Page 49 - Disaster Accident
Why was upgradation of An-32 fleet not completed? Congress asks govt
Congress on Wednesday asked the central government as to why the upgradation of AN-32 transport aircraft fleet was not completed, two days after a plane with 13 IAF personnel on board went missing over Arunachal Pradesh."Pray for safety and well-being of IAF personnel and crew of missing Aircraft AN-32. Sad to know that missing AN-32 had SOS Signal Unit that's OBSOLETE. Govt must tell- Why was upgradation of AN-32 not completed despite India and Ukraine agreement of 2009?" Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said in a series of tweets.He said, "Govt and Def Ministry must also answer-: 1.Why was the AN-32 flying on that treacherous terrain when we have a better aircraft to fly on that route. 2. Why has the Govt not allocated sufficient defence budget to replace the AN-32 fleet?"Recalling that a similar incident happened earlier, Surjewala questioned as to why mitigating measures were not taken by the Defence Ministry."Govt and Def Minister must also answer-: 3. Despite a ...
Two labourers die after getting buried under mud
Two labourers died after getting buried under mud in Madhya Pradesh's Seoni district Wednesday, police said. The incident took place around 9 am near Rumali village under Ugli police station limits. Police station in-charge Hemant Babaria said the labourers were digging up mud and loading it in a tractor- trolley. Suddenly the ground caved and Suresh Rane (37) and Kuldeep Thakre (16) were buried under mud, he said. Some other labourers were also injured. They were admitted to Keolari hospital and were said to be out of danger, he said. A case of negligence was registered against the driver of the tractor-trolley who had hired the labourers for digging up and loading mud, Babaria said.
Cong questions govt on why 'obsolete' AN-32 fleet of IAF was not replaced
The Congress expressed concern Wednesday over the safety and well-being of the IAF personnel on board an AN-32 aircraft that went missing in Arunachal Pradesh after taking off from Assam's Jorhat, and questioned the government on why it had not allocated resources to replace the obsolete AN-32 fleet. Congress's chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the defence minister must answer why measures were not taken after the Indian Air Force (IAF) lost an AN-32 aircraft en route to the Andaman and Nicobar islands, which was not tracked. "Pray for safety and well-being of IAF personnel and crew of missing Aircraft AN-32. Sad to know that missing AN-32 had SOS Signal Unit that's OBSOLETE. "Government must tell - Why was upgradation of AN-32 not completed despite India and Ukraine agreement of 2009?," Surjewala asked on Twitter. He said the government and the defence ministry must also answer, "Why was the AN-32 flying on that treacherous terrain when we have a better aircraft to fly on ...
Passengers raise slogans at Delhi airport after AI flight to Guwahati denies them boarding pass
As many as 20 passengers were denied boarding passes to board the Air India Delhi-Guwahati flight, with the airline claiming that it was overbooked, passengers alleged on Wednesday.The incident occurred at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here and passengers who were offloaded started shouting slogans against the national carrier.The flight AI 889 was scheduled to take off for Guwahati at 9:30 am today.Manoj Kumar Das, one of the 20 passengers who was denied the boarding pass alleged that Air India stopped replying to him after he asked for compensation of cancellation fee he had to shell out for his Vistara return flight."Due to this, the trip got cancelled, so the returning flight of Vistara too had to be cancelled. I asked to be compensated for the cancellation fee of Vistara return flight. They have stopped replying," Manoj who was scheduled to travel to Guwahati along with two other passengers said."I have cancelled the Vistara return ticket by a loss of approx Rs. 10,900.
NZ: Bomb threat triggers police operation at Whenuapai airbase
A police emergency operation is underway after a threat was made about explosives at the Whenuapai airbase here on Wednesday.Quoting local media, Xinhua reported that an individual made threats about explosives after driving into the place."As a precaution, roads leading to the area have been cordoned off, including the Whenuapai motorway off-ramps," a New Zealand Police spokesperson said, confirming that the emergency response was triggered after a male, who is yet to be identified, made threats.The Armed Offenders Squad has been deployed, while several emergency service vehicles are at the airbase. Apart from this, armed police are responding to the situation.In the wake of bomb threats, Auckland Transport had advised motorists to stay away from the area as it has been cordoned off.
Coast Guard conducts underwater clean-up programme for first
: The Coast Guard Eastern region for the first time conducted an underwater clean up programme in Bay of Bengal near the Chennai coast to commemorate World Environment Day. Coast Guard units under Eastern region were conducting various awareness programme on coastal clean-up and extensive plantation drives. World Environment Day is observed on June 5 every year to raise awareness about importance of healthy and green environment. In association with private agency Dive India, Coast Guard conducted underwater debris clean-up near Kovalam coast, an official release said. During the two-hour long clean-up operation, Coast Guard said it managed to remove nearly 500 kg of trash, it said. "This is the first time efforts are made in Indian waters for underwater clean-up to remove sunken debris, nets to promote World Environment Day," it said. The Coast Guard being the nodal agency for oil spill response in maritime zone has a mandate for protection of marine environment.
Dozens missing after Uganda landslides: Red Cross
Dozens of people are missing after heavy rains caused landslides in eastern Uganda's Bududa district, the Red Cross said on Wednesday. "Preliminary information coming through indicates that around 150 houses could be destroyed, five people are suspected to be dead and around 50 missing," Uganda's Red Cross said in a statement. The agency's communications officer, Irene Nakasiita told AFP: "the area (Bududa) experienced heavy rains that led to the landslides". Bududa district in the foothills of Mount Elgon, which lies on the border between Uganda and Kenya, is a high risk area for landslides. In 2018 at least 41 people were killed after a river in the region burst its banks, and in 2010 at least 100 people were killed in a landslide. A statement from the office of Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda said that "there are reports of displacement and destruction of property as well as missing persons." "In total, over 100,000 people living precariously on the slopes of Mount Elgon are ...
China first country in launching rocket from sea
In a first, China on Wednesday successfully launched a rocket from a sailing ship into space, showcasing its prowess in the field.
Musician Balabhaskar's death was not accident: Soby
In a shocking revelation about the death of hugely admired Malayalam musician Balabhaskar, popular stage artiste Kalabhavan Soby on Wednesday said it was not an accident.
Maha considering to reduce agri water supply to Pawar fiefdom?
The NDA government in Maharashtra is mulling over to reduce 'excess' water supply for agriculture to Baramati, the hometown of NCP chief Sharad Pawar, as it believes that the area has been getting more water due to political influence. On the record, the government's reasoning is that the 'excess' water for Baramati and Indapur tehsils in Pune district can be used to provide relief to drought-hit areas in neighbouring Satara district. Indapur is stronghold of Harshwardhan Patil of the Congress. State Water Resources Minister Girish Mahajan Wednesday said the Neera left bank canal supplies water to Baramati and Indapur from the Bhatghar dam in Pune district. It seems Baramati and Indapur are getting more water than their requirement, the minister said implying that political influence wielded by Pawar could be the reason behind 'excess' water supply to Baramati. "If some of the water supplied to Baramati and Indapur tehsils is saved, it can be supplied to drought-hit ...
Massive search underway for missing AN-32
Despite inclement weather, a massive search operation is on for an Indian Air Force (IAF) AN-32 transport aircraft with 13 people onboard that went missing over Arunachal Pradesh.
3 killed in accident in J-K's Udhampur
Three people were killed and five others injured in a road accident in Jammu and Kashmir's Udhampur district on Wednesday, officials said. The accident occurred in the Barrian area here when a speeding van skidded off the road and overturned, they said. One person died on the spot, while seven others were rushed to a hospital with injuries, the officials said. Later, two more succumbed to injuries while undergoing treatment, they added.
Search operations for missing AN-32 aircraft enter third day
The search operations for the missing AN-32 transport aircraft entered the third day on Wednesday."We are putting in all the resources available with us. We have put massive efforts through radar, satellite, visual by helicopters and by ground patrols again today," IAF officials said.A team of 13 Air Force personnel along with satellites of the ISRO and Naval P-8I spy planes have been pressed into action over parts of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam to locate the missing AN-32 aircraft.Meanwhile, Su-30MKI, C-130J Super Hercules and other assets at present are carrying out search operation in cloudy weather conditions.Navy in a statement yesterday said that its Long Range Maritime Reconnaissance aircraft P8I took off from INS Rajali in Arakonam, Tamil Nadu at 1 pm to join the search and rescue operation.Officials said the wreckage of the AN-32 transport aircraft which went missing on Monday in Arunachal Pradesh has not been sighted so far.Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is being apprised of
Seventeen missing after cargo vessel sinks in Indonesia
Seventeen people were missing after a cargo boat sank off eastern Indonesia, authorities said Wednesday, the latest maritime accident to hit the sprawling archipelago nation. The vessel overturned on Saturday afternoon with 18 people onboard. It was sailing from Bitung, on the northern tip of Sulawesi island, to Morowali regency in the south, rescue officials said. One 35-year-old survivor was found by a passing vessel floating in a life jacket on Tuesday and was now receiving medical treatment, authorities said. Search and rescue official Basrano, who goes by one name, said 17 crew members were still being sought. A rescue vessel has been deployed. The 80-metre-long KM Lintas Timur, which was carrying cement, overturned in rough seas after its engine died, according to authorities. Marine accidents are common in Indonesia, an archipelago nation of more than 17,000 islands, where many use ferries and other boats to travel despite poor safety standards. Some 160 people died when an ..
Torrential rain more frequent with global warming: Study
The frequency of downpours of heavy rain -- which can lead to flash floods, devastation, and outbreaks of waterborne disease -- has increased across the globe in the past 50 years due to climate change, a study has found. The number of extreme downpours increased steadily between 1964 and 2013 -- a period when global warming also intensified, according to research published in the journal Water Resources Research. The frequency of 'extreme precipitation events' increased in parts of Canada, most of Europe, the Midwest and northeast region of the US, northern Australia, western Russia and parts of China. "By introducing a new approach to analysing extremes, using thousands of rain records, we reveal a clear increase in the frequency extreme rain events over the recent 50 years when global warming accelerated," said Simon Papalexiou, a hydro-climatologist at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada. "This upward trend is highly unlikely to be explained by natural climatic variability. ..
Western Iranian province jolted by 2 earthquakes
Iran's state-run news agency says two consecutive earthquakes, magnitude 4.4 and 4.9, have jolted the country's western province of Kermanshah. IRNA's report says the first quake was at a depth of 10 kilometers, the second at 11 kilometers early on Wednesday morning. U.S. Geological Survey said it registered a magnitude 4.7 and a magnitude 4.5 temblor, about 12 kilometers northwest and 23 kilometers southwest of the town of Sarpol-e Zahab. There were no immediate reports on casualties or damages. Last November, a magnitude 7.2 quake struck a nearby area, injuring more than 500 people. Iran is prone to near-daily quakes as it sits on many major fault lines. In 2003, a magnitude 6.6 earthquake flattened the historic city of Bam, killing 26,000 people.
Reyes' car was above 220kmph before crash: Police
The Spanish Police have said that former Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid football star Jose Antonio Reyes was driving at more than 220kmph when he died in a car crash.
Passengers trapped for 6 hours in Paris tunnel on high-speed train
Train passengers were stuck for six hours in a tunnel outside Paris on Tuesday after their high-speed service suffered a power cut just minutes after departure, leaving them in sweltering heat, without electricity or working toilets. The train bound for Barcelona became trapped in the tunnel in the Yerres area outside Paris. French rail operator SNCF said the power failure lasted only 10 or 15 minutes but the train was unable to restart because of its position. A new train was sent in to shunt the stalled carriages along, but without success. Passengers were relocated through the tunnel to the working train in front accompanied by SNCF staff, firefighters and police, according to an AFP journalist, who said two passengers were looked after by emergency workers. One tourist, 68-year-old Australian Heather Manton, expressed concern over her reservations in Barcelona and described the experience as "horrible". The passengers were finally on the move by late afternoon.
Rajasthan: Five killed as SUV rams into bikes
As many as five people were killed after an SUV rammed into two bikes in Suratgarh town of the district on Tuesday.The accident occurred on the national highway when a Scorpio hit two bikes near Maneksar bridge. Following the collision, one of the bikes caught fire in which a victim was charred to death, while four other people died on the spot due to injuries. Parts of the Scorpio also caught fire during the accident.After receiving information of the incident, police and fire officials reached the spot to control the fire. Bodies of the victim were taken for postmortem.The Scorpio driver reportedly fled the spot soon after the incident.
Ten dead in Senegal road crash as Ramadan ends
At least 10 people were killed in a crash between a bus and a truck in northern Senegal, authorities said Tuesday, at a time when many Muslim faithful are on the move as the holy month of Ramadan ends. According to the local fire service chief, the accident happened around 20 kilometres (12 miles) outside Saint-Louis, the main city in northern Senegal near the Mauritanian border. It left 10 dead and 17 injured, "five of them seriously", fire chief Bobo Diallo told AFP. Medical sources in Saint-Louis suggested the toll could be higher, putting the number of dead at 11, including a two-year-old child. Local media said that the bus was carrying merchants who were travelling to Saint-Louis to stock up for the Eid al-Fitr festival, which follows the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. The reports said the bus collided with a truck transporting onions. Some 90 percent of Senegal's population are Muslims, predominantly following moderate Sufi brotherhoods, and the West African country is ...