Page 600 - Disaster Accident
Kinner Kailash yatra called off due to bad weather
The annual Kinner Kailash pilgrimage has been called off by the Kinnaur district administration in Himachal Pradesh due to adverse weather conditions and flash flood incidents, an official said today. The district administration had suspended the yatra yesterday after a pilgrim died near the cave due to hypothermia and 100 were stranded in flash floods. No pilgrim would be allowed to undertake the pilgrimage, Officiating Deputy Commissioner of Kinnaur Major Avninder Kumar said. Meanwhile, the General Reserve Engineer Force (GREF) personnel were clearing the Ribba National Highway-5 as the road had been closed due to landslides and flash floods yesterday afternoon, officials said. The road would be restored for normal traffic by this evening, they said. Landslides occurred at three places in Thangi, Bawa Nagar and Ribba yesterday after flash floods, they said, adding three bridges on the Link Road in Bawa Nagar were also washed away. The 10-day pilgrimage was earlier suspended on July .
Fire breaks out at BPCL's Mumbai refinery, 2 injured
MUMBAI (Reuters) - A fire broke out at state-controlled Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd's Mumbai refinery on Wednesday evening, leaving two people injured.
Over 7,000 runners to compete at int'l marathon in Vietnam
More than 7,000 runners from 52 countries and regions have registered for attending the 2018 Manulife Da Nang International Marathon slated for August 12 in Vietnam's central Da Nang city.
Explosions, fire at BPCL's Mumbai plant, no casualties so far
A series of loud explosions followed by a massive fire were reported at a refinery of the Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) at Chembur in the eastern suburbs of Mumbai.
NGT cracks down on industries polluting Kali, Krishna and Hindon rivers
The National Green Tribunal today ordered closure and registration of cases against 124 industrial units which are polluting the Kali, Krishna and Hindon rivers in six districts of western Uttar Pradesh. Observing that people have a fundamental right to clean air and water, a bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel directed the district magistrates of these six districts to submit an action plan for providing potable water to the villagers in a time bound manner. The green panel directed the UP government to immediately seal all hand pumps which are discharging contaminated water and also sought an action plan to clean the Kali, Krishna and Hindon rivers. The tribunal asked the state government to devise health benefit schemes for persons suffering from ailments caused due to drinking polluted water. Advocate Gaurav Kumar Bansal, appearing for the petitioner NGO Doaba Paryavaran Samiti, said due to lackadaisical approach of the authorities, the children were forced ..
Fire breaks out at Bharat Petroleum refinery in Mumbai
A fire broke out at a refinery of Bharat Petroleum here after explosions this afternoon, a Fire Brigade official said. The plant at Mahul road in Chembur area of Mumbai caught fire at around 3 pm, the official said. There were no reports of any injury so far, he added. Seven fire engines and two foam tenders have been pressed into service to douse the blaze, the official said.
Indonesia earthquake toll reaches 131, thousands await aid
Indonesian authorities on Wednesday raised to 131 the death toll in the magnitude-6.9 earthquake that shook the island of Lombok, where thousands still await food, water and shelter.
BJP MLA Jeetmal Khant's son dies in road accident
Rajasthan BJP legislator Jeetmal Khant's son Varun died today after he was critically injured in a road accident here, officials said. Varun, who studied here, met with an accident on July 29 following which he was admitted to state-run SMS Hospital where he died late last night, hospital superintendent D S Meena said. Kant is a BJP MLA from Garhi constituency in Banswara district. A pall of gloom descended in his native place and people in large numbers gathered to console the bereaved family members. Congress general secretary Ashok Gehlot condoled the death.
Kerala govt to implement second phase of Kuttanad package
The Kerala government today decided to implement the second phase of the Kuttanad wetland ecosystem development package in the wake of largescale damage to crops and property in recent floods in the area. Speaking to reporters after a cabinet meeting here, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said it has decided to approach the Centre for implementing schemes under the package. The Chief secretary has been asked to work out the details of the package, Vijayan said adding Kuttanad in Alappuzha district was the worst affected in the recent floods. Alappuzha and Kottayam districts have already been declared flood-hit, he pointed out. Necessary directives have also been given to health officials to take necessary precautionary measures to prevent the outbreak of any disease, Vijayan said. Vijayan also called for voluntary organisations and workers to participate in the flood relief works in Alappuzha district. Besides causing loss to property and agriculture, the recent floods following the ...
Save elephants from being mowed down by trains: Richa Chadha
Ahead of World Elephant Day August 12, actress Richa Chadha has urged People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) to ask India's railway ministry to implement safety measures to prevent elephant deaths on train tracks.
Search continues for 9 missing fishermen
The nine fishermen who went missing yesterday off the coast of Munambam, here, have not yet been traced, a defence spokesperson said today. "Indian Naval ship Jamuna and three Indian Coast Guard (ICG) ships -- Vikram, Savitribai Phule and Abhinav -- are engaged in search operations. A Naval Dornier, an ICG Dornier and an ICG helicopter are on task as well," the spokesperson added. Bodies of three dead fishermen have been brought to the coast and two injured fishermen were admitted to a hospital, the police said. The mishap occurred yesterday at around 3.30 am, when a suspected merchant ship hit the fishing boat, which was 24 nautical miles off the coast. At the time, 14 fishermen were aboard. The boat had 11 fishermen from Tamil Nadu, two from West Bengal and one from Kerala. Yesterday, the Naval Dornier spotted debris of the fishing vessel, which was later collected by a Coast Guard boat, the defence personnel added. The Joint Operation Centre in Kochi, under the Southern Naval ...
Heavy rains halt Kinner Kailash pilgrimage in Himachal
The Himachal Pradesh government on Wednesday temporarily halted the Kinner Kailash pilgrimage, dedicated to Lord Shiva's 79-foot vertical rock Shiva Lingam.
More than 70,000 homeless after deadly Lombok quake
More than 70,000 people have been left homeless in the deadly earthquake that hit Lombok island, forced to sleep in makeshift shelters and lacking food, medicine and clean water, authorities said today. The shallow 6.9-magnitude quake killed at least 105 people and triggered panic among locals and tourists on Lombok on Sunday, just a week after another tremor surged through the holiday island and killed 17. Some 236 people have been severely injured in the latest quake, with tens of thousands of homes damaged, and authorities have appealed for more medical personnel and basic supplies. "The efforts to evacuate people have been intensified but there are still a lot of problems on the ground," national disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said today. "The number of victims keep rising. More than 70,000 people have been evacuated and tens of thousands of houses have collapsed." There are fears the death toll will rise as workers with heavy machinery claw through the rubble of ..
Two schools burnt down in Balochistan
Two girls schools have been set ablaze in Pakistan's Balochistan province, police said on Wednesday. No casualty was reported.
Spanish fighter jet accidentally fires missile In Estonia
Estonia's military says it is looking for the remains of a missile that a Spanish fighter jet accidentally fired while drilling in the air space of the Baltic country and NATO ally. The military said that the Eurofighter Typhoon from the Spanish Air Force part of NATO's Baltic air-policing mission erroneously launched an AMRAAM-type air-to-air missile in a practice area in southern Estonia yesterday afternoon. The missile carried explosives of up to 10 kilograms and was last located around 40 kilometers north of Estonia's second city of Tartu. It has a built-in self-destruct for such accidents, but may have landed on the ground. Estonian Prime Minister Juri Ratas said on Facebook that there were "thank God no human casualties," calling the incident "extremely regrettable.
Kinner Kailash yatra suspended due to heavy rains, nearly 100 pilgrims stranded
The Kinner Kailash pilgrimage has been suspended by the district administration due to heavy rains which have left about 100 pilgrims stranded, an official said today. The yatra has been suspended due to bad weather, she said, adding that nearly 100 people, stranded near the cave, will be brought to safer places tomorrow. A Muzaffarpur resident, Sanjay (60), died near the cave due to hypothermia, the official said. Due to rainfall in Kinnaur district, the water level of Sutlej river has increased, which caused erosion of land on the banks of the river at Powari, she said. The area has been sinking since evening and the people have been evacuated and taken to safer places by the district administration, she added. Repair work at a bridge in village Ribba will start tomorrow and the authorities have been directed to clear the road, the official said. Three shops were washed away in Powari village and the Powari Bazar was evacuated, she said.
California scorched by raging wildfires the size of LA
Tens of thousands of firefighters were today battling relentless flames ripping across California, as the death toll from a series of infernos that first erupted last month hit 11. The raging Mendocino Complex fire comprised of twin blazes in the western state's north ravaged more than 290,000 acres (117,359 hectares) -- approximately the size of sprawling Los Angeles -- in less than two weeks, becoming California's largest wildfire ever recorded since bookkeeping began a century ago. Some 14,000 firefighers including reinforcements from as far as Australia and New Zealand have arrived to combat the firestorm devouring broad swaths of the state. The River Fire of the Mendocino Complex is 78 percent contained, having burned 48,920 acres -- but its partner blaze the Ranch Fire has grown to 241,772 acres and is just 20 percent contained. Limited access, heavy fuel loads, low fuel and high temperatures were all impeding firefighters' efforts to rein in the conflagration, the state's ...
Aircraft carrying 7 passengers overshoots runway in Rajasthan
An aircraft ferrying seven passengers from Jaipur to Sri Ganganagar overshot the runway during landing due to the presence of birds at the Lalgarh airstrip on Tuesday. All passengers and crew members are safe.
U.S. safety regulator probes fires in some Ford pickup trucks
(Reuters) - U.S. traffic safety regulator is investigating complaints of fire during crashes in some Ford Motor Co F-150 Supercrew pickup trucks linked to a seat belt component.
Strong quake strikes off Japan's eastern coast
A strong, shallow earthquake struck off the eastern coast of Japan today, officials said. There was no immediate tsunami warning and no reports of injuries or damage. The US Geological Survey said the quake measured magnitude 5.6 and was 12.1 kilometers deep. It was centered 243 kilometers east of Ofunato city, USGS said. The city was badly damaged by a magnitude 9.0 quake and tsunami that hit Japan in 2011, killing more than 18,000 people. Shallow quakes tend to cause more damage. Japan sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" and is prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.