Page 436 - Disaster Accident
Roscosmos finds primary cause behind Soyuz booster failure
The collision of elements during the separation of the Soyuz rocket's first and second stages is the primary cause behind the booster failure that forced the two astronauts on board to abort the launch and make an emergency landing, the media reported.
Cyclone Titli toll mounts to three in Odisha
The toll in Cyclone Titli in Odisha rose to three Friday after two bodies were recovered in Ganjam district, near where it made its landfall, as the state government deployed NDRF and ODRAF personnel to speed up rescue and relief operations. One of the two bodies was that of a 40-year-old fisherman from Vizianagaram in Andhra Pradesh, said police, which found it. The fisherman was reportedly missing since Wednesday from Ramayapatna under Golanthara police station limits and his body was found near the jetty of Gopalpur port. His identity is being ascertained, said the inspector in-charge of marine police station, Arjeepalli Baideshi Behera. The other body found is that of a 45-year-old man of Bhuta Pankal village under Sorada block in Ganjam district who had been missing since the very severe cyclone struck the state Thursday, police said. The body was found 200 feet downstream of the village, inspector in-charge of Sorada police station Prabhat Sahoo said. Five persons from the ...
AI Express aircraft's tyre hit wall at Trichy airport during take-off, all passengers safe
All 136 people on board a Dubai-bound Air India Express plane had a miraculous escape when the tyre of the aircraft hit an equipment used to guide a pilot to land a flight and then brushed the compound wall during take-off at Tiruchirappalli International Airport early Friday. The 130 passengers inside the aircraft were shocked and panicked as the aircraft shook and tossed wildly. The pilot tried to lift off further when the tyre brushed the compound wall, airport officials said. In the meanwhile air traffic control officials could not contact the pilot as the signal went off. The officials said the 50-foot compound wall and the barbed fence at the airport were damaged due to the impact. "Luckily there was no bus or lorry on the highway adjacent to the airport and thus a major mishap has been averted. The tyre of the aircraft and small portion of the front side of the aircraft got slightly damaged," one of the officials said. The traffic control officials saw the accident via CCTV ...
Dams and barrages in Kerala safe: Study report
Dams and barrages in Kerala are safe, according to an expert committee that looked into its operation and functions. The committee to study the dams' operations and safety was appointed by the state government after the massive floods that ravaged the state in August. The committee, headed by dam expert Balu Iyer, submitted its report to chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan Friday. The committee that studied all dams and barrages, except the Mullaperiyar reservoir, said they were all safe, a release from the office of the chief minister said. The committee said the existing spillways of the dams had the capacity to flush out the flood water. Only the dam at Peringalkuthu overflowed and more studies would be held on this, the committee said in its report. The committee also suggested various methods like raising dam height and removing the slit accumulated in dams to increase the reservoir capacity, the release added. The deluge had left a trail of destruction in the ...
Russia may bring forward manned launch after rocket failure
Russia said Friday it was likely to bring forward the flight of a new manned space mission to the International Space Station but postpone the launch of a cargo ship after a rocket failure that forced two crew members to make an emergency landing. It was the first such incident in Russia's post-Soviet history -- an unprecedented setback for the country's space industry. Russian cosmonaut Aleksey Ovchinin and US astronaut Nick Hague sped back to Earth when the Soyuz rocket failed shortly after launching from Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Thursday. The Soviet-designed Soyuz rocket is currently the world's only lifeline to the International Space Station and the accident will affect the work of the orbiting laboratory. "We will try to bring forward the launch of a new crew," Sergei Krikalyov, executive director of the Russian space agency, told reporters. He said the next unmanned cargo ship could go into space later than planned. The next Soyuz launch had been scheduled to take .
Panel to monitor relief, restoration in cyclone-hit Odisha
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday formed a three-member ministerial committee to monitor rescue, relief and restoration operations in cyclone and flood-affected districts in the state.
Storm Michael death toll in US rises to 11: Official
Hurricane Michael's death toll rose to 11 on Friday as five people were reported killed when remnants of the storm passed through the US state of Virginia, local officials said. "Virginia storm updates as of 7 am [1100 GMT Friday]. 5 confirmed Michael-related fatalities. 520,000 without power. 1,200 closed roads. 5 suspected tornadoes," read a tweet by the Virginia Department of Emergency Management.
Air India Express plane has miraculous escape after grazing wall (Fourth Lead)
All 130 passengers and six crew members on board an Air India Express flight to Dubai had a miraculous escape early on Friday when the aircraft's wheels scraped the airport's outer wall during take-off in Trichy in Tamil Nadu.
Cong, INLD demand immediate special 'girdwari' to assess crop damage
The Opposition Congress and Indian National Lok Dal Friday demanded the BJP government order a special 'girdwari' without further delay to assess damage caused to crops due to heavy rains. Rohtak MP Deepender Singh Hooda said heavy rains in the state between September 22 and 24 and then again on October 11 caused crop damage at many places, but the government was holding back from ordering special 'girdwari' or revenue survey to assess the damage. Many parts of the state were lashed by rains and hailstorm Thursday. "The rains have caused damage to crops. Why is the government holding back from ordering a special 'girdwari'? The government only has to give record of crop damage and most of the payment for the loss will be borne by private insurance companies, to whom the farmers pay premium under the crop insurance scheme. "My charge is the government is deliberately not ordering the survey under the pressure of these companies," Hooda told reporters here. Addressing a separate news ...
Kolkata Bridge Collapse: Commuters get alternative road
An alternative road parallel to a bridge that collapsed over a month ago in south Kolkata was thrown open to the public on Friday, much to the relief of a large number of daily commuters to and from the city and its suburbs.
Over 60 lakh hit by cyclone, flood in Odisha, govt steps up relief ops
The Odisha government Friday deployed NDRF and ODRAF personnel to speed up rescue and relief operation mainly in three districts where over 60 lakh people were affected by flood due to heavy rainfall triggered by Cyclone Titli. The flood situation in three south Odisha districts - Ganjam, Gajapati and Rayagada is grim as the water levels in major rivers like Rushikulya and Bansadhara have crossed their danger marks, official sources said. The districts received highest rainfall for three days under the impact of Cyclone Titli that made landfall at Palasa near Gopalpur in Ganjam on Thursday morning. Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) B P Sethi said that the people in Balasore district were also affected by the flood. The decision to deploy National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) as part of stepping up relief and rescue operation was taken at a high level meeting where Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik took stock of the situation in the ...
Jetliner lands in US after world's longest flight
A Singapore Airlines flight arrived in Newark on Friday after a nearly 18-hour trip from Singapore, completing the world's longest commercial flight. It marked the revival of a route that had been eliminated in 2013. Singapore Airlines Flight SQ22 arrived at 5:29 am (local time), the Newark Liberty International Airport website said. That made for a flight of 17 hours and 52 minutes. The flight had been scheduled to take 18 hours and 25 minutes. The plane was carrying 150 passengers and 17 crew members. Singapore Airlines originally flew the route for nine years using the gas-guzzling, four-engine A340-500 plane before abandoning it in 2013 because high oil prices made the service unprofitable. This trip was made with the new and more fuel efficient Airbus A350-900ULR. It topped the previous longest direct air link between cities - Qatar Airways Flight 921 from Auckland to Doha, which takes 17 hours 40 minutes.
UN chief tours tsunami-hit Indonesian city as survivors pray
Thousands of survivors of a devastating quake-tsunami prayed Friday by the shores of disaster-struck Palu, as the UN chief praised their "resilience" during a tour of the devastated Indonesian city. The 7.5-magnitude quake and wall of water that tore through the city on Sulawesi island on September 28 killed more than 2,000 and left thousands more missing, presumed dead. Entire villages were sucked into the earth at hard-hit areas like Balaroa, when soil turned to mush under the force of the quake. Rescue teams scoured the wreckage for a fortnight before calling off the search for the dead, acknowledging as many as 5,000 missing people would never be found. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla toured Balaroa, where barely a vertical structure remained. "For those who have lost their family members, their friends, I want to express my deep condolences. Our hearts are broken by what has happened, but we are in full solidarity with ..
New World Bank fund to insure against climate disasters
The World Bank on Friday launched a new $150 million fund intended to help insure vulnerable countries against natural disasters and the increasing risk of climate change-linked crises. The announcement follows a string of recent natural disasters across the world including record storms and a series of deadly quakes in Indonesia, where the Bank and International Monetary Fund are currently meeting. The so-called Global Risk Financing Facility (GRiF), set up with money from Germany and Britain, will finance the creation of disaster insurance and other risk mechanisms so funds are available immediately when crises hit. "What we are seeking to do... is to change the whole system so countries can rely on funding when necessary that's reliable, that's adequate, that's rapid," said Matthew Rycroft, permanent secretary for Britain's Department for International Development. "If they combine that with national systems that work well, it can have a very significant benefit," he added at a ...
At least 34 dead after Uganda landslide
At least 34 people have been killed after a river in eastern Uganda burst its banks, sending thick sludge and rocks barrelling into homes, disaster officials said Friday. Rescue teams were picking through the rubble, looking for survivors and victims of the disaster which took place on Thursday in the town of Bukalasi in the Bududa district. An unknown number of people were still missing. "I can confirm 34 people are dead. We have to wait for our assessment to be completed before we can say how many are missing," said Uganda Red Cross spokeswoman Irene Nakasiita. On Thursday she shared photos of the scene of what she described as a "massive landslide" on WhatsApp, including images of dismembered corpses caked in mud laid out by the river. Some of the bodies had been partly covered with banana leaves by members of the public. "The cause was the river bursting its banks upstream following heavy rain. When the water flowed down it brought a number of big stones with it that destroyed ...
UN secretary general visits quake-hit Indonesian city
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has visited an Indonesian city shattered by an earthquake and tsunami to assess the impact of the disasters. Guterres paid a visit Friday to the city of Palu on Sulawesi island during a trip to Bali to attend the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. Guterres visited Balaroa, where the September 28 quake liquefied soft soil and tore apart neighbourhoods, and the coastal area of Talise, which was badly damaged by the tsunami that followed the magnitude 7.5 quake. The official death toll had risen to 2,073 as of Thursday. The IMF-World Bank meetings are being held until Sunday.
Search teams comb debris for victims of deadly Hurricane Michael
Search and rescue teams on Friday faced a second day of sifting through the ruined landscape left by furious Hurricane Michael as it devastated coastal communities in the Florida Panhandle. With the death toll at six, Michael, now a tropical storm, sped east over Virginia and was close to reaching the Atlantic. It left a stunning swathe of destruction behind. In Mexico Beach, a seafront town where the hurricane made landfall, houses had been razed by a storm surge, boats had been tossed into yards and the streets were littered with trees and power lines. Florida Governor Rick Scott said the storm had caused "unbelievable devastation" and the priority for the moment was looking for survivors among residents who failed to heed orders to evacuate. "I'm very concerned about our citizens that didn't evacuate and I just hope that, you know, we don't have much loss of life," Scott told ABC. The US Army said more than 2,000 Florida National Guard soldiers were working on the recovery ...
At least 34 die in Uganda mudslides triggered by heavy rains
At least 34 people have died in mudslides triggered by torrential rains in a mountainous area of eastern Uganda that is prone to such disasters, a Red Cross official said Friday. More victims are likely to be discovered when rescue reams access all the affected areas in the foothills of Mount Elgon, said Red Cross spokeswoman Irene Nakasiita. People were killed by boulders and chunks of mud rolling down hills following a sustained period of heavy rains Thursday afternoon in the district of Bududa. Houses were destroyed in at least three villages, and in some cases only body parts of the victims have been recovered from the mud, she said. "We expect the death toll to increase as some people are still missing," she said. "It's really bad." A river than runs through the area burst its banks, destroying a bridge and threatening settlements nearby, according to Martin Owor, a government commissioner in charge of disaster management. In March 2010 at least 100 people died in similar ...
Ships locked together after Mediterranean collision break free
Two ships locked together after a collision in the Mediterranean that caused an oil spill have broken away from each other, easing recovery operations, French maritime officials said. The accident occurred early Sunday when the Tunisian freighter Ulysse slammed into the Cyprus-based Virginia anchored about 30 kilometres (20 miles) off the northern tip of the French island of Corsica. In a statement Thursday night French officials announced that the two vessels had come unstuck. "Thanks to the combined effects of the waves and earlier attempts to free the ships, the Ulysse has broken away from the container ship Virginia," they said. It remains unclear what caused the collision, which left a hole in the hull of the Virginia. Some 600 tonnes of bunker fuel have leaked from the ship, officials said. Four French and four Italian ships have been involved in operations to contain the spill and recover as much of the fuel as possible, while French authorities have launched a criminal ...
Air India plane survives disaster after hitting wall (Third Lead)
Passengers and crew on board an Air India Express flight from Tiruchirappalli in Tamil Nadu to Dubai escaped a disaster early on Friday when the aircraft's wheels hit the airport's outer wall while taking off.