Page 597 - Disaster Accident
Rains claim 26 lives in Kerala; Scores of dams opened
Heavy rains pounding Kerala triggered a series of landslides in the hilly Idukki district and northern parts, killing 26 people since last night with chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan today describing the situation as 'very grim'. The Army and National Disaster Response Force have been deployed in affected areas in Idukki, Kozhikode, Waynad and Malappuram districts to assist the civil administration in the rescue operations, officials said. State Disaster Control Room sources said 26 people have died in rain-related incidents since yesterday with 17 of them being killed in landslides in Idukki and Malapuram districts. With several rivers in spate following the incessant rains, as many as 24 dams in different parts of the state have been opened in an 'unprecedented' development. A red alert has been sounded ahead of the impending release of water from the Idukki Reservoir, the largest arch dam in Asia. More than 10,000 people have been shifted to 157 relief camps across the
DGCA nod for wide-bodied aircraft at Calicut, Haj flights likely
Aviation regulator DGCA on Thursday granted permission to operate wide-bodied aircraft at Calicut airport that will see Saudi Arabian airlines operate direct flights to the Kingdom from the city in Kerala, Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu said.
Kerala rains leave 24 dead, Cochin airport opens (Roundup)
The death toll in rain-related incidents over the last 24 hours in Kerala reached 24 on Thursday as Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan postponed Saturday's annual Nehru boat race in Alappuzha following forecast of more rains.
Vedanta's suspends operations at Zambian unit after worker killed in accident
LUSAKA (Reuters) - Vedanta Resources' Zambian unit said on Thursday work at its Konkola Copper Mine was stopped after one miner was killed in an underground accident to allow for investigations into the incident, the company said.
DGMS to suggest new safety codes for contractual mine workers
Concerned at the poor working conditions of contractual mine workers, the Directorate General of Mines Safety (DGMS) is working on a strategy to safeguard their lives and streamline supervision to meet safety standards, an official today said. "This is part of an ambitious plan to augment mining production as well as reduce accidents, including fatalities. Currently, we are in the process of preparing a set of recommendations as a strategy to improve the occupational safety and health of contractual workers," Sanjibon Ray, Deputy Director General, DGMS, said. Speaking at a session on Mines Safety organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry's Safety Symposium and Exposition here today, Ray said that the recommendations would be placed during the 12th National Safety Conference on Mines in November. "We are in talks with all stakeholders before we finalise the recommendations," he said adding that about one lakh contractual workers are engaged in mining ...
Death toll from Greek forest fire rises to 93, victims named
Greek authorities have released the names of those who died in the country's deadliest forest fire in decades, a list that includes several families. The death toll from the July 23 fire at the seaside resort of Mati rose to 93 today, after a 78-year-old woman in intensive care died of her injuries. She's the 10th person to have died in the hospital from injuries sustained in the fire. Another 34 fire victims remain hospitalised, including six in intensive care. More than half of those who died were over 60, the list revealed, including some who perished with their grandchildren. In all, 11 children died in the fire, including two sets of twin girls and a 6-month-old infant, the son of a firefighter called to duty that day.
Climate becomes major Swedish election issue after wildfires
Sweden's wildfires and drought have caused the environment to become the second most important issue after immigration for Swedes before the September 9 general election, a poll showed today. The heatwave and drought triggered dozens of wildfires, from the south up to the Arctic Circle as the country registered the hottest month of July in two centuries, with temperatures hovering around 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit). The Nordic nation, where summer temperatures are usually closer to 23 Celsius, is not equipped to deal with this kind of natural catastrophe and asked for help from Italy, Germany, Norway, Denmark, Poland and France. An opinion poll carried out by the Swedish consultancy Demoskop between August 2 and 7 showed that 16 per cent of respondents saw the environment as the most important issue, replacing health care on 13 per cent. "It's a shame that drought and fires had to happen in order for the environment to become a major issue," Michael Arthursson, secretary ...
CCEA approves new 4-lane bridge on Kosi river in Bihar
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on Thursday approved the construction of the 6.93 km-long four-lane bridge at Phulaut in Bihar that would cut down the distance between Phulaut to Bihpur from 72 km to 12 km.
New quake rocks Indonesia, toll in previous one reaches 259
Less than a week after a massive earthquake killed 259 people on the Indonesian island of Lombok, a 5.9 magnitude tremor hit the region on Thursday, sending frightened residents onto the streets.
Not sure when screening will start at Priya Cinema: Owner
The owner of Priya Cinema, where a fire had broken out during the night show on August 6, today said he was not sure when screenings would resume at the theatre as the fire department has given a lot of conditions to fulfill for obtain the no-objection certificate to resume show. Some of the conditions involve alterations in the layout of the auditorium and surrounding areas, Priya Cinema owner Arijit Dutta said. The fire department had sent a letter to the owner of the hall recommending certain changes in the seat arrangement, exit-entry gates, lay out in the building and the surrounding area. "We are not sure when all these changes can be incorporated and we can finally throw open the theatre for the public," he said. Fire Services Minister Sovan Chatterjee earlier said the government would take every step to ensure safety of the audience and those visiting the restaurants functioning on the ground floor of the theatre, he had stated. The fire originated from a food ..
Kerala rains: Death toll rise to 22, third red alert issued
As reports of more deaths from different parts of Kerala started coming in, the death toll touched 22.While 11 people died in Idukki district, five more deaths were reported from Malappuram district. The deluge caused three deaths in Waynad and two in Kannur.The inundation has been so severe that the administration was compelled to vacate over a 100 houses in the vicinity.Approximately 951 people have been rehabilitated in the district as the low-lying residential areas have submerged in water.The heavy downpour, caused by annual south-west monsoon, has also hampered the train services between Kanjikode and Walayar and adversely affected flight services in the Cochin International Airport (CIAL).Four more teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have already left from Chennai. Three NDRF teams are already tackling the situation in fire-fighting mode."We have sought help from the Army, Navy, Coast Guard, and NDRF. 3 NDRF teams have arrived, 2 teams to arrive soon and 6 ...
Will have to consult the volcano: Swaraj to man who asked if Bali was safe to travel
"I will have to consult the volcano there", was External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's tongue-in-cheek reply to a man asking her if it was safe to travel to Bali in Indonesia. Swaraj's reply left the Twitterati in splits with her tweet receiving over 11,000 likes and 2,000 retweets. The man reached out to Swaraj on Twitter and asked if it was safe to travel to Bali from August 11 to August 17 and if there was any advisory issued by the Indian government. He also tagged the Indian Embassy in Indonesia and the Consulate General of India in Bali along with his tweet seeking Swaraj's advice. "I will have to consult the volcano there," Swaraj said in her reply. While some Twitter users were amused by her reply, there were others who criticised the man for asking "silly" questions. "At least maintain the sanctity of the MoE, if she helps one and all it doesn't mean we should put silly questions across...," a Twitter user said. Thousands of tourists were evacuated from Indonesian islands .
Mild earthquake felt in Odisha
A mild earthquake measuring 3.6 on the Richter scale was felt in several parts of Odisha in the wee hours on Thursday, the Met said.
Dozens killed as airstrike hits school buses in Yemen
Dozens of people were killed and injured as an airstrike hit buses carrying children in northern Yemen on Thursday, according to the Yemeni branch of the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC).
Cabinet nod for 4 additional NDRF battalions
Aimed at strengthening the disaster response setup in the country, the Union Cabinet on Thursday approved four additional National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) battalions.
Fighter plane's tyre burst at Jodhpur airport
Air traffic at the Jodhpur Civil Airport was affected for nearly an hour today following a fighter aircraft tyre burst, officials said. No damage, however, to the aircraft has been reported but the runway was damaged to some extent. "A tyre of a fighter aircraft got burst on the runway at about 12.25 pm, after which the runway was taken under control by the air force staff," defence spokesperson Col. Sombit Ghosh said. He refused to divulge further details about the incident. However, according to the airport sources, the tyre of the aircraft burst when it was back from a regular sortie and was taxiing. It took Air Force staff about an hour to repair the tyre and restore the aircraft. Till then the traffic of the passenger aircrafts was held up, the sources said. Director (Airport) G K Khare said two flights - one from Mumbai and another from Delhi - could not arrive on their scheduled time on account of this disruption.
Another earthquake hits Lombok
An earthquake measuring 5.9 magnitude on the Richter scale hit the island of Lombok, Indonesia on Thursday, according to US Geological Survey.This comes four days after an earthquake of magnitude 6.9 hit the island, causing mass destruction and killing over 347 people.The Indonesian government estimated that around 20,000 people still require help in the affected areas and revealed that 80 per cent of the buildings have been destroyed, reported CNN.According to several media reports, a large number of people have been displaced due to the August 5 earthquake, while over 1,000 people sustained injuries and are undergoing medical treatment.Indonesia has been rattled by earthquakes in the past. The country is located in the Ring of Fire, an area in the basin of the Pacific Ocean, which is vulnerable to frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
Kerala rains leave 22 dead(Second Lead)
The death toll in rain-related incidents over the last 24 hours in Kerala reached 22 on Thursday as Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan postponed Saturday's annual Nehru boat race in Alappuzha following forecast for more rains.
Mumbai shuttler eyes medal at Para Asian Games
Losing a leg in a road accident has not deterred 29-year old Mansi Joshi from pursuing her badminton dream, as she now aims for glory at the forthcoming Para Asian Games in Indonesia. The Mumbai-born special player is training for the past one month at the famed P Gopichand Badminton Academy here with an eye on honing her skills for the Para Asian Games to be held in Jakarta in October. Joshi lost her leg in a road accident in December 2011, but that did not deter her from pursuing her dream. "I have been playing badminton since childhood. So, I picked up the sport again after the disability," she told PTI here. Joshi got herself a prosthetic leg and began competing in various badminton tournaments, representing the country since 2015, and has won medals too. The prosthetic leg was fitted in a rehabilitation clinic in Mumbai, she said. The prosthetic leg she uses is a microprocessor-based one which has sensors, Joshi said. Asked how she manages to play with a prosthetic ..
Indian pilgrims re-start Kailash-Mansarovar journey as weather improves
Dozens of Indian pilgrims in Nepal today left for Simikot from Nepalgunj on 10 commercial flights as the Kailash-Mansarovar route was re-opened for travellers following improvement in weather conditions. Now, the regular flights have started operating between Simikot and Nepalganj from yesterday after the weather conditions improved, the sources said. Dozens of Indian pilgrims today left for Simikot from Nepalgunj on 10 commercial flights. Around one hundred pilgrims had left Simikot and Humla on their way towards Kailash-Mansarovar yesterday, they added. Meanwhile, all the Indian pilgrims who were stranded this week in Hilsa and Humla areas while returning from Kailash-Mansarovar were airlifted to their respective destinations. Out of the 165 pilgrims who were stranded in Simikot due to bad weather, 110 were evacuated from the area on Monday and Tuesday following improvement in weather conditions. The remaining 55 were flown to Nepalgunj yesterday, the Indian Embassy sources ...