Page 584 - Disaster Accident
Yamuna again crosses danger mark; authorities issue directions to avoid flood-like situation
The water level of the Yamuna river today crossed the danger mark and is expected to rise further, prompting authorities to issue directions to take appropriate measures to avoid flood-like situation in Delhi. Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash today held an emergency meeting with top officers of departments concerned and directed them to be "pro-active" in taking measures for evacuation and providing relief to the people living in the low-lying areas, an official said. According to the east Delhi district administration, the water level of the Yamuna river reached 205.08 metres today while its danger mark is 204.83 metres. Prakash directed that all the staff in the field should be on duty despite being August 15 a national holiday. The official said as Haryana has released nearly 1.74 lakh cusecs water from Hathinikund barrage, Yamuna's water level is expected to rise further in the next one or two days. Last month, the water level of the Yamuna river had crossed the danger mark, ...
Indian pilgrim dies after being hit by rear blade of helicopter in Nepal
In a freak accident, an Indian Kailash Mansarovar pilgrim died today after being hit by the rear blade of a helicopter at a remote helipad in Nepal's Hilsa region, an Indian embassy official said. The deceased, identified as 42-year-old Kartik Nagendra Kumar Mehta, a resident of Mumbai, died when he rushed to board the helicopter and accidently hit its tail rotor, the official told PTI. He died on the spot. It was a very sad incident and the Indian mission is coordinating with tour operators and ensuring all possible support, the official added. According to My Republica, the deceased was beheaded with the tail rotor of the Manang Air helicopter. Assistant chief district officer Mahesh Kumar Pokharel said that the helicopter helicopter was on the ground at the time of the incident. The rear part of the helicopter was damaged. The body will be taken to Simikot for a post-mortem and to hand over to the next to kin. Nepal's Simikot and Hilsa are connected to the rest of the world only by
Italy interior minister says around 30 dead in bridge collapse
Italy's Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said today that "around 30" have been killed after a motorway bridge collapsed in the northwestern port city of Genoa. "Unfortunately there are around 30 dead and many injured in a serious condition," Salvini told reporters in the Sicilian city of Catania. The collapse, which saw a vast stretch of the A10 freeway tumble on to railway lines in the northern port city, was the deadliest bridge failure in Italy for years, and the country's deputy transport minister warned the death toll could climb further. Rescuers scouring through the wreckage, strewn among shrubland and train tracks, said there were "tens of victims", while images from the scene showed an entire carriageway plunged to the ground. Cars and trucks were trapped in the rubble and nearby buildings damaged by vast chunks of concrete, according to an AFP photographer at the scene. Italian media reported that 200 metres of the "Morandi" bridge had fallen away. The Italian fire service ..
5 killed in Pakistan tribal court firing
At least five people were killed and three others injured on Tuesday in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa district in firing at a Jirga - a tribal court - convened over a motorbike accident.
Chile: 10 people killed in nursing home fire
A fire swept through a nursing home in southern Chile today, killing 10 elderly women, the regional governor said. Investigators were still trying to determine the cause of the fire that broke out at around 3 am in a dormitory at the Santa Marta nursing home about 320 miles (520 kilometers) south of the Chilean capital. Only three elderly women were rescued from the burning room. Bio Bio region Gov. Jorge Ulloa said staff at the home had checked the room 10 or 12 minutes before the fire "and didn't find anything." He said the doors to the dormitory were open, in line with regulations. No details were immediately available about the victims.
Italy: 11 killed in a bridge collapse
At least 11 people were killed after a highway bridge collapsed in Genoa, Italy following a violent storm.Fox News quoted the Italian News Agency ANSA citing Italian Interior Ministry as saying that one child was among the 11 dead and around five other people were injured.Talking to media, Italian Transport Minister Danilo Toninelli said that this bridge collapse is likely to be "an enormous tragedy."The cause of the incident is still unclear; however, the authorities suspect the structural weakness as the reason behind the collapse.Authorities also speculated that the cause of the collapse might be the unusually high traffic on the bridge.
22 killed as highway bridge collapses in Italy
A section of a highway bridge collapsed in the Italian city of Genoa during heavy rain on Tuesday, plummeting vehicles up to 90 metres to the ground and killing at least 22 people, officials said.
Two US Ospreys make emergency landings in Japan
Two US military Osprey aircraft made separate emergency landings at airports on Japanese islands today, with no injuries or damage reported, local media said. One of the two MV-22 Ospreys landed at Amami Airport in southwestern Kagoshima prefecture in the afternoon, according to the Kyodo and Jiji news agencies. The tilt-rotor aircraft left the Japanese airport two hours later, interrupting some commercial flights, public broadcaster NHK said. The other Osprey made an emergency landing further south at the US Kadena Air Base in Okinawa Friday afternoon, Kyodo said, quoting government sources. There were no reports of injuries or damage following the two incidents. Immediate confirmation of the news reports was not available. The Osprey, a hybrid helicopter-turboprop with a chequered safety record, has two engines positioned on fixed wingtips that allow it to land and take off vertically. It can travel much faster than a helicopter. Several accidents involving US military aircraft in ..
Tree falls on woman amid heavy rains in Uttarakhand, kills her
A 58-year-old woman was killed in Champawat district near here after a tree fell on her amid the heavy rains which have also triggered wide-spread landslides blocking various arteries roads, including the national highways in the state, the officials said today. As per the information available from the Champawat District Disaster Management Office, victim Bhagirathi Devi of village Bhalla Bapru under Lohaghat block of the district was returning home after cutting woods from jungle when a tree fell on her, killing her on the spot. The state emergency management centre, meanwhile, said owing to the increased water level of the Ganges due to the heavy rains, a 450-meter-long stretch of its embankment near Kalasia village in Haridwar district has got damaged, posing danger to the nearby areas. It said a joint team of officials from the State Diaster Response Force (SDRF), the Revenue Department and the Irrigation Department has been deployed at the embankment and is trying to mend the ...
22 dead in Italy motorway bridge collapse 'tragedy'
At least 22 people were killed today when a giant motorway bridge collapsed in Genoa, with several more feared dead in what Italy's transport minister described as an "immense tragedy". The collapse, which saw a vast stretch of the A10 freeway tumble on to railway lines in the northern port city, was the deadliest bridge failure in Italy for years, and the country's deputy transport minister warned the death toll could climb further. "Unfortunately I can confirm that 22 are dead, and it's a number that's likely to rise," Edoardo Rixi told Italian television. Rescuers scouring through the wreckage, strewn among shrubland and train tracks, said there were "tens of victims", while images from the scene showed an entire carriageway plunged to the ground. Cars and trucks were trapped in the rubble and nearby buildings damaged by vast chunks of concrete, according to an AFP photographer at the scene. Italian media reported that 200 metres of the "Morandi" bridge had fallen away. The Italian
Akshay Kumar urges people to follow traffic rules
Actor Akshay Kumar has urged people to maintain road safety and follow traffic rules.
Rains hit hard Kerala yet again
For a second successive day, heavy rains lashed Kerala's Kozhikode, Malappuram and Wayanad districts on Tuesday, triggering fresh landslides and adding to the woes of a state battling the worst flooding in 94 years.
2 killed as tractor trolley comes in contact with live wire
Two kanwariyas were killed and eight injured when a tractor trolley they were travelling in came in contact with a live wire near Turki Khera village, here today, police said. Bablu (30) and Ankul (24), residents of a Shahjahanpur village, were killed on the spot when the tractor came in contact with the live wire, Superintendent of Police, Ramlal Verma said. He added that eight others, who received injuries, were rushed to a hospital. The accident took place when the kanwariyas were on their way to Shahjahanpur this morning.
Bus accident in Ecuador kills 22
Twenty-two people were killed and 18 injured when an inter-country bus crashed outside Ecuador's capital Quito, emergency services said today. Venezuelans and Colombians were among the dead, officials said. The bus crashed into another vehicle some 30 kilometers (20 miles) east of Quito, the ECU911 office said. The embassies of the foreign victims have been notified, the emergency service said. On Sunday, 12 people were killed and 30 injured when a bus carrying fans of Barcelona S.C., Ecuador's most popular football club, ran off the highway and flipped. Traffic accidents are among the leading causes of death in Ecuador. According to the watchdog group Justicia Vial, on average seven people are killed and some 80 people injured each day in traffic accidents. And 96 percent of those accidents are due to human error, usually the driver's fault, according to the group's figures.
'Immense tragedy' as Italy motorway bridge collapses
A section of a giant motorway bridge collapsed today in Genoa, injuring several people in what Italy's transport minister said was an "immense tragedy." Some Italian media, citing sources within the interior ministry, said that at least 11 people had died, though it was not immediately possible to confirm this figure. Rescuers scouring through the wreckage after part of a viaduct of the A10 freeway collapsed said there were "tens of victims", while images from the scene showed an entire carriageway plunged on to railway lines below. Cars and trucks were trapped in the rubble and nearby buildings damaged. Italian media reported that 200 metres (650 feet) of the "Morandi" bridge had fallen away. The Italian fire service said that the viaduct, located in an industrial area in the west of the city, collapsed at around noon (1000 GMT). "I'm following with the utmost apprehension what is happening in Genoa and what looks like it could be an immense tragedy," transport and infrastructure ...
Italy minister fears 'immense tragedy' after Genoa bridge collapse
Italy's transport and infrastructure minister said today that he fears the collapse of a bridge in Genoa could be an "immense tragedy" as local media report 11 dead. "I'm following with the utmost apprehension what is happening in Genoa and what looks like it could be an immense tragedy," Danilo Toninelli said on Twitter.
5 of a family killed in firing at tribal council meeting in Pak
At least five members of a family were killed in a firing incident during a clash between two groups today over a road accident that left one child injured in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhawa province, police said. The incident happened at Charsadda town where a 'Jirga' (a traditional tribal council meeting) was convened by elders in the area to settle dispute between the two groups following a motorcycle accident in nearby Battagram district on Sunday night in which a child was injured, they said. During the discussion in the 'Jirga', heated arguments between the two parties led to one group opening fire on the other in which five of a family were killed and three others injured, a police official said. Two of the accused fled the scene soon after the firing, he said, adding that hunt is on to nab the killers.
11 killed as highway bridge collapses in Italy
A section of a highway bridge in the Italian city of Genoa collapsed during heavy rain on Tuesday, killing at least 11 people and injuring five, officials said.
Congo's health ministry says Ebola spreads to second province
Congo's health ministry said a deadly Ebola outbreak has spread into Ituri province as a vaccination campaign in neighboring North Kivu province continues in the country's northeast. The ministry is reporting 57 cases of hemorrhagic fever, 30 of them confirmed as Ebola and 27 listed as probable. Of 41 reported deaths, 14 have been confirmed as Ebola. The ministry said today that a man who was treated for a heart attack in Mangina, where the outbreak was declared Aug 1, returned home to Mandima in Ituri province just across the border. He has since died and tests confirm he had Ebola. The outbreak response is challenged by the presence of several armed groups in the densely populated region close to the Uganda border.
Torrential rains, landslides cause nightmare in Kerala
Torrential rains, overflowing rivers and a series of landslides ravaged Kerala, where 39 lives had been lost so far. Unabating rains forced the government to do away with the official 'Onam' celebrations and the amount set apart for the purpose would be utilised for relief operations, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told reporters here today. State Governor P Sathasivam also decided to cancel the reception to be hosted by him tomorrow as part of Independence Day celebrations due to floods in the state. Since this morning, various parts of Kerala, especially the two hilly districts of Wayanad and Idukki, which were tourist destinations, were lashed by heavy rains. The picturesque Munnar town in Idukki district was almost totally cut off and traffic was disrupted after two shutters of the Mattupetti dam were opened as the water level rose. While the water level at the Idukki reservoir came down, the rising level at the Mullaperiyar dam, which touched 136.10 feet against its maximum ...