Page 355 - Disaster Accident

Cyclone Gaja: Kamal Hassan asks Kerala CM to rise above politics, extend support to TN

Actor-turned-politician and Makkal Needhi Maiam chief Kamal Haasan has written a letter to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan asking him to provide full support to the citizens of Tamil Nadu who were affected by the cyclone Gaja.Stating that "cyclone Gaja has caused widespread damage and destruction to life and property" in the Cauvery delta and coastal districts of Tamil Nadu, Hassan asked Vijayan to "rise above politics and other affiliations to demonstrate a true spirit of human kindness".He further stated that his party, Makkal Needhi Maiam has appealed to the Kerala government and its people to come forward and help "Tamil Nadu stand up on its feet again."Cyclone Gaja left a trail of destruction in Tamil Nadu about two weeks ago claiming lives of as many as 46 people apart from causing huge damage to properties and live-stocks.Hassan in his letter added that it is the need of the hour to stand with Tamil Nadu and "being humane is the fulcrum of humanity"."It is during times ..

UK bus company fined for fatal crash by Indian-origin driver

A bus company in the UK has been fined 2.3 million pounds for significant health and safety failings in allowing a fatigued Indian-origin driver to carry on driving that led to a crash causing the deaths of two people. Kailash Chander, 80, had been deemed unfit to stand trial back in September for the fatal crash in the city of Coventry over three years ago due to his dementia. The Midland Red (South) bus company had pleaded guilty last year to two offences contrary to the UK's Health and Safety at Work Act, by allowing Chander to continue working despite warnings about his driving. At a hearing on Tuesday, Chander was given a two-year supervision order due to his mental state and the bus company was handed down the hefty fine. Judge Paul Farrer ruled that "the failings of the company were a significant cause" of the crash. "A moving bus is a potential lethal piece of machinery and (Midland Red) should have been making sure their drivers were fit to drive at all times," he ...

NLCIL contributes Rs 6.79 crore for cyclone relief

: Employees of NLC India Limited, a public sector enterprise, Tuesday contributed a day's salary amounting to Rs 3.79 crore towards cyclone relief and rehabilitation activities. Besides, the management of the company contributed Rs 3 crore for the cause, a press release said. Chairman and managing director of the company Rakesh Kumar handed over a cheque for Rs 6.79 crore to the Chief Minister K Palaniswami at his office here, it said. NLCIL said it has dispatched a team to carry out the relief operations in the cyclone-hit areas. The cyclone crossed the Tamil Nadu coast between Nagapattinam and Vedaranyam on November 16, and left a trail of destruction claiming 63 lives.

1 killed, 15 injured in Manipur road accident

A boy was killed and at least 15 others, including two Japanese nationals, were injured when a loaded bus plunged into a gorge in Manipur's Kangpokpi district on Tuesday, police said.

Apollo inks pact with Adlux Group for 250-bed hospital

Apollo Hospitals has joined hands with Kerala's Adlux Group to develop a 250-bedded super-speciality hospital in the suburb of Kochi.

Sumanta Chaudhuri takes charge as coal secretary

Sumanta Chaudhuri took charge as Coal Secretary on Tuesday, an official said. Chaudhuri, a 1985-batch IAS officer from West Bengal cadre, had been named as coal secretary by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet on November 17. He replaced Inder Jit Singh. The Department of Personnel and Training had earlier said that Singh would be given a new assignment. The "outgoing Secretary, Ministry of Coal, Inder Jit Singh welcomed the new secretary, Tuesday," the official said. Prior to joining the coal ministry, Chaudhuri was the Managing Director at Small Farmers' Agri-Business Consortium, Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare.

Rains, snowfall caused Rs 1,600 crore loss to Himachal: CM

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Tuesday informed a central team that the state has suffered a loss of Rs 1,600 crore this year due to unprecedented rain and untimely snowfall, which also claimed 343 lives.

Fire audit will be mandatory for all markets: Minister

West Bengal Fire minister Firhad Hakim Tuesday said the government will make fire audit mandatory for all markets in the state to ensure that all market places and buildings have adequate fire safety measures in place. "We have conducted various modernisation programme in the fire services. .. We have sent our fire fighters to foreign countries to get training in fire fighting techniques. We will also make fire audit mandatory for all markets in the state," Hakim told the state Assembly. "We are preparing a major proposal for the modernisation of our fire services department. It needs lot of money so we would do it in a step by step process," he said. During the last 34 years there were only 100 fire stations but in last seven years we have constructed nearly 42 fire stations, he said. In this financial year from April 2018 to October 2018 4,629 fire incidents have been reported, he said.

Fire breaks out at C sector in Naharlagun

A fire broke out at C sector area in Naharlagun, near here Tuesday reducing a house and a barrack to ashes but there was no report of any casualty, police said. Another house was also partially damaged in the fire which started at around 11.30 am near Little Rose School, they said. Property worth over several lakh were damaged in the incident, Naharlagun police station officer in charge K Yangfo informed adding there were no report of any casualty. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, the OC said and added that two gas cylinders also exploded in the fire mishap. Two fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the inferno, he added.

Sleeping pilot overflies Australian island destination

Airline officials say a pilot is under investigation after falling asleep in the cockpit of a freight plane and overflying his Australian island destination by 46 kilometres. Airline Vortex Air says the pilot was the only person aboard the twin-propeller Piper PA-31 Navajo Chieftain and was flying on autopilot during the flight this month from Devonport city on Tasmania northwest to King Island in Bass Strait. The Melbourne-based airline said in a statement Tuesday that the pilot "unintentionally fell asleep while in command of the aircraft." It said: "The issue became apparent when air traffic control was unable to contact the pilot in-flight." The airline said the pilot landed safely on King Island. The pilot has not been identified.

Three women mowed down in UP

Three woman standing on a roadside in Uttar Pradesh's Mau district were run over by a Scorpio vehicle on Tuesday, police said.

After Bengaluru, Yamraj reaches Lucknow to promote road safety

In a unique initiative, the Lucknow Traffic Police is spreading awareness about road safety with the help of Yamraj (the Hindu deity of death).A man dressed as the Hindu god was entrusted with the responsibility to dissipate the message among commuters in the wake of steep rise in the number of road accidents in the city.Imran Khan, dressed up as Yamraj, is cautioning the city drivers that they should pay attention to the traffic signals and rules if they don't want to see him in the near future. Others, accompanying Imran, were seen holding posters urging commuters to follow traffic rules, avoid over-speeding and using cell phones while driving."Through our campaign, people are getting aware about the traffic rules and they have realised that it is essential to be attentive while driving on roads. Also, those who were found violating traffic rules have promised that they won't repeat such mistakes again. My aim is to tell people that if they met with an accident while driving on ...

China: 9 killed as car rams into bus stop

Nine people were killed and two injured when a car rammed into a bus stop in Wangchang village in Leshan city here on Tuesday.The incident led to a series collision leaving a gruesome scene with bloodied bodies strewn on the streets.Quoting local sources, South China Morning Post reported that the car driver was a 40-year-old man who attempted to slash himself with a knife after the impact.Investigations into the incident are underway, as rescue and medical teams reached the spot to treat the victims.No terrorist links have been established behind the incident as of yet. It has been ascertained that a pregnant woman is amongst the deceased.

7 killed, 4 injured as car crashes into bus stop in China

Seven people were killed and four others injured when a car crashed into a bus stop in southwest China on Tuesday, officials said. The incident took place near Wangchang village at Leshan in southwest China's Sichuan Province, they said. The car suddenly drove onto a sidewalk before hitting the bus stop, killing seven people and injuring four others, the officials said. The car driver is in police custody and an investigation is on to ascertain the cause of the accident, they said. The injured have been rushed to a nearby hospital, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. Tuesday's accident came just five days after a speeding car ploughed into several students crossing a road in front a primary school in China's northeast Liaoning province, killing at least five of them and injuring 18 others. The driver, a 29-year-old unemployed Liaoning resident, was contemplating suicide "due to quarrels" with his spouse before he drove his car into the children, Xinhua reported. In September, a ...

Wildfire razes vast tracts of northeast Australia

A wildfire stoked by heatwave conditions in northeast Australia has destroyed at least four homes, forced the evacuation of hundreds of others and razed 20,000 hectares of farmland and woodland, authorities said Tuesday. Police had been knocking on doors of homes in the small rural communities of Baffle Creek, Deepwater, Oyster Creek and Rules Beach in Queensland state to advise residents to evacuate but some were refusing, Gladstone Region Mayor Matt Burnett said. "When you have a police officer knock at your door saying a fire is coming, it is time to get out it's serious," Burnett said. "There is no one in that area that is safe to stay," he added. Hundreds of firefighters were preparing for worse conditions on Wednesday, when temperatures are expected to reach 40 degrees Celsius with winds reaching 40 kmph. Large swathes of Queensland were experiencing record high November temperatures and the heat wave will continue for days, Bureau of Meteorology state manager Bruce Gunn ...

Fire at slum in Mumbai; two injured, 15 huts gutted

Two persons were injured when a fire broke out at a slum in suburban Bandra on Tuesday, a fire brigade official said. Around 15 huts were also gutted in the fire, he said. The blaze erupted around 10.30 am at the slum in Shastri Nagar area, located near the Bandra railway station. Seven fire tenders were rushed to the spot, the official said, adding that the flames were put out by 1.15 pm. "Around 15 huts were completely destroyed in the fire. Some furniture and electrical wires were also charred," he said. The two injured persons were admitted to a nearby hospital where their condition was reported to be stable, the official said.

Fire in Mumbai slum, 3 injured

Three people, including a fire officer, were injured in a fire that broke out in a slum at Shastri Nagar in Bandra area of Mumbai on Tuesday.As soon as news of the blaze was received, fire tenders, police and ambulance rushed to the spot for rescue operations.According to an eyewitness, the fire broke out around 10.30 am in the slum area.However, District Fire Officer (DFO) HR Shetty confirmed that it was a level-2 fire, adding that it has now been brought under control.

India to launch earth observation satellite on Thursday

India will launch on Thursday its earth observation satellite and 30 small satellites from eight countries, the country's space agency said on Tuesday.

Seven dead in southwest China as car drives onto sidewalk

A car drove onto a sidewalk in southwest China on Tuesday, killing seven people and injuring another four, police said, days after another driver deliberately rammed into schoolchildren in the country's northeast. The driver has been detained and the cause of the incident in Leshan, a city in Sichuan province, is under investigation, police said in a statement. The injured have been taken to hospital for treatment, the statement said. According to official news agency Xinhua, the vehicle rushed onto the sidewalk and hit a bus stop in the morning. The crash came just five days after a driver hit a group of schoolchildren crossing the street in Huludao, a city in northeast Liaoning province. Five children were killed and another 19 were injured after the driver "chose his victims at random", according to Xinhua, which cited police. The driver, a 29-year-old unemployed Liaoning resident, was contemplating suicide "due to quarrels" with his spouse before he drove his car into the ...

'Asleep' pilot missed destination in Australia

A small plane overshot its destination in Australia by almost 50 km after its pilot fell asleep in the cockpit, air safety officials said on Tuesday.