been registered and the driver of the vehicle has been booked for rash and negligent driving, the police said. Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur expressed condolences over the sub-inspector's sudden demise.
House fire kills 5 children, injures mother
Five children, including 1-year-old twins, died in a fire that swept through a house in Ohio late Sunday night, firefighters said. The only survivor was the children's mother who jumped out of a second-floor window, according to Youngstown Fire Capt. Kurt Wright. The other three children who died were ages 9, 3 and 2, he said. State and local investigators were just beginning to search for a cause of the deadly blaze. Fire officials said so far, there's nothing that indicates the fire was suspicious. Most of the damage was on the home's first floor, leading investigators to believe that's where the fire started, Wright said. Deborah Rivera, who lives across the street, told the Youngstown Vindicator she heard a loud boom and called 911. Her boyfriend, Justin Viera, said flames were shooting out of the first-floor windows. Neighbours told WFMJ-TV the family had just moved into the house about six months ago. The two-story wood home was built more than 90 years ago. "We have a ...
FSSAI to hold event on healthy eating habits
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) will organise the first 'National Eat Right Mela' here from December 14-16, aimed at making people aware of safe and healthy eating habits, the food regulator said on Monday.
Oil thieves cause damaging spill in Brazilian river
Thieves who broke into a pipeline near Rio de Janeiro to steal oil caused a four-kilometer spill of crude in waterways that is damaging mangroves and wildlife, the company and a Brazilian biologist said Monday. Transpetro, a pipeline subsidiary of state oil company Petrobras, said it was "a victim of criminal acts through the stealing of oil and derivatives" and was cooperating with authorities in their investigations. It said 60,000 litres (16,000 gallons) of oil had leaked since Saturday into Estrela River feeding into Rio's Guanabara Bay. Transpetro said it repaired the pipeline and mobilised 400 people in response, and by early Monday it had cleared 75 per cent of the spill. Mauro Moscatelli, a biologist who has long pressed authorities to better protect Rio's environment, said that while the scale of the spill was "medium" it would be "very serious" for flora and fauna. "The big problem is when oil enters into the soil of the mangrove forests which are extremely important for ...
Pilot reports bird hit while landing at NSCBI Airport
The pilot of a US-Bangla Airlines flight from Dhaka to Kolkata reported a bird hit while landing at the NSCBI Airport here Monday, Airports Authority of India (AAI) officials said. The The Dhaka-Kolkata flight BS 201, with 163 passengers and seven crew on board, landed safely at the airport around 10.20 am, they said. "After landing, an inspection was carried out and no damage to the aircraft was found," an AAI spokesperson at Kolkata said. The return flight to Dhaka departed at 12.05 pm, the spokesperson added.
Guj: 4 dead, 25 injured as bus falls off bridge in Bhavnagar
Four persons were Monday killed and 25 injured when their bus fell from a bridge near Chamardi village in Gujarat's Bhavnagar district, some 170 kilometres from here, police said. The private bus was on its way from Bhavnagar to Vallabhipur when it fell about 10-12 feet from a minor bridge on the state highway in the evening, police said, adding that preliminary probe suggests the driver lost control. A Vallabhipur police official identified the dead as Pravinsinh Gohil (50), Karansinh Gohil (58), Nagjibhai Gohil (65) and Dileep Kandoliya (32). He added that around 25 people who were injured in the accident were rushed to a government hospital in Bhavnagar.
5 killed as SUV hits pickup vehicle in Haryana
Five people were killed when an SUV collided head-on with a pickup vehicle in Haryana's Rewari district, police said Monday. The accident occurred near Saharanwas village late on Sunday evening, Rampura Station House Officer (SHO) Vidya Sagar said. The driver of the SUV apparently lost control of it, which jumped the road divider and rammed into the pickup vehicle coming from the other side of the road, the officer said. Of the three people travelling in the pickup vehicle, two died and one was injured. Three persons travelling in the SUV were killed and one was injured, the officer said. The deceased included a lecturer, an advocate and a village head, the officer added.
LUH clears 6 kms altitude flight, looks for high-altitude cold weather trials
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited-developed Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) has achieved an important milestone of flying at 6 km altitude. The chopper was flown by Chief Test Pilot Wg Cdr. (Retd) Unni K. Pillai and Test Pilot, Wing Cdr (Retd) Anil Bhambhani.According to HAL, the flight was carried out under the envelope expansion tests and flying at 6 km altitude was a critical requirement towards the certification of LUH. The helicopter exhibited satisfactory performance and handling qualities. With the completion of this milestone, LUH can now undertake high altitude cold weather trials planned in January 2019, HAL said in a statement.The LUH is a 3-ton class new generation helicopter designed and developed by Rotary Wing Research and Design Center (RWR&DC) of HAL to replace the ageing Cheetah and Chetak helicopters used by Indian Armed Forces. First flight of LUH PT-1 was carried on September 6, 2016 and the second Prototype flew on May 22, 2017. HAL has in principal order for 187
HAL test flies light copter up to 6km altitude
State-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) has test flown a prototype of its Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) up to 6km altitude, the defence behemoth said on Monday.
Sarpanch among five killed in road accident in Haryana
Five people, including a sarpanch and a lawyer, were killed and one critically injured in a road accident on Monday in Rewari, 60 km from here, police said.
Mughal Road closes after fresh snowfall in Kashmir
The Mughal Road, connecting Jammu's Poonch and Rajouri districts with South Kashmir's Shopian, was closed for vehicular traffic Monday after higher reaches of Kashmir received fresh snowfall, officials said. Higher reaches of Kashmir received fresh snowfall this morning while some areas in plains received intermittent rains, forcing the closure of several vital road-links, including the Srinagar-Leh National Highway. The Mughal Road was closed for vehicular traffic as a precautionary measure after the snowfall in Pir Ki Gali and other areas, they said. The commuters had been directed to avoid avalanche-prone areas along the road to avoid any untoward incident, they added. Traffic on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was smooth despite snowfall in Patnitop, Batote and Banihal since Monday morning, officials said. Light motor vehicles are able to move from both sides on the 300-km highway slowly, they said, adding heavy vehicles have been restricted to only one-way. The weatherman has
South Sudan to begin Ebola vaccinations as 'very high risk'
The World Health Organisation says Ebola vaccinations soon will begin in South Sudan as the country is at "very high risk" in the current outbreak based in neighbouring Congo. A statement says South Sudan's health ministry will begin vaccinating some health workers and other frontline workers in the capital, Juba, on December 19. No Ebola cases have been reported in South Sudan or any of Congo's neighbours in this outbreak, which is now the second-deadliest in history. Vaccinations began earlier in Uganda. More than 40,000 people have received the experimental but promising Ebola vaccine in this outbreak. The WHO statement says more than 2,000 doses have been allocated to South Sudan. Congo's health ministry says this outbreak has almost reached 500 cases: 494, including 446 confirmed with 235 confirmed deaths.
S Korea cab driver burns himself to death in carpool protest
A South Korean taxi driver burned himself to death on Monday in protest at an Uber-like ride-sharing service being introduced by the country's largest mobile chat app, reports said. South Korean taxi drivers have angrily protested against the car-pooling service created by KakaoTalk, saying it would threaten their jobs and livelihoods. US giant Uber has only a minimal presence in the country, offering only taxi- and licensed-hire vehicle hailing after closing its main ride-sharing service in 2015 in the face of an extensive backlash from drivers. But Kakao is used by more than 80 per cent of South Koreans, and in recent months tens of thousands of taxi drivers have held mass rallies in Seoul to condemn its upcoming car-pooling service, which is due to launch next week. The 57-year-old driver, surnamed Choi, set himself alight in front of the national parliament in Seoul after complaining about the carpooling service, according to the police and Yonhap news agency. Choi had told ...
Aircraft hit by bird while landing in Kolkata
A US-Bangla Airlines flight from Dhaka to Kolkata was on Monday reportedly hit by a bird while landing at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport here, airport officials said.
Crops damaged in Jharkhand due to drought
A Central team that visited Jharkhand has confirmed that the standing crops have been damaged due to drought, a state official said here on Monday.