Page 58 - Disaster Accident
Fire breaks out at room in AIIMS
A minor fire broke out at a room in the new private ward block of AIIMS on Thursday, Delhi Fire Service (DFS) officials said. No casualty has been reported, they said. The DFS received a call about the fire at 9.54 pm after which one fire tender was rushed to the spot, the officials said. The fire was controlled within a few minutes. The fire started from an air-conditioner due to short circuit, a fire official said.
Two killed, 16 injured as vehicle falls into gorge in Himachal's Sirmaur
Two persons were killed and 16 others injured when a vehicle carrying a marriage party fell into a 200-metre deep gorge in Himachal Pradesh's Sirmaur district. The accident took place when the driver of the vehicle failed to negotiate a curve near Mahipur village, they said. The vehicle was a part of a caravan of cars carrying a marriage party. The accident took place when the party was returning from Kheri Cheingen village to Pou Barada village, police said. Following the accident, locals and police teams rushed to the spot and took the injured to Nahan Medical College, police said. Superintendent of Police, Sirmaur, A K Sharma said one Balbir Singh died on the spot, while another person, identified as Sachin, succumbed to injuries at the hospital. Both were residents of the Dadahu area, he added. Police said 15 persons were under treatment at the medical college, while one Bhagat Ram, 46, has been referred to PGI, Chandigarh. Additional Superintendent of Police Virender Singh ...
Grounded Air India flights depart from UK airport
Two Air India flights from London to Delhi and London to Mumbai finally took off from the Heathrow Airport on Thursday, ending the chaos for hundreds of passengers after being grounded due to technical problems. The AI162 flight to New Delhi left earlier in the day and AI130 to Mumbai left in the afternoon following a nearly 48-hour delay. "For Air India the safety of passengers is paramount," said Debashis Golder, Regional Manager for UK and Europe for Air India. "Wherever possible or available passengers have been transferred to alternate carrier like some seats on BA [British Airways] or on other AI flights via Delhi or Bangalore if so desired by passengers," he said. The aircraft had developed a technical snag and oil leak, which the local team was unable to rectify. An Air India engineering team which arrived from Mumbai on Wednesday with the requisite components to fix the issues with the Boeing aircraft were finally able to fix the problems for take off on Thursday. "Passengers
Heatwave warning for Telangana till June 2
Several parts of Telangana sizzled with the mercury crossing 43 degrees Celsius mark in two districts Thursday as the Met office warned the heatwave conditions were likely to continue till June 2. It also said thunderstorm accompanied with gusty winds (30 kmph to 40 kmph) and lightning was likely to occur at isolated places in the state Friday. Adilabad and Medak districts recorded a maximum temperature of 43.8 degree Celsius, the highest in the state, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. Nalgonda recorded 43 degree Celsius while Hyderabad 40 degree Celsius. However, the mercury level dipped in several parts Thursday compared to the past few days when it crossed the 45 degree Celsius. Noting that the heatwave condition was likely to continue for another three days, the department advised people not to expose themselves directly to sunlight and take necessary precautions. Parts of Telangana have been experiencing heatwave conditions for around a month with the .
1 killed, 10 injured in accidents in J-K's Doda
A man was killed and 10 others were injured Thursday in separate accidents in Jammu and Kashmir's Doda district, police said. A car, on its way to Kaljugasar from Gwari, skidded off the road and fell into a gorge at Dudwal. The driver, Abdual Majeed, was killed and two others were injured, they said. Police and locals rushed to the spot and admitted all the three passengers to a nearby hospital. In another incident, eight persons, including four children, were injured when their car met with an accident in Bharat village, police said. The injured were hospitalised.
Paris wants a 'Princess Diana Square' at site of her death
Paris City Hall wants to name a small plaza after Princess Diana, at the site of the 1997 car crash that killed the cherished British royal. The site already holds a golden flame-shaped monument in her honour, adjacent to the Alma Tunnel where the accident occurred. The plaza is currently named after opera singer Maria Callas. A city hall official said Thursday that the city council will vote next month on a measure to rename it after Diana. The city noted that Callas already has a nearby avenue named after her, and that the city wants to honour Diana for her humanitarian work. The 36-year-old princess, her boyfriend and driver died after their Mercedes crashed into a concrete pillar in the tunnel.
Online food orders cannot be delivered in Punjab without hygiene rating: Minister
Online food ordering and delivery companies includingZomato and Swiggy will not be able to deliver eatables in Punjab without mandatory hygiene rating, a minister said Thursday. Punjab Health Minister Brahm Mohindra directed online food ordering and delivery companies to display the hygiene rating of all Food Business Operators (FBO) registered/affiliated with them. Giving three months time for complying with the order, he said that after 90 days of issuance of formal communique in this regard, "no online food order is to be delivered in the state without hygiene rating". Punjab Food and Drug Administration Commissioner and Tandrust Punjab Mission Director K S Pannu said the online order and delivery mechanism of food supply has created a physical disconnect between consumers and food maker. "The onus of ensuring the quality of food and the hygienic condition under which food is prepared has shifted to the intermediate food delivery mechanism", Pannu said. All online food ordering and
4 killed in Ukrainian military helicopter crash
At least four people were killed after a military helicopter crashed during a training flight in northwestern Ukraine, the country's Defence Ministry said on Thursday.
BJP seeks PM's intervention for safety of minorities' religious places in Pakistan
The BJP on Thursday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure the safety of religious places of minorities in Pakistan, following reports about damage to a Sikh shrine in the neighbouring nation. In a letter to the prime minister, BJP national vice-president Avinash Rai Khanna termed it a serious matter, saying it had caused resentment and anger among the minorities living there and a sense of insecurity prevailed. "We take strong exception to reports of damage caused to the Sikh shrine and selling of precious windows and doors etc of the centuries old Guru Nanak Palace in Narowal in Pakistan's Punjab state," he said. "We urge the prime minister to intervene in the matter and ensure safety of the religious shrines," Khanna said. He said Government of India should build pressure on the Pakistan government so that the culprits are strictly punished and lives and properties of minorities are safe there.
PIL seeks fire safety in coaching centres in Delhi; HC asks AAP govt, police to respond
The Delhi High Court on Thursday asked the AAP government, the police and the fire department to respond to a PIL seeking directions to them to ensure fire safety in all private coaching centres in commercial as well as residential areas of the national capital. A bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice Brijesh Sethi issued notices to them seeking their stand on the petition by a lawyer who has alleged that such centres were not following fire safety rules Referring to the recent fire tragedy at a coaching centre in Surat, Gujarat that claimed 22 lives, including 18 girls, the petitioner -- Madhumita Kothari -- has said that authorities here have to perform their duties "with greater vigil and efficiency" to prevent recurrence of such accidents. She said many private coaching centres in Delhi do not have fire safety devices or properly marked exit paths and there are no emergency exit plans in case of situations like fire, earthquake or building collapse. In the Surat fire ..
HC says fire clearance norms for restaurants in Delhi moronic
Fire clearance norms of the AAP government for operating restaurants here were "moronic" and responsible for fire accidents, the Delhi High Court said Thursday. The observation by Justice Vibhu Bakhru came after the court was told that according to the guidelines, a fire clearance was not granted by considering the capacity of a building where one or more restaurants may be located, but by taking into account the number of seats in each eatery. Therefore, the court noted, if a building has a separate restaurant on each of its floors, none of them would need fire clearance as long as their individual seating was below 50. "It is moronic, for want of a better word. No wonder fire accidents happen. You (government) are looking at it (fire clearance) in the wrong way. You have to look at it building-wise," the court said. The observation came while hearing the pleas by two restaurants, run from separate floors of a single building at Hauz Khas Village, challenging their sealing for lack ..
3 killed, 4 injured in road accident in Uttar Pradesh
Three people were killed and four others injured in a road accident in Fatehpur in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday.
CESC App to contain database of certified electricians
Private power distribution company CESC is planning an app which will contain a database of certified electricians, a senior official said Thursday. The app is expected to have a knowledge repository that can be used both by both consumers and electricians. It will also contain a database of certified electricians, the official said. "We are planning to come out with an app by end of June which will have a knowledge repository and a database of certified electrician near the household based on GPS location," CESC manager Anjan Mitra said at a safety awareness programme of International Copper Association (ICA). According to latest reports around 376 electrical accidents had been recorded annually and out of which 196 resulted in fatalities. ICA chief manager (Building) Amol Kalsekar said the alliance is carrying out several awareness programmes across the country to promote safety. "We will also carry more awareness on saving for high power equipments like pumps," he ...
3 killed in road accident in UP's Fatehpur
Three people were killed and four others injured when their vehicle overturned on National Highway-2 in the neighbouring Fatehpur district on Thursday, police said. The DCM van on its way to Allahabad from Kanpur overturned near the Katodhar toll plaza under the Khaga Kotwali police station area, killing Mumtaz, Nisar and Sajid on the spot, Circle Officer (Khaga) Kapil Dev Misra said. Four others sustained injuries and were undergoing treatment, Misra said, adding that the accident occurred when one of the tyres of the vehicle got punctured.
Strong quake jolts El Salvador, tsunami warning issued
A strong earthquake measuring 6.6 on Richter Scale struck off the coast of El Salvador on Thursday morning. Authorities have issued a tsunami warning.The quake hit a depth of 65 km and took place at 9:03 am (2:33 pm Indian time), the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said.The epicentre of the tremblor was at 27 kilometres south south-east of La Libertad, situated nearly 32 km from the capital San Salvador, the USGS said.According to reports, tremors have been felt in the Central American nation. Power outages have been reported as well.There are no reports of any casualties, injuries or damage to property.However, El Salvador's Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources has issued a tsunami warning asking people to stay away from the Pacific Ocean.
Punjab to ban online food without hygiene rating
Punjab is going to ban online delivery of food without hygiene rating, Health Minister Brahm Mohindra announced on Thursday.
Services briefly affected on section of Red Line
Services were briefly affected on a section of Red Line of the Delhi Metro due to a minor fire close to railway tracks near Welcome station on Thursday, officials said. According to a DMRC official, train services were slowed down as a precautionary measure. "There was a fire in dry grass near the Indian railway tracks which is close to the Welcome Metro Station. There was slow movement of trains between Shahdara and Shastri Park briefly," he said. The services were restored shortly after the fire was doused. A Delhi Fire Service (DFS) official said a call was received at 1.14 pm and one fire tender was sent to the spot.
2 workers killed in fireworks factory blast in TN
Two persons were charred to death in an explosion at a private fireworks factory unit near Sattur in the district Thursday, police said. Friction during mixing of chemicals caused the blast in which the two workers, both aged 50, died, they said. Somee 46 sheds in the factory were razed to the ground in the incident. Fire service personnel doused the fire after a two-hour battle.
Mozambique seeks USD 3.2 billion to recover from cyclones
Mozambique says it needs USD 3.2 billion to recover from a pair of tropical cyclones that ripped into the southern African nation this year and killed more than 600 people. That's according to a government assessment for a global pledging conference that begins Friday. Some aid workers fear the worst is yet to come. Cyclones Idai and Kenneth wiped out crops on the eve of harvest, and hundreds of thousands of people might have to rely on food aid well into next year. This was the first time in recorded history that two cyclones struck Mozambique in a single season, raising alarm about the effects of climate change on coastal nations. Aid workers call relief efforts surprisingly underfunded. Just 30% of the U.N. humanitarian appeal for Mozambique has come in.
Seven South Koreans dead, 21 missing as Budapest tourist boat sinks
Seven South Korean tourists died and 21 others were missing after a sightseeing boat capsized and sank on the Danube in Budapest, Hungarian and South Korean officials said Thursday. The accident happened near the parliament building in the heart of the Hungarian capital after a collision with a larger river cruise boat during torrential rain around 09:15 pm (1915 GMT) on Wednesday, according to officials. A total of 33 South Koreans were on board, Seoul's foreign ministry said, confirming the seven dead were Korean. The youngest was a six-year-old girl, travel agency officials said. The 26-metre tourist boat, called the "Mermaid," was also carrying two Hungarian crew members. "Our services have recorded the death of seven people," Pal Gyorfi, a spokesman for Hungarian emergency services, said early Thursday morning. "Seven people have been taken to hospital in a stable condition with hypothermia and shock symptoms," Gyorfi added. "A further 21 people are missing," a Hungarian police .