Page 357 - Disaster Accident

Six dead in Switzerland apartment fire: police

Six people, including children, perished when a fire broke out in an apartment building in the northwestern Swiss town of Solothurn overnight, local police said Monday. "There were more than 20 people in the building. Most were evacuated by the fire brigade, but for six people, including children, the help came too late," Solothurn police said in a statement.

Over 600 injured in massive Iran quake

At least 634 people were injured in the magnitude-6.4 earthquake that struck Iran's Kermanshah province, authorities said on Monday.

Number of injured in 6.3 magnitude Iran quake rises to 634

Iranian state television says the number of injured people from the last night's magnitude 6.3 earthquake in the country's west has risen to 634. The report Monday said most were immediately released from hospitals and suffered only slight injuries. There have been no reported fatalities from the temblor. 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 600 people and where some still remain homeless. That earthquake had a magnitude of 7.3 and also injured more than 9,000 people. Iran is located on major seismic faults and experiences an earthquake per day on average.

548 injured in Iran earthquake

An earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale has left over 548 people injured here, as search and rescue operations are underway at the site of incidence. No deaths have been reported so far.The epicentre of the quake which occurred late Sunday night is around 17 kilometres away from Sar Pol-e Zahab, reported Iran's Islamic Republic News Agency quoting the Seismological Center of the Geophysics Institute of Tehran University.Iran Relief and Rescue Organisation head Morteza Salimi mentioned that nine sniffer dogs, 10 rapid response teams, 23 rubble teams, two medical teams and other emergency teams have been rushed to the affected areas.Furthermore, 14,124 tents have been distributed to the people in the Kermanshah province as part of disaster relief efforts.Iran is situated on a fault line between the Arabian and Eurasian plates, making the nation highly susceptible to major earthquakes.The 2003 Bam earthquake has been the deadliest so far as more than 26,000 people were killed by

Central team begins inspection in cyclone-hit Nagapattinam

: A central team deputed to assess the damage caused by cyclone Gaja in Tamil Nadu, Monday visited the affected areas in Nagapattinam district. The team led by Daniel E Richard, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, began the inspection from the worst-hit Vettaikaraniruppu village. Earlier, they held a discussion at the Nagapattinam collectorate with the district Collector C Sureshkumar, senior officials and Tamil Nadu Ministers. The Collector explained the extent of damage with a video presentation. The team inspected Tamil Nadu Electricity Board's sub-station at Vettaikarairuppu that was completely destroyed by the cyclone. The team members interacted with the affected people at Therkkupoigainallur. Arupathy Kalyanam, general secretary of the Federation of Farmers Associations of Cauvery Delta Districts, submitted a memorandum to the central team demanding the release of crop loss compensation from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF). He said in ...

Flier talks about 'bombs' over phone, detained at Kol airport

A passenger was detained and forced to de-board a Jet Airways Kolkata-Mumbai flight on Monday after fellow passengers allegedly heard him talking about "bombs" on a video chat, an airport official said. Yogvedanta Poddar, in his 20s, was forced to get off the plane, which was preparing for take-off, he said. Co-passengers overheard his conversation and alerted a flight attendant. The crew immediately informed the pilot about a possible threat, the official said. "The pilot then reported the matter to the ATC, following which the man was taken off the Jet Airways flight by the CISF, which is in charge of security at the airport," he said. Poddar has been handed over to the airport police station for questioning, he added. According to police sources, the man said during interrogation that he was going to Mumbai for a job interview. The resident of Salt Lake, adjoining the city, was being interrogated at the NSCBI airport police station to ascertain his motives, officials said.

Flash floods expected in wildfire-ravaged California

Butte County Sheriff's office announced on Monday (IST) that the recent rains are expected to cause flash flooding in the state which is reeling from the aftermath of wildfires that started on November 8."With the rain we have been experiencing, residents should be aware of potential risks associated to the weather. Areas experiencing significant rainfall following a wildfire are at risk for debris flows and flash flooding," a press release issued by Kory Honea, the Sheriff-Coroner of Butte County, stated.The statement further mentioned that the number of missing people due to the wildfires stands at 296, while 2,599 individuals have been accounted for.The cautionary note comes just a few hours after the Unified Command Agencies announced that the wildfires had been 100 percent contained.1,53,336 acres of land stands affected, while 85 people have lost their lives in the tragic incident.The cause of the fire is still under investigation, while the Command agencies have classified the .

Woman, grandson killed in road accident

A 58-year-old woman and her three-year-old grandson were killed after a truck hit their bike near a village, police said Monday. Her husband was seriously injured in the accident that occurred on the Jansath-Muzaffarnagar road Sunday evening. The victims were going to attend a wedding when the incident took place, Station House Officer Sarvesh Kumar said. The woman and her grandson have been identified as Faizunisha and Zuber. Police have registered a case against the truck driver and arrested him.

Hong Kong rattled as 5.7 quake hits off Taiwan

A 5.7-magnitude earthquake struck off the western coast of Taiwan Monday, the US Geological Survey said, and was felt hundreds of kilometres away in Hong Kong. The quake hit around 100 kilometres (60 miles) off the island of Penghu in the Taiwan Strait on Monday morning, at a depth of 13 kilometres. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage from the quake, which the USGS had initially reported at 5.6-magnitude. Residents in the city of Magong on Penghu island ran outside screaming "earthquake" after the tremor hit, Taiwan media reported. Hong Kong residents reported feeling the quake, and some took to social media to discuss the rare event. "I did (feel it)! I thought I was dizzy, I saw the clothes that were hung up swaying around," wrote one Facebook user in a discussion group for Hong Kong's Tai Po district. The Hong Kong Observatory said it had received nearly 1,000 reports of the the quake being felt, with a duration of a few seconds. "Initial estimate gave a local ..

California fires 100% contained, more bodies found

The Unified Command Agencies announced that the California wildfires that broke out on November 8 have been fully contained.Furthermore, officials confirmed that the death toll has increased to 85 after more bodies were found during rescue efforts."The fireline that remained uncontained has now been contained, bringing containment to 100 per cent. Fire suppression repair personnel continue to conduct rehab where possible," an incident update issued by the agencies mentioned.1,53,336 acres of land has been affected in the wildfires that have caused widespread loss of human lives and habitation. Three firefighters have been injured during efforts until now.The cause of the fire is still under investigation, according to the Command agencies that are made up of CAL FIRE, Butte County Sheriff Department, Paradise Police Department, and the US Forest Service. On the other hand, the incident is being classified as "vegetation fire".1,065 personnel, 73 engines, three water tenders, two ...

6.2-magnitude quake hits areas near Taiwan Strait

A 6.2-magnitude earthquake hit areas near the Taiwan Strait on Monday, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC).

6.3-magnitude quake jolts Iraq-Iran border

A strong earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale hit the border area between Iraq and Iran and was felt in the capital Baghdad and many Iraqi provinces, a seismic monitor has said.

Deadly California wildfire fully contained

The Camp Fire -- the deadliest blaze in the history of California that has claimed at least 85 lives and destroyed 14,000 residences -- has been fully contained, authorities announced on Sunday.

Over 170 hurt in magnitude 6.3 earthquake in western Iran

A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck western Iran near its border with Iraq on Sunday night, injuring over 170 people and sending fearful residents running into the street, authorities said. The temblor hit near Sarpol-e Zahab in Iran's Kermanshah province, which was the epicenter of an earthquake last year that killed over 600 people and where some still remain homeless. Morteza Salimi of Iran's Red Crescent told Iranian state television that 171 people were injured, most of them slightly. Kermanshah provincial Gov. Houshang Bazvand similarly said there were injuries, but few people hospitalized. Authorities said six rescue teams were immediately deployed after the quake stopped and the country's army and its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard were responding. Officials reported damage at buildings both in town and in rural Kermanshah, as well as to some roadways. The temblor also downed powerlines and caused power outages into the night as temperatures hovered around 8 degrees Celsius ...

IndiGo cancels flight to Delhi, BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi among passengers stranded at Indore airport

Bharatiya Janata Party parliamentarian Meenakshi Lekhi and her co-passengers were stranded at the Indore airport after their flight to New Delhi was cancelled at the last minute due to "technical" reasons. "Stuck at Indore Airport, people are angry and disappointed by the conduct of IndiGo officials," Lekhi said in a tweet along with a video clip of the angry passengers. The IndiGo flight 6E 8867, operated by an Airbus A320, was scheduled to take off at 9.20 pm, but the airline informed the passengers that the flight was delayed by half-an-hour. "Fifteen minutes later, IndiGo announced that it had cancelled the flight due to technical reasons," a passenger said. "The airline also informed the passengers the flight will now depart on Monday at 12.30," he added. The passengers also claimed that the airline did not accept the request for providing food or hotel accommodations, alleging that the IndiGo staff was not at all cooperative. IndiGo officials could not be contacted for comments.

Catastrophic Northern California fire is finally contained

A massive wildfire that killed dozens of people and destroyed thousands of homes in Northern California has been fully contained after burning for more than two weeks, authorities said Sunday. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said the Camp fire had been surrounded by firefighters after several days of rain in the Paradise area. The nation's deadliest wildfire in a century killed at least 85 people, and 249 are on a list of those unaccounted for. The number of missing dropped in recent days as officials confirmed that more people were alive. Crews continued sifting through debris and ash for human remains. The fire began Nov. 8 in the parched Sierra Nevada foothills and quickly spread across 240 square miles (620 square kilometers), destroying most of Paradise in a day. Nearly 19,000 buildings, most of them homes, are gone. The firefight got a boost last week from the first significant winter storm to hit California. It dropped an estimated 18 centimeters of ..

Magnitude 6.3 earthquake strikes western Iran, 70 hurt

A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck western Iran near its border with Iraq on Sunday night, the same area where another temblor last year killed over 600 people. Initial reports said the temblor injured at least 70 people. Sunday night's earthquake struck near Sarpol-e Zahab in Iran's Kermanshah province, which suffered half of the casualties from last year's quake and where some still remain homeless. People fled into the street after the quake in fear. State television in Iran reported the quake, while semi-official news agency Fars said it was felt across seven Iranian provinces. Authorities said six rescue teams were immediately deployed after the quake stopped and the country's army and its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard were responding. Pir Hossein Kolivand, the head of Iran's emergency department, said at least 70 people were hurt. Kermanshah provincial Gov. Houshang Bazvand similarly said there were injuries, but gave no figure for those hurt. The 6.3 earthquake had a depth of

6.3 magnitude quake jolts Iran-Iraq border

An earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale jolted the Iran-Iraq border area on Sunday.According to the United States Geological Survey, the quake struck 20 kilometres southwest of Sarpol-e Zahab city at around 4:37 pm (UTC). The temblor was situated at a depth of 10 kilometres.The tremors of the quake were felt in Iraq and Kuwait. However, there are no reports of damage and casualties.Further details are awaited.

Magnitude 6.3 earthquake strikes western Iran

The US Geological Survey says a magnitude 6.3 earthquake has struck western Iran near its border with Iraq. The earthquake Sunday night hit near Sarpol-e Zahab in Iran's Kermanshah province. State television in Iran reported the quake, saying it had magnitude of 6.4. Varying magnitudes are common in the immediate aftermath of a temblor. The earthquake was shallow, which can cause severe damage. It was felt as far as Baghdad, the Iraqi capital. A November 2017 earthquake in the same area killed over 400 people.

Group of trekkers stuck near Harishchandragad

A group of 22 trekkers is stuck at Harishchandragad near Murbad in Thane district of Maharashtra, officials said late Sunday evening. A team of the National Disaster Response Force has been called for rescue, the district administration said. The trekkers are from Kalyan in the district and are believed to be near Kokan Kada, around 1.5 km from Harishchandragad which is a popular trekking spot in Sahyadri. District Collector Rajesh Narvekar is monitoring the situation, officials said.