Page 575 - Disaster Accident
2 workers buried alive in heap of coal at port
Two workers at the private Gangavaram Port here were killed early today when a heap of coal fell on them, police said. BV Ramaraju (43) and K Mohan Rao (59) were standing close to the heap and supervising loading operations when the accident took place, they said. The two were immediately pulled out and taken to hospital where they were declared brought dead, the police said.
Punjab CM donates Rs 10 crore for Kerala flood relief
Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Friday announced Rs 10 crore worth of immediate relief for flood-hit Kerala.Out of the total amount, Rs 5 crore is being transferred from the Chief Minister's relief fund, while the remaining money would be given in the form of ready-to-eat food material and other supplies, read a statement from the Chief Minister's Office.The food material and other supplies will be taken to Kerala with the help of the Defence Ministry.According to a spokesperson of the government, the first Air Force sortie is expected to take off tomorrow to deliver 30 tonnes of ready-to-eat foods, such as biscuits, rusks, bottled water, and milk powder, to the flood-hit state. About one lakh food packets are to be sent in the first consignment. The remaining will be dispatched as and when requisitioned by the Kerala government.A total of four sorties, carrying 30 tonnes each, would be undertaken, said the spokesperson, adding that the Punjab government was pulling ..
Modi to visit flood-battered Kerala; rescue operations under way
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will undertake an aerial survey of the flood-devastated parts of Kerala on Saturday to assess the Central government's aid efforts and also the rescue operations.
1 killed, 24 injured in J&K accident
One person was killed and 24 injured in a road accident on Friday in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district, officials said.
Kerala floods: Rescuers battle treacherous conditions to rescue animals
With Kerala facing its worst floods and landslides in nearly a century, an animal charity body said today its rescuers were battling treacherous conditions to rescue and rehabilitate stranded and abandoned animals. Humane Society International India said many animals have perished in the disaster and were working with the Kerala government and the National Disaster Response Force to locate and rescue dogs, cats and other animals left behind during evacuations. The deadliest deluge in close to a century has claimed 173 lives since August 8, and dealt a body blow to the scenic state, wrecking its tourism industry, destroying standing crops in thousands of hectares and inflicting huge damage to infrastructure. As the monsoon savaged Kerala, claiming 106 lives yesterday, the state plunged deeper into misery today with hospitals facing shortage of oxygen and fuel stations running dry. A team of six HSI India experts have been operating in Nilambur and Tirur, Kerala's worst-affected ...
Three dead in wall collapse in Chhattisgarh
Three members of a family were killed after a wall collapsed on their house following heavy rains in Chhattisgarhs Dhamtari district, police said today. The incident happened yesterday night in Kandel village falling under Arjuni police station limits, the official added. The official said that there were seven people in the mud-walled house at the time of the incident of which three died and four sustained injuries. "Dharmi Sahu, a widow, was in the house along with her mother, four children and grandson. The wall of an old house adjacent to theirs collapsed," he said. He said that Sahu's mother Milo Bai (70), her daughter Khileshwari (17) and grandson Vedant were trapped under the debris and died instantly. Sahu, along with her three other children, sustained injuries and have been admitted to a local hospital, the official said, adding that the wall possibly caved in due to the rains. He said that a case had been registered and further investigations were underway.
Chinese plane slides off Manila runway causing flight delays
A Chinese passenger jet slid off the runway as it landed at Manila airport in torrential rain forcing dozens of flight cancellations today, as engineers struggled to remove the stricken aircraft. The Xiamen Airlines plane, carrying 157 passengers and eight crew, landed on its second attempt before skidding onto the grass and ripping off its left engine late last evening, airport general manager Ed Monreal said. All on board were safely evacuated from the aircraft with no serious injuries. But nearly 24 hours after the accident, rescue crews were still unable to remove the plane, forcing the airport to cancel take-offs and landings from the largest of its two runways. An official statement said the runway would remain closed until around 5 am tomorrow (2100 GMT Friday) as two cranes were still being put in place to lift the plane. Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines spokesman Eric Apolonio said at least 67 local and international flights were cancelled today. He told AFP that ..
Waterfall tragedy: six bodies recovered
Bodies of six persons who had been swept away in water near Sultangarh Waterfall in Shivpuri district of Madhya Pradesh were today recovered, a government official said. "Efforts are on to find another three persons who went missing on August 15 evening," district collector Shilpa Gupta told PTI. The waterfall is located near the border of Gwalior district. The tragedy occurred on Independence Day when merrymakers thronged the spot in large numbers on account of holiday. According to Gwalior district Superintendent of Police Navneet Bhasin, nine people of from that district who were picnicking near the waterfall on August 15 went missing when there was a flash flood, Gupta said. The bodies of six of them were fished out today, she added. There was a sudden surge in water following heavy rainfall upstream of the waterfall which led to the tragedy, the collector said. Forty-five others who were stranded on rocks in the stream were rescued early yesterday morning.
Kerala flood death toll 174, red alert remains in 12 districts
The death toll in rain-battered Kerala touched 174 on Friday as a red alert continued in 12 districts, with the authorities continuing rescue operations after rains subsided and evacuated more survivors to relief camps.
Army joins rescue operations in Karna's rain-hit Kodagu dist
The Army has joined operations to rescue people stranded due to floodsand landslides in rain-battered Kodagu district. Several districts of coastal and Malnad regions of thestate like Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Chikkmagaluru, Kodagu,parts of Hassan and Uttara Kannada have been facing the brunt of incessant rains in the last few days. "Army has joined the rescue operation along with National Disaster Response Force, Fire department, Quick Response Team, among others," the Chief Minister's office said in a statement. Chief Secretary Vijay Bhaskar informed Chief Minister Kumaraswamy about the rescue operations in the flood and landslide-hit districts of coastal and Malnad regions, it said. The statement said the chief minister was also constantly in touch with the district in-charge ministers who are stationed in their respective districts to monitor the rescue operations. In-charge secretaries are managing the rescue operations. Kumaraswamy had yesterday announced a ...
Odisha government assessing damage caused by rain
The Odisha government on Friday asked the district collectors to conduct a survey to assess the damage to properties in the rain-affected areas of the state.
Flood alert in Theni, Madurai; 8,410 people in relief camps
A flood alert has been sounded in Theni and Madurai districts of Tamil Nadu and people living along the banks of the Cauvery and Bhavani advised to move to safer places, even as over two lakh cusecs of water was discharged from three dams, including Mettur. As many as 8,410 people have been sheltered in relief camps in Tamil Nadu in view of the heavy inflow from Karnataka reservoirs and combined discharge of over 2.30 lakh cusecs from Mettur, Bhavani Sagar and Amaravathi dams, officials said today. With over 2.07 lakh cusecs being released from the KRS reservoir and Kabini in Karnataka, inflow into the Mettur dam stood at 1.70 lakh cusecs this morning. The water level in the dam stood at 120.24 feet against the full level of 120 feet, officials said, adding, 1.70 lakh cusecs was being discharged. Following heavy inflow and discharge from the Periyar and Vaigai dams, a flood alert has been sounded now in Theni and Madurai districts, Revenue minister R B Udaya Kumar ...
Amid delgue in neighbouring Ker, half of Karna faces drought
Even as parts of the state and neighbouring Kerala are reeling under floods, at least 16 districts in Karnataka have recorded deficient rainfall with the government mulling declaring them drought-hit. According to data provided by the Revenue department, four districts in south interior and 12 in north interior Karnataka had received less rainfall during the south-west monsoon since June this year. Director of the state Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre Dr G S Srinivasa Reddy said the situation was bad in ten out of 12 districts in the north interior region. "We had a meeting yesterday where we discussed the issue of deficient rainfall in 16 districts. Barring seven districts in coastal and Malnad region,ten out of 12 districts in north interior Karnataka arefacing severe deficient rainfall," he told PTI. The process to declare the districts which received deficient rainfall as drought hit was already in process and the government will take a call based on the ...
Punjab CM announces Rs 10 crore immediate relief for flood-ravaged Kerala
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has announced Rs 10 crore immediate relief for the flood-ravaged Kerala, where 106 people died on a single day yesterday as the state plunged deeper into misery with hospitals facing shortage of oxygen and fuel stations running dry. According to an official statement, while Rs 5 crore is being transferred from the Punjab Chief Minister's Relief Fund to Kerala counterpart's relief fund, the remaining Rs 5 crore will be in the form of ready-to-eat food material and other supplies, to be flown there with the help of the Defence Ministry. "First, air force sortie is expected to take off tomorrow to deliver 30 tonnes of ready-to-eat foods, such as biscuits, rusks, bottled water and milk powder to the flood-hit state. About one lakh food packets are to be sent in the first consignment. The remaining will be dispatched as and when requisitioned by the Kerala government,"it said here today. A total of four sorties, each carrying 30 tonnes ready-to-eat ...
Kerala floods: SC asks crisis mngt panels to consider lowering dam water level
The Supreme Court today asked two crisis management panels to explore the possibility of reducing the water level at the Mullaperiyar Dam by three feet to deal with the devastating floods in Kerala and asked Tamil Nadu to "scrupulously obey" any decision taken on the issue. Emphasising that the critical flood situation needed to be dealt with "focus, concentration and efficiency by all concerned", the top court said it was not an expert to deal with such unprecedented natural calamity and was leaving it to the executive to tackle the situation. It asked the National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) and a committee, set up by the top court in 2014 to manage and look after the safety and security of the dam, to coordinate with each other and explore the possibility of reducing the water level from the existing 142 feet to 139 feet. The Mullaperiyar Dams is located on the Western Ghats near Thekkady in Idukki district of Kerala on the Periyar river. The death toll in the monsoon fury ..
Punjab announces Rs 10 cr for Kerala flood relief
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Thursday announced Rs 10 crore relief for flood-ravaged Kerala, an official said.
Insurers asked to expeditiously settle claims in flood-hit Kerala
As rains and floods continued to wreak havoc in Kerala, insurance regulator Irdai today asked all insurance companies to set up special camps and make immediate payments against insurance claims. The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (Irdai) has issued guidelines in the regard for both life and non-line insurance claims and asked them to report the progress. More than 100 people died in rain-related incidents in Kerala in just one day yesterday, sources in the State Disaster Management Authority said, even as defence forces scaled up operations this morning to rescue those stranded in the worst-hit areas. "Initiate immediate action to ensure that all reported claims are registered and eligible claims are settled expeditiously," said Irdai's guidelines to life insurance companies. With regard to claims involving loss of life, where difficulty is experienced in obtaining a death certificate due to non-recovery of body, Irdai has suggested the insurers that they may
Kerala floods: Airlifted pregnant lady gives birth
A pregnant lady, who was airlifted on Friday morning by a Navy rescue team from a water logged place near Aluva in Kerala, gave birth to a baby safely.
Godavari level close to second warning mark in Badrachalam
The water level in Godavari river in the temple town of Bhadrachalam in Telangana was close to the second warning mark of 48 feet today with officials put on alert, a day after several parts of the state were lashed by rains. The water which crossed the first warning level of 43 feet last night stood at 47.80 ft at 3 pm, official sources said. Bhadradri-Kothagudem district Collector Rajiv Gandhi Hanumanthu directed the official machinery to be on alert. A flood control room had been opened and further measures, including setting up relief camps for accommodating people from low-lying areas, would be taken based on further rise in the water level, they said. Traffic was affected on the Bhadrachalam-Venkatapuram road in the district due to the rising water level. The state disaster management office here said Adilabad district received rains for the second day today. Several parts of Telangana received moderate or light rainfall while very heavy and heavy rain occurred at ...
Air India to operate Kochi flights from Thiruvananthapuram
National carrier Air India today said its flights scheduled to depart from the Kochi airport, which has been shut down till August 26 due to floods, will operate from Thiruvananthapuram. The airline said the new schedule is for the August 18-20 period. The rescheduled flights are AI 933 to Dubai, AI 047 to New Delhi, AI 682 to Mumbai, AI 511 to New Delhi and AI 510 to Chennai, a release said. Against this, most private carriers have altogether cancelled their services to the commercial capital of Kerala, which is also the seventh busiest airport in the country, despite the government asking them to divert the flights to Thiruvanathapuram or Kozhikode. However, the low-cost arm of the AI, Air India Express, which is headquartered in Kochi and has almost 40 per cent of its capacity deployed from the closed airport, has not made its operational plans public yet. Kerala is facing the worst rain fury and deluge in a century with 13 of the state's 14 districts under a red ...