Page 396 - Disaster Accident
Mid-air collision between 2 IndiGo planes averted near Indo-Bangla border
As per standard procedure, an investigation will be initiated
 "Mid-air collision between 2 IndiGo planes averted near Indo-Bangla border")
Japan Airlines pilot held for being drunk
A Japan Airlines pilot was on Thursday arrested shortly prior to his scheduled flight from London to Tokyo as alcohol in his bloodstream surpassed the legally permitted levels by almost ten-folds.42-year-old Katsutoshi Jitsukawa pleaded guilty to the offence at the Uxbridge Magistrates' Court, CNN reported citing UK Press Association reports.Blood tests conducted a mere 50 minutes before Japan Airlines flight JL44 was scheduled for takeoff confirmed that First Officer Jitsukawa had 189 mg of alcohol per 100 ml blood in his body, with the law capping off the permitted limit at 80 mg.Jitsukawa was apprehended as a crew bus driver caught whiffs of alcohol and informed the police, CNN cited Japanese broadcaster NHK as confirming. He confessed he drank two bottles of wine and a pitcher of beer the night before his flight.The pilot was due to fly a Boeing 777 aircraft, which can accommodate 244 flyers. He is currently in custody and will be sentenced on November 29 at the Isleworth Crown ...
Cyclone Titli: Central team visits affected districts of Odisha for damage assessment
A seven-member team of the central government, headed by joint secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), SK Shahi, reached Odisha to visit cyclone and subsequent flood-affected districts of the state for damage assistance.Besides MHA, the other members of the team were from all concerned department like Power, Water Resources, Agriculture and Cooperation and Farmers Welfare, Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, and Rural Development, read a statement.On the first day of their visit, the central team visited Ganjam district and met the local people to discuss the situation.The expert team will next assess the damage in Gajapati and nearby areas. Later, the team will also discuss their assessment and findings with senior administrators of the state, followed by submitting their final report to the Centre.The Odisha government has already submitted a preliminary report to the Centre estimating requirement of the fund as Rs 2770.28 crore and seeking the central assistance of ...
Black box of crashed Lion Air flight 610 retrieved
One of the black boxes of the crashed Lion Air flight 610 was on Thursday recovered by Indonesia's National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas).A ping detector was used by the search team to locate signals from the black box, along with a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV). The black box was kept in a plastic container after Navy divers brought it to the surface, Jakarta Post reported citing Kompas TV.The black box is key to solving the mystery regarding the crashing of a brand new Boeing 737 Max 8 jet in clear weather conditions.Reports of the plane's fuselage being recovered earlier have been disproved, with the Basarnas confirming on Wednesday that the 20-metre-long object believed to be the fuselage was actually a shipwreck."There are (signs) in several positions but none of them is the fuselage," Nugroho Budi Wiryanto, the Basarnas operation deputy said.On Monday, the plane crashed 13 minutes after taking off from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta. All 189 ..
2 Jordan ministers resign after 21 killed in flash floods
Two Jordanian ministers has resigned amid public pressure after flash floods killed 21 people last week, media reported.
Central team visits Odisha's cyclone-hit district
A seven-member inter-ministerial team of the central government on Thursday undertook assessment of damages caused by cyclone 'Titli' and subsequent floods in Odisha's Ganjam district. The team members led by Joint Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, S K Shahi, will also visit the worst-affected Gajapati district on Friday, said Deputy Relief Commissioner P K Mohapatra. "It has been decided that the team will visit Ganjam district on Thursday and leave for Gajapati district on Friday. After the field visit, the team will have a meeting with senior officials at the state secretariat in the evening on November 2," Mohapatra said. The team is expected to submit a report to the Centre within eight days, official sources said.
Over 8,000 to take part in Run for Education
More than 8,000 participants from across the country will take part in the fifth edition of Airtel Run for Education on November 25, it was announced on Thursday.
India begins preparatory meet for joint SCO exercise in 2019
India on Thursday began a preparatory meet for the first phase of main Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) joint 2019 exercise with all eight member countries here to chalk out plan and modalities, said a Home Ministry statement.
Joint task force to address flood-hit coffee planters' woes: Prabhu
Union Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu on Thursday said a joint task force set up by the Commerce Ministry and Karnataka government will address the concerns of southern state's flood-hit coffee growers.
Aircraft hit by water tanker at Kolkata, damaged
A Qatar Airways aircraft preparing for take-off from Kolkata suffered damage on Thursday after it was hit by a water tanker "due to mishandling", an airport official said.
Part of landing gear, one 'black box' recovered from Indonesia jet
Divers have found a piece of landing gear from a crashed Lion Air jet, Indonesian authorities said Thursday, following the discovery of a critical black box that could explain why the brand-new plane plummeted into the sea, killing 189 people. Search teams have been scouring the seabed for the fuselage of the Boeing-737 MAX 8, which plunged into the waters off Indonesia's northern coast shortly after takeoff on Monday despite only being in service a few months. Referring to the landing gear, search and rescue agency head Muhammad Syaugi said late Thursday, "we have found part of it", as authorities piece together what caused the crash. "Separately, we have found bigger parts of the plane than we have seen in previous days," he added, hours after officials announced the recovery of a data recorder from the plane. There were no known survivors and only body parts have been found so far. Relatives are desperate to be able to say goodbye to their loved ones and the first funeral for one ..
Maha Cong seeks Rs 5000 cr Central grant to fight drought
A day after the BJP-led Maharashtra government declared drought in 26 districts, the opposition Congress Thursday demanded a Central assistance of Rs 5000 crore while accusing the ruling dispensation of fiscal mismanagement. Addressing a press conference here, state unit Congress president Ashok Chavan accused the BJP-led government of not making any fiscal provisions to fight drought. The state government Wednesday declared drought in 151 talukas in 26 of total 36 districts in the state. As per a government order, 112 talukas are facing severe drought and 39 talukas a moderate drought. "The BJP government has declared drought, but has made no budgetary allocations. Maharashtra is reeling under a debt of almost Rs 5 lakh crore. How will the government pay for drought relief? We demand Rs 5,000 crore central assistance for relief measures in Maharashtra," he said while addressing reporters. Chavan said the ongoing "Jan Sangharsh" yatra of his party in the Marathwada ...
Piece of crashed Indonesian jet's landing gear found: official
Divers have found a piece of the landing gear from a Lion Air jet that crashed into the sea, Indonesian authorities said Thursday, following the discovery of a black box that could help establish why the brand-new plane crashed shortly after takeoff, killing 189 people. Referring to the landing gear, search and rescue agency head Muhammad Syaugi said, "we have found part of it.
Maha: After 151 talukas, additional 250 mandals declared
The Maharashtra government on Thursday announced drought in 250 'mandals' in the state in addition to 151 talukas already declared as drought-affected. Mandals are smaller revenue units than talukas or tehsils. A taluka is made up of several mandals. Speaking to reporters after a cabinet meeting here, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the 151 talukas were declared as drought-hit Wednesday as they had fulfilled the conditions of the Union government's 'drought manual'. "We decided in the cabinet meeting today that the mandals which have received less than 75 per cent of average rainfall or less than 700 mm of rain will also be declared as drought-hit," he told reporters. "Accordingly, additional 250 mandals were declared drought-hit today," Fadnavis said. The chief minister said it was also decided that a committee will be formed under the Relief and Rehabilitation department to look into complaints such as an area not being declared as drought-hit for technical ...
1 black box of crashed Indonesian plane retrieved, 1st victim identified (Third Lead)
Indonesian authorities on Thursday confirmed the recovery of one of the two black boxes of the Lion Air plane that plunged into the Java Sea earlier this week, killing all 189 people on board.
Odisha govt declares drought in 19 districts|
The Odisha government on Thursday declared droughts of moderate and severe nature in 19 districts of the state.The calamity covers a total crop area of 2.33 lakh hectares covering 5,533 villages of 66 blocks in nine districts namely - Nabarangpur, Bargarh, Balangir, Deogarh, Jharsuguda, Kalahandi, Nuapara, Sambalpur and Sundergarh.The state drought monitoring cell, under the Odisha State Disaster Management Authority, while studying the different parameters estimated rainfall deviation of 39-59 per cent in five blocks -- Muribahal, Loisinga and Belapada of Bolangir district and Sundargarh Sadar and Tangarapalli of Sundargarh district.Additional 30 blocks in 12 districts experienced deficit rainfall (between 19 per cent and 39 per cent), while 100 blocks in 19 districts have experienced a dry spell of three weeks and more.Accordingly, the Agriculture and Farmers Empowerment Department, and the collectors were requested for joint verification of the crop condition in the field.As per ...
Two killed, as many injured in fire crackers explosion
At least two persons of a family were killed and as many injured in an explosion caused by fire crackers they were making at their home on the outskirts of the city on Thursday, police said. The deceased have been identified as Gyana Ranjan Mishra and his wife Laxmipriya Mishra, they said. Police said the incident took place when the family was making fire crackers at their home in Nuasahi village here for Diwali. As one of the fire crackers exploded, fire spread to other areas leading to a huge explosion. The bodies of the couple were found in pieces, police said, adding that fire tenders were used to douse the blaze. According to eyewitnesses, the roof and walls of the building collapsed due to the explosion. Police used dog squad in the investigation. "We are investigating into the matter and debris is being cleared. The actual toll will be known after it is cleared," ACP Rajkishore Paikray told reporters here. While the couple died on the spot, two others suffered serious ...
Odisha-drought-Nabarangpur
The Odisha government on Thursday declared droughts of moderate and severe nature in 19 districts of the state.The calamity covers a total crop area of 2.33 lakh hectares covering 5,533 villages of 66 blocks in nine districts namely - Nabarangpur, Bargarh, Balangir, Deogarh, Jharsuguda, Kalahandi, Nuapara, Sambalpur and Sundergarh.The state drought monitoring cell, under the Odisha State Disaster Management Authority, while studying the different parameters estimated rainfall deviation of 39-59 per cent in five blocks -- Muribahal, Loisinga and Belapada of Bolangir district and Sundargarh Sadar and Tangarapalli of Sundargarh district.Additional 30 blocks in 12 districts experienced deficit rainfall (between 19 per cent and 39 per cent), while 100 blocks in 19 districts have experienced a dry spell of three weeks and more.Accordingly, the Agriculture and Farmers Empowerment Department, and the collectors were requested for joint verification of the crop condition in the field.As per ...
Srinagar-Leh highway closed after fresh snowfall in Kashmir
Fresh snowfall Thursday in the higher reaches of Kashmir has forced closure of several important roads including the Srinagar-Leh highway, officials said. "Snowfall on the Srinagar-Leh road has forced suspension of vehicular traffic on this road," an official of the traffic department said. He said it was snowing at Peer Ki Gali in South Kashmir, leading to closure of the Mughal Road, connecting the Valley to Poonch-Rajouri area. Light rainfall was witnessed in the city and other parts of the Valley, ending the dry spell in Kashmir.
SCO countries hold preparatory meeting for joint exercise on urban earthquake search and rescue
The two-day long preparatory meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Joint Exercise on Urban Earthquake Search & Rescue- 2019 began on Thursday. This marks the first phase of the main exercise scheduled for 21-24 February, 2019 in Delhi by India. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has been entrusted with the responsibility of organising the exercise by Indian government.Delivering the keynote address, R.K. Jain, Member, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) highlighted the increasing trends of disasters especially hydro-metrological disasters in the region and said that since all the countries are interconnected with each other, the action in one part of world affects the other. "The challenges in disaster management are common in the world. If we are able to prevent and reduce the impact of disasters, it will be a huge global benefit," Jain said.He added that India has always been at the forefront of the Disaster Risk Resilience (DRR) efforts by hosting .