Page 347 - Disaster Accident
Naidu, Modi hail contribution of Indian Navy in country's security
Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday hailed the contribution of Indian Navy in protecting the country's waters and disaster relief alike. "On this Navy Day, I salute the valour, commitment and patriotism of our Navy personnel in protecting our seas and the country. My best wishes to them and their families," Naidu tweeted. The Navy Day is celebrated every year to recall the contribution of the force during the 1971 Bangladesh liberation war. "India is grateful to our Navy for protecting the nation and the commendable role the Navy plays during disaster relief," the prime minister wrote on Twitter.
Drought: Central delegation to assess crop damage in Maha
A 10-member delegation from the Centre is on a two-day visit to Maharashtra from Tuesday to assess crop damage in parts of the state facing drought-like conditions, an official said. The delegation members will form three groups and tour some of the tehsils in Marathwada, North Maharashtra and Western Maharashtra, the official from the state relief and rehabilitation department told PTI. "It is a routine visit before the announcement of some financial assistance to farmers in the state," he said. The state government will provide rainfall records, cropping pattern data and earlier assessment reports prepared by local revenue officials to the delegation, he said. "The delegation members will hold direct talks with farmers who have lost their crops. They will also discuss the issue with ministers and officials of revenue, agriculture, and relief and rehabilitation departments," the official said. The Maharashtra government had in October said that around 151 talukas in 26 ..
Tremors felt in Uttarakhand
A quake measuring 3 on the Richter scale was felt in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand early on Tuesday forcing residents to rush out of their houses, officials said.
Rare December tornadoes reported in central US; 1 dead
Central Illinois residents Monday continued assessing the damage after rare December tornadoes hit, including one that was a half-mile-wide. At least 20 people were hurt. The severe weather in Illinois was part of a line of thunderstorms that raked areas of the central U.S. late Friday and into Saturday, killing one person in Missouri. The National Weather Service confirmed tornadoes in Illinois, Missouri and Oklahoma. At least three tornadoes were confirmed in northwest and southwest Arkansas, which largely caused property and structural damage. No injuries or fatalities were reported. Peak months for tornadoes in much of the Midwest are April and June, according to the weather service. But at least 23 tornado touchdowns on Saturday have been confirmed in Illinois, said Dan Smith, a meteorologist with the weather service's Lincoln, Illinois, office. That was the most tornadoes in Illinois during a December storm since a Dec. 18-19, 1957, outbreak produced 21, Smith said Monday ...
Huge fire breaks out near Mumbai's Aarey Colony forest
A major fire erupted Monday near the Aarey Colony forest in suburban Goregaon in Mumbai, triggering an alarm as various agencies scrambled to douse the flames that threaten to affect the tribal residents in the city's biggest green lung. Fire department officials said they are trying to contain the blaze but the winds coming from the hills are aiding the fire and it is spreading to nearby residential areas. Mumbai's famous Film City occupies part of the Colony, which is located off the Western Express Highway. Chief Fire Officer Prabhat Rahangdale said the Disaster Management Control Room has been directed to inform all police stations surrounding the forest to prepare to evacuate tribal residents and cattle as and when the need arises. The blaze started around 6:30pm in an open plot near an IT Park along the General Arun Kumar Vaidya Marg in the western suburb, located adjacent to the Colony. "Fire personnel are trying to put out flames with 'beaters' the branches of trees that are .
1 killed in Delhi hit-and-run incident
One person was killed and another injured when a speeding Mercedes car rammed into the deceased's fruit cart in a hit-and-run case here, police said on Monday.
Bhopal remembers gas tragedy victims; meetings, rallies held
Condolence meetings and protest rallies Monday marked the 34th anniversary of the Bhopal gas disaster with survivors pushing for proper rehabilitation, adequate compensation and better medical treatment. The world's worst industrial disaster, which took place in 1984, left thousands dead. A large number of survivors marched to the site of the industrial disaster in the state capital to demand proper rehabilitation, adequate compensation and better medical treatment. They also paid homage to those who died in the tragedy at the memorial built in front of the now-defunct Union Carbide factory. Residents of the Old City area, which is next to the factory, where the groundwater is said to be contaminated by hazardous chemical waste lying in the factory premises, were also part of the march. Protesters took out another rally from Bharat Talkies to the disaster site. Another group of protesters held a condolence meeting at Yadgar-e-Shahjahani ground. The tragedy took place on the ...
Massiv fire in Mumbai forest
A massive fire erupted in the thick forests of Aarey Colony in the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) precincts, near Goregaon suburb of north-west Mumbai, here on Monday evening, officials said.
Mumbai: 3026 buildings get notices for flouting fire safety measures
In a fire safety audit of 6142 buildings done by the Mumbai Fire Brigade department from the year 2015 to October this year, notices have been issued to 3026 buildings.Between August and October this year alone, the Mumbai fire department said 84 notices have been issued to buildings for flouting fire safety norms.According to the fire department, if buildings fail to comply with the notice in the stipulated period, they will be declared as "unsafe buildings". Electric and water supply will be disconnected and legal action would be initiated, it added.Furthermore, concerned persons would be liable for a punishment of up to three years of rigorous imprisonment or fine of Rs 50,000, the fire department said.The notices have been issued to buildings which are in deviation from or are in contraventions of the requirements with regards to fire preventions and safety measures. These buildings are found to be non-complaint of the standards and rules laid down by Maharashtra Fire Prevention ..
Fire erupts near Aarey Colony
A fire broke out Monday near the IT Park in suburban Goregaon, a fire brigade official said. The spot is an open plot adjacent to Arun Kumar Vaidya Marg in Goregaon which is in vicinity of Aarey Colony, the biggest green lung in the metropolis. Fire brigade control room received the information about the blaze at 6.30 PM, the official said, adding that fire engines and two water tankers have been rushed to the spot. Various agencies including the police are being informed about the fire, the official said, adding that efforts are on to put out the flames.
3-nation crew blasts off to space station
A Soyuz MS-11, carrying one astronaut each from the US and Canada and a cosmonaut from Russia, has been successfully launched to the International Space Station (ISS) on Monday and has safely reached orbit, the US space agency NASA said in a statement.
Deluge: Navy has not given any bill to Ker govt, says Vice
The Indian Navy Monday said it has not given "any bill" to the Kerala government after carrying out rescue and relief operations during the deluge in August. About 17,000 people, caught in the gushing waters in flood-ravaged Kerala, were rescued by the Navy. "We have not given any bill to the state government," Vice Admiral Anil Kumar Chawla, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Naval Command, told reporters here. His statement came in response to a question on reports that some agencies involved in rescue efforts during the floods in August this year had given bills worth crores for rupees to the state government. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan recently said the state has to pay Rs 290 crore to the Centre towards the rations received and rescue assistance provided during the floods. "Air Force has asked the state to pay over Rs 33.79 crore as the charge incurred for the rescue efforts during the deluge," Vijayan said last week. The vice admiral said according to ..
World 'way off course' in climate change fight: UN chief
The world is "way off course" in its plan to prevent catastrophic climate change, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Monday as the COP24 summit officially opened in Poland. After a string of damning environmental reports showing mankind must drastically slash its greenhouse gas emissions to avert runaway global warming, Guterres told delegates "we are still not doing enough, nor moving fast enough". The nearly 200 nations that signed up to the 2015 Paris climate deal must this month finalise a rulebook to limit global temperature rises to well below two Degrees Celsius, and to the safer cap of 1.5C if possible. But the rate of climate change is rapidly outstripping mankind's response. With just one Celsius of warming so far, Earth is blighted by raging wildfires, extreme drought and mega-storms made worse by rising sea-levels. "Even as we witness devastating climate impacts causing havoc across the world, we are still not doing enough, nor moving fast enough, to prevent ...
Fruit vendor dies after being hit by vehicle in Dwarka
A fruit vendor on his way home from a weekly market was killed and his friend seriously injured when they were hit by an unidentified vehicle near Dwarka's Ganpati Chowk, police said Monday. The accident that claimed the life of 35-year-old Sarvesh and injured 30-year-old Inder took place Sunday night, officials said. The Dwarka South police station received information about the accident around 11.50 pm. Sarvesh was taken to the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital where he was declared brought dead. Inder, who sustained serious injuries, has been admitted to the Ayushman Hospital in Dwarka, a senior police officer said. He said both were fruit sellers and were returning home after work from the weekly market when the accident took place. The vehicle has not yet been identified, police said, adding that there was no witness to the incident. Officers said they found a Mercedes logo at the spot but could not confirm the make of the vehicle. They are scanning through CCTV footage to find clues .
1 killed in Delhi hit-and-run accident
One person was killed when a speeding Mercedes car rammed into his fruit cart in a hit-and-run case here, police said on Monday.
Heat, wind fuel wildfires in Australia
Heat and wind on Monday were fuelling over 110 forest fires that have been burning for two weeks in Australia, where the authorities have also been alerted to a tropical cyclone off the coast.
First manned space mission launches since Soyuz failure
The first manned space mission to the International Space Station since an unprecedented accident in October, which raised concerns about Moscow's Soviet-designed spacecraft, will launch on Monday. Oleg Kononenko of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, Anne McClain of NASA and David Saint-Jacques of the Canadian Space Agency brushed aside any possible safety concerns, saying risk was just part of the job. They are set to launch at 1131 GMT Monday aboard a Soyuz from Baikonur in Kazakhstan for a six-and-a-half month mission. The launch comes after a Soyuz rocket carrying Russia's Aleksey Ovchinin and US astronaut Nick Hague failed on October 11 just minutes after blast-off, forcing the pair to make an emergency landing. They escaped unharmed but the failed launch was the first such incident in Russia's post-Soviet history and a new setback for the country's once proud space industry. Ahead of Monday's launch a Russian Orthodox priest blessed the spaceship on its launchpad, in accordance
5 killed, 50 injured as truck falls into ditch in Assam
At least five persons were killed and 50 others injured, many of them seriously, when the truck in which they were travelling fell into a roadside ditch in central Assam's West Karbi Anglong district on Sunday, police said. About 60 to 70 people were returning home from pre-Christmas celebrations when the truck fell into the ditch at Mukhim Road in interior Jirikindeng area around 3.30 pm, they said. Two persons died on way to hospital while three others succumbed to their injuries in hospital, the sources said. Senior police and civil officials have rushed to the accident site, they said, adding that the driver of the truck was suspected to have been in an inebriated condition when the incident happened.
Astronauts say look forward to space launch after Soyuz accident
Astronauts set to board the first manned space mission since an unprecedented accident aboard Russia's Soyuz, on Sunday brushed aside safety concerns, saying they were ready to take risks. Oleg Kononenko of Roscosmos, Anne McClain of NASA and David Saint-Jacques of the Canadian Space Agency will launch to the International Space Station (ISS) from Baikonur in Kazakhstan on Monday. They will head to the ISS after a Soyuz rocket carrying Russia's Aleksey Ovchinin and US astronaut Nick Hague failed on October 11 just minutes after blast-off. The pair escaped unharmed, but the failed launch was the first such incident in Russia's post-Soviet history and a new setback for the country's once proud space industry. The crew heading to the ISS dismissed any possible concerns about their safety. "Risk is part of our profession," crew commander Oleg Kononenko told a news conference at Baikonur, adding they "absolutely" trusted teams preparing them for the flight. "We are psychologically and ...
Bhopal gas tragedy: 34 years on, victims suffering continues
It has been more 34 years since the Bhopal Gas Tragedy took place but the survivors are still bearing the brunt of the poisonous gas leak incident, which claimed around 15,000 lives.Living in the area located near the pesticide plant, where the incident took place, survivors demand adequate facilities from the government for the treatment of the people maimed in the incident.Hazara Bi, a victim in the case said that the help provided by the government to the victims is not enough while seeking a compensation for the children suffering due to the tragedy."The government made arrangements to stop chemicals from getting mixed with water, yet when it pours, chemicals get mixed with groundwater and we use it for different purposes, which affect our health. The government did not accept it, we protested at Jantar Mantar for five months, only after that it was investigated and contamination was confirmed," she said describing the inattentive attitude of the government towards the incident. .