Page 408 - Disaster Accident

6.6 magnitude earthquake rattles Greece

An earthquake measuring 6.6 on the Richter Scale struck off 130 km southwest of Patra, Greece in the wee hours of Friday.According to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre, the quake occurred at approximately 2:00 (local time) and struck at a depth of 10 kilometres.No casualties or injury has been reported as yet.More information is awaited.

Bomb threat forces airliner to make emergency landing in Romania

A plane operated by budget carrier Wizz Air made an emergency landing on Thursday at Bucharest International Airport due to a bomb threat, Romanian authorities said.

Super typhoon devastates Northern Mariana Islands, kills 1

Residents of the Northern Mariana Islands braced Friday for months without electricity or running water after the strongest storm to hit any part of the United States this year devastated the US territory, killing one person, officials said. Even after Super Typhoon Yutu had moved away from the Pacific islands, emergency management officials warned residents to stay indoors because downed power lines blocked roadways and winds were still strong enough to make driving dangerous. A 44-year-old woman taking shelter in an abandoned building died when it collapsed in the storm, a post on the governor's office Facebook page said. Officials couldn't immediately be reached for additional details. The territory will need significant help to recover from the storm that injured several people, said Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan, the territory's delegate to Congress. He said Thursday that there were reports of injuries and that people were waiting to be treated at a hospital on the territory's ..

Boat capsize kills 13 in central Nigeria: police

Thirteen people drowned when an overcrowded boat carrying passengers heading for a funeral capsized in central Nigeria, police and locals said on Thursday. The accident happened around 1 am (IST) on Wednesday on the Katsina Ala river in the Buruku area of Benue state. State police spokesman Moses Yamu told reporters: "We have confirmed 13 deaths in the mishap while the rescue is still ongoing." Boat capsizes are common in Nigeria due to overcrowding and the lack of maintenance for vessels, particularly during the annual rainy season. An eye-witness, Jude Nguto, said more than 40 people were on board at the time but concerns that too many people and goods were on the vessel were dismissed, he said. Not long after setting off, people on the bank heard shouts in the darkness from the middle of the river, whose waters have risen in recent months because of heavy rains, he said. "Some managed to swim out of the water out of the close to 40 persons on board the (boat) but about 20 are still

School pupils among 17 killed in Jordan flash floods

Flash floods in Jordan swept away a school bus Thursday, killing at least 17 people, mostly pupils, emergency services said. Several more students were injured in the incident near the Dead Sea, said an official from the civil defence, Jordan's fire service, who asked not to be named. "Heavy rains caused a flash flood close to the Dead Sea that washed away a school bus carrying 37 students and seven minders," the official said. Rescue workers were continuing to search for survivors, he said. "The students were on a school trip and it appears that a mudslide along the road swept their bus away," the official said. Israel's military said it was helping with the operation, sending helicopters and search and rescue soldiers. "Currently assisting Jordan in rescuing a bus full of children swept away in a flood on the Jordanian side of the Dead Sea," it wrote on Twitter. Heavy rains hit Jordan on Thursday afternoon, causing floods in several areas. The Dead Sea, the lowest point on the ...

Delhi's air quality still 'very poor'; SDMC to conduct night patrols to check leaf burning

Delhi's air quality remained "very poor" Thursday even as parts of the massive Bhalswa landfill site continued to smoulder. As the air quality showed no signs of improvement, the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) has decided to act against burning of leaves and garbage. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) recorded the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) of Delhi at 331 in the evening, the worst in the season so far. An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered "good", 51 and 100 "satisfactory", 101 and 200 "moderate", 201 and 300 "poor", 301 and 400 "very poor", and 401 and 500 "severe". Faridabad, Noida, Greater Noida, Ghaziabad and Gurgaon also recorded "very poor" category air Thursday, according to the CPCB data. The air quality in the capital had shown signs of improvement Monday as it moved from "very poor" to "poor" category. However, it dipped to "very poor" again Wednesday even as firefighting continued at the Bhalswa landfill site in north-west Delhi. A Delhi Fire Service

Indian-Australian paraglider found dead in Mandi

Sanjay Kumar Ramdas, a 51-year-old paraglider of Indian descent who is residing in Australia, was found dead in Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday.Ramdas, a non-resident Indian (NRI), suffered severe injuries after crash landing in Duggli village during his flight. He started his flight from Bir Billing in Kangra valley and lost control of the glider during the landing.Subsequently, the Mandi Police launched a search operation, six hours after which his body was found and brought to Joginder Nagar Civil hospital for postmortem.Ramdas is the second paraglider to have died within one week. Earlier, Kok Choonk Na, a Singaporean paraglider who was missing since October 22, was found dead on October 23 in Bir Billing hills of Kangra valley.A number of foreign and domestic paragliders have swarmed the valley in the run-up to the Paragliding Pre World Cup to be held in Bir Billing from November 27. Over 160 paragliders are expected to turn ..

Need to build capacity of professionals to comprehend hazard resistant features: Puri

Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri Thursday said there is a need to build capacity of professionals to comprehend hazard resistant features and use them while designing and preparing housing projects in the country. Speaking at a national workshop on 'Earthquake Preparedness in India' at Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) here, Puri said professionals can provide first-hand information on hazard resistant practices to all, including policy makers. The Housing and Urban Affairs minister said when states make their presentation on the housing projects being taken up under the PMAY, the resilience of the structures and the designs are looked into by the engineering professionals of Building Materials and Technology Promotion Council (BMTPC). "There is a need to build the capacity of the professionals to comprehend hazard resistant features given in Indian standards and use them while designing and preparing the project report and provide the first-hand information on hazard ...

MP: Five killed in collision between two buses

Five persons were killed and 24 others injured Thursday in a collision between two buses near Mehda village in Madhya Pradesh's Bhind district, around 80 kms from here, the police said. Bhind Additional Superintendent of Police Gurkaran Singh said one of the buses was headed to Lahar town while the other was coming from the opposite side. Confirming five deaths, the officer said the investigation is underway. A police team rushed the injured persons to hospitals, after the accident. The identity of the victims is being established.

Ford recalls 1.5 mn cars in North America on stall risk

Ford announced Thursday a recall of about 1.5 million sedans to address a defect in fuel tank systems that could lead to possible vehicle stalls. The recall covers Ford Focus cars from 2012 through 2018 with 2.0-liter engines to address valve problems that could result in a deformation of the fuel tank and inaccurate fuel level readings, the company said in a statement. "This could lead to a stall while driving and/or an inability to restart the vehicle, which can increase the risk of a crash," it said. The recall affects about 1.3 million vehicles in the United States, 136,300 in Canada and 44,500 cars in Mexico. Ford said it was not aware of any injuries or accidents due to the problem.

Bring Central drought assessment team on chartered flight,

Senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar Thursday said Maharashtra is facing drought worse than the one witnessed in 1972 and asked Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to charter a flight to bring a Central drought assessment team to the state. Addressing reporters here, Pawar slammed the state government and claimed that figures involving the number of villages facing drought have been "fudged" and that people were being "misled". "Had the state government been serious about getting drought relief from the Centre, it would have sent a chartered flight to bring the Central drought assessment team. The Chief Minister keeps using chartered flights. Why is he waiting for more suicides to take place before drought is declared?" he asked. He also demanded the government provide financial aid of Rs 50,000 per acre to farmers reeling under severe drought. Pawar said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on his Shirdi visit recently, had "lied" that the Maharashtra government had made 16,000 villages

Amritsar train tragedy: SAD demands probe by sitting HC judge

Senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia Thursday dismissed the magisterial probe ordered by the state government into the Amritsar train tragedy and demanded an inquiry by a sitting high court judge. He described the magisterial probe as an "eyewash" and said it was aimed at giving a "clean chit" to Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu and his wife Navjot Kaur Sidhu. Majithia, along with members of the SAD and the BJP, visited the Amritsar Improvement Trust (AIT) office here. Statements of the eyewitnesses and other persons having any information about the accident are being recorded at the AIT office. Majithia alleged that the inquiry into the accident will not be fair as the AIT reports to Sidhu, who is the local bodies minister. He claimed the victims' families were unaware that a public hearing was being held at the AIT office. "The inquiry commission did not deem fit to advertise the hearing details to ensure the victims depose before it as it only wanted to ..

Sidhu writes to Piyush Goyal seeking high fencing along rail tracks

Punjab Minister of Local Government Navjot Singh Sidhu on Thursday wrote a letter to Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal stressing the urgent need for high fencing along the railway tracks, especially in densely populated areas to prevent accidents."In the past two years, there have been over 50,000 deaths due to rail mishaps in the Northern region as per media reports. This is extremely worrisome and we collectively need to take appropriate measures to save invaluable human lives. I strongly believe that we must come up with a stringent mechanism to prevent such mishaps. These regular rail accidents definitely indicate that we have lessons to be learnt and we need to prevent and prepare rather than repent and repair," Sidhu said."There is an urgent need to have high fencing along the rail tracks especially in the urban areas that are densely populated so that nobody crosses the rail tracks and many of the accidents are avoided," he added.In the letter, the cricketer turned politician

4 dead after roof of underground coal mine collapses in MP

Four persons were Thursday killed in Madhya Pradesh's Chhindwara district when the roof of a Western Coalfields Limited mine caved in, police said. The incident happened at around 2pm in Neharia underground coal mine situated in Parasia in Pench region, 35 kilometres from here, Parasia Sub Divisional Officer of Police (SDOP) Ashok Ghanghoria told PTI. He identified the dead as WCL maintenance manager Rajesh (40), operators Rafiq (45) and Ramprasad (48), and labourer Ravishanker (40). A labourer, Ramlal, who was injured in the incident, has been admitted in a nearby hospital, he added. Initial probe has revealed that the roof of the underground mine collapsed, killing four persons, he said. The bodies were brought out of the debris late Thursday evening and have been sent for post-mortem, the official added.

Fire breaks out near Kolkata airport runway

A fire broke out near the runway at Kolkata airport on Thursday but there was no report of any damage as it was swiftly brought under control, airport sources said. The blaze was reported at around noon from a grassy stretch near the wireless ground of the NSCB International Airport, they said, adding, four fire tenders managed to control the fire in quick time. Flight movement in the airport was not affected due to the incident, the sources said. The fire, according to initial investigation, appears to have originated from the smoke used to drive away insects from the runway, they said.

Give farmers drought relief of Rs 50,000 per acre: Vikhe Patil

Senior Congress leader Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil Thursday demanded that farmers affected by drought in Maharashtra be given financial aid of Rs 50,000 per acre and their Kharif crop loans for the current year be waived off. The state government had, earlier this week, declared "drought-like" situation in 180 tehsils in Maharashtra. Vikhe Patil claimed signs of drought-like conditions were seen about two months ago but the state government looked the other way. "Due to deficient rainfall, it is doubtful if the Rabi crop sowing can be done," Vikhe Patil said at a press conference here. The Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly criticised Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis' flagship project Jalyukt Shivar and claimed that it was a scam. "Jalyukt Shivar is a scam...it is Jholyukt Shivar...I am collecting data village by village and then I will speak about it," he said. He indicated that the issue would be raised during the winter session of the ...

Sidhu urges Railway Minister to control accidents

While pointing out that around 50,000 lives were lost in accidents on rail tracks in north India in the last two years, Punjab cabinet Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu on Thursday urged Railway Minister Piyush Goyalto put in place an effective mechanism to put a stop to railway accidents.

Foot overbridge at Santragachi station inadequate:SER official

South Eastern Railway general manager P S Mishra on Thursday said that the foot overbridge at Santragachi station, where two persons died in a stampede, was highly inadequate to handle the passenger volume. Mishra said that a new foot overbridge will be in place at the station by December 31. "It is true that the FOB is highly inadequate," he said after overseeing the ongoing modernisation work at the station, which is being upgraded to cater to an increase in number of trains and passengers. Two persons died and 15 others were injured on Tuesday in a stampede on the foot overbridge at Santragachi station, about 10 km from Howrah. Mishra said he had discussed the issue of modernisation of Santragachi station with the Chairman, Railway Board, over phone. "We want augmentation of the modernisation work and its completion as soon as possible," he said. Mishra, however, denied allegations that there was a last-minute change in the designated platform in which a particular ...

Sidhu writes to Piyush Goyal, seeks high fencing, CCTVs along rail tracks

Punjab cabinet minister Navjot Singh Sidhu Thursday wrote a letter to Railways minister Piyush Goyal, seeking high fencing and installation of CCTV cameras along rail tracks to prevent accidents. Sidhu also offered to take up the matter with Chief Minister Amarinder Singh for any help from the state government in this regard. "There is an urgent need to have high fencing along the rail tracks, especially in the urban areas that are densely populated, so that nobody crosses the rail tracks and many of the accidents are avoided," he said. Sidhu's demand comes after a train ran through a crowd of Dussehra revellers that had spilled onto railway tracks while watching the burning of a Ravana effigy in Amritsar on October 19, killing nearly 60 people. "We should have CCTVs along the rail tracks in densely populated areas and ensure that the patrolling along the tracks by RPF/GRP is enhanced to ensure that the rail tracks are always clear," the minister said. He said the efficient use of ...

Russia launches first Soyuz rocket since failed space launch

Russia on Thursday successfully launched a Soyuz rocket for the first time since the failure of a similar rocket aborted a manned take-off to the International Space Station (ISS) on October 11. "On Thursday at 03:15 (0015 GMT) a Soyuz-2.1B rocket was successfully launched carrying a satellite for the Russian military," the Russian defence ministry said in a statement. The satellite reached its orbit at the set time, according to the ministry. "This is the first launch of a rocket from the Soyuz family since the October 11 accident," Russia's space agency chief Dmitry Rogozin wrote on Twitter. It was the third launch of a Soyuz rocket from Russia's northern Plesetsk launch pad this year, the military said. The satellite launch had originally been planned for October 19 but was postponed after the accident that saw two astronauts make an emergency landing minutes after blast-off from Russia's Baikonur cosmodrome. The failed launch involved an older Soyuz-FG rocket, which is "in ...