Page 430 - Disaster Accident
China launches two more satellites to beef up GPS-style system
China successfully launched twin BeiDou-3 navigation satellites into space on Monday to strengthen its satellite navigation network being built to rival the US' Global Positioning System (GPS). The satellites were launched from a Long March-3B carrier rocket from Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in Sichuan province. The satellites entered their planned orbit after flying for over three hours, and will work with the 14 BeiDou-3 satellites already in orbit. The satellites are the 39th and 40th of the BeiDou navigation system, and the 15th and 16th of the BeiDou-3 family, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. The satellites and rocket were developed by the Innovation Academy for Microsatellites of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, respectively. The launch was the 287th mission of the Long March rocket series. This year has seen an intensive launch of BeiDou satellites. China plans to send another three BeiDou-3 satellites into space to ...
5 killed, 3 injured in China coal mine gas explosion
Five persons were killed and three others injured in a coal mine gas explosion in China's southwestern Chongqing Municipality on Monday. The explosion occurred at the Liyuanba coal mine in Shihao Town, Qijiang District, according to sources with Chongqing Energy Investment Group Co., Ltd. The coal mine, which is owned by a subordinate company of the Group, had been shut down before the accident. The blast happened when workers were sealing off the mouth of the pit. The injured were being treated in a local hospital. An investigation into the cause of the blast is under way, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
Railways to go for black boxes
Indian trains will soon have voice recorders or black boxes in a bid to facilitate investigators trying to identify the cause of accidents and assess crew performance, an official said on Monday.
Political direction did not come from Odisha govt during Cyclone Titli: Yechury
Criticising the Odisha government's handling of Cyclone Titli and resultant floods, the CPI(M) said Monday though the state has a capable government, political direction did not come on time. Speaking to reporters here, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said the state government needs to step in a "big way" and provide necessary relief to the people "who continue to suffer". "On behalf of our party, we will undertake our actions of relief, but that is not adequate. The state needs to step in a big way," he said. The CPI(M) veteran said after the unprecedented floods in Kerala in August, the LDF government in the state had effectively handled the situation. The Kerala government had undertaken the largest evacuation of people marooned by floods and could minimise deaths, he said. "The casualty was minimised in Kerala under the direction and leadership of the state government and the chief minister," he pointed out. Both Odisha and Kerala have capable state governments and ...
IIM-Indore student killed in road mishap near Amravati, Maha
A student of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Indore was killed and two of his classmates were injured in a road accident in Amravati district of Maharashtra, police said Monday. The incident took place near village Kalamkhar on Amravati-Burhanpur road Sunday evening. Mohammad Abdul Razak (23), resident of Chennai, was killed while his two friends, Manoj Kumar Shreedhar Reddy (22) and Nishant Ingle, were injured, police said. Razak, Reddy and Ingle, all first-year students of IIM-Indore, alongwith four other friends who were in another car, were returning to Indore after spending the weekend at Melghat Tiger Reserve. Police said that Ingle, who was driving the car, lost control following a collision with another vehicle. The car then rammed into a roadside tree. Razak, sitting next to the driver's seat, and Reddy, who was on the backseat, were seriously injured while Ingle had minor injuries, police said. They were taken to Amravati District Hospital where Razak .
Three million Afghans in 'urgent' need of food: UN
At least three million Afghans are in "urgent" need of food and could face famine if they do not get help, the United Nations warned Monday, as the war-torn country battles the worst drought in living memory. A dry spell mainly across northern and western Afghanistan has devastated crops, livestock and water supplies, forcing hundreds of thousands of people from their homes. The drought comes at a terrible time for the country, which is already grappling with a 17-year conflict and preparing to hold a parliamentary election that is three years late. The United Nations is spearheading international efforts to reach 2.5 million of the three million most in need of food by mid-December, UN humanitarian coordinator in Afghanistan Toby Lanzer told AFP. "Those people are surviving on less than one meal a day and in all likelihood that meal is bread and tea," Lanzer said. Lanzer said the three million people hardest hit were in the "emergency" phase four of a widely-used food insecurity ...
Flash floods kill at least 13 people in southwest France
Flash floods tore through towns in southwest France, turning waterways into raging torrents that killed at least 13 people, nine of them in just one town, authorities said Monday. People had to be helicoptered to safety from the roofs of their homes as overnight storms dumped the equivalent of several months of rain in just a few hours. Worst hit was the town of Trebes, east of the medieval walled city of Carcassonne. The rains that swept in from the Mediterranean killed nine people there, Interior Ministry spokesman Frederic de Lanouvelle said. He told BFMTV that the floods in the Aude region also killed four other people in other locations, left one person missing and seriously injured five others. In the town of Villegailhenc, witness Ines Siguet said the waters rose so quickly that people were stranded on the roofs of their homes and had to be helicoptered to safety. She posted video of a ripped-up road where a bridge used to be, torn away by a flood torrent that cut the town in ..
UP roof collapse: One more succumbs to injuries
One more labourer who was critically injured in the roof collapse of an under-construction building died here Monday, taking the death toll to three, an official said. "Rescue operations have been completed. Three labourers have died, while 15 were injured. Of these, one was referred to Lucknow for treatment. Rest 14 are out of danger," said District magistrate Amrit Tripathi. The deceased persons were identified as Manoj Sharma (25), Vinay (22) and Parmeshwar (22). The district administration has also issued orders for a magisterial probe and Additional District Magistrate Vandita Srivastava will be investigating the matter. "A case has been registered against three persons, including the building owner Swami Virendra Pal Shah and contractor Rajiv Kumar. Police have detained the contractor," Tripathi said. On Sunday, two labourers were killed and several others injured after the roof of an under-construction building collapsed. "The roof of an under-construction building of a private
Hurricane Leslie kills 6 in France, wreaks havoc across Europe
Hurricane Leslie, the most powerful Atlantic storm to hit Europe in decades, has claimed at least six lives in France and left devastation in its wake as it also blew across Portugal and Spain, officials said on Monday.
Two killed, five injured in road accident in Rajasthan's Jhalawar
Two people were killed and five more injured when their car was hit from behind by a speeding truck on the Ghatoli bypass in Jhalawar district, police said Monday. The accident took place on the intervening night of Sunday and Monday, they said. The deceased, Deepak Mehar (15) and Pankaj Mehar (18), were from Gulkhedi village of the area, Ghatoli police station SHO Sanjay Chandel said. Four of the injured are undergoing treatment at a government hospital in Jhalawar and another person was on Monday referred to a private hospital in Kota, officials said. The truck driver fled from the spot with the truck after the mishap, Chandel said, adding that efforts were underway to establish his identity and nab him. The bodies were handed over to family members after postmortem, he added.
Female flight attendant falls from plane, seriously injured
A 53-year-old female flight attendant fell off a stationary Air India plane while closing its door at the Mumbai airport Monday, suffering serious injuries, airline and hospital authorities said. The wide-body Boeing 777 aircraft was preparing to depart for New Delhi when Harsha Lobo fell on the tarmac from a height of 20 feet, apparently through a gap between the rear door and the step ladder, a senior Air India official said. The incident occurred at around 6 am, the official said. Lobo suffered multiple fractures in her legs and was rushed to the Nanavati Hospital where she is being treated, the airline said. Owing to the incident, the flight AI-864, scheduled to take off at 7 am, got delayed by about one-and-a-half hours. "In an unfortunate incident, one of our cabin crew (member), Harsha Lobo, fell down on the tarmac from the Boeing-777 aircraft door while closing it," the airline said in a statement. The statement said Air India is inquiring into the ...
Ensure adequate coal supplies to power plants: Goyal
Union Coal Minister Piyush Goyal on Monday ensured full supply of coal to power plants across the country.
India coal import forecast raised by 6MT in 2018 on local supply crunch
Coal imports by India are set to reach 164 million tonnes (MT) against the earlier forecast of 158 MT due to historic low levels of stocks at Coal India and power plants amid surging industrial demand, says a report. India's spot market prices, for both coal and power, are expected to remain strong in the coming months as continuous industrial production growth is pushing demand, while supply remains tight, the report by Wood Mackenzie projected. "We have increased India's imports for thermal coal from 158 MT to 164 MT in 2018 with a further upside risk of 3-4 MT as coal stocks at Indian power plants and Coal India Limited are at historically low levels, Wood Mackenzie's coal principal analyst Pralabh Bhargava said. "Growth in domestic coal production and dispatches can only partially meet the growing demand for coal, which is resulting in increased reliance on imports, said Bhargava. With a decade-low stockpile at Coal India's mines and more than half of the plants with a ...
Astronauts aboard ISS afraid of aborting space launch
In the wake of a booster failure that forced a Russian Soyuz spacecraft to make an emergency landing last week, astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) were worried whether their space launch would be cancelled.
Roadmin launches road safety programme for university students
The Road Transport and Highways Ministry Monday launched a programme to impart road traffic education in universities as it seeks to halve the number of road accidents by 2022. The programme has been launched against the backdrop of more than 70 per cent of fatal road crashes in 2017 involving adults in the age group of 18-45. Around 1.47 lakh people lost their lives in 4.7 lakh road crashes in 2017. The programme, Road To Safety Towards Responsible Youth' was launched by the Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways Mansukh Lal Mandaviya in partnership with Diageo India and the Institute of Road Traffic Education (IRTE). Addressing the event, Mandaviya said, "In the recent times, we have seen an alarming rise in road fatalities especially with our youth thus making road safety of prime importance for the government. Rash driving, not wearing seat belts, lack of adequate safety measures like not wearing helmets are some of the top factors resulting in high road accidents." He
One killed, 18 hurt in bus-truck collision
A man died and 18 others were injured when the tourist bus they were travelling in collided with a truck near Khatoli on Delhi-Rishikesh National Highway here Monday, officials said. According to circle officer Rajiv Kumar Singh, the accident took place when 25 pilgrims from Tamil Nadu were returning to Delhi from Rishikesh in a tourist bus. The deceased was identified as Pradeep Singh, 45, the bus driver. The injured have been hospitalised, he said. Based on local reports, police rushed to the spot and started rescue operations, he said.
Goyal for adequate coal supplies to power plants
Coal Minister Piyush Goyal Monday pitched for long-term planning for mining operations and concrete steps to ensure adequate supply of dry fuel to power plants. The minister made the suggestion while inspecting coal mining and dispatch operations at Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL) in Odisha's Jharsuguda. Goyal inspected Samleshwari Open Cast Project in Ib Valley Coalfields where the concerned officers briefed him on coal mining and supply operations, MCL said in a release. Emphasising the need for preparing long-term project planning, the minister favoured mines-wise detailed plan to be prepared for at least 20 years of operations, it said. "We need to conduct mine-wise review regarding their coal dispatch capability," he said while stressing on ensuring adequate coal supply to power plants. Taking note of mines low performance following delay in shifting of a siding, the minister directed both MCL and railways officials to take up this project on fast track so that ...
Flash floods kill 6 in France
At least six people have been killed by flash floods in France's Aude region, authorities said on Monday.
Uttarakhand: 4 dead, 6 injured in road accident
At least four people were killed and six others were injured after a jeep they were travelling in, met with an accident in Uttarakhand on Monday.The accident took place on the Jogat- Chinyalisaur route in the Uttarkashi district of the mountainous state.The vehicle was carrying 10 people when, as initial reports suggest, its brakes failed. The images from the accident site show a badly mangled front of the jeep, suggesting it had a head-on collision.The police and the State Disaster Response Force teams have rushed to the spot. The injured persons have been shifted to a nearby hospital.
Recovery of Nepal climbers delayed by mountain's remoteness
It took rescuers two days to recover the battered bodies of nine climbers, including one of the world's best, who died in Nepal's worst mountaineering disaster in recent years, authorities said Monday. Local police chief Bir Bahadur Budamagar said a group of villagers reached the climbers' camp site on Saturday on Gurja Himal, a less-popular but pristine mountain in the shadow of Dhaulagiri, the world's seventh-highest peak and a day's walk from the nearest village. The climbers included Kim Chang-ho, the first South Korean to summit all 14 Himalayan peaks over 8,000 meters without using supplemental oxygen, who was leading the expedition with four other South Koreans and four Nepalese guides. Technically difficult and remote, the mountain hasn't been scaled in eight years. The damage to the climbers' bodies, including broken limbs and smashed skulls, indicated a violent wind carrying chunks of ice swept them away from their camp site, Budamagar said. The bodies were found spread in a