Page 415 - Disaster Accident
Fire rages on at Bhalswa landfill site
A fire has been raging at the Bhalswa landfill site here since October 20, raising concerns about rising pollution levels in the city. Delhi's air quality oscillated between "poor" and "very poor" category Sunday as authorities have warned of days of severe pollution ahead. The fire at Bhalswa landfill site broke out at 2 pm on October 20, a Delhi Fire Service official said, adding firefighting was still going on at the site. Three fire tenders are working to douse the blaze, he said.
Two earthquakes strike off Canada's west coast
Two strong earthquakes -- the first measuring 6.6 magnitude, the second 6.8 -- struck in quick succession off Canada's west coast late Sunday, the US Geological Survey said. The epicenter of the first tremor, at 10:39pm (0549 GMT Monday), was located about 135 miles (218 kilometers) southwest of Port Hardy -- a small municipality on the northeastern tip of British Columbia's Vancouver Island. The second stronger quake occurred 122 miles southwest of the same town more than half an hour later, at 11:16pm. There were no initial reports of damage or injuries, and no tsunami warnings were issued. The region is located near the Cascadia subduction zone, a mammoth fault line that lies offshore, stretching from northern Vancouver Island to Northern California in the United States.
Fire breaks out in Mori Gate Parking lot, two vehicles gutted
A fire broke out in the parking lot at Mori Gate on Monday, said an officer from the Delhi Fire Service. No casualties were reported, he said. A call was received about the fire at 10.30 am and three fire tenders were rushed to the spot, he said, adding the fire was doused by 10.55 am. A bus and a car in the Mori Gate parking area behind the Tis Hazari Court had caught fire, the officer said.
6.6 magnitude earthquake jolts Canada
An earthquake measuring 6.6 magnitude on the Richter Scale struck off the Canadian province of British Columbia early on Monday.According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the quake occurred at 10:39 pm (local time) and hit a depth of 11 km. The temblor was situated 218 km southwest of Port Hardy, a town on the northernmost tip of Vancouver Island.There were no immediate reports of damage and casualties. No tsunami warning has been issued by the USGS. Further details are awaited.
Rescuers search site after train crash killed 18 in Taiwan
Rescuers searched through wreckage Monday after one of Taiwan's fastest passenger trains derailed on a curve along a popular weekend route, killing at least 18 people and injuring more than 180 others. The Puyuma express ran off the tracks late Sunday afternoon as it went around a bend, throwing train cars into a zig-zag pattern with five left lying on their sides. There was no immediate word on the cause. Survivors interviewed by Taiwan's official Central News Agency said the driver had applied emergency brakes multiple times before the train derailed. Most of the deaths were in the first car, and it was unclear whether other people were trapped in the train, according to a government spokesman, who spoke on the customary condition of anonymity. Some passengers were crushed to death, Ministry of National Defense spokesman Chen Chung-chi said. "Their train car turned over. They were crushed, so they died right away," Chen said. Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen visited the crash site ..
Tremors felt in Himachal's Kinnaur district
A low-intensity quake shook Himachal Pradesh's Kinnaur district Monday. No loss of life or property was reported, officials said. A 3-magnitude earthquake was recorded at 9:11 am, Shimla Meteorological Centre Director Manmohan Singh said. The epicentre of the quake was at a depth of five kilometres in the northeast of Kinnaur, he said, adding mild tremors were also felt in the adjoining areas. Most parts of the hill state, including Kinnaur, fall in high seismic sensitive zone. Mild quakes are a regular feature in the region.
19 killed in road accident in Pakistan
Two passenger buses collided head on in Pakistan's Punjab province, killing 19 people and injuring over 40 others, police said on Monday. The accident happened on Sunday night near Ghazi Ghaat area. Nineteen people, including 13 from same extended family of Multan were killed in the tragedy, police said. The injured were shifted to various hospitals by the rescue teams. According to the police, the immediate cause of the accident was not known. Road accidents are common in Pakistan. Most of the mishaps are caused due to reckless driving and bad roads. Prime Minister Imran Khan expressed grief and sorrow over the tragic incident, expressing sympathy and condoled with the bereaved families. He also directed to provide the best medical assistance to the injured passengers. Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar also condoled over the loss of precious lives in the tragic incident.
Light intensity quake hits Himachal
Mild tremors were felt in Himachal Pradesh on Monday. No damage or casualty was reported.
8 killed in Maharashtra accident
At least eight passengers were killed when a private bus in which they were travelling rammed into a stationery truck on the Pune-Aurangabad highway, on Monday, an official said.
Hurricane Willa a Category 4 storm in Pacific off Mexico
Newly formed Hurricane Willa rapidly gained force and grew into an "extremely dangerous" Category 4 storm in the Pacific off Mexico on Sunday, with a potential to make landfall on a western stretch of coast between Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta in the coming days. The US National Hurricane Center said the storm was "forecast to produce life-threatening storm surge, wind and rainfall over portions of southwestern and west-central Mexico beginning on Tuesday." A hurricane warning was posted for a stretch of shore between San Blas and Mazatlan, while a tropical storm warning was in effect from Playa Perula to San Blas and Mazatlan to Bahia Tempehuaya. Hurricane force winds extended out 25 miles from the storm's core and tropical storm force winds were up to 90 miles out. Willa was about 210 miles (340 kilometers) south-southwest of Cabo Corrientes late Sunday, with maximum sustained winds of 145 mph (230 kph). It was moving to the north-northwest at 7 mph (11 kph), but a turn toward the ..
Taiwan investigates train crash that killed 18
Taiwan's president pushed for a swift investigation Monday after an express train derailed on a coastal tourist route, killing 18 people in the island's worst rail accident for 27 years. The crash on the popular east coast line Sunday, which left the Puyuma Express lying zig-zagged across the tracks, also injured 187 passengers. Among those who died, the youngest was nine years old. Two students aged 12 and 13 from a junior high school in Taitung -- where the train was headed -- were also killed, according to the transport ministry. Officials said Monday that a small number of passengers were still unaccounted for and that the search effort was continuing at the accident site in the northeastern county of Yilan. Cranes were brought in overnight to lift the Puyuma Express coaches away from the southbound track. All eight carriages derailed and five had flipped onto their side. Crane operators told an AFP reporter at the scene that work had been hampered by wet ground due to recent ...
Mudslide kills 9 in Colombia
At least nine people were killed and five more were missing after heavy rains triggered a mudslide in northern Colombia on Sunday, the fire department said.
Fire breaks out at garment warehouses in Delhi, 10 fire tenders at site
A fire broke out in two garment warehouses on Rama Road in Delhi last night.Ten fire tenders were rushed to the spot to douse the flame. However, no casualty has been reported as yet.In another incident, a fire broke out at Bhalswa landfill site in Delhi. Around 2,700 tonnes of garbage is dumped per day at the 40-acre landfill.Located in northwest Delhi, Bhalswa is the largest landfill of the national capital that caters to nearly 50 per cent population of Delhi, including Jahangirpuri, Civil Lines, Kirti Nagar, Model Town and old Delhi's Chandni Chowk.Earlier in 2016, a major fire had broken out at the trash mountain site that remained up in flames for weeks.
19 killed in bus collision in Pakistan
At least 19 people were killed and over 40 others injured in a head-on collision between two passenger buses in Pakistan's Punjab province on Sunday night, police and media said.
Hurricane Willa upgrades to Category 4, speeds toward Central Mexico
Hurricane Willa has upgraded from Category 3 to 4 storm days before it is supposed to make landfall in Central Mexico.According to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC), the hurricane will make the landfall on Tuesday (October 23) and is strengthening into a powerful storm.Earlier this month, Hurricane Michael had struck the Florida Panhandle (USA) killing around 36 people.
China: 2 dead, 18 trapped in mine collapse
At least two people were killed and 18 others trapped after a mine collapsed here on Saturday.According to Xinhua, two miners, who got injured in the incident have been rescued and admitted to a hospital.Around 170 rescuers including medical workers and firefighters have been working together to rescue the trapped miners.The investigation in the matter is underway.
Fire breaks out at godown in west Delhi
A fire broke out on Sunday night at a godown in west Delhi's Moti Nagar, the Fire Department said. A Delhi Fire Services official said that a call was received at 8.40 pm about smoke coming out from the godown located on the Rama Road at Moti Nagar. He said 12 fire tenders have been pressed into operation, but the blaze is still raging and not under control even at 10.15 pm. The official said no casualties have been reported so far and the reason for the fire would be ascertained after it is extinguished.
22 dead as train derails in Taiwan
At least 22 people died and 171 other passengers were injured Sunday when a train derailed near the Taiwanese capital, the country's emergency services said.
China coal mine collapse: 2 workers killed, 2 rescued, 18 still trapped
Two mine workers were killed, two have been rescued while 18 others remain trapped in a coal mine that was ripped through in a rock burst in east China's Shandong Province, local officials said on Sunday. The incident happened on Saturday night at the Longyun Coal Mining Company Ltd. in Yuncheng County in which part of a water drainage tunnel was destroyed, the state-run Xinhua news agency said. At the time of the accident, 334 people were working underground, of which 312 were later lifted to safety, Zhai Minghua, an expert with Shandong Energy Group Co. Ltd, which owns the coal mine, was quoted as saying in the report. A total of 22 people are still trapped in the coal mine as the rescue work was under way. More than 170 rescuers, including medical workers and firefighters have been dispatched to rescue the injured and search for the trapped miners. Two miners were rescued on Sunday afternoon. They have been hospitalised. Two other miners have been confirmed dead, Xinhua reported. A
Amritsar tragedy: Eyewitnesses, locals rubbish train driver's claims of being pelted with stones
Locals on Sunday came out hard against the statement of the driver who has said that the Dussehra revellers at the spot of the accident had pelted stones at the train. In a statement given to police as well as the railway authorities, the driver of the train, which mowed down 59 people watching a Ravan effigy being burnt on October 19, said he had not stopped his train because of stone pelting from the crowd at the accident spot. "I was at the spot. Leave alone stopping, the train did not even slow down. It seemed as if the driver wanted to mow us down. The train passed us in a matter of seconds. "Is it logically possible for us to pelt stones at the train when so many people were dead and injured around us? Is it possible for us to get our bearings after such an incident and pelt stones at a speeding train? The driver is lying," Shailender Singh Shally, Councillor, Ward Number 46, Amritsar, said. The driver in his statement has said that he applied "emergency brakes" as he saw the ...