Page 340 - Disaster Accident

Plane reports bird hit while landing at NSCB Airport

A US-Bangla Airlines flight from Dhaka to Kolkata reported a bird hit while landing at the N S C Bose International Airport here Monday, airport sources said. After landing, an inspection was carried out and no damage to the aircraft was found, an Airports Authority of India (AAI) spokesperson at Kolkata said. The time of the arrival of the Dhaka-Kolkata flight number BS 201 was 10.19 am. The flight departed for Dhaka at 12.05 pm, the spokesperson added.

India's coal imports rose 10% to 156 MT during Apr-Nov: Report

India's coal imports rose 9.7 per cent to 156.08 million tonne (MT) in the April-November period of the ongoing fiscal, as against 142.25 MT in the year-ago period, according to a report by mjunction services. Coal imports in November increased 10.1 per cent to 19.47 MT, over 17.68 MT in the same period a year ago. mjunction -- a joint venture between Tata Steel and SAIL -- is a B2B e-commerce company and also publishes research reports on coal and steel verticals. "Imports during November 2018 stood at 19.47 MT (provisional)... Earlier, coal and coke imports in November 2017 stood at 17.68 MT," it said. Of the total imports last month, import of non-coking coal was at 14.24 MT, against 15.23 MT imported in October 2018. "The significant correction in thermal coal prices in November prompted buyers to take a wait and watch approach. There, however, was a stable trend in met coal market and this was reflected in the buying pattern," mjunction CEO Vinaya Varma said. The import of coking

Air quality remains 'very poor' as fog engulfs Delhi

Delhiites woke up to a thick blanket of fog on Monday morning amid falling temperatures, while the air quality in the national capital continued to be in the 'very poor' category.According to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), the overall air quality index (AQI) of the capital docked at 384. According to the forecasting agency, the fog will lift in the morning with maximum and minimum temperatures hovering around 23 degrees Celsius and 11 degree Celsius.An Air Quality Index (AQI) between 0 and 50 is considered 'good', 51 and 100 'satisfactory', 101 and 200 'moderate', 201 and 300 'poor', 301 and 400 'very poor', and 401 and 500 'hazardous'.Major pollutants, particulate matter 10 (PM 10) and particulate matter 2.5 (PM 2.5), were detected at 371 and 229, respectively, both falling in poor category.In its advisory, SAFAR has asked residents "to avoid all the outdoor physical activity and move activities indoors. Avoid prolonged or heavy exertion. ...

Hodeida 'most difficult' issue at Yemen talks: UN source

The Yemeni city of Hodeida, home to both a valuable port and frontlines, has proved the most complex issue at UN-sponsored peace talks between warring parties, a source said. Yemen's Huthi rebels seized the Red Sea city of Hodeida, a traditional conduit for 90 percent of food imports to impoverished Yemen, in a massive territorial takeover in 2014, sparking the intervention of Saudi Arabia and its allies on behalf of the government the following year. Shipments to Hodeida, including humanitarian aid, have been severely restricted by the coalition. Huthi fighters who are now ensconced in residential neighbourhoods to fight government forces. The government demands the rebels withdraw completely from the city. The Huthis have refused. "Hodeida is the most difficult of all," a UN source said, adding that progress on the port was crucial to finding a solution to the conflict. The Saudi-led alliance launched an offensive to retake densely-populated Hodeida in June, sparking fears of a ...

Libya's NOC warns of 'catastrophic' consequences if Sharara oilfield halted

TRIPOLI/BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - Libya's National Oil Corporation (NOC) warned on Sunday of "catastrophic consequences" if the El Sharara oilfield is brought to a complete halt by a tribesmen protest.

Four killed in road mishap in Mizoram

Four persons including three women were killed in a road accident in Mizoram on Sunday, police said. Five persons were travelling in a car when it met with an accident at Ngopa village near Mizoram-Manipur border, they said. Four persons were killed while one was injured in the mishap. The injured person was admitted at the Ngpa Primary Health Centre, police said Those killed in the accident were - Neihkimi (70), Nemzamawii (45), Lalramthara Hmar (61) and Demhnuni (60), they said, adding an investigation into the cause of the mishap has been launched.

Death toll in Maha truck-van collision rises to 11

The death toll in Saturday's collision between a truck and a van in Maharashtra's Chandrapur district climbed to 11 Sunday, with a 30-year-old man succumbing to his injuries in civil hospital here, the police said. The accident occurred around 9:30 pm when the van, with 14 occupants, was travelling on the Korpana-Wani road, they said. A police officer said ten people, including seven women, a three-year-old child and another minor, had died on the spot. Korpana police station Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) G A Dubey said that one of the three persons injured in the accident, Gajanan Navgare, died while undergoing treatment at the civil hospital Sunday. He said all the deceased were labourers employed at cotton ginning mills near Korpana. The tragedy struck them when they were returning to their village in Wani taluka in neighbouring Yavatmal district.

At least 5 officials dead in Sudan helicopter crash

A helicopter crashed Sunday in eastern Sudan, killing at least five local officials who were on board, state media reported. Witnesses said the helicopter caught fire after hitting a communications tower as it tried to land in a field in the state of Al-Qadarif. "Flames and thick dark smoke rose from the aircraft," one of the witnesses, Adam Hassan, said. Al-Qadarif governor Mirghani Saleh, his cabinet chief, the local minister of agriculture as well as the local police chief and head of border guards were killed, state television said. It did not give details about the circumstances of the crash near the border with Ethiopia, or say if there were any survivors. Sudan's state news agency SUNA gave a slightly higher toll of six government officials killed. It said an unspecified number of other people were taken to hospital for treatment, without providing further details. Most of Sudan's military and civilian fleet consists of old Soviet-made aircraft, and the country has suffered a ..

Boundary walls to be raised at accident-prone spots along rail tracks: RPF DG

Boundary walls would be raised at accident-prone spots along rail tracks to stop people from crossing in those areas, Director General of Railway Police Force (RPF) Arun Kumar said here Sunday. "A large number of people cross the tracks illegally and railways conduct awareness drives on regular basis. Now, RPF teams have been directed to identify areas where people generally cross railway tracks," he told reporters here today. Kumar said after identifying such locations permanent boundary walls will be constructed. Raids were conducted across the country to bust the nexus of agents who booked rail tickets illegally through the e-ticketing system during the festival season, the officer said, adding a mobile application is being developed for the passengers to lodge their complaint in case of theft during journey. Safety and security at stations and trains will be strengthened by monitoring the suspicious activities through network of CCTV cameras being installed in a phased manner, ...

Two dead in motorcycle-truck collision

Two men were killed after their motorcycle rammed into a truck on the Mumbai-Agra national highway Saturday, the police said Sunday. Police said the deceased Sagar Shejval (24) and Sandeep Gavare (30), both sons of police personnel, were not wearing helmets and apparently speeding when the incident occurred last night. Meanwhile, Nashik Police have stated that 115 motorcycle riders have been killed this year in road accidents. "A total of 112 of 115 motorcycle riders who died in accidents were found to be not wearing helmets," the police said in a press release. It also said that 12 motorists have been killed this year. "All of them were not wearing seat-belts", it said.

MACT awards Rs 1.05 cr to kin of Maha road accident victim

The Motor Accident Claims Tribunal Saturday awarded a compensation of Rs 1.05 crore to the kin of a man who died in a road accident in Maharashtra's Jalna district over eight years ago. Ashish Vinodkumar Shrisundar, a civil engineer and government contractor, was severely injured on June 11, 2010 after the sports utility vehicle he was travelling in overturned on the Mumbai-Ahmednagar Highway at Vijaypur, his lawyer Rehmat Ali said Sunday. After being bed-ridden and under treatment at various hospitals for nine months, Shrisundar succumbed to his injuries leaving behind his wife, mother and two minor children, Ali added. Following the incident, Shrisundar's family filed a case for compensation with the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal against the driver and owner of the vehicle as well as insurance firm Royal Sundaram Alliance Insurance Company, Ali said. MACT member SG Vedpathak Saturday ordered that the owner of the vehicle and the insurance company jointly pay ...

Kerala CM commissions Kannur airport

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Union Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu on Sunday commissioned the Kannur International Airport Ltd (KIAL).

Dog that survived California wildfire guarded home for weeks

A dog that survived the catastrophic wildfire in Northern California apparently protected the ruins of his home for almost a month until his owner returned. Madison was there waiting when Andrea Gaylord was allowed back to check on her burned property in Paradise this week. Gaylord fled when the November 8 fire broke out and decimated the town of 27,000. An animal rescuer who responded to Gaylord's request to check on Madison first spotted the male Anatolian shepherd mix several days later. Shayla Sullivan said the outdoor guard dog was apprehensive and kept his distance. Sullivan left food and water for him regularly until Gaylord got back on Wednesday. She also helped locate Madison's brother Miguel, another Anatolian shepherd mix that was taken to a shelter 85 miles (135 kilometers) away in the confusing aftermath of the wildfire. "If (the evacuees) can't be there I'm going to be and I'm not going to give up on their animal until they can get back in," Sullivan said. The dogs ...

10 killed in truck-van collision in Chandrapur

At least 10 people, including seven women and two minors, were killed when a truck collided with a van in Chandrapur district of Maharashtra Saturday, police said. The accident took place around 9:30 pm when the van, with 14 occupants, was travelling on the Korpana-Wani road, they said. Chandrapur Superintendent of Police, Maheshwar Reddy, told PTI that 10 people died in the accident as per the preliminary reports. A police officer, who was present at the spot, said seven women, the van driver, a three-year-old and another minor were killed in the incident. Three persons were injured while a one-year-old escaped unhurt, he said. The injured have been admitted to a local hospital, he said, adding that the truck driver fled the scene. Further details are awaited, the officer said.

Death toll touches 13 in Poonch bus accident

The death toll in Poonch bus accident that took place on Saturday morning has touched 13.Poonch's Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Rajiv Pandey told ANI, "13 deaths have been reported and 13 are reportedly injured. Out of the 13 injured, three stands shifted, airlifted to Jammu for better treatment. The rescue operation is completed so far."The accident took place after a bus fell into a deep gorge in Plera in Mandi tehsil of Poonch district. The bus carrying dozens of passengers was heading towards Poonch from Loran.

Mumbai: Two dead, one injured in Shri Siddhi Avenue wall collapse

At least two persons died and another was injured after an under-construction wall of Shri Siddhi Avenue collapsed in Tardeo region of Maharashtra on Saturday.The three were rushed to the Nair Hospital in Mumbai Central, where two identified as Faiz Khan and Tapan Das were declared dead by the doctors.While the families of deceased were informed by the police, the injured Jaydeo Roy was treated and discharged.So far police have registered Accidental Death Report (ADR) and investigation in the matter is currently underway.Further reports are awaited.

Ro-Ro vessel MV Sankardev flagged off in Kolkata, to be deployed on Brahmaputra

Ro-Ro vessel MV Sankardev was flagged off here on Saturday by Inland Waterways Authority of India's Vice Chairman Pravir Pandey.

Around 20 million Yemenis food insecure due to ongoing conflict

Around 20 million Yemenis are food insecure, UN agencies said on Saturday, adding the conflict ravaging the impoverished country was the key driver behind rising hunger levels. "As many as 20 million Yemenis are food insecure in the world's worst humanitarian crisis," a joint statement by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the children's fund UNICEF and the World Food Programmed (WFP) said. "Already 15.9 million people wake up hungry" in Yemen, it said, citing an analysis by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a food security survey. According to the IPC -- whose analysis is necessary to decide whether to declare famine in countries -- the 20 million people facing "severe acute food insecurity" represent 67 percent of Yemen's population. "What the IPC tells us is alarming," said Lise Grande, UN humanitarian coordinator for Yemen. WFP head David Beasley said the analysis "is an alarm bell that shows hunger is rising". "We need a massive increase in ..

13 killed, 36 injured in two separate accidents in J-K

Thirteen people, including four women and a minor, were killed and 36 others injured Saturday in two separate accidents in Poonch and Samba districts of Jammu and Kashmir, police said. In the first incident, a 42-seater passenger bus skidded off a road and rolled down into a 100m deep gorge at Plera in Mandi area of Poonch district, resulting in the death of 13 persons and injuring 17 others, a police officer said. The bus was coming from Loran to Poonch, and on reaching Plera. its driver lost control while negotiating a curve resulting in the accident, the officer said. Six persons died on the spot and five more succumbed to injuries while being evacuated, the officer said, adding that two more died at a local hospital. He said the condition of four of the injured persons was stated to be critical and are being airlifted to the Government Medical College Hospital, Jammu. In another accident, the officer said 19 passengers were injured, six of them critically, when a bus rolled down ..

2 killed in Mumbai wall crash

Two men were killed when the compound wall of a building in south Mumbai crashed on Saturday, officials said.