Page 406 - Disaster Accident
Emergency declared in typhoon-ravaged Northern Mariana
US military aircraft laden with emergency supplies were flying in to the Northern Mariana Islands Saturday in the wake of destructive Super Typhoon Yutu which destroyed buildings and cut electricity supplies. Ralph Torres, the governor of the US Pacific territory said President Donald Trump had approved a request for a "major disaster declaration" after the powerful storm, packing winds of up to 180 miles per hour (290kmh) left one person dead and caused widespread damage. More than 130 people required hospital treatment, mainly for cuts caused by flying debris. Hundreds of tourists were also stranded with the international airport on the main island of Saipan closed to commercial flights to free up space for military aircraft. Electricity was out across Saipan, which is home to most of the territory's 55,000 residents, as well as nearby Tinian. Tinian mayor Joey San Nicolas said the aid was urgently needed and authorities still did not know the full extent of the damage, two days ...
Fire breaks out in Dum Dum area
A fire broke out in a cluster of shanties in Dum Dum area in the northern outskirts of the city, fire brigade sources said. Three fire tenders took an hour to douse the flame which broke out at around 10 am in a cluster of shanties at Nagerbazar crossing of Dum Dum area. Two dwelling units were gutted, but nobody was injured. The cause of the fire is being ascertained, the sources said.
5 killed, 4 injured in two accidents in Muzaffarnagar
Five people, including a woman, died and four others were seriously injured in two road accidents in Muzaffarnagar district Saturday, police said. The injured, including two women, have been admitted to a hospital and are stated to be in serious condition, they said. Superintendent of Police Ombir Singh said two people, including a woman, were killed and four others injured when the driver of a car lost control over the wheels and crashed the vehicle into a shop near Mansurpur village on Delhi-Dehradun national highway about 10 km from here. The injured were have been admitted to a hospital in serious condition. Singh said the car driver was under the influence of alcohol. In an unrelated incident, three people were crushed to death by a speeding truck. The victims were riding a motorbike when it collided with the truck near Dholra bus stand in Titawi village of the district. The truck driver managed to escape after the accident.
One civilian killed every three hours in Yemen: Oxfam
A civilian is killed every three hours in Yemen, Oxfam said Friday, calling on the United States, Britain and other European states to suspend arms sales to Saudi Arabia. "One civilian has been killed every three hours in fighting in Yemen since the beginning of August, with many more people succumbing to disease and hunger," Oxfam said in a statement. Citing data collected by the Civilian Impact Monitoring Project, linked to the United Nations global protection clusters, the aid group said 575 civilians were killed between August 1 and October 15, including 136 children. "Oxfam is calling on the UK, US and other governments to suspend arms sales to the Saudis because of their disregard for civilian lives in the war in Yemen," read the Oxfam statement. Saudi Arabia leads a pro-government military alliance that has battled Yemen's Iran-backed Huthi rebels since 2015, pushing the impoverished country to the brink of famine. The UN categorises Yemen as the world's worst humanitarian ...
Massive fire breaks out in electronic shops in Ballia
A massive fire broke out in multiple electronic shops at an electronic goods market in Uttar Pradesh's Ballia district.The fire broke out near Station Malgodam Road in the Vasundhara market on Friday.Five fire tenders were rushed to the spot to douse the flame. However, no casualty or injury has been reported so far.More details are awaited.
Jordan floods toll increases to 21
The Jordanian Department of Civil Defence on Friday said the number of victims of the flash floods that have hit the Arab country had risen to 21 dead and 35 injured, with several people still missing.
JNU research body finds Kerala govt's 'lacklustre' attitude responsible for floods
The Kerala government's "lacklustre" attitude in dealing with natural disasters was responsible for devastating floods that hit the southern state in August, a study conducted by the Jawaharlal Nehru University has claimed. The report titled '2018 Kerala Floods: Governance and Legal Compliance', prepared by the Special Centre for Disaster Research of the JNU, which was released on Friday here, said the ecologists had repeatedly warned the state government about its preparedness like management of dams, information dissemination to municipal and panchayat authorities. "As the research team had already been working on the environmental devastation and community resilience in Kerala since 2016, such a calamity was not a surprise, but what was surprising was the lack of preparedness, the intransigence of administrative authorities," Amita Singh, a professor of the research institute, said. The research team found the Kerala government "has acted against nature, environment and ecosystems .
UN gets life-saving aid to 150,000 displaced Yemenis
Rome, Oct 26 (IANS/AKI) Amid a spectre of mass famine in Yemen, the UN has intensified its efforts to ensure that tens of thousands of displaced Yemenis have immediate access to cash support, Andrej Mahecic of the UN refugee agency UNHCR said on Friday.
Strike in Brussels airport leaves thousands without luggage
A Belgian company that provides aircraft ground handling services on Friday launched a flash strike in Belgium's main airport of Brussels-Zaventem, a spokesperson for the airport told Efe.
Indonesia revises toll of quakes, tsunami to 2,081
Indonesian authorities on Friday revised down the death toll from powerful earthquakes and an ensuing tsunami on Sulawesi Island in September to 2,081 from 2,256.
UP: 8 dead, 3 injured in cracker factory explosion
Eight people were dead and three injured in an explosion that took place in a firecracker factory in Badaun's Rasalpur Village on Friday.In the explosion, the factory got badly damaged. Several people are still feared trapped in debris.Police and administration officials are present at the spot.More details into the incident are awaited.
Madras HC enhances compensation for accident victim
The Madras High Court Friday enhanced from Rs 19 lakh to Rs 52 lakh the compensation awarded by a tribunal to an eight-year-old girl whose right leg had to be amputated after a road accident in 2012. When a civil miscellaneous appeal of Oriental Insurance Company Ltd, challenging the order of a motor accidents claims tribunal came up, a division bench of Justices N Kirubakaran and R Pongiappan enhanced the relief. "It is difficult for a girl or boy to get a suitable alliance when she or he is disabled, especially when one of her or his legs is amputated," the bench observed. "The material prospects of the victim in the present case would be bleak or less. Hence, this court has increased the compensation," the bench said and ordered the insurance company to deposit the amount after deducting the amount if paid anything already within four weeks with interest. The leg of the girl studying in class 2 was crushed by a private bus that was driven rashly and negligently in Tiruppur district
Striking Odisha lawyers threaten to burn CM's effigies
The striking Orissa lawyers on Friday threatened to burn effigies of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at various places on a particular day if their demand for arrest of two policemen were not met by Tuesday. Lawyers across Odisha are on strike since August 29 paralysing judicial activities in all the courts including the Orissa High Court, and tribunals. A constable and a havildar had allegedly assaulted a Cuttack-based lawyer, whose car was involved in a series of road accident at three places on August 28 here. "On Tuesday afternoon, the general body will decide the date and time of simultaneous burning of effigies of the chief minister," Orissa High Court Bar Association secretary Satyabrata Mohanty said. The lawyers would also fix a date at that meeting for a march to Bhubaneswar and gherao the residence of the chief minister, he said.
Under shadow of fatal mishaps, paragliding event begins Saturday
An eight-day event attracting paragliders from around the world begins Saturday in Himachal Pradesh's Kangra district against the backdrop of the deaths of two flyers this week. The competition for the Indian Open World Paragliding Cup-2018 will be held at Bir Billing, one of the top paragliding destinations in the world and the scene of the two deaths. Singapore's Kok Chang was killed Tuesday and Australia's Sanjay Kumar Ramdas Devarkonda died the next day in paragliding mishaps, an official said. The Singaporean had come to take part in the competition, organised by the Bir Billing Special Area Development Authority (SADA) in collaboration with the state's tourism department. It is not immediately clear if the other victim also was in Bir Billing for the event. Baijnath sub-divisional magistrate Vikas Shukla, who is the event coordinator, said both victims were free-flyers'. The qualified pilots usually free-fly while others paraglide in tandem with qualified licence-holder pilots. .
Maha: 3 labourers choke to death in manhole in Dombivli MIDC
Three labourers engaged in cleaning a manhole in an industrial area in Maharashtra's Thane district Friday died possibly after inhaling poisonous fumes. The incident happened in the MIDC area of Dombivli in the evening and the Kalyan-Dombivli fire brigade was summoned at around 4:15pm, an official said. Fire Officer Suresh Shinde of the Dombivli MIDC fire station told PTI that the deceased were part of a team of contract workers who were engaged in cleaning drains in the industrial area. The three entered the manhole one after the other in a space of few minutes and choked to death, he said. He identified the three dead persons as Devidas Pachge (30), Ghanshyam (40) and Mahadeo Zope (38). Tilak Nagar police in Dombivli is investigating the incident and an official said it would also probe possible safety regulation violations.
Chandrababu Naidu urges fast release of aid to rehabilitate Titli victims
A seven-member team from the central government on Friday met Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu in connection with Titli cyclone and its aftermath. The team led by Sanjiv Kumar Jindal, Joint Secretary of Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) also visited Titli cyclone affected areas to assess the damage.During their meeting with Chief Minister Naidu, Jindal expressed satisfaction over the rescue and relief operations taken up by the state government. The central team also mentioned the response of the victims about the aid by the state govt. The Chief Minister explained that a loss of Rs 3673.10 crores incurred due to Titli cyclone and asked the central team to react quickly in providing financial aid."Lakhs of trees are collapsed, hundreds of animals died, huge number of houses are damaged, power supply is hugely hampered, huge length of roads are badly damaged. Srikakulam is a most backward district, with very less per capita income. People in the area are most prone to
Powerful 6.4 earthquake strikes Greek island
A powerful 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck the Greek island of Zakynthos early Friday, causing minor damage to the port and some buildings but no one was injured, authorities said.
8 killed, 3 hurt in explosion at firecracker factory in UP
At least eight persons were killed and three others seriously injured on Friday in an explosion at a firecracker factory here, police said. "At around 4.00 pm, there was an explosion in a licensed firecracker factory in Rasulpur village under Civil Lines police station," Badaun Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ashok Kumar said. "Seven persons died on the spot, while one person succumbed to his injuries in hospital. Three injured persons have been admitted to the district hospital. Their condition is serious," he said. The intensity of the blast was so strong that people sitting in an adjacent cycle shop and some passersby were injured in the incident, the SSP said. "Two passersby were among those killed," he said. The district administration had pressed excavators and fire brigades into service for rescue work. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took immediate cognizance of the explosion and directed the district magistrate of Badaun to take all necessary steps to ...
Blast in firecracker unit kills seven in UP
Seven persons were killed and six critically injured when a stockpile of crackers exploded at a firecracker factory in Budayun district of Uttar Pradesh on Friday evening, police said.
Fire in Durga Puja marquee, none injured
A fire broke out at an empty Durga Puja marquee in south Kolkata on Friday, a fire official said. No one was injured.