Page 390 - Disaster Accident
Runaway cargo train derailed in Australia after travelling for 92kms
A fully-laden freight train, owned by mining giant BHP, was deliberately derailed after hurtling through Western Australia for 92km at high speed without its driver, the company said. The 268-wagon train, carrying iron ore, travelled for 50 minutes with no-one on board in the outback Pilbara region on Monday. The train, made up of four locomotives, was eventually derailed at a set of points at Turner's Siding, about 120km south of Port Hedland. Mobile phone footage obtained by the ABC News shows the twisted and mangled wreckage of the train lying strewn alongside the track. The derailment was orchestrated from BHP's Integrated Remote Operations Centre in Perth, about 1,500km away. Two rail safety officers from the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator have arrived at the site of the derailment to begin an investigation. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) is separately investigating the derailment. A spokesperson for the ATSB said the investigation was likely to be ...
Families hold mass prayer at sea for Indonesia jet crash victims
Hundreds of grieving relatives prayed Tuesday at the spot where a Lion Air jet plunged into the sea as revelations over the jet's malfunctioning air speed indicator raised fresh questions about the cause of the accident. Tearful mourners aboard a pair of Indonesian navy vessels tossed bouquets and scattered flower petals into the Java Sea off the country's north coast where the brand new jet crashed last week, killing all 189 people on board. Search teams have filled some 164 body bags with remains found after the devastating crash, but only 27 victims have been identified so far, police said. The Boeing 737-Max 8, one of the world's newest and most advanced commercial passenger planes, crashed on October 29 just 12 minutes into a one-hour flight from Jakarta to Pangkal Pinang city on Sumatra island. Flight JT610 sped up as it suddenly lost altitude and then vanished from radar shortly after take-off. Divers have retrieved the flight data recorder but are still hunting for the plane's
Deaths, injuries from accidents fall by 84 per cent in last one year: Railways
With Railway Minister Piyush Goyal emphasising on safety and improving infrastructure of the national transporter through mega investments and recruitments, deaths from train collisions or derailment in India have fallen by more than 84 per cent, a senior railway ministry official said on Tuesday.
Charity says millions of Yemenis are edging closer to famine
The Norwegian Refugee Council says millions of Yemenis are edging closer to famine and fatal disease one year after a Saudi-led coalition imposed a blockade on sea, land and air routes in the Arab world's poorest country. The Saudi-led coalition fighting Iran-backed Shiite Houthi rebels had restricted access to Yemen in November last year after a missile assault by rebels targeted the Saudi capital, Riyadh. Jan Egeland of the Norwegian Refugee Council said late Monday "the past 12 months have been a never-ending nightmare for Yemeni civilians." The Saudi-led coalition has been at war with the Houthi rebels since March 2015 in a stalemated conflict that has generated the world's worst humanitarian crisis. The charity says the war has left 12 million people at imminent risk of descending into famine.
Up to eight feared dead in Marseille building collapse
As many as eight people might have died in the southern French city of Marseille in two building collapses, officials said Tuesday after the first body was pulled out from the wreckage. Rescuers worked throughout the night to look for victims in the rubble of two dilapidated apartment blocks which collapsed suddenly on Monday morning not far from the centre of the Mediterranean port city. There are between five to eight people missing, Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said late Monday, with authorities trying to trace five residents and three other people who had been invited to the buildings. "The most important is saving lives," Castaner added from the scene. "During the first clearing operations we've found some pockets of air that means we still have some hope of finding and identifying a survivor." The first victim -- a man -- was pulled from the wreckage Tuesday, prosecutor Xavier Tarabeux said, adding that he needed to be identified. Google Maps images taken in recent ...
How social media plays a role in evacuation during a hurricane
People with the most "social ties" are more likely to heed official warnings and flee during a hurricane, revealed a big data study by Facebook's AI Research (FAIR) group.
Northern Railway gets its first high speed locomotive
The Northern Railway on Tuesday received its first aerodynamically designed passenger electric locomotive capable of running at 200 kmph, an official said.
UP metro service on Diwali to be available from 6 am to 7 pm: Officials
Metro services in the city on Diwali will be available for passengers from 6 am to 7 pm, Metro officials said Tuesday. The Metro train services will commence at the usual time in the morning, but will ply only till 7 pm instead of 10 pm, they said. The last Metro trains from the Transport Nagar Metro Station and the Charbagh Metro Station will depart at 7 pm 7.16 pm respectively, the officials added.
Real Diwali when 'misrule' of NDA govt ends at Centre: Naidu
: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu Tuesday said it would be a real Diwali for the country when the 'misrule' of the NDA government ends at the Centre. "The real Diwali for the country is the day when the misrule of the NDA is put an end to," he said in his Diwali message to the people. The Chief Minister lashed out at the Centre, saying it had displayed an 'inhuman attitude' by not extending 'even a paisa' for victims of the devastating cyclone Titli that struck north coastal Andhra Pradesh last month. "Despite the indifferent attitude of the Centre, we aided the cyclone victims and provided relief," he said. Noting that Diwali meant a 'row of lights', the Chief Minister hoped it would usher in a row of victories for Andhra Pradesh. "Seeing a glow in people's eyes is the real Diwali for me," he added.
Lion Air's airspeed indicator malfunctioned in last 4 flights
Investigators of the Lion Air Flight 610, that crashed recently, have confirmed that the airspeed indicator of the aircraft had malfunctioned during its last four flights.The investigators discovered the fault after analysing the flight data recorder (FDR) of the plane which plunged into the Java Sea minutes after taking off from Jakarta on October 29 with 189 people on board, CNN reported, while quoting sources."We are formulating with Indonesia's National Transportation Safety Committee (NTSB) and Boeing for detailed inspections regarding the airspeed indicator," said Soerjanto Tjahjono, head of the NTSB in Jakarta.Boeing, the manufacturer of the 737 MAX 8, along with six black box experts from four different countries, are at present analysing the flight data recorder in Indonesia.The first part of the black box of the doomed plane, recovered on November 1, revealed that it had performed 19 flights in total including its final flight scheduled from Jakarta to Sumatra.The team is ...
Texas newlyweds die in helicopter crash
A young couple from Texas were killed when a helicopter carrying them away from their own wedding crashed, according to officials.
Driverless Australian train derails after 92 km
A goods train carrying iron ore in Australia's Pilbara region had to be derailed after it travelled for almost one hour without a driver.
FAO aids Indonesian farmers, fishermen recover after earthquake, tsunami
Rome, Nov 6 (IANS/AKI) The UN Food and Agriculture Organization has launched a recovery programme to help more than 70,000 Indonesian farmers and fishers grow food and fish again following a series of disasters that just over a month ago devastated their lives, the FAO said.
Russian fighter jet intercepts US aircraft over Black Sea
A Russian Su-27 fighter jet has intercepted a US Navy EP-3E Aries plane over the Black Sea near Russian airspace and escorted it away in a safe manner, the Russian Defence Ministry said.
World watching Italy this week, says Conte
Rome, Nov 6 (IANS/AKI) All eyes are on Italy during what will be a "challenging" week, populist premier Giuseppe Conte stated on Monday amid an ongoing stand-off with the European Union over Rome's plan to flout eurozone fiscal rules in its free-spending 2019 budget.
Shallow 5.1-magnitude quake strikes Indonesia's
A shallow 5.1-magnitude earthquake rocked Indonesia's Sulawesi island on Tuesday, the US Geological Survey said. The quake struck 11 kilometres (seven miles) east of Mamasa in west Sulawesi at 2:35 am (18:35 GMT), according to USGS. No tsunami warning was issued. It comes after a 7.5-magnitude quake and a subsequent tsunami razed swathes of the city of Palu on Sulawesi island on September 28. The disaster killed more than 2,000 people and displaced more than 220,000. Indonesia, one of the most disaster-prone nations on earth, straddles the so-called Pacific "Ring of Fire", where tectonic plates collide and many of the world's volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occur.
Four railway gangmen mowed down by train while repairing track
Four railway gangmen were killed on Monday in Uttar Pradesh's Hardoi district when a train ran over them, police said. The men were working on the tracks between Sandila and Umartalai when the incident took place.
Three killed in separate road accidents in Amethi
Three people, including an infant, were killed in separate road accidents in Uttar Pradesh's Amethi district on Monday, police said. Sumitra (25) and her one-and-a-half-year-old son were killed on the spot when the motorcycle they were riding skidded off the road near Premgarh on the Raebareli-Faizabad National Highway, SHO Jagdishpur Ramakant Prajapati said. Sumitra's husband, Anil Kumar, who was driving the motorcycle, was safe, he said. In another incident, a 52-year-old man, identified as Ram Raj Saroj, died after being run over by a speeding truck on Amethi-Raebareli road in Gauriganj, the police said. The truck driver fled from the spot, leaving behind his vehicle, which has been impounded, the police said. The bodies of all the three deceased have been sent for post-mortem, they said.
IAF rescues three stranded youths from HP's snow-hit Chamba
The Indian Air Force (IAF) has rescued three stranded youths from Himachal Pradesh's snow-bound Chamba district on Monday, a senior official said. Additional Chief Secretary, PWD, revenue and disaster management Manisha Nanda said the stranded youths were rescued unhurt from the Holi area here with the help of an IAF helicopter. "The youths have been hospitalised for precautionary checkup," Nanda added. Meanwhile, the state government has issued an advisory to tourists and local residents from visiting high altitude areas. Chief Secretary BK Agarwal urged the people to not visit high altitude areas due to unpredictable weather conditions.
Take stringent action against traffic offenders, Satya Pal Malik directs officials
Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik Monday asked the state administration to take prompt action to alleviate the miseries of the people hit by heavy snowfall in the region. Chairing a review meeting at the Civil Secretariat here, Malik said stringent action must be taken against traffic offenders. Overloading, over-speeding and all unfit vehicles must be penalised, the governor told the officials. Malik said survey of damaged apple orchards due to heavy snowfall must be undertaken at the earliest, an official spokesman said. He assessed the adequacy of food stock, fuel, supply of electricity and other basic amenities in areas where heavy snowfall was reported. The governor reviewed the schedules of examinations and preparedness of the school education department to facilitate students during the "harsh" winter months. Expressing serious concern over frequent road accidents, the governor asked for strict compliance of road safety norms and the stern dealing with traffic ...