Page 387 - Disaster Accident
7 killed in Seoul hostel fire
At least seven people were killed and 11 others injured on Friday when a fire broke out in a hostel in downtown Seoul, police said.
Mumbai: 2 bogies of goods train catch fire, 12 others cancelled
At least 12 trains were cancelled and 10 others were short-terminated after two bogies of a goods train caught fire at the Dahanu Road Railway Station in Maharashtra's Palghar district.The two bogies caught fire at around 10.35 pm on Thursday night, Western Railway PRO confirmed.Due to this, the train movement was affected towards Mumbai on both the lines. Down line opened at 1.35 am with speed restrictions.On Friday morning, the suburban services were running normally between Churchgate and Virar.
Wildfire forces evacuation in California town
A raging wildfire forced thousands of residents of a California town to flee from their homes, with dozens still trapped inside the fire zone, the authorities said.
6.8 magnitude earthquake jolts Norwegian Island of Jan Mayen
An earthquake measuring 6.8 magnitude on the Richter Scale struck Norway's Jay Mayen Islands in the wee hours of Thursday morning.According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the quake occurred at 2:08 am (Universal Time Coordinated).The temblor originated at a depth of 10 km. There are no reports of damage or casualties so far. No tsunami warning has been issued.
Northern California wildfire destroys hundreds of buildings
Tens of thousands of people fled a fast-moving wildfire Thursday in Northern California, some clutching babies and pets as they abandoned vehicles and struck out on foot ahead of the flames that forced the evacuation of an entire town and destroyed hundreds of structures. Everyone in Paradise, a community of 27,000 people about 180 miles (290 kilometers) northeast of San Francisco, was ordered to get out. The extent of the injuries and damage was not immediately known. Butte County CalFire Chief Darren Read said at a news conference that two firefighters and multiple residents were injured. As she fled, Gina Oviedo described a devastating scene in which flames engulfed homes, sparked explosions and toppled utility poles. "Things started exploding," Oviedo said. "People started getting out of their vehicles and running." At a late afternoon news conference, Read said he had reports of several hundred destroyed structures in Paradise, but he cautioned that officials had not been able to
UN to double food aid to Yemen
The UN's World Food Programme (WFP) has said that it will nearly double food aid to Yemen to reach 14 million people a month -- almost half the war-ravaged country's population. Yemen is in the grip of the world's worst hunger crisis as government troops backed by a Saudi-led coalition battles Huthi rebels. On Wednesday, 35 Yemeni and international NGOs called for an immediate cessation of hostilities in the impoverished country, and said 14 million people were "on the brink of famine". The WFP is providing food assistance to about seven to eight million people every day, "but the situation has now got so dire that WFP is preparing to scale up", spokesperson Herve Verhoosel told journalists in Geneva on Thursday. He added, "Indications are that even greater efforts will be needed to avert mass starvation. The new target of 14 million requires a huge amount of logistic work, outreach, funding and preparation." The WFP said the violence must stop immediately to give Yemen "a chance to ..
Tens of thousands flee fast-moving Northern California fire
Tens of thousands of people were ordered to evacuate a fast-moving wildfire that has exploded in size threatening several Northern California communities and forcing panicked residents to race to help neighbours who had to drive through walls of flames to escape. It was not immediately known if there were injuries or fatalities. Butte County Sheriff's spokesperson Miranda Bowersox said on Thursday that all of Paradise, a town of about 27,000 people 290 km northeast of San Francisco, was ordered to evacuate. "It's bad," Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea told the Enterprise-Record. "We're trying to get as many people out as quickly as possible and save as many lives as we can." Rick Carhart, a Cal Fire spokesman, said the wildfire affected about 30,000 people in the towns of Paradise, Concow and other small communities. "The blaze is being driven by fairly strong winds," Carhart said. "It's really dry and we have low humidity and unfortunately those are great conditions for a fire to ...
1 person charred to death as major fire breaks out at grain market
A 25-year-old trader was charred to death and wheat and paddy worth Rs 12 lakh destroyed after a major fire broke out at a market here Thursday, police said. Four fire tenders were rushed to the spot to douse the blaze, they said. The deceased was identified as Pintu alias Pappu, Chief Fire officer Sanjai Sharma said. The shopkeepers did not have authorised electricity connections and had made temporary arrangements, he said. It is suspected that the fire broke out after a short circuit, Sharma said.
Host of unfortunate incidents reported in Delhi amid Diwali celebrations
While Diwali celebrations were on in various parts of the city, a host of unfortunate incidents took place, including the death of two children due to fire in a slum. In the fatal incident in a slum near Filmistan Cinema in the Sadar Bazar area, two children Ganesh (10) and Swati (4) were killed. Their mother Suman (28) and brother Dhruv (5) suffered 55 per cent and 70 per cent burn injuries respectively, and were undergoing treatment. Authorities responded to over 300 calls about fire incidents triggered by firecrackers and an LPG cylinder blast among others on Diwali night in the national capital, officials said. According to the Delhi Fire Services (DFS), a record number of 271 fire-related calls were received by its offices till midnight on Diwali and 74 more calls till 8 AM on Thursday. A DFS official said though the number of fire-related calls was more as compared to previous years, there has been a decline in cases of fire triggered by burning of crackers. The officials, ...
DGCA asks Jet Airways, SpiceJet to take action on sensor-related issues with Boeing 737 MAX planes
Aviation regulator DGCA has asked Jet Airways and SpiceJet to take corrective action to address possible issues with their Boeing 737 MAX planes that could lead to "significant altitude loss" of the aircraft, a senior official said Thursday. The latest directive follows advisories issued by the US watchdog Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Boeing after the crash of a Boeing 737 MAX plane operated by Indonesia's Lion Air last month. Currently, Jet Airways and SpiceJet fly Boeing 737 MAX planes in India. Together, there are at least six such aircraft with the two carriers. "Both the documents address erroneous high 'angle of attack' (AOA) sensor input and corrective action for the same as it has potential for repeated nose-down trim commands of horizontal stabiliser," a senior Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) official told PTI. The official said if the condition is not addressed, it could cause the flight crew to have difficulty in controlling the airplane. The ...
Lion Air jet in another accident, a week after deadly crash
A Lion Air passenger jet has been involved in another accident -- just a week after a plane from the Indonesian airline crashed with the loss of all 189 people on board. In the latest incident, the jet clipped a pole as it taxied to the runway at Bengkulu airport on Sumatra island ahead of its flight to Jakarta. The plane's left wing was visibly damaged, forcing all passengers to disembark. They were flown to the capital later Wednesday evening aboard a different aircraft. Lion Air spokesman Danang Prihantoro said all 143 passengers and seven crew were safe. "Lion Air apologises to all passengers for any inconvenience... it has sent a team to inspect the aircraft," the spokesman said. The transport ministry said it would launch an immediate investigation. "The plane and the pilot have been grounded for investigation," said Pramintohadi Sukarno, a senior ministry official. The accident happened just 10 days after a Lion Air Boeing 737-Max 8 plane plunged into the Java Sea minutes ...
Fire at Posta textile shop, controlled within three hours
A fire broke out at a textile shop close to Posta, Kolkata's biggest wholesale market, on Thursday afternoon just three days after the blaze at Apeejay House in the city. The fire broke out at the textile shop at 3 pm and was brought under control at about 6 pm, a fire brigade official said. There was no injury or casualty in the fire, the police said. Altogether six fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the flames in the textile shop. The fire fighters fought the blaze and brought it under control before it engulfed the adjacent congested area. People in the adjacent area were evacuated earlier, while traffic from the nearby roads were diverted. Causes of the fire or the extent of damages were yet to be ascertained, fire brigade sources said. Posta is a part of Burrabazar, one of the largest wholesale markets of the country, where the six-storied Bagri Market was gutted in a blaze about two months ago.
Air India flights hit as contract workers go on strike in Mumbai
At least three dozen domestic and international flight arrivals and departures were disrupted affecting thousands of passengers after over 1,000 contractual ground staffers resorted to a flash strike at the Mumbai airport early on Thursday, hitting Diwali travel schedules badly, officials said.
Chandigarh hospital reports 27 cases of firecracker-related eye injuries this Diwali
Twenty-seven cases of firecracker-related eye injuries were reported by the PGIMER hospital here on Diwali, officials said on Thursday. These people from Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh suffered eye injuries during Diwali festivities on Wednesday and came to the emergency services department of PGIMER, Chandigarh, for treatment, they said. They include 20 males and seven females and only 11 of them are above 16 years of age, they added. Hospital officials said the youngest among the injured is a two-year-old. Of the 27 patients, 11 were injured while lighting firecrackers, while the remaining 16 were bystanders, the officials said. Twelve patients required surgical intervention and injuries of eight of them are serious, they said.
Mumbai goes Delhi way, smog grips India's financial capital
Things have gone haywire for Mumbai too. After Delhi, struggling with the issue of air quality like anything these days, India's financial capital was engulfed in a thick layer of smog after massive fireworks in the metropolitan city were witnessed during Diwali celebrations.As the denizens of Mumbai did not show any restraint in bursting crackers, the quality of air plummeted, entering the poor category of air quality.Earlier on Thursday, the air quality in the national capital also reached the 'hazardous' level. The capital city woke up to a thick blanket of smog leading to low visibility. "The overall Air Quality Index (AQI) of Delhi at 8:30 am was recorded at 458, which falls under the 'severe' category," said System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR).Areas affected the most included Anand Vihar (AQI: 999), Lodhi Road (AQI: 500), Chanakyapuri (AQI 459) and the localities around Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium (AQI: 999), all under 'hazardous' category. .
70 fire incidents reported in Himachal Pradesh on Diwali
Property worth over Rs 1.67 crore was gutted in 70 incidents of fire reported from across Himachal Pradesh on Diwali, an official said on Thursday. A major fire broke out at a Honda agency in Kangra district's Gurkari village after a lit firecracker fell there. Seventy-five two wheelers and other property worth Rs 40 lakh was gutted in the fire, sub-divisional officer, fire department, Dharam Chand Sharma said. Firemen, with the help of locals, doused the blaze in about three hours, he said. Nearly 200 two wheelers did not have a proper shed on top. The firemen successfully saved the remaining 125, he added. Sharma told PTI that 15 incidents of fire were reported from Kangra, the maximum in the state. It was followed by 12 each in Shimla and Solan, 8 in Sirmour, 6 in Una, 5 each in Mandi and Hamirpur, 3 in Bilaspur and 2 in Kullu and Chamba respectively, he said. Property worth Rs. 1,67,48,300 was gutted in the fire incidents, he added. No fire incidents were reported from Kinnaur and
RBI's credibility, reputation could be irretrievably damaged: Chidambaram
Coming down heavily on the Narendra Modi government for making efforts to "capture" the RBI, Congress leader and former Union finance minister P Chidambaram on Thursday said the chain of events could "irretrievably damage" the credibility and reputation of the apex bank.
Vijayan thanks Delhi Assembly for flood relief donation
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday expressed thanks to the Delhi MLAs for their contribution to the state's Disaster Relief Fund in the wake of floods.
Gunman among 'multiple' dead in US bar shooting: Sheriff's office
A gunman who opened fire in a southern California bar and dance hall late Wednesday killing several people is dead, the sheriff's office said. Ventura County Sheriff's Office Sgt Eric Buchow told the CBS affiliate in Los Angeles that there were "multiple fatalities" in the shooting and the gunman was dead inside the crowded venue in the upscale residential suburb of Thousand Oaks.
2 children die in fire on Diwali
Two children of a family were charred to death and two more siblings gravely injured after a fire broke out in a shanty on Diwali night at Desh Bandhu Gupta road area in the capital city.The injured children are undergoing treatment in a hospital.Later, the fire was brought under control. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. Police investigation is underway.