Page 405 - Disaster Accident
Army officer, soldier injured by landmines
An Army officer and a soldier were injured on Sunday in two separate landmine explosions near the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district.
Odisha alerts Collectors to possible heavy rains
The Odisha government on Sunday asked the Collectors of coastal districts to remain alert as the Met Department has predicted heavy rainfall till October 30 in the state.
Pakistan works to contain oil spill near Karachi
Authorities in Pakistan have launched an operation to contain an oil spill that has damaged about 1.5 kilometers (nearly 1 mile) of coastline near the southern port city of Karachi. Moazzam Khan, of the Word Wildlife Fund, said Sunday that traces of oil have been found across an 8-kilometer (5-mile) stretch, endangering marine life. Residents suspect the oil leaked from an underwater pipeline at a nearby refinery. Mohammad Abid, of the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency, said two trails of oil can be seen from the air, but that the source is unknown. The refinery denied it was the source of the spill, but suspended operations after been ordered to do so by local authorities.
Bus plunges off bridge into China's Yangtze River, killing 2
A bus has plunged off a large bridge spanning China's Yangtze River, with state media saying two people were killed. Police say the bus suddenly veered into the wrong lane and collided with an oncoming car Sunday before breaking through a guard rail and falling into the wide river in Chongqing in southwestern China. Divers and other rescue workers were searching for the passengers and driver. Police said that more than 10 people were on the bus. State broadcaster CCTV said that two people had been confirmed dead. The cause of the accident is under investigation.
Bihar CM condoles death of BJP leader Khurana, LJP MP's son
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday condoled the demise of senior BJP leader Madan Lal Khurana and expressed profound grief over the death of Ashutosh Singh, son of Munger MP Veena Singh, in an accident. Khurana, former Delhi chief minister, passed away at his Kirti Nagar residence in Delhi on Saturday after prolonged illness. He was 82. In his condolence message, Kumar said Khurana's death has "created a void", both in politics and the society. "Khurana had efficiently discharged his duties as Delhi CM. He also discharged his constitutional duties as Rajasthan governor and worked for strengthening parliamentary democracy," an official release issued by the chief minister's office said. The CM also prayed to almighty to give strength to Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) MP Veena Singh, who lost her son in a road accident on Saturday. Ashutosh Singh was pursuing Master in Business Administration (MBA) at a private university in Noida.
China to provide earthquake monitoring services to high-speed rails
China will officially provide services for the quick reporting of earthquake seismic intensity and provide early warning information to high-speed rail networks nationwide by 2021, according to the China Earthquake Administration (CEA). The services will benefit information integration and sharing between China's high-speed rails and earthquake information system, increasing the country's early earthquake warning information service capabilities, Yin Chaomin, deputy head of the CEA said. The plan will also strengthen the safety of China's vast high-speed rails as they will extend to over 30,000 kilometre by 2020, covering more than 80 per cent of large and medium-sized cities,Yin was quoted as saying by the state-run Xinhua news agency on Sunday. Yin said the CEA will continue to deepen research on early earthquake warning technologies and increase accuracy and reliability. The early warning system will help people take emergency measures to escape and inform large projects such as ...
2 dozen passengers injured as bus collides with truck in UP
Over two dozen passengers were injured when an Uttar Pradesh Roadways bus collided with a truck on the Etawah-Bareilly Highway in Rajepur area here on Sunday, police said. The incident occurred when the bus was coming towards Farukhabad from Bareilly, they said. The injured persons were rushed to a nearby hospital, where the condition of four people was stated to be critical.
Delhi govt proposes restructuring DDMA on lines of National Disaster Management Authority
To effectively deal with disasters, the AAP government has proposed to restructure the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) on the lines of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and have a full-time CEO, consultants, "exclusive" response force and experts, an official said. The revenue department has sent a proposal to Delhi Minister Kailash Gahlot to restructure the DDMA chaired by the lieutenant governor. According to DDMA's website, the chief minister is the vice-chairman while chief secretary is also the CEO. The DDMA currently comes under the revenue department headed by Gahlot. As per the plan, DDMA, which does not have a permanent office building in the city, will have separate secretariat once the proposal gets nods from the government. An official said that DDMA facing staff shortage needs more attention to effectively tackle disaster. At present, DDA focuses on immediate relief whenever there is disaster, but there is also need for prevention "Disaster ...
'Smartphones may help better predict flash floods'
Data from smartphones could be harnessed to forecast weather patterns that lead to flash floods and other natural disasters, according to a study. Smartphones measure raw data, such as atmospheric pressure, temperatures and humidity, to assess atmospheric conditions, said researchers from Tel Aviv University (TAU) in Israel. To understand how the smartphone sensors work, they placed four smartphones around TAU campus under controlled conditions. The study, published in the Journal of Atmospheric and Solar-Terrestrial Physics, analysed the data to detect phenomena such as "atmospheric tides," which are similar to ocean tides. The researchers also analysed data from a UK-based app called WeatherSignal. "The sensors in our smartphones are constantly monitoring our environment, including gravity, the earth's magnetic field, atmospheric pressure, light levels, humidity, temperatures, sound levels and more," said Professor Colin Price from TAU. "Vital atmospheric data exists today on some 3
China coal mine accident toll reaches 13
The death toll in a coal mine accident in China's Shandong province increased to 13 while eight miners still remain trapped, authorities said on Sunday.
5.8 earthquake rattles Romania, felt in Ukraine, elsewhere
Romanian authorities say an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.8 has rattled central and eastern Romania and was also felt in Ukraine, Moldova and Bulgaria. There are no immediate reports of damage. The National Earth Physics Institute says the temblor, which lasted for several seconds, occurred at 3:38 am local time Sunday in the eastern quake-prone region of Vrancea at a depth of 150 kilometres. The quake woke residents in the Romanian capital, Bucharest, and elsewhere.
Last body in Jordan flash flood identified, final toll at 21
A pathologist says the last of 21 victims of a recent flash flood in Jordan has been identified after DNA testing showed that one family inadvertently buried the wrong child. The flood, caused by heavy rains, had swept away middle school students and their teachers while they were visiting hot springs near the Dead Sea on Thursday. Twenty victims were swiftly buried, but the body of one girl could not immediately be identified. Dr Ahmed Bani Hani, director of the National Center for Forensic Medicine, said Saturday that testing showed that a family that lost twin girls in the flood had inadvertently buried a girl from another family. The official news agency Petra quoted Bani Hani as saying both families have been notified. Funeral arrangements were not immediately clear.
4 shot dead in US, multiple victims reported
Police are responding to an active shooting at a synagogue in Pittsburgh, US state of Pennsylvania, media reports Saturday.
Shooter targets synagogue in Pennsylvania on IRF day
A shooter opened fire near the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh on Saturday, leading to "multiple casualties" at the scene.Allegheny County Sheriff's Deputy Kevin Kraus confirmed that authorities have responded to the situation, while Commander Jason Lando stated that police forces have been sent to the synagogue from where reports of gunfire emerged.Lando also mentioned that there are "multiple casualties", according to CNN.The Pennsylvania State Police tweeted that the shooter is in custody while urging everybody to "avoid the area".Lando has asked the public in the area to practice caution, while saying, "It is imperative that the neighbors in the community surrounding the Tree of Life synagogue stay in their houses and shelter in place. Do not come out of your home right now. It is not safe."The Pittsburgh Public Safety Twitter account also launched an alert and tweeted "There is an active shooter in the area of WILKINS and Shady. Avoid the area. More info will be released ...
'Multiple casualties' in shooting at Pittsburgh synagogue
A gunman opened fire at a synagogue in the US city of Pittsburgh on Saturday, reportedly killing at least four people and injuring an unknown number before he was taken into custody. The local CBS affiliate reported that eight people were confirmed dead, while Fox put the death toll at four. A police spokesman addressing reporters at the scene confirmed "multiple casualties" and said three officers where shot before the shooter was taken into custody. The condition of the officers was not immediately clear. Police were still clearing the building, the official said. Pittsburgh's Public Safety department, which includes the police, earlier tweeted that an active shooter was in the area near the synagogue, urging residents to stay away. The Tree of Life congregation is located in the area cited by police, and the incident occurred on the Jewish Sabbath. Television pictures showed a police SWAT team and ambulances in the area. "There are multiple casualties," the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette .
Guj CM inaugurates Ghogha-Dahej 'Ro-Pax' ferry service
The "Ro-Pax" (roll on/off-passenger) ferry service connecting Ghogha in Saurashtra and Dahej in south Gujarat through the Gulf of Cambay was launched Saturday by Chief Minister Vijay Rupani. A "passengers only" ferry on the route was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in October last year ahead of the Gujarat Assembly polls. "Flagged off the RO-PAX ferry service today from the RORO terminal at Ghogha, Bhavnagar. The RO-PAX ferry service will boost tourism and generate employment opportunities while saving fuel and reducing transportation costs at the same time," Rupani tweeted. Rupani also travelled on the ferry which cuts the distance between Ghogha and Dahej via sea route to just 30 kilometres when compared to 300 kilometres by road, and the travel time from 10-12 hours (by road) to 1.5 hours (by sea). Rupani later said that the ferry service would be extended to Mumbai. "I am positive that looking at the online booking and response, we will have to raise the .
18 killed as Ethiopian army truck collides with bus
Eighteen civilians were killed and others injured on Saturday when an army truck crashed into a minibus in northern Ethiopia, local media reported. The accident in Amhara state happened in the morning, the state-affiliated Fana Broadcasting Corporate said. Despite having one of the world's lowest per capita car ownership rates, deadly accidents are common in Ethiopia and often blamed on poor road and car maintenance and lax enforcement of safety rules. More around 4,500 people died in the 12 months up to July this year, according to government statistics.
Air India Express flight delayed by about 14 hrs
: A Sharjah-bound flight scheduled to leave here with over 100 passengers early this morning was delayed for about 14 hours owing to an enginnering snag, airport officials said here Saturday. The pilot of the Air India Express detected the snag when the passengers were about to board the plane at 3.20 AM, they said. The 102 passengers were accommodated in hotels across the city while technicians attended to the snag with spare-parts flown in from Thiruvananthapuram, an airline spokesperson told PTI. The problem was set right and the plane left for its ownard destination at 5 PM after a delay of about 14 hours, the officials said. On October 12, 136 passengers on a Dubai-bound Air India Express plane had a miraculous escape when one of its wheels hit the compound wall of the airport here.
Bihar MP's son dies in road accident in Greater Noida
A 24-year-old son of a Lok Sabha MP from Bihar died in a road accident in Greater Noida on Saturday, police said. Ashutosh, son of Munger MP Veena Singh and her husband Surajbhan Singh, was pursuing Masters in Business Administration (MBA) at a private university here. He was alone in his SUV on the Greater Noida-Noida Expressway when the accident took place at around 3.30 am, police said. "He was going from Pari Chowk in Greater Noida towards Delhi when the SUV rammed into the divider on the road, leading to severe injuries," Gautam Buddh Nagar Senior Superintendent of Police Ajay Pal Sharma said. "Ashutosh was rushed to the nearby Jaypee Hospital, where he later succumbed to injuries during treatment," Sharma said. Police said the family had been informed about the accident and the postmortem was also conducted. Asked about why was the student out on the road late in the night, a police official said his parents were in Delhi, where his mother was admitted in a hospital and he was ..
1 killed, 2 injured as bike collides head-on with truck in Rajasthan
A 25-year-old man was killed and two others, including a woman, were injured after their motorcycle collided head-on with a truck near the Ayana road here, police said Saturday. The accident occurred on Friday at around 8 pm in Baran district, said SHO at the Mangrole police station Ramkhiladi Meena. The deceased was identified as Dinesh Suman (32), a resident of Rawal-Jawal village, he said, adding that the two injured persons were identified as Mohanlal Suman (52) and his wife Gitabai. A case of negligent driving was registered against the truck driver, who fled away from the spot after the accident, the SHO said.