Page 380 - Disaster Accident

Holding out slim hope as crews search for more fire dead

More than a dozen coroner search and recovery teams looked for human remains from a Northern California wildfire that killed at least 42 - making it the deadliest in state history - as anxious relatives visited shelters and called police hoping to find loved ones alive. Lisa Jordan drove 600 miles (1,000 kilometers) from Yakima, Washington, to search for her uncle, Nick Clark, and his wife, Anne Clark, of Paradise, California. Anne Clark suffers from multiple sclerosis and is unable to walk. No one knows if they were able to evacuate, or even if their house still exists, she said. "I'm staying hopeful," she said. "Until the final word comes, you keep fighting against it." Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea updated the confirmed fatality number Monday night - a figure that is almost certain to spike following the blaze that last week destroyed Paradise, a town of 27,000 about 180 miles (290 kilometers) northeast of San Francisco. Authorities were bringing in two mobile morgue units and ...

Red-carpet fanfare dropped amid deadly California fires

Hollywood cut back on the glamour trappings of movie premieres as a vast wildfire destroyed or imperiled the homes of celebrities and other Southern California residents. Red carpet ceremonies for the Sandra Bullock film "Bird Box" and "Under the Silver Lake" with Andrew Garfield were cancelled Monday, an American Film Institute festival spokeswoman said. That followed the decision to call off the AFI Fest's Sunday red carpet ceremony for filmmaker-brothers Ethan and Joel Coen's "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs." Separately, Paramount cancelled a red carpet ceremony and after-party for "Instant Family" with Rose Byrne and Mark Wahlberg, citing the "ongoing, active fires being battled in the area." The studio said food intended for the party was being donated to the American Red Cross. While premieres shed their glitz, there were few reports of industry production affected by the wildfire that has killed two and destroyed more than 400 homes. The fire began Thursday and raced toward ...

Yamaha helps Cambodia in combating water woes

Cambodia is one of the fastest growing economies in the world, but the paucity of safe drinking water haunts the people. For them now there is something to cheer about as 'Clean Water Supply System' developed by Yamaha Motor Company is making a positive difference in their life.Yamaha Clean Water Supply System, named "Slow Sand Filtration" is based on a water purification system found in nature. Raw water from rivers is pumped into tanks and purified through processes such as physical and biological filtration. One of the strong points of this feature is the concept of "sustainability for local communities by their own operation."Mongkul Borey Referral Hospital is located about 100 km away from Siem Reap, which is the capital city of northwestern Cambodia, and was established with the support of the Official Development Assistance (ODA), an arm of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan. A number of patients and pregnant women come to this hospital from rural areas to see doctors and .

Treat drunk pilots as criminals: Aviation experts

Pilots on duty who consume alcohol before or during flights should be treated as criminals, aviation experts said, adding that pilots should undergo breath analyser tests before and after a flight and any violation should be treated as a criminal offence.

NGT committee finds freshly dug coal in East Jaintia Hills

A three-member committee of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) Tuesday said it has found freshly dug coal in Meghalayas East Jaintia Hills district where mining and transportation has been banned by the tribunal. The NGT in 2014 had imposed a blanket ban on mining and transportation of coal for its adverse environmental effect and the absence of safety measures for the miners. "We found certain freshly mined coal there, certainly not the ones that are mined way back in 2014. We also found stacks of coal in one location in Sutnga area in East Jaintia Hills," committee chairman Justice (Retd) B P Katakey told PTI. He said, "We went to Khliehriat area because there was an allegation in the National Green Tribunal. Also that though mining has been stopped since 2014, it still going on." Kakatey and two other members of the committee - a mining specialist from Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad and a scientific officer from the Central Pollution Control Board visited Sutnga and .

Cyclone Gaja moves westwards, likely to weaken by Thursday

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday said that cyclonic storm Gaja, which was over west-central and adjoining East central and South Bay of Bengal, moved westwards during the last six hours.The storm laid centred at 5:30 am on Tuesday. While moving west­southwestwards, it is likely to weaken gradually and cross the Tamil Nadu coast between Cuddalore and Pamban as a 'cyclonic storm' during the forenoon of November 15, the IMD said.Earlier, the weather agency, in a statement, said that cyclone Gaja would further intensify in the next 24 hours, and is likely to weaken gradually."It is very likely to move west-southwestwards and intensify further into a Severe Cyclonic Storm during next 24 hours and maintain the intensity during subsequent 24 hours. Thereafter, while moving west-southwestwards, it is likely to weaken gradually and cross north Tamil Nadu coast between Nagapattinam and Chennai as a cyclonic storm during November 15 forenoon," read the statement.The districts

12 killed on railway tracks in Mumbai on single day

As many as 12 people were killed and five others received injuries in separate accidents on railway tracks in the city and its neighbouring areas on Monday, the Government Railway Police (GRP) said on Tuesday. A railway official said the casualties were due to people being run over by moving train while crossing tracks, falling from overcrowded local trains, slipping in the gap between train and platform, and also committing suicide. Three people each were killed on railway tracks in the neighbouring Thane district and its Kalyan town on Monday, while two persons died in Mumbai's Wadala area, the GRP said in its report of deaths and injuries compiled daily. Besides, one person each died on tracks in Kurla, Mumbai Central and Bandra areas of the megacity, and Dombivali town of Thane, it said, adding that all the deceased were men. Although suburban railway is considered as the lifeline of Mumbai, it is increasingly becoming a 'death trap' for commuters as 3,014 people lost

Deadliest fire in California history kills 42 people

The number of people killed by a massive blaze in northern California rose to 42 on Monday, making it the deadliest wildfire in the history of the state. Thousands of firefighters spent a fifth day digging battle lines to contain the "Camp Fire" in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains north of Sacramento, while search teams were on a grim mission to recover the dead. "As of today, an additional 13 human remains have been recovered, which brings the total number to 42," Sheriff Kory Honea told a news conference. The blaze is "the deadliest wildland fire in California history," Honea said. Although it is difficult to be certain due to inconsistencies in record keeping and categorization, the Camp Fire appears to deadliest American wildfire in a century -- since the Cloquet Fire killed an estimated 1,000 people in Minnesota in 1918. The Camp Fire is the largest of several infernos that have sent a quarter of a million people fleeing their homes across the tinder-dry state, with ..

Odisha-bound train derails in Bengal

A coach of a Puri-bound train derailed on Tuesday in West Bengal's East Midnapore district but no casualty or injury was reported, a railway official said.

California Camp Fire: Death toll touches 42

The Northern California Camp Fire has claimed as many as 42 lives since it first began on Thursday after an additional 13 sets of human remains were discovered here recently.Cory Honea, the sheriff of Butte County, deemed the Camp Fire as the deadliest fire to hit the state of California, reported CNN.On Monday, United States President Donald Trump approved a "major disaster declaration" in the affected state."I just approved an expedited request for a Major Disaster Declaration for the State of California. Wanted to respond quickly in order to alleviate some of the incredible suffering going on. I am with you all the way. God Bless all of the victims and families affected," Trump tweeted.California was struck with wildfire from different directions.Northern California was first hit by Camp Fire which led to the evacuation of around 52,000 people. 1,385 people are living in shelters.Woolsey Fire struck Southern California, threatening 57,000 structures and burning down 91,000 ...

Puri-bound Dhauli Express derails, no casualties

A bogie of the Howrah-Puri Dhauli Express derailed near Panskura station in West Bengal Tuesday morning, a South Eastern Railway spokesman said here. No one was injured in the accident that occurred between Bhogpur and Panskura stations in Howrah-Kharagpur section of SER at 7.10 am, spokesman Sanjay Ghosh said. The wheel of the chair car coach (B-3), positioned sixth from the engine, derailed when the Dhauli Express was travelling from Howrah to Puri, he said. An accident relief train and senior officers of the SER rushed to the spot, which is about 67 km from Howrah. The train will resume its onward journey towards Puri following amalgamation of coaches after detaching the affected coach, Ghosh said. "For the convenience of passengers en route, 12703 Howrah-Secundrabad Faluknama Express will be provided all stoppages of Dhauli Express up to Khurda Road station," he said.

44 killed in California wildfires

The three raging wildfires in California have killed 44 people since it started last week, a record number of deaths from a wildfire in the US state, officials said.

Death toll in California wildfire jumps to 42

Authorities have reported 13 more fatalities from a blaze in Northern California that destroyed a town, bringing the total death toll so far to 42 and making it the deadliest wildfire in recorded state history. The dead have been found in burned-out cars, in the smoldering ruins of their homes, or next to their vehicles, apparently overcome by smoke and flames before they could jump in behind the wheel and escape. In some cases, there were only charred fragments of bone, so small that coroner's investigators used a wire basket to sift and sort them. The search for bodies was continuing. Hundreds of people were unaccounted for by the sheriff's reckoning, four days after the fire swept over the town of 27,000 with flames so fierce that authorities brought in a mobile DNA lab and forensic anthropologists to help identify the dead. The statewide death toll from wildfires over the past week has reached 44. A 1933 blaze in Griffith Park in Los Angeles killed 29 people, and a series of ...

One killed in Palestinian rocket fire from Gaza: emergency service

One man was pulled dead from the ruins of a building in southern Israel hit by one of dozens of rockets fired from the Gaza Strip, an emergency service said Tuesday. It was the first confirmed death caused by the barrage of rocket fire from Gaza since Monday afternoon in a flare-up following a deadly Israeli special forces operation in the enclave. A woman also recovered from the building in Ashkelon was in a critical state, said the emergency services organisation United Hatzalah. The man killed was around 40 years old, according to media reports.

Grim search for more fire victims, 31 dead across California

The death toll from the wildfire that incinerated Paradise and surrounding areas climbed to 29 matching the mark for the deadliest single blaze in California history as crews continued searching for bodies in the smoldering ruins, with nearly 230 people unaccounted for. Statewide the number of dead stood at 31, including two victims in Southern California, from wildfires raging at both ends of the state. Ten search teams were working in Paradise a town of 27,000 that was engulfed by flames Thursday and in surrounding communities in Northern California's Sierra Nevada foothills. Authorities called in a DNA lab and anthropologists to help identify what in some cases were only bones or bone fragments. All told, more 8,000 firefighters battled wildfires that scorched at least 400 square miles (1,040 square kilometers) of the state, with the flames feeding on dry brush and driven by winds that had a blowtorch effect. "This is truly a tragedy that all Californians can understand and ...

Miley Cyrus feels devastated after losing home in California wildfires

American singer-songwriter Miley Cyrus feels devastated as she lost her home in the raging California wildfires.The singer revealed that the house she shares with her fiance and Australian actor Liam Hemsworth, and her pets "no longer stands," but that everyone including the animals were evacuated safely.The 25-year-old singer took to her official Twitter handle on Sunday and tweeted about the same, "Completely devastated by the fires affecting my community. I am one of the lucky ones. My animals and LOVE OF MY LIFE made it out safely & that's all that matters right now. My house no longer stands but the memories shared with family & friends stand strong. I am grateful for"The 'Hannah Montana' star went on to thank the firefighters and the sheriff's department and also shared information on how to donate and help with relief efforts."All I have left. Sending so much love and gratitude to the firefighters and LA country Sheriff's department! If you are interested in getting ...

Training to handle threats gets underway at Kempegowda airport

: The National Disaster Management Authority Monday began a six-day training programme at the Kempegowda International Airport here to handle threats emerging from chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear material. The programme is being conducted in collaboration with the Airports Authority of India, the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences and the National Disaster Response Force, a press release said. Lectures and field training through demonstrations of detection and de-contamination with the use of personal protective equipment form part of the programme, it said. In addition, training would be imparted to provide first aid and psycho-social support during times of emergencies, it said. A total of 50 participants representing various agencies responsible for operation and maintenance of the airport would be trained on various aspects of emergencies,the release said. Another 150 working-level staff would also be part of the programme, the release ..

Coherent response needed for disaster risk management: N.K. Singh

With disasters becoming more frequent and severe, 15th Finance Commission Chairman N.K. Singh on Monday said there has to be a coherent response in financing of disaster risk management by public, private and multilateral institutions.

Cyclone 'Gaja' likely to cross Nagapattinam area on Nov 15

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) here on Monday said that the cyclonic storm 'Gaja' is expected to cross the area between Chennai and Nagapattinam during the forenoon of November 15, during which the sea will be 'very rough'.Speaking to media persons, IMD deputy director S Balachandran said, "Cyclonic storm 'Gaja' now lies at about 820 km east-northeast of Nagapattinam. It is expected to cross between Chennai and Nagapattinam during the forenoon of November 15. The sea will be very rough, and fishermen are advised not to venture into the sea till November 15."A statement released by the IMD said that cyclone 'Gaja' will further intensify in the next 24 hours, and is likely to weaken gradually."It is very likely to move west-southwestwards and intensify further into a Severe Cyclonic Storm during next 24 hours and maintain the intensity during subsequent 24 hours. Thereafter, while moving west-southwestwards, it is likely to weaken gradually and cross north Tamil Nadu coast ...

Mughal road closes with fresh snowfall in J&K

Authorities on Monday ordered closure of the Mughal Road, the alternative road connecting Kashmir to Poonch and Rajouri in Jammu, in view of the fresh snowfall in the region. The decision to close the road was taken in view of the weather advisory for the next couple of days, predicting more snowfall in the valley, an official said. "With fresh snowfall on Mughal road today, the District Development Commissioner (DDC), Shopian, Owais Ahmed ordered the closure of Mughal Road for vehicular traffic from Tuesday as a precautionary measure," the official said. The road will be closed till further orders are given and will reopen once the weather condition improves, the official added. The district administration has appealed people to avoid the Mughal Road.