Page 556 - Disaster Accident
To rebuild lives, Kerala needs doctors, nurses, packed food: Alphons
Union Tourism Minister K J Alphons today flagged the need for ready-to-eat cooked food, doctors and nurses in flood ravaged Kerala, saying people are now getting back to whatever is left of their homes with the waters receding. The minister also issued an appeal to skilled workers like plumbers, electricians and carpenters to come to make homes livable and help the state regain normalcy. At least 216 people have lost their lives in the rains, floods and landslides and over 7.24 lakh people been displaced. "As the flood is receding in Kerala people have to move to whatever is left of their homes. Need ready to eat cooked food, clothes and an army of electricians, plumbers and carpenters," Alphons said on Twitter today, tagging Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah. He issued a series of tweets highlighting the requirements of the people. "I appeal to General Public: What Kerala requires... - pre cooked individually packed dry food, an army of electricians, plumbers, ...
Train hits 5 in UP station
Five men were critically injured on Tuesday in Uttar Pradesh when they were hit by the speeding Chhattisgarh Sampark Kranti express near Mathura, an official said.
11 killed as vehicle falls into river in J&K, 5-yr-old child only survivor
A vehicle carrying pilgrims to a temple, skidded off the road and fell into the Chenab river in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district, killing 11 people with a five-year-old child being the only survivor, police said. The incident took place when they were going to the Mata Machail temple in the district. "A vehicle carrying pilgrims to the Machail Mata temple rolled down and fell into the Chenab river, around 28 km from Kishtwar, in the Padder belt area today," Jammu and Kashmir DGP S P Vaid told PTI. During the rescue operation 11 bodies were recovered. The only survivor is a five-year-old child, he said, adding that the child is undergoing treatment at a hospital. The description of the vehicle and the gender of the child are yet to be known. This is the second major accident in Kishtwar district in the past 24 hours. Yesterday, seven people, including a policeman, were killed and 12 others injured after two vehicles came under a landslide in the district. The incident took place ..
Aid agencies rush to help survivors of deadly Lombok quakes
Indonesian aid agencies and government officials rushed today to help survivors after another series of powerful quakes rattled Lombok island, killing at least 10 people and leaving hundreds of thousands homeless. The picturesque island next to holiday hotspot Bali was hit by two deadly quakes on July 29 and August 5. On Sunday it was shaken again by a string of fresh tremors and aftershocks, with the strongest measuring 6.9 magnitude. At least ten people were killed on Sunday, mostly by falling debris, but authorities said the death toll would likely rise. "The number of victims continues to increase," said national disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, without elaborating. "Aftershocks are still ongoing." Aid organisations have vowed to boost humanitarian assistance on the island as devastated residents struggle in makeshift displacement camps. "We are focussing on the basics, provision of shelter materials -- tarpaulins, shelter kits, hygiene kits," said Tom Howells from .
Rahul hails people for working in harmony for K'taka flood victims
Congress president Rahul Gandhi today highlighted how people of all communities in a small town in rain-ravaged Karnataka's Kodagu were working together to help flood victims, describing communal harmony as the essence of India. Citing the example of Suntikoppa town in Kodagu of Karnataka, he shared a video where people were working together to help those in need and described the town as "an oasis of hope". "In Kodagu, Karnataka, massive floods have unleashed a trail of devastation. "But amidst the gloom, here's a great story about an oasis of hope, a small town, Suntikoppa, where Shiv, Ram, Christ, Allah and the Buddha are working together to help those in need. This is India!," he tweeted. The Karnataka floods have claimed at least 12 lives and rendered hundreds homeless.
12 killed in J&K road accident
Twelve people were killed and two injured on Tuesday in a road accident in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district, police said.
Tripura to donate Rs 1 cr for flood-hit Kerala
The BJP-led government in Tripura will donate Rs 1 crore for the relief work in the flood-ravaged state of Kerala.
K'taka CM demands Rs 100 cr relief fund for rain-hit Kodagu
Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy has urged the Centre to provide Rs 100 crore relief fund for rain-ravaged state's Kodagu district.Addressing the media, the chief minister said, "The Prime Minister has announced relief of Rs 500 Crore for Kerala, we expect at least Rs 100 Crore for Kodagu. We will request the central government for it. We have to repair roads for connectivity. We are taking help of the Army and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF)," Kumaraswamy said.He added, "We conducted an aerial survey in Kodagu to review the flood situation. In all, 12 people have lost their lives. 845 houses have been damaged out of which 773 houses are partially damaged."Kumaraswamy stated that a total of 6620 people have been rehabilitated in the relief camps. He said, "41 relief camps in Kodagu and nine relief camps in Dakshina Kannada have been set up and a total of 6620 people are sheltered in these relief camps. An adequate supply of drinking water and milk is being ensured ..
SC judges to contribute to Kerala flood relief fund: CJI
The judges of the Supreme Court will contribute Rs 25,000 each to the Kerala flood relief fund, informed Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra on Monday.The apex court bench helmed by the CJI and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud made the observation while hearing a Public Interest litigation (PIL) that sought barring of lawmakers from practising in courts across the country.The top court bench made the observation after Attorney General K K Venugopal referred to the tragedy that has hit southern state.According to media reports, the AG had earlier donated Rs one crore to the flood relief fund.The calamity has also grabbed global attention.Kerala has been facing the worst flooding in a century. Kerala Chief Minister confirmed on Saturday that the death toll due to the floods has increased to 357. He added that the state has suffered a loss of Rs 19,512 crore due to the deluge.
Train services partially restored in flood-hit Kerala
The train services which had collapsed following the incessant downpour in Kerala, have been partially restored.The train services in Kayankulam-Kottayam- Ernakulam and Palakkad-Shoranur-Kozhikkode sections have been resumed.Trivandrum- Ernakulam section was also connected by passenger Special Trains for the flood period.Heavy damages caused by the floods in Aluva- Thrissur, Thrissur-Shoranur, Kayamkulam-Kottayam- Ernakulam Shoranur-Tirur, Shoranur- Palakkad routes have been fixed.Few special trains were started via Trivandrum, Tirunelveli, and Madurai to Chennai, Egmore, Howarah, Gorakhpur, Bhubaneswar routes to evacuate stranded people.The traffic in Aluva- Thrissur, Thrissur-Shoranur sections was also restored.Barring the flood-affected areas, the Southern Railway had began running 159 Express trains and 11 passenger trains connecting Kerala to the rest of the states from August 16-18.Kerala has been facing the worst flooding in a century. The death toll, ever since the monsoon ...
Kerala CM urges Centre for additional help, says six more lives lost today
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday announced that the severe inundation claimed at least 223 lives between August 8-20 in Kerala.Briefing the media in Trivandrum, the Chief Minister said, "223 people lost their lives between August 8-20. Six people died today. The Centre said they will make all necessary requirements available to us but in today's situation what is most needed is the necessary help, equivalent to the total damages caused so far."On August 18, Vijayan informed that May 29 onwards the death toll in the flood-hit Kerala increased to 357. The Chief Minister further informed that the state has suffered a loss of Rs 19,512 crores due to floods.As Kerala battles its worst floods in a century, the National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) met for the fifth time in five days in Delhi on Monday to review the rescue and relief operations in the flood-affected areas in Kerala.Cabinet Secretary PK Sinha chaired the meeting. The Chief Secretary of Kerala ...
Eight hikers die as flash flood hits Italy's Calabria
Eight hikers died when a mountain river suddenly flooded in Italy's southern Calabria region, with more people still unaccounted for, local emergency services said today. "We have eight dead but we can't rule out the toll increasing," the local civil protection unit told AFP. "There were about 30 people at the site in three different groups." Government sources cited by the Italian media also confirmed eight dead, saying another five people had been injured as they hiked along the Raganello river in the Pollino national park. According to local media reports, the victims belonged to a group of approximately 15 people who had been caught off guard by the bad weather. A helicopter was helping with a search and rescue operation, with powerful lights also brought in to help rescuers work under cover of darkness. Earlier today this part of Calabria, near the city of Cosenza, experienced several hours of heavy rain and strong winds although conditions began to improve during the ...
PM intends to use funds on self-promotion: Congress
Taking a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not declaring floods in Kerala as national disaster, the Congress on Monday said he did not release enough central fund so as to use the money on self-promotion.
All efforts to see tail end areas in delta get cauvery water
: Tamil Nadu government tonight said all efforts are being taken to ensure that tail end areas in the Delta region soon receive excess Cauvery water released from the metter dam soon. The statement came following complaints from a section of farmers from regions like Pattukottai, claiming that they had not received water. A Coimbatore report said the inflow into Mettur dam has registered a decrease from two lakh cusecs, to 1.6 lakh cusecs. As of 4 PM today, the inflow was 1.6 lakh cusecs and the outflow 1.608 lakh cusecs, compared to 2.05 lakh cusecs yesterday, they said. The water level was 119.29 feet against the full level of 120 feet, the sources said Parts of tamil Nadu are reeling under floods. The Cauvery is in spate, inundating low lying areas along the banks A flood alert is in place for 13 districts, including the Cauvery delta regions, besides Madurai and Theni as the Periyar and Vaigai dams too are receiving copious inflows. Heavy discharges were being made ...
Declare Kerala floods a national calamity: Chandrababu Naidu
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu today demanded that the Centre declare Kerala floods a national calamity. The demand comes close on the heels of Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, Left parties in Kerala and Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy making similar demands to the central government. "The Centre should declare it a national calamity. It's the responsibility of all to restore normalcy in Kerala," Naidu said. He said Andhra Pradesh has extended an assistance of nearly Rs 50 crore to flood-battered Kerala "through all means, including donations in cash". Naidu said he spoke with Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan twice. "IAS, IPS, IFS officers; AP Secretariat Employees' Association, NGOs, and several other organizations have come forward to donate one-day wage towards flood relief in Kerala. Andhra MPs and MLCs are donating their one-month basic salary," he said. Naidu also said that Andhra Pradesh has been receiving heavy rainfall for the past a few ...
Let-up in rain, floods makes Navy scale down rescue operations
The Southern Naval Command of the Indian Navy today started scaling down 'Operation Madad' consequent to rains having reduced and floodwaters receding from many areas in Kerala, a defence press release said here. As of 4.30 pm today, the 11th day of the operation, the number of diving teams has been reduced to 51, with 41 teams having returned after their rescue mission, the release said. A total of 350 people was rescued by boats from this morning, the release said. No requests for airlifts were received; however, 35 air sorties amounting to 62 hours of flying were undertaken by various naval aircraft, mainly for air-dropping of relief material, especially food and water, it said. A total of 20 rescue teams with one Gemini boat each had been deployed in Ernakulam district, it said. One team is on Pizhala island, one at Edapally,seven at Perumbavur, three at North Paravur, one at Aluva and seven at Kadangallur, the release said. In Pathanamthitta district, 21 teams have ..
Five dead in flash flood in Italy's Calabria region
Five hikers have died after a mountain stream suddenly flooded in Italy's Calabria region, local emergency services said today. "We can confirm five deaths, according to the police on the scene," the local civil protection unit told AFP. According to local media reports the five dead were part of a group of approximately 15 people walking along the Raganello stream in the Pollino national park, around a dozen of whom were rescued. A search and rescue operation is ongoing, including with the help of a helicopter, to establish whether there are any more people missing. It is not clear how many people were in the park when the stream flooded. Earlier today this part of Calabria, near the town of Cosenza, experienced several hours of heavy rain and strong winds although conditions have now eased.
Alliance Air commences flights from Kochi naval air base
State-run Air India subsidiary -- Alliance Air -- on Monday commenced operations from Kochi naval base -- INS Garuda -- with an ATR-72 aircraft to aide the rescue operations in flood-hit Kerala.
Rs 2.2 cr interim relief for 5,800 in flood-hit Kodagu
The Karnataka government on Monday announced Rs 2.2 crore interim relief for 5,800 people rescued from flood-hit Kodagu district.
Floodwaters receding, Kerala tells NCMC
The Kerala government on Monday informed the National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) that the floodwaters in the state had started receding as the rains had abated.