Page 599 - Disaster Accident
15 dead in Kerala rains
Fifteen people were killed in rain-related incidents as heavy showers lashed Kerala, authorities said on Thursday.
Niger floods leave 22 dead and thousands homeless
Twenty-two people are dead and thousands have been left homeless in Niger after torrential rains caused heavy flooding, authorities said. "As of August 6, 49,845 people have been affected... and unfortunately we have recorded 22 deaths," Niger's minister for humanitarian action, Laouan Magadji, told public television late last night. The floods have destroyed more than 3,000 homes and nearly 4,000 hectares of crops, the minister said. Livestock has also been lost and drinking water supplies have been affected. The southern regions of Maradi and Diffa are among the worst hit, and some 2,000 people in the capital Niamey have been left homeless after heavy rains earlier this week, said the minister. He said the government and charities have already distributed food, clothing and mosquito nets to those in need. The deaths come after the United Nations aid chief raised alarm in June over a worsening food crisis in the Sahel region that has sent malnutrition rates skyrocketing to their ...
Flights cancelled but no major damage as typhoon hits Japan
An offshore typhoon is bringing rain and high winds to Japan's northeast coast as it tracks north after giving Tokyo a good soak overnight. Airlines cancelled dozens of flights to and from Tokyo and other affected areas today, but no major damage has been reported. Japanese media say five people have been injured, including two who fell and broke bones. Typhoon Shanshan had weakened somewhat by midday, with maximum sustained winds of 108 kilometres (67 miles) per hour and gusts of up to 162 kph (100 mph). It has not made landfall, sparing Japan from the worst of its rain and winds.
Shutters of Idamalayar dam opened
Four shutters of the Idamalayar dam were opened this morning to release excess water from it, resulting in an increse in water level in Periyar river. Ernakulam district administration officials said relief camps have been opened in Choornikkara and Kombanad villages as it is anticipated that the release of water may cause inundation in these areas. Kerala State Disaster Management Authority officials said there was no need for people living on the bank of river Periyar to panic. The dam shutters were opened at 5 am, 6 am and 8 am. They were opened 1 metre each after the water level reached maximum storage capacity. The authority had yesterday sounded a red alert at Idamalayar dam after water level in the reservoir touched 168.20 metres. The authority said 164 cumecs (cubic metres/sec) water is being released. Considering the tide levels, the KSEB dam safety department advance the opening of the shutters to 5 a.m. Earlier, it was proposed to release water from Idamalayar .
Death toll in Indonesia quake rises to 164
The death toll from a devastating earthquake on the Indonesian island of Lombok has risen above 160, an official said today, as authorities urgently appealed for medicine, food and clean water for some 156,000 people displaced by the disaster. Many frightened villagers are staying under tents or tarpaulins dotted along roads or in parched rice fields, and makeshift medical facilities have been set up to treat the injured. Evacuees in some encampments say they are running out of food, while others are suffering psychological trauma after the powerful quake, which struck just one week after another tremor surged through the island and killed 17. "The death toll rose to 164 people with at least 1,400 people seriously injured and 156,000 displaced," national disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho told AFP. Tens of thousands of homes, businesses and mosques were levelled by the quake, which struck on Sunday as evening prayers were being said across the Muslim-majority island. Local
Engine of evacuated train derails after Naxals uproot tracks
The engine of an empty rake of the Visakhapatnam-Kirandul passenger train derailed after Naxals uprooted railway tracks near Kamaloor railway station in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district, police said. No casualties have been reported in the incident, they said. The incident took place at around 10:50 pm yesterday when the Kirandul-bound passenger train, which was stopped mid-way in Kamaloor, was on way back to Dantewada, Dantewada Superintendent of Police Abhishek Pallava told PTI. The train was evacuated at Kamaloor station in view of Naxalite arson in one of the areas falling in the route. Earlier yesterday, Naxals set ablaze two passenger buses and a truck after asking occupants of the vehicles to get down in Bhansi area of the district, he said. Subsequently, it was decided not to run the Visakhapatnam-Kirandul passenger train beyond Kamaloor as the rail route passes through Bhansi area, he said. As the train reached Kamaloor, located around 450 km away from the state capital ...
When Sushma Swaraj has to consult a volcano in Indonesia
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, known for keeping in touch with people over Twitter, had everyone in splits when she said she will need to consult a volcano in Indonesia in response to an Indian's query asking if the government has any advisory for tourists visiting the Southeast Asian nation.
Crews report progress in battling California wildfires
Crews battling the biggest wildfire on record in California have made some progress but the weather forecast for the rest of the week is not promising, authorities said today. It will remain very hot and windy -- conditions that help fire spread -- until at least Saturday evening, the National Weather Service office in the state capital Sacramento said late yesterday. "Smoke and haze will continue to impact #norcal. Warmer temperatures and increasing fire weather concerns late this week," the agency said. The raging Mendocino Complex fire, comprising twin blazes in the state's north, has now ravaged just over 300,000 acres (120,000 hectares) -- approximately the size of Los Angeles -- in less than two weeks. On Monday it became California's largest wildfire since record-keeping began a century ago. Some 14,000 firefighters, including reinforcements from as far away as Australia and New Zealand, are combating the firestorm which remains 47 percent contained, the state agency Calfire ...
20 cows mowed down by Shatabdi train in Delhi
Services on the New Delhi-Ambala rail route were affected for over an hour after at least 20 cows were killed by a speeding train on Wednesday evening, railway officials said.
45 injured as fire breaks out at BPCL refinery in Mumbai
At least 45 workers were injured in a fire that broke out following a boiler blast at a Bharat Petroleum refinery here this afternoon, officials said. The incident took place at the public sector oil firm's plant on the Mahul Road in Chembur area of East Mumbai around 2.45 pm, they said. The fire was brought under control after three hours, a Mumbai Fire Brigade official said, adding that cooling operations were underway. Locals in the area staged a protest after the incident, saying a similar accident in the future could turn out to be more devastating. Forty-five workers were injured in the incident, Shahaji Umap, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone-VI), said. After preliminary treatment at the BPCL's first aid centre, 22 of them were allowed to go home, while others were shifted to a nearby hospital in Chembur, he said. Nine fire tenders, two foam tenders and two jumbo tankers were pressed into service to douse the blaze. Along with the Fire Brigade, the refinery's own ...
Mumbai: Over 40 injured in BPCL refinery blaze
At least 45 people were injured after a level-III fire broke out at the Hydro Cracker plant of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) refinery here in Chembur on Wednesday."Fire and blast in Hydrocarbon plant containing 72-ton hydrocarbon used for Diesel generation in Cacking vacuum gas oil and hydrocarbon unit thereby causing damage to nearby plants," a statement from the Maharashtra fire department said.While 22 of the injured were given preliminary treatment at the BPCL medical centre before being discharged, the remaining 21 were sent to Sushrut Hospital Chembur for further treatment.The charges of the incident have been handed over to the Deputy Chief Financial Officer (CFO) by the CFO, informed the Maharashtra fire department.Eight to ten monitors of the BPCL, mutual aid response group and fire brigade were engaged in dousing the flame. Meanwhile, all plants have been depressurised and shut down for safety reasonse, while remaining hydrocarbon is kept under controlled ...
Strong typhoon churns towards Japan
A powerful typhoon was churning towards Japan today, prompting the weather agency to warn of heavy rain and strong winds and forcing airlines to cancel scores of flights. Typhoon Shanshan was expected to move along the Pacific coastline just east of Tokyo tonight through early tomorrow, sparking fears the busy morning commute in the capital could be disrupted. The typhoon was coming "very close to the Pacific coast" of eastern Japan, centring on Tokyo, and was expected to move towards northern provinces from late yesterday and early today, the meteorological agency said. "There are also risks that it may make landfall," it said, warning the storm could dump 350 millimetres (14 inches) of rain on the greater Tokyo region over the 24 hours by tomorrow noon. "Please be fully on alert against mudslides, flooding in low-lying areas, flooding of rivers, violent winds, high waves and high tides," the agency said in a statement, urging residents to obey any evacuation instructions. In the ...
Ebola vaccinations begin in Congo's latest deadly outbreak
Ebola vaccinations began Wednesday in Congo's latest outbreak of the deadly virus that has already claimed at least nine lives. Health officials have warned that containing the outbreak in North Kivu province is complicated by the presence of multiple armed groups vying for mineral-rich land in the northeastern region that borders Uganda and Rwanda. The latest outbreak, declared Aug. 1 in Mangina village in the Mabalako health zone, is Congo's tenth outbreak since the virus was identified in 1976. This outbreak has seen 16 confirmed Ebola cases, 27 probable cases and 46 suspected ones. Some 36 people have died from hemorrhagic fever amid the outbreak, but officials said many cannot be confirmed as Ebola deaths at this point. Three thousand doses of the Ebola vaccine are being sent from Kinshasa, the capital, and will be used first in the Mabalako health zone and in the nearby city of Beni, which has more than 680,000 people. The experimental vaccine was used in an earlier, unrelated ..
Kalka-Shatabdi Express mows down 20 cows in Delhi
At least 20 cows were killed after they were hit by a speeding Kalka-Shatabdi Express near Narela in northwest Delhi today, affecting the movement of trains in the region, the Northern Railway said. A herd of cows was crossing the tracks between Holambi Kalan and Narela when the 12005 New Delhi Kalka Shatabdi Express hit 20 of them "at full speed" at around 5:44 pm. "The railway personnel present there cleared the tracks. It was horrific. In fact, the impact was such that there was minor damage to the tracks as well. The train departed left the accident site at around 7 pm," a spokesperson of the Northern Railway said. The spokesperson said that the driver of the train had applied emergency breaks on seeing the herd. "But the cows got run over as the train was running at full speed," he said.
43 injured in fire at BPCL's Mumbai plant
At least 43 persons were injured in a massive fire that erupted in Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) refinery here on Wednesday afternoon, officials said.
Indonesia quake toll climbs to 347, thousands await aid
The death toll from Sunday's devastating earthquake on the Indonesian island of Lombok climbed to 347 on Wednesday as rescuers continued searching through the rubble, still hoping to find survivors, the National Disaster Management Agency said.
Over 40 injured as fire breaks out at BPCL refinery in Mumbai
At least 43 workers were injured after a fire broke out following a boiler blast in the refinery of Bharat Petroleum here this afternoon, officials said. The incident took place at the public sector oil firm's plant on the Mahul Road in Chembur area of East Mumbai around 2.45 PM, they said. Forty-three workers were injured in the incident, said Shahaji Umap, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone-VI). After preliminary treatment at BPCL's first aid centre, 22 of them were allowed to go home, whereas 21 were shifted to nearby hospital in Chembur, he said. One of them was in the intensive care unit, he said. Nine fire tenders, two foam tenders and two jumbo tankers were pressed into service to douse the blaze. Along with the Fire Brigade, the refinery's own fire-fighting team, HPCL, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, RCF and Mazgaon Dock fire brigades were also engaged in dousing the flames which were now under control, said an official of the Disaster Control Room of the Brihanmumbai ...
Kanwaria run over by vehicle in Punjab
A kanwaria was run over by a vehicle on the Moga-Ludhiana highway, around 10 km from here, police said today. A group of kanwarias was going to Haridwar yesterday when the accident occurred, police said. The deceased has been identified as Suneel of Zira Road here, they said adding a case has been registered.
Indian-origin accountant gets 6-yr imprisonment for road crash deaths in UK
An Indian-origin accountant has been sentenced to six years of imprisonment for texting while driving, which resulted in the death of two women in a road accident in northern England in 2016. The 26-year-old youth has also been banned from driving for nine years. Mohmed Patel was checking his mobile phone and did not see Shelby Maher, 17, and Rachel Murphy, 23, as they crossed the road in Preston, Lancashire, in April 2016. While Murphy died on the spot after being hit by Patel's BMW, Maher died in a hospital later. Another teenage girl in a group of five crossing the road was also seriously injured in the mishap. She was in hospital for a week. Patel was sentenced to six-year imprisonment by the Preston Crown Court yesterday, which concluded that his distraction while driving had resulted in the crash. "No text was so urgent that it was worth the life of these two young women. It is clear the defendant failed to see any of those people in the road," Judge Altham said after being told
21 injured in fire at BPCL's Mumbai plant
At least 21 persons were injured in a massive fire that broke out in Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) refinery at Chembur in the eastern suburbs of Mumbai on Wednesday afternoon, officials said.