Page 439 - Disaster Accident
Assam CM launches RoRo service
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal Thursday launched the Roll-on-Roll-off (RoRo) service which will ferry people and goods vehicles to provide much needed connectivity to Majuli river island. Sonowal flagged off a new water vessel MV Bhupen Hazarika connecting Kamalabari with Neamati Ghat. The RoRo service was launched in collaboration between Inland Waterways Authority of India and Assam government. The RoRo service will reduce the travel distance for trucks from Neamati to Majuli island via Tezpur Road Bridge. Earlier the trucks used to take a circuitous road route of 421 km from Neamati to Majuli island via Tezpur Road bridge. Now it would be only 12.7 km with the use of the river route, officials said. The vessel which is 46.50 meter long and 13.30 meter wide has a carrying capacity of eight trucks and 100 passengers. The vessel can sail at the speed of 22 km per house, they said. Assam Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma was present at the .
Death toll in Spanish island flooding hits 12
Emergency services working in the aftermath of severe flash-flooding that struck the Spanish Balearic island of Mallorca on Thursday confirmed they had found two more bodies, bringing the death toll to 12, while the search for a missing five-year-old boy was ongoing.
Cyclone 'Titli' leaves 8 dead in AP; causes damage in the state, Odisha
A very severe cyclonic storm packing winds of up to 150 kmph and widespread rains hit eastern India Thursday killing eight people in Andhra Pradesh and damaging homes, uprooting trees and power lines in the state and in Odisha. Cyclone 'Titli' made landfall on the eastern coast early on Thursday wreaking havoc mainly in Srikakulam and Vizianagaram districts of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha's Gajapati and Ganjam districts. Traffic on the Chennai-Kolkata National Highway was hit after the uprooted trees blocked some sections of the road, according to officials. The South Central Railway as well as the East Coast Railway cancelled several trains while some were terminated midway, officials said, adding a few express trains were also diverted. Train services between Khurda Road in Odisha and Vizianagaram in Andhra Pradesh also remained suspended since 10 pm Wednesday. While no loss of lives was reported in Odisha, the "very severe" cyclonic storm left a trail of destruction uprooting trees, ..
8 die as cyclone Titli batters Andhra, Odisha coast (Roundup)
A very severe cyclonic storm Titli unleashed havoc in north coastal Andhra Pradesh and south coastal Odisha on Thursday, claiming eight lives in Andhra and causing widespread destruction, officials said.
Six missing post cyclone in Odisha
At least six persons, including four of a family, went missing after their house got swept away by flood waters following heavy rains triggered by a severe cyclonic storm Titli in Odisha's Ganjam district on Thursday.
Russia opens criminal probe over failed rocket launch
Russian investigators said they had opened a criminal probe into a failed rocket launch that caused a two-man crew to make an emergency landing shortly after blast-off to the ISS on Thursday. "An investigative group has been formed and officials are currently examining the launch site, documents are being seized," the Investigative Committee said in a statement. The probe would seek to determine whether safety regulations had been violated during construction, leading to massive damage, the statement said. US astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksey Ovchinin were rescued without injuries in Kazakhstan following the emergency landing earlier Thursday. An "anomaly" with the booster led to the voyage to the International Space Station being aborted two minutes in, NASA said. The Russian space industry has suffered a series of problems in recent years, including the loss of a number of satellites and cargo spacecraft. Dmitry Rogozin, a firebrand nationalist politician who this ..
1 killed, 3 injured in rain-related incidents in UP
One person was killed and three others, including a minor, were injured in rain-related incidents here on Thursday, police said. A man was killed and his daughter was injured when a huge tree fell on them following heavy rainfall in Muzaffarnagar, they said. The deceased was identified as Rajpal, 28. In a similar incident, two more people were injured in the district, police said.
Punjab govt launches mobile apps to help check burning of crop residue
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh Thursday launched three mobile apps aimed at checking crop residue burning and creating awareness about its effects on the environment and human health. The three Android mobile applications have been developed by Punjab Remote Sensing Centre (PRSC). These are i-Khet Machine for facilitating farmers to have access to the agriculture machinery or equipment for in-situ management of crop residue; e-PEHaL for monitoring tree plantation; and e-Prevent to have prompt and accurate information about incidents of crop residue burning, according to an official statement released in Chandigarh. The applications would provide the information at district, block and village levels, in English and Punjabi, the statement said. Stubble burning has been a major concern in north India during the harvesting season. It has led to severe air pollution in National Capital Region and neighbouring areas in the past a few years, prompting authorities to take measures to ..
Expect higher coal imports this year: Care Ratings
Care Ratings on Thursday said that it expects higher coal imports during the year on the back of improved capacity utilisation in various sectors, including power. "We continue to expect higher import of coal during the year in the range of 225-240 million tonnes (MT) vs 208 MT in FY18," it said in a statement. Improved capacity utilisation in power, cement and steel sectors will be major drivers of coal import, it said. Coal imports grew by 13.9 per cent at 95.2 MT during the April-August 2018 period. Share of coal from Australia, Indonesia and South Africa stood at 21.8 per cent, 41.8 per cent and 14.8 per cent, respectively. "Coal from USA more than doubled year-on-year for the period and constitutes 8 per cent of the total coal imported by India," it said. "Coal import trend is expected to continue as power, cement and steel industry are expected to witness improvement in demand and capacity utilisation," it said. India is the second largest producer and importer of coal behind ...
Bhilai plant blast: NHRC notice to Steel Ministry, SAIL chief
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has sent notices to the Centre and the chairman of the SAIL over the death of 11 workers in a blast at the steel major's Bhilai plant in Chhattisgarh. An explosion took place at the state-owned Steel Authority of India Limited's (SAIL) Bhilai plant in Chattisgarh's Durg district Tuesday, leaving nine dead and 14 injured. Two more had succumbed to injuries later at a hospital. The NHRC in a statement said it has taken suo motu cognisance of media reports about the major industrial accident. The commission has issued notices to the secretary of Ministry of Steel and the chairman of the SAIL, seeking a detailed report, including the steps taken for relief and rehabilitation to the aggrieved families, treatment of the injured along with the report of inquiry, if ordered in the matter. The commission would also like to know as to what steps have been taken to ensure that such accident do not recur in future. Apart from this, the superintendent of
'That was a short flight': crew of failed rocket keeps cool
Russian cosmonaut Aleksey Ovchinin retained an enviable sang-froid Thursday as he realised while travelling at thousands of miles an hour that his spacecraft would have to make an emergency landing. "An accident with the booster, 2 minutes, 45 seconds. That was a quick flight," he said in a calm voice in a streamed video of the incident. Ovchinin and US astronaut Nick Hague had blasted off on a Soyuz rocket to the International Space Station from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. But around two minutes into the voyage, as the rocket was tearing through space at about 4,700 miles (7,563 kilometres) per hour, three short beeps were heard -- indicating an emergency situation. An "anomaly" with the booster led to the launch being aborted, NASA later said. "We're tightening our seatbelts," Ovchinin said on the video. Cosmonauts and astronauts are put through gruelling training, including exercises involving weightlessness and centrifugal force that prepare them to control their ...
Russian rocket to ISS fails mid-air, astronauts land safe: NASA
Two astronauts aboard the Russian Soyuz spacecraft that made an emergency landing after their rocket malfunctioned on lift-off to the International Space Station (ISS) were safe and in good condition, NASA said on Thursday.
Cyclone Titli leaves 8 dead in AP, causes widespread damage in Odisha
Cyclone 'Titli' made landfall on the eastern coast of the country early on Thursday claiming eight lives and wrecking havoc in Srikakulam and Vizianagaram districts of Andhra Pradesh, while causing widespread damage in neighbouring Odisha. While no loss of lives were reported in Odisha, the "very severe" cyclonic storm left a trail of destruction in Gajapati and Ganjam districts of state, uprooting trees, electric poles and damaging hutments. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Cyclone Titli made its landfall near Palasa in Srikakulam district, south west of Gopalpur in Odisha with an estimated maximum sustained surface wind speed of 140-150 kmph gusting to 165 kmph between 4.30 am and 5.30 am. The Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) said the cyclone caused widespread damage in Srikakulam and Vizianagaram, and threw normal life out of gear as heavy to very heavy rains lashed the two north coastal districts districts since late Wednesday ...
Six trains cancelled, many rescheduled by ECoR
With cyclone Titli damaging railway structures at many places, East Coast Railway (ECoR) Thursday cancelled at least six trains and rescheduled some others besides gearing up to restore normal services. After making landfall near Palasa in Andhra Pradesh, very severe cyclone Titli caused extensive damage to station buildings, platform shelters and foot overbridge at various places, an ECoR spokesman said. He said signalling poles and over-head electric masts have been damaged at several places between Palasa and Kottabomali stations. Electricity feed to over-head masts was also affected between Berhampur and Kottabomali. A number of incidents of uprooted trees and branches falling on tracks have been reported from various places, blocking rail lines. Railway teams, including track specialists, bridge engineers and over-head electricity engineers have rushed to spots for a detailed study of the impact of cyclone Titli between Brahmapur-Palasa and Palasa-Kottabomali. In ...
Hurricane Michael kills 2 in US, heads to Carolinas
At least two people were killed as Hurricane Michael, one of the most powerful storms ever to hit the continental the US, slammed into the state of Florida, unleashing a trail of destruction by flooding beach towns, peeling off roofs and snapping trees before advancing to the Carolinas.
Kathgodam-Howrah Express coach derails in UP, none injured
One coach of Kathgodam-Howrah Express train derailed on Thursday near Domingarh station in Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday, though no one was injured, officials said.
Centre to draw up recommendations on dealing with urban flooding: Official
Concerned with the rise in instances of urban flooding in the country, the Centre has decided to draw up recommendations on how cities should deal with such a situation, an official said on Thursday. Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said there is need to devise a system to anticipate natural disaster and make preparations accordingly to deal with it. The National Institute of Urban Affair (NIUA) on Thursday held a workshop on 'Urban Flood Resilience' where experts suggested a number of ways to tackle the issue. After attending the workshop, Puri told reporters that there has been an increasing trend of urban flood disasters in the country in the past few years. "In Kerala we had serious flood. Issues were raised again on whether we are prepared sufficiently to deal with situation," Puri said. According to the ministry, recommendations to be drawn up to tackle urban flooding will be based on categories such as early warning for natural disaster, preparedness .
Two more die in Farakka Express derailment, toll reaches 7
The toll in derailment of New Delhi-bound New Farakka Express rose to seven on Thursday with two of the injured people succumbing to their injuries at hospitals in Lucknow. Five coaches and the engine of the New Farakka Express derailed near Rae Bareli, early Wednesday killing five people and seriously injuring nine. Divisional Railway Manager (DRM), Northern Railways, said, "Two of the injured died on Thursday... with this, the toll in yesterday's derailment incident has gone up to seven." Rinku (28), who was brought to the KGMU Trauma Centre in Lucknow in a very bad state, and 11-year-old Sughandh admitted at the Trauma Centre of SGPGI with multiple fractures, died early on Thursday. The DRM said one of the tracks on which rail traffic was disrupted following the derailment was repaired and opened for train movement Thursday morning, while work on the other track is likely to be completed by evening. According to Railway officials in Delhi, a signal inspector and an electrical ...
Cyclone Titli claims lives of 8 people in Andhra
Cyclonic storm Titli has left at least eight people dead in Srikakulam and Vijayanagaram districts of Andhra Pradesh.Among those killed, five people were from Srikakulam and three from Vijayanagaram. Most of them were fishermen.The cyclone also badly hit the communication system in both the districts. More than 2000 electric poles collapsed, hampering the power supply in most parts of the two districts. Roads have also been badly damaged, disrupting the transport between coastal villages and the mainland.In East Godavari district, out of 67 boats went for fishing, 65 returned on time. The remaining two boats remain trapped in the sea, with the officials trying to rescue them to the shore.Earlier on Thursday, severe cyclonic storm, swirling over the Bay of Bengal, intensified into the 'very severe' category and made a landfall in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh.According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the cyclonic storm is expected to turn into a "deep depression" by Friday ...
Crew of Soyuz rocket survive emergency landing after engine problem
The two-man crew of a Soyuz rocket made a successful emergency landing Thursday after an engine problem on lift-off to the International Space Station, in a major setback for the beleaguered Russian space industry. US astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksey Ovchinin were rescued without injuries in Kazakhstan. "The emergency rescue system worked, the vessel was able to land in Kazakhstan... the crew are alive," the Russian space agency Roscosmos said in a tweet. The pair are in contact with ground control, the space agency said. Over the past few years the Russian space industry has suffered a series of problems including the loss of a number of satellites and other spacecraft. The rocket was launched was from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 0210 IST. "The launch had a problem with the booster (rocket) a few seconds after the first stage separation and we can confirm now that the crew has started to go into ballistic descent mode," the voiceover on a NASA ...