Page 580 - Disaster Accident
Kerala floods: Death toll rises to 73
The death toll in Kerala flood has increased to 73. The state has been witnessing acute flood situation since past few days owing to incessant rain.As the flood situation is getting worse by the day, the Centre has launched massive rescue and relief operations in the state.Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been asked to mobilize additional manpower, boats and helicopters to scale up the rescue and relief operations. Food packets and drinking water are also being rushed.Earlier today, NDRF teams evacuated 926 persons to a safer place at Pathamithitta, Kozzhikode, Ernakulam, Thrissur and Alappuzha. Army also built a 35-feet long bridge and rescued around 100 people including children and senior citizens from Malampuzha's Valiyakadu village.The Indian Coast Guard has also mobilised ten teams to assist District Disaster Management Authority in evacuating people from the flood-affected areas.The Coast Guard relief teams have been placed at .
Kerala rains: Stranded people appeal for help through social media
As roads turn into 'rivers' in many places in rain-battered Kerala, families trapped in high rise flats, students stranded in hostels and devotees in churches are using social media platforms to seek help and pass on information about their location. Videos of people pleading for help with folded hands, are being posted and shared by hundreds of people on WhatsApp groups since last night. Panic-struck relatives are also sharing the location of their near and dear ones trapped in various places using Google maps. Various regional channels have also published their numbers through news bulletins for stranded people to contact them and share details of their location, to be passed on to authorities. "We are in the second floor of the house... the first floor is almost flooded... the mobile phone is running out of charge... please rescue us... please," a man from Ranni said in a video which has gone viral on social media. "There are tiny tots and senior citizens with us... water is now ...
Kerala flood: Additional NDRF teams deployed for rescue operation
Additional National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams have been deployed in flood-hit Kerala for the rescue operation, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said on Thursday.Singh also spoke to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan regarding the flood situation. "Had a telephonic conversation with Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan regarding the prevailing flood situation in the state. The Centre is rushing additional NDRF teams to Kerala. We are providing all possible assistance. I am in constant touch with Kerala CM," he tweeted.A Crisis Management Group Committee meeting is also underway at Home Ministry over Kerala floods under the leadership of Cabinet Secretary PK Sinha.As the flood situation in Kerala is getting worse by the day, rescue and relief operation has been stepped up in the state. Earlier today, the NDRF teams evacuated 926 persons to a safer place at Pathamithitta, Kozzhikode, Ernakulam, Thrissur and Alappuzha district. Army also built a 35-feet long bridge and ..
Small business will be worst hit by depreciating rupee: WB CM
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today said the informal sector and small businesses will be worst hit by the depreciating rupee and lead to increase in the oil import bill. "After demonetisation disaster and now Rupee slide, Rupee crashes to its lowest ever. We are very concerned," the chief minister tweeted. "Oil imports bill will now jump. Prices of vegetables will go up. After demonetisation disaster and now Rupee slide, informal sector and small businesses will be further killed. (sic) Farmer distress will be compounded... Time is running out. The writing is on the wall!! #RupeeCrash", she said. The rupee today slumped 43 paise against the dollar to trade at a life-time low of 70.32 on strong demand for the US currency.
MP waterfall accident: 45 rescued, 6 missing
After around 50 people were stranded at the Sultangarh waterfall in Madhya Pradesh's Shivpuri district, police on Thursday said around 45 people have been rescued while six are still missing.
John Abraham 'extremely disturbed' by Kerala floods
Actor John Abraham says he is extremely disturbed by what is happening in Kerala, where heavy rains have led to flooding of several districts.
Akshay credits Balki with 'effective' road safety campaign
National Award-winning actor Akshay Kumar has given full credit to filmmaker R. Balki for making the Road Safety Awareness Campaign "effective" in an "entertaining manner".
45 people stranded at waterfall in MP rescued, 8 missing
All 45 people stranded at the Sultangarh waterfall in Madhya Pradesh's Shivpuri district were rescued early this morning, an official said. Five of them, who were stranded on a rock downstream, were rescued by a helicopter, Superintendent of Police (SP) Rajesh Hingankar said. At least eight people were swept away yesterday while bathing in the waterfall and 45 others stranded following a sudden surge in water due to heavy rain upstream, he said. The waterfall is connected to the Parvati river. "Police teams, with the help of locals, rescued all the 45 people," Hingankar told PTI. He said family members of six people filed missing complaints as their kin, who went to the waterfall for a picnic on the occasion of Independence Day yesterday, were yet to be found. A search operation was on to trace the missing persons, the SP said. Eyewitnesses had earlier claimed that more than 10 people, bathing in the waterfall, were swept away. Early today, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh .
Second night of rescue efforts after deadly Italy bridge collapse
Rescue workers toiled through a second night today in a desperate bid to find survivors in the rubble of a Genoa bridge which caved in during a heavy rainstorm, killing at least 39 people and injuring 16 more. A vast span of the Morandi bridge collapsed in the northern port city on Tuesday, sending about 35 cars and several trucks plunging 45 metres (150 feet) onto railway tracks below. Italy's government has blamed the firm that operated the collapsed bridge for the disaster and announced a state of emergency in the region. Children aged eight, 12 and 13 were among the dead, Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said, adding that more people were still missing. Sixteen people were injured. The driver of a green lorry left precariously close to the edge told Italian media how he had escaped the "hell" of the bridge collapse. "It was raining very hard and it wasn't possible to go very fast," he told the Corriere della Sera daily. "When a car overtook me I slowed down... (then) at a certain .
5 killed in landslides in Palakkad, no let-up in monsoon fury
Five persons were killed in a landslide in Palakkad district of Kerala today even as torrential rains led to the collapse of the public transport system in many parts of the state with the southern Railways and Kochi Metro suspending operations. Palakkad district police sources said the five persons were killed in Nenmara while two were rescued, taking the death toll to 72 in the current phase of Monsoon fury. Reports of a landslide have also come in from Thrissur district and some people are said to be missing, the sources said. Rise in flood waters in Periyar River due to the rains and opening of all shutters of all major dams including Mullaperiyar, Cheruthoni, part of Idukki reservoir, and Idamalayar, have severely affected lives of people in downstream areas. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan once again called up Prime Minister Narendra Modi and apprised him of the flood situation in the state. The state has also sought the services of additional Army personnel and ...
Kerala flood toll touches 79, rains continue
With rains still pouring down heavily leading to flooding across Kerala, 12 fresh deaths were reported on Thursday, taking the toll to 79, since August 8. More rains were forecast till Saturday.
PM Modi discusses flood situation with Kerala CM
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday morning spoke to Kerala Chief Minister Pinaryi Vijayan to discuss flood situation in the state. He also asked the Defence Ministry to step up the rescue and relief operations across the state."Spoke to Kerala CM Shri Pinarayi Vijayan again this morning. We discussed the flood situation in the state. Have asked Defence Ministry to further step up the rescue and relief operations across the state. Praying for the safety and well-being of the people of Kerala," he tweeted.Kerala has been witnessing incessant rain since past few days, causing flooding and landslide in the state. So far, at least 67 people have lost their lives in the havoc.As the flood situation continues to grow worse in the state, rising level of water in Muttom Metro Yard area led to the suspension of train services at Kochi Metro on Thursday. Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation bus services have also been stopped from Chamarajanagar district for Tamil Nadu's Ooty and ...
PM asks MoD to step up Kerala relief and rescue ops
Prime Minster Narendra Modi today asked the Defence Ministry to further step up relief and rescue operations across Kerala which is facing a severe flood situation. He also spoke with Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan again this morning. "We discussed the flood situation in the state. Have asked Defence Ministry to further step up the rescue and relief operations across the state. Praying for the safety and well-being of the people of Kerala," the PM tweeted. Yesterday evening, Modi had told Vijayan that the Centre stood firmly behind Kerala and was ready to provide any assistance. Rains in the state have claimed 47 lives, officials said, adding that a red alert had been sounded in 12 of the 14 districts.
Southern Railways, Kochi Metro suspend operations in flood-hit Kerala
The public transport system collapsed in many parts of central Kerala with the Southern Railways and Kochi Metro today suspending their operations due to floods. Rise in flood waters in Periyar river due to continuous rains and opening of all shutters of all major dams including Mullaperiyar, Cheruthoni, part of Idukki reservoir, and Idamalayar, have severely hit life of people in the downstream areas. The floods have affected the transport system to the Kochi city. "Due to rise in water level at Bridge No 176 on Downline between Angamali and Aluva, The services on this bridge is suspended," a Southern railway spokesman said in a statement early today. The Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) also suspended its operations this morning after its yard in Muttom near Aluva submerged in the flood waters. "Kochi Metro train operation is suspended as the water level rises in Muttom yard area," a KMRL statement said. The service will be resumed once the water comes down and the systems are back ..
Genoa bridge collapse: Italy PM declares state of emergency
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on Wednesday declared a 12-month state of emergency after a section of a motorway bridge recently collapsed in Genoa that claimed 39 lives.Conte further announced that he allocated five million euros for the smooth facilitation of search and rescue operations. He added that his administration would withdraw the concession from Autostrade, the private company responsible for the maintenance of the Morandi Bridge that collapsed on Tuesday.Conte was quoted by CNN as saying, "These are tragedies that are unacceptable in modern society."Although rescue operations were on till Wednesday evening, the hopes of finding more survivors in the mishap are now appearing to be dim.Fire services chief Emanuele Gissi told CNN that the rescue workers were working with care and caution amid concerns of the stability of the Morandi Bridge.Initially, the local authorities blamed heavy thunderstorms in the region for the mishap, but Conte clarified later that the ...
Colombia says 19 citizens killed in tourist bus crash
Nineteen of the 24 victims in a fatal tourist bus crash in Ecuador were Colombian, the government has confirmed. Fourteen of the deceased Colombian victims have been identified, the country's foreign ministry said. The identities of four Venezuelans and two Ecuadorians have also been determined. "Once all the bodies have been identified," the Colombians will be repatriated, Bogota's attorney general's office said in a statement. The crash near Quito, believed to have been caused by a brake failure, also left 22 people injured, including 12 Colombians, Bogota's foreign ministry said. The bus, which had foreign license plates, overturned and crashed into three houses after a collision with an all-terrain vehicle. Ecuador transport colonel Julio Barba said the driver "probably overused the brakes... which produced an overheating of the brake system leading to a loss of control of the vehicle." Three of the four Ecuadorians in the all-terrain vehicle were among the dead, which included ...
45 people rescued from Sultan Garh Waterfalls in MP
Madhya Pradesh Police has confirmed that 45 people have been rescued from Sultan Garh Waterfalls in Gwalior's Shivpuri after water level increased due to a sudden release of water from a dam.Talking to media, Superintendent of Police (SP) Rajesh Hingankar said, "We have rescued 40 people and five people were rescued earlier by a helicopter. All these 45 people are safe now."Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh Minister Yashodhara Raje Scindia congratulated the administration for acting swiftly and rescuing people."As of now, we do not know how many people have been washed away. I would like to congratulate the administration for acting swiftly and rescuing people," Scindia said.Both Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman took to their respective Twitter handles and assured Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to provide all the necessary assistance to rescue stranded people."Spoke to Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shri @ChouhanShivraj regarding ...
Kerala floods: India Navy deploys 21 teams for rescue operation
On the seventh day of Operation Madad, Southern Naval Command deployed 21 rescue and diving teams with Gemini boats in flood-hit Kerala as the monsoon has intensified in the state.As the flood situation in the state is deteriorating day-by-day, a total of four teams went out on Wednesday to augment those already deployed in the areas. More than 81 people were rescued yesterday and many of them were also provided with food and shelter by setting up a rescue camp.Overall, five naval teams with five Gemini boats were deployed at different places in Wayanad district. Two teams were at Thalapuzha, and one team each at Porunnannur, Anchukunnu and Wayanad respectively. The Wayanad team was employed for assisting the civil administration in distribution of relief material and vehicle management while the other four teams were deployed in general rescue operations.Seven teams with one Gemini boat each are deployed in Ernakulam district at various places. One team is set up on Pizhala Island ...
22 students killed as boat sinks on Nile River in Sudan
At least 22 students drowned on Wednesday morning when a boat sank on the Nile River in Sudan, state news agency SUNA reported.
Four stationary vehicles catch fire on Noida road, no one injured
Four vehicles parked on the roadside in Sector 62 here caught fire tonight after an electric wire fell on them, police said. The incident was reported around 10 pm under Sector 58 police station limits, they said. "Due to the problem in the transformer, an electric wire connected to it fell on the vehicles parked nearby which soon caught fire," a police official said. The Fire Service officials were soon alerted and the flames were doused with no reports of any loss of life, the official said. However, the two sedan and two hatchback cars were engulfed in the fire, according to the official. Further details were awaited.