Page 60 - Disaster Accident
Global NCAP gives three star rating to India made Ignis
Vehicle safety group Global NCAP has given three stars safety ratings out of five for adult occupant protection to Maruti Suzuki India's (MSI) premium hatchback Ignis sold in South Africa after conducting crash tests. The model, which is manufactured at the company's Gurgaon plant and exported to South Africa, achieved three stars in frontal crash test at 64km/hr. The crash tests were conducted by Global NCAP and the Automobile Association of South Africa as part of its latest #SaferCarsforAfrica initiative, the vehicle safety group said in a statement on its website. Global NCAP rated the structure of Ignis as unstable due to weak chest protection for the driver. It pointed out that the model got a low score in child safety too as Suzuki did not recommend a specific Child Restraint System (CRS) in the test car. The South African Ignis comes with two airbags and ABS as standard, while the European version of the model offers six airbags and electronic stability control as standard ...
Rlys increases allowance of loco pilots, guards to Rs 525 per 100 km
In a long pending demand of railways' running staff, the national transporter has increased their allowance from the present Rs 253.50 per 100 km to Rs 525 per 100 km, a senior official said Wednesday. The railways' running staff -- incharge of actual operation of trains -- consists of loco pilots and guards who are primarily responsible for smooth running of trains in all types of weather conditions and all over the network. They are often away from their headquarters and family for many days at a stretch. After accepting the recommendations of 7th Pay Commission in 2016, the allowances admissible to other categories of staff were finalised, but the issue of running allowance admissible to the running staff category was pending finalisation. "After due deliberations with staff side and in consultation with Finance Ministry, this long pending demand of this sensitive category of running staff has now been finalised, which has given a big relief and happiness to the running staff and ..
Kolkata: Fire breaks out at Park Circus
A fire broke out at Park Circus Rifle Range road, engulfing a number of wooden furniture shops here on Wednesday."Due to a huge stock of bamboo and wooden furniture, a number of shops were ablaze at a time. After initial hiccups, the fire is under control," said Debtanu Basu, Divisional Fire Officer.With the engagement of 15 fire tenders, the fire is under control now with no casualty reported, Basu added.
Tornado rips through Kansas City suburbs as storm moves east
A vicious storm tore through the Kansas City area, spawning tornadoes that downed trees and power lines, damaged homes and injured at least a dozen people in the latest barrage of severe weather that saw tornado warnings as far east as New York City. The latest round of damaging weather in the central US came a day after violent storms killed one person and injured at least 130 in Indiana and Ohio. Mark Duffin, 48, learned from his wife and a television report that the large tornado was headed toward his home in Linwood, Kansas, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) west of Kansas City. The next thing he knew, the walls of his house were coming down. Duffin told the Kansas City Star that he grabbed a mattress, followed his 13-year-old to the basement and protected the two of them with the mattress as the home crashed down around them. "I'm just glad I found my two dogs alive," he said. "Wife's alive, family's alive, I'm alive. So, that's it." At least a dozen people were admitted to the ...
Forest fires continue across U'khand
Fresh 73 cases of forest fire were reported from parts of Uttarakhand on Wednesday, said an official. However, the number of fire incidents declined against Tuesday's 94, Chief Conservator of Forests PK Singh said. Around 5,000 regular employees and daily wagers had been deployed to douse the flames with the help of police, NDRF, SDRF, Revenue Department and local people, he said. Since the beginning of the forest fire season, nearly 2,000 hectares of green cover had been destroyed, PK Singh said. Nainital had been the worst hit with 289 fire incidents followed by Almora (201) and Tehri (105), he said. Rain would have helped control such incidents but the MeT Department has predicted the continuation of the dry spell.
Fire at godown in Park Circus
A fire broke out at a godown in Park Circus area of south Kolkata Wednesday afternoon, an official said. The fire was brought under control around 4 pm, two- and-a-half hours after it broke out, the official said. At least 15 fire tenders were pressed into service to bring the blaze under control at the godown, which is situated near the railway tracks in Eastern Railway's Sealdah South section. The godown at Rifle Range Road stores bamboos and plywood, and was partially gutted in the blaze. An officer of Kolkata Police said that there was no casualty in the incident. There is no report of anyone trapped in the blaze, he said. Train services were not affected due to the fire since the godown is situated at a safe distance from the south section tracks, ER spokesman Nikhil Chakraborty said.
Humanitarian aid kits distributed in cyclone-hit Puri
Business conglomerate Shapoorji Pallonji Group Wednesday reached out to the people of Puri, who lost their livelihood in cyclone Fani that wreaked havoc in various parts of Odisha. Members of the group visited the gram panchayats of Gandamunda Bhoi and Bila Bhoi under Puri Sadar block of the worst-hit district and distributed relief materials among the affected families. The kits included a number of shelter items like tarpaulin and rope, household kit including plates and tumblers, sleeping mats, buckets and mugs, toiletries including soaps, towels, toothbrushes and toothpaste apart from mosquito coils and sanitary napkins. Also, chlorine tablets were provided to the families as groundwater in the area is feared to be contaminated. Cyclone Fani struck Odisha on May 3 claiming 43 lives and leaving a trail of destruction in Puri and other parts of the state. Relief materials were distributed among 75 families on the day. Villagers appreciated the efforts of the team as ..
Tanker carrying chemicals catches fire in Ambala, none hurt
A tanker carrying highly inflammable chemicals caught fire on the Ambala-Rajpura highway here Wednesday after a truck collided with it, bringing vehicular traffic to a standstill for one hour, police said. No one was injured in the fire which could have led to a major tragedy had the tanker exploded, they said. The drivers of both the vehicles jumped to safety after the fire broke out, police said. Three fire tenders were pressed into service to control the fire. Both the vehicles were on their way to Rajpura in Punjab, they said. The truck also caught fire and it was completely burnt before the fire tenders reached. As panic gripped the area in Haryana's Ambala City, police cordoned off the place for some time. Police said a major tragedy was averted. If the tanker carrying the chemicals had exploded, it could have to led to a major tragedy," a police official said. A large number of vehicles including the DelhiLahore bus, was stranded on the highway for some time. The traffic was ...
Barabanki Hooch Tragedy: Death toll mounts to 23
The death toll in Barabanki hooch tragedy rose to 23 on Wednesday.Many others are admitted to different hospitals for treatment. The case came to light after residents in Ramnagar area of Barabanki district consumed spurious liquor.Earlier today, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that stern action will be taken against the accused and asked the officials of the excise department to investigate the case."I am saddened by the unfortunate loss of innocent lives due to the consumption of spurious liquor in Barabanki. Instructed DM & SP to take all possible measures to nab the culprit and provide assistance to bereaved families. Have asked Pr. Sec. Excise to investigate & take stern action," Adityanath tweeted.Earlier in the day, the Uttar Pradesh police arrested Pappu Jaiswal, main accused after an encounter here. Besides, police on Tuesday arrested three other accused in connection with the case.The state government has announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh ...
Goa garbage dump fire rages on
As the garbage dump fire in south Goa continues to rage on since Monday, fire personnel and civic authorities have launched a joint operation to put out the flames. Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant Wednesday told reporters that he was taking stock of the situation prevailing at Sonsodo garbage dump located on the outskirts of Margao town. The Portuguese-era dump caught fire Monday. The cause of the blaze is under investigation. "I am getting frequent updates from Director of Fire and Emergency, Ashok Menon," the CM said. Margao Municipal Council Chief Officer Siddhivinayak Naik said efforts are underway to douse the fire. The smoke caused by smoldering garbage has filled the air around the landfill site.
Fire at gowdown in Park Circus
A fire broke out at a godown in Park Circus area of south Kolkata Wednesday afternoon, an official said. At least 15 fire tenders have been pressed into service to bring the blaze under control, the official said. The godown at Rifle Range Road stores bamboos and plywood, and has been partially gutted in the blaze. An officer of Kolkata Police said that there was no casualty in the incident. There is no report of anyone trapped in the blaze, he said. The facility is situated near railway tracks in Sealdah South section of Eastern Railway. Train services were not affected due to the fire since the godown is situated at a safe distance from the south section tracks, ER spokesman Nikhil Chakraborty said.
Major fire in Kolkata, none injured
A major fire broke out in a bamboo store house in Kolkata's Park Circus area on Wednesday but no one has been injured, a fire official said.
Gurugram woman threatens to jump off roof
A woman in Gurugram pulled off a Dharmendra from "Sholay" after she threatened to jump off a roof of a multi-storey building here in a Haryana housing society.
2 killed in road accident in UP's Ballia
Two persons were killed when an unidentified vehicle rammed into their motorcycle in Uttar Pradesh's Ballia district, police said Wednesday. The accident occurred near Pandey Pokhra here Tuesday evening, they said. Rohit Turha (22) and Rakesh Rajbhar (12) were going to Bansdih when the unidentified vehicle hit their motorcycle and fled the scene, police said. Turha and Rajbhar died on the spot and their bodies were sent for post-mortem, they said. Efforts are on to nab the absconding driver, police said.
Major fire in girls hostel in Delhi, 5 hospitalised
Five inmates were hospitalised after being rescued from a major fire that engulfed a girls hostel in Janakpuri area here on Tuesday, officials said. More than 50 other hostellers were evacuated safely.
Fire in Greater Noida factory
A fire ripped through a factory in Greater Noida in the early hours on Wednesday, police said. Nobody was injured in the fire that broke out around 3 am at the factory on Gurudwara road in Surajpur area, they said. "A team of police and around half-a-dozen fire tenders were rushed to the spot immediately. The fire was later brought under control," a police official said. The cause of the fire is yet to be known, the police said. The incident comes a day after a fire broke out in a garment export factory in Noida's Sector 63 area. Nobody was injured in the fire but loss to property was reported, according to officials.
Tragedy averted, 50 girls rescued from blaze in Janakpuri hostel
Fifty girls were safely evacuated after a fire broke out in a girls hostel near the Janakpuri metro station in west Delhi on Wednesday morning, the Delhi Fire Service (DFS) said. Six of the girls were taken to a nearby hospital due to problems caused by smoke inhalation, Chief Fire Officer Atul Garg said. Two of them were discharged after first aid, he said. The fire department said they received a call about the blaze at 3 AM after which four fire tenders were rushed to the spot. The fire broke out in an electric panel at the basement entry of the hostel, the fire officer said. The fire was brought under control by 3.30 AM, the fire officer added.
UP: Car catches fire in Kanpur, no casualties reported
A car caught fire in the wee hours of Wednesday near Naubasta area here on National Highway 2, which connects Delhi to Kolkata.The incident was reported at around 2:30 am. However, no casualties have been reported.Mohit Kumar, a resident of Damodar Nagar, Kanpur was returning from a relative's house along with his family when he noticed smoke emanating from his car.Mohit, along with three family members, got down safely from the car before it was gutted in the fire.Meanwhile, the fire tenders rushed to the spot and doused the fire.
Pop Singer Gabriel Diniz passes away in plane crash
Latin pop star Gabriel Diniz, 28, passed away in a plane crash on Wednesday.The singer was travelling to meet his girlfriend Karoline Calheiros for her birthday party in Brazil, when the plane he was a passenger on, crashed.The military police confirmed the news to the local media that Diniz was onboard and perished in the accident, according to People.Diniz gained popularity in 2016 for 'Paraquedas'. He recently released a new single titled 'Jenifer'.He last performed in a concert at Feira de Santana, Brazil, over the weekend which he also posted on Instagram and wrote, "Always a joy to return to Feira de Santana and be greeted with such joy and with so much positive energy, thank you for the kindness guys. A real crowd enjoying our show. Until next time, God willing.".
US marine dies in Australia training accident
A United States marine has died in Australia after succumbing to injuries received during a training accident, the force's commanding officer said Wednesday. Lance Corporal Hans Sandoval-Pereyra was injured during a vehicle accident during the drill on Saturday near the northern Australia regional hub of Darwin. He was airlifted to hospital but was unable to be saved. Thousands of marines have passed through the rotation in Darwin since 2012, in an annual arrangement between long-time defence allies Washington and Canberra. Commanding officer for the rotation in Darwin, Colonel Russ Boyce, said the marines were saddened by the loss of Sandoval-Pereyra. "He was a beloved member of our community and our deepest sympathies go out to his family and friends," Boyce said. "We are extremely grateful to our Australian partners for their valiant efforts to save this young marine's life." A fellow marine received minor injuries during the accident but has since been released from hospital. An ..