Page 356 - Disaster Accident
Kalka Mail fire, 6 hospitalised
A fire broke out early on Tuesday in a coach of the Howrah-bound Kalka Mail near Kurukshetra in Haryana, an official said. Six passengers were hospitalised.
Fire breaks out in coach of Kalka-Howrah train, no casualties
A fire broke out in the front coach of Kalka-Howrah train on Tuesday, however, no one was injured, a Railway Police official said. The blaze erupted in a seating cum luggage coach in the early hours between Dhirpur to Dhoda Khedia railway stations near Kurukshetra, Haryana, he said. "Smoke filled the SLR bogie (Seating cum Luggage Rake), which is next to the engine. The train was brought to a halt and all the passengers were safely evacuated when smoke was noticed," the official said. "The bogie caught fire later and fire tenders were called. Three women and two children, who complained of difficulty in breathing as they had inhaled smoke, were provided medical attention," he added. As per preliminary details, an electrical short circuit was believed to be the reason behind the fire, he said, adding that forensic experts had been called to ascertain the exact cause. The train which had started from Kalka in Haryana in the early morning was headed to Howrah. After the incident, the ...
5.6 magnitude earthquake jolts Fiji
An earthquake measuring 5.6 on the Richter scale struck Fiji on Tuesday morning.The epicenter of the quake is around 317 kilometers from Fiji's capital Suva, and around 224 kilometers from Levuka.The tremor has a depth of 568.4 km, according to the US Geological Survey.No deaths or casualties have been reported yet.Fiji lies in one of the most seismically active areas of the world, as the Australian and Pacific plates have high rates of convergence.
Coach of Howrah-bound passenger train catches fire
A fire broke out in the front coach of Kalka-Howrah Express between Dhirpur to Dhoda Khedi Railway Station near Kurukshetra on Tuesday at around 02The coach next to loco in train number 12312 was immediately cordoned off after the train was halted. The fire brigade was immediately pressed into action and doused the flames.As per the on-duty Guard, no casualties have been reported. However, six passengers who suffered breathing difficulties have been taken to a nearby hospital.Services on the up and down lines have now resumed.
Cyclone Gaja: 'Rise above politics' and extend support, Kamal Hassan to Kerala CM Vijayan
Makkal Needhi Maiam president and actor Kamal Haasan Tuesday appealed to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to "rise above politics" and extend support to the people affected by Cyclone Gaja in Tamil Nadu. Haasan wrote to the chief minister, saying Cyclone Gaja has caused "widespread damage and destruction to life and property" in the Cauvery delta and coastal districts of Tamil Nadu. He said his party, Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM), has urged the Kerala government and its people to come forward and assist in a way they deem fit to help Tamil Nadu "stand up on its feet again." "Damage to crops, standing trees and boats is so extensive that the very source of life of our farmers and fishermen has been uprooted," the actor said in a letter to chief minister an veteran communist leader Vijayan. "We urge you to rise above politics and other affiliations to demonstrate a true spirit of human kindness. Being humane is the fulcrum of humanity," the MNM chief said. He said that "human ...
Mumbai: 1 killed after oil tanker bursts into flames
A massive fire broke out in Mumbai's Wadala area after an oil tanker burst into flames after crashing underneath the city's overhead monorail line, resulting in the death of the tanker driver.The incident took place last night around 10:47 pm at the Bhakti Park area.After receiving information, the police immediately cordoned off the area and fire trucks rushed to the spot to douse the flame."The tanker was filled with methanol and when we reached the spot it had toppled and was on fire. The driver of the tanker was charred to death. The situation is under control now," fire service officer AH Sawant told reporters here.
5.0-Magnitude quake strikes south Japan, no tsunami warning
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.0 struck Japan's southern Ibaraki Prefecture, the weather agency here said Tuesday.
Commander to blame for chopper mishap involving Fadnavis:
The commander of a chopper, that crash-landed with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis along with others on-board last year, was responsible for the accident, a probe committee has found. The three-member panel, set up by the apex aircraft investigation body AAIB, probed the mishap and submitted its report. Fadnavis had a narrow escape when his Sikorsky helicopter got entangled in overhead wires and crash-landed in Latur district in Maharashtra on May 25, 2017 after the pilot tried to descend due to bad weather soon after take-off. The accident occurred when the helicopter was landing at Nilanga town of the district, around 500km from here, where the chief minister had gone to attend a programme. In its 64-page final investigation report, the panel has recommended that aviation regulator DGCA ensure all helicopter operators use actual weight of the passengers and cargo, prevailing temperatures and elevation of the place while computing load factor for their ...
Central team winds up TN visit to assess cyclone damage
: A central team deputed to assess the damage caused by cyclone Gaja, Monday completed its three-day inspection in storm hit districts of Tamil Nadu with a visit to affected areas of Nagapattinam district. The team, led by Daniel E Richard, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, completed its inspections and later in the day proceeded to neighbouring Karaikkal in the Union territory of Puducherry, official sources told PTI. They visited affected areas, including the worst-hit Vettaikaraniruppu village near here. Winding up the visit, Richard assured that all the storm affected people would get appropriate relief. The team visited districts, including Tiruvarur, Thanjavur and Nagapattinam that witnessed extensive damage, he told reporters here. "We will go back and submit a report...so that people will get benefit with more help from the Centre." He said it was not possible to visit every place struck by the storm within such a short time span. On the storm and its ...
ISRO to launch India's HysIS satellite with 30 foreign
ISRO is all set to launch its workhorse rocket PSLV-C43 carrying India's earth observation satellite HysIS and 30 co-passenger satellites, including 23 from the US, from Sriharikota on November 29. The space agency said the 45th flight of PSLV will be launched from the First Launch Pad (FLP) of Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota. "HysIS is an earth observation satellite developed by ISRO. It is the primary satellite of the PSLV-C43 mission. The satellite will be placed in 636 km polar sun synchronous orbit (SSO) with an inclination of 97.957 deg. The mission life of the satellite is 5 years," ISRO said. According to the space agency, the primary goal of HysIS is to study the earth's surface in visible, near infrared and shortwave infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. The co-passengers of HysIS include one Micro and 29 Nano satellites from eight different countries, the agency said, adding, all these satellites will be placed in a 504 km orbit
ADB to extend USD 200 mn loan for upgrading roads in Bihar
The Centre and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Monday signed a USD 200 million loan agreement to finance widening and upgrading of about 230 km of state highways in Bihar to all-weather standards with road safety features, according to an official release. Since 2008, ADB has provided four loans amounting to USD 1.43 billion to Bihar for upgrading about 1,453 km of state highways and constructing a new bridge over the Ganga River near Patna. Bihar State Highways III Project, approved by the ADB Board in October this year, will involve upgrading state highways to standard two-lane width with road safety features and paved shoulders including reconstructing, widening, and strengthening culverts and bridges, the release said. The project will also build institutional capacity of the state for road design and maintenance and incorporate appropriate new technologies in the state's road subsector. In 2017, ADB operations totalled USD 32.2 billion, including USD 11.9 billion in
4 soldiers dead in Istanbul helicopter crash
At least four soldiers were killed and one was injured in a military training helicopter crash here on Monday.According to Anadolu, the military helicopter crashed in the residential area of Sancaktepe district, hitting the roof of a four-story building.Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya stated that the cause of the crash remains unknown. The wounded soldier was taken to the hospital.Security and health teams were sent to the crash site.
India, ADB ink $200 mn loan pact to improve Bihar's state highways
The Indian government and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Monday signed a $200-million loan agreement for improving Bihar's state highways.
Trekkers stuck at Harishchandragad descend to safety
A group of 17 trekkers, who were stuck at Harishchandragad near Murbad in Maharashtra's Thane district since Sunday, rappelled down to safety Monday. They were stuck at a ledge on the over 2500 feet tall cliff, called as Kokankada, on the hill fort, district officials said. They descended to the bottom of the cliff Monday evening. The group, comprising four women, got stranded at the cliff after they lost their way, said Murbad tehsildar Sachin Chowdhary. Kokankada is located around 1.5 km from the hill fort which is a popular trekking spot in the Sahyadri mountains. Professional trekkers and a team of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were called in to launch rescue operations last night. "The trekkers started rappelling down the cliff this morning. The last person of the group descended down this evening," an official said. The walking distance between the base camp and the nearest village is four kms, before the trekkers can reach the main road. District ...
NMDC plant receives raw materials, production by July 2019
The NMDC Ltd's upcoming 3 million tonne greenfield Nagarnar Steel Plant in Bastar, Chhattisgarh, on Monday successfully received raw material, a major step towards commencing production by July next year, the state owned iron-ore miner said. Nagarnar Steel Plant received the first rake of imported coking coal and also commissioned its Wagon Tippler at the Raw Material Handling System (RMHS) thereby bringing the plant commissioning to its penultimate step, NMDC said in a statement. The plant received 4106 tonnes of coal, a part of the first consignment of 80m000 tonnes of coal imported from Australia and offloaded at Visakhapatnam Port last week. Imported coking coal and indigenous coal is blended and charged into the blast furnace along with iron ore to produce hot metal. In all, 4 wagon tipplers, critical part of the Rs 1395 crore RMHS will be utilised to offload 12 million tonnes of incoming raw material - iron ore, coking coal, limestone - that would be required ...
Four people including minors killed in fire in Nepal
Four people from one family, including two minors, were killed when a fire broke out following the explosion of an LPG cylinder in eastern Nepal, police said on Monday. The incident happened in Jhapa district of Nepal on Sunday when a two-storey wooden house turned into ashes after the LPG cylinder exploded spreading the fire due to the 40 litres of diesel stored in the house. The dead included two adults and two minors including a four month old, police said. The neighbours tried to douse the fire but could not help much as it had already spread in the entire house. "We tried to douse the fire with water but the inferno had already spread to other parts of the house and our efforts went in vain," The Kathmandu Post quoted a neighbour as saying.
Woman killed, 22 injured as vehicle falls into gorge in J-K's Rajouri
A 65-year-old woman was killed and 22 people were injured when a private passenger vehicle skidded off a road and fell into a gorge in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district on Monday, police said. The mishap occurred at the Maggi Morh this evening when the driver lost control of the vehicle while negotiating a blind curve, they said. A police official said the vehicle, which was on its way to Thanamandi from Bufliaz, rolled down into the over 100-feet gorge, resulting in the death of Nazeera Bi and injuries to 22 other passengers. The injured included eight children, the official said, adding that all the injured were rushed to the Rajouri district hospital, where the condition of three of them was stated to be "serious".
Rijiju to inaugurate NDMA's 14th Formation Day on Tuesday
Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju will inaugurate the 14th Formation Day of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) here on Tuesday.
NDMA begins 5-day CBRN training programme at Trivandrum Airport
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on Monday began a five-day training programme at Trivandrum Airport in Kerala to enhance the preparedness of Airport Emergency Handlers (AEHs) to handle radiological and nuclear contingencies, a Home Ministry statement said.
Number of injured in 6.3 magnitude Iran quake rises to 716
Iranian authorities said Monday that the number of injured in the magnitude 6.3 earthquake in western Iran the previous night has risen to 716. No fatalities were reported from the temblor. According to Iran's state television, most of the injured were immediately released from hospitals and suffered only slight injuries in the quake on Sunday night. The TV said 37 remained hospitalized. It said more than 160 aftershocks occurred in the region, including two quakes stronger than magnitude 5. Dozens of rescue teams and several rescue dogs were deployed to the region. The TV showed footage of hospitalised people. Hossein Rahnimi, the head of a local hospital, said many of the injured also suffered panic attacks. The earthquake struck western Iran near its border with Iraq, damaging buildings and sending fearful residents running into the streets. It hit near the town of Sarpol-e Zahab in Iran's Kermanshah province, which was the epicenter of an earthquake last year that killed more than