Page 602 - Disaster Accident
Three elephants killed by train
Three elephants were killed after being hit by a train in an area bordering Jharkhand and West Bengal on Tuesday, a railway official said.
20 school children injured in bus accident
More than 20 children were injured after the school bus they were travelling in fell into a pond in Siddharth Nagar district of eastern Uttar Pradesh.Initial inquiry suggests the driver lost control of the vehicle and it skidded off into a pond in Khaira village of the district.At least 45 children were on the bus when the accident took place. The injured were rushed to the to the CHC Hospital for treatment.The bus belonged to Gyanodaya Educational Academy, situated in Uska Bazar of Siddharth Nagar Basti. More details are awaited.
Class X student drowns while going to school
A 16-year-old boy studying in Class X got washed away in flash floods while crossing a stream on his way to school in Jammu and Kashmir's Doda district today, officials said. Raja Owais, who was going to appear in the first-term examination, drowned in Chinyass nullah (stream) in Bhalessa area this morning, said Bhadarwah Assistant Superintendent of Police Rajinder Singh. A police party from Gandoh immediately rushed to the spot and started rescue operations. After hectic search, the body of the teenager was fished out from the stream and handed over to his family, Singh said. Officials said the district authorities ordered closure of all schools for the day as a precautionary measure in view of the inclement weather. Most parts the state, including Doda, were lashed by heavy rains since last night, triggering mudslides that led to road closures at a number of places in the hilly district, the officials said. Traffic on the Batote-Kishtwar highway was restored partially after ...
Experts offer training to make Indian airports disaster ready
As part of efforts to make Indian airports disaster-ready and become national trainers, 14 airport operations experts from across the country have gathered in the city to learn and also share what they have learned.
Govt to deploy fire tenders in 10 Lakshadweep islands
The Centre today gave an assurance in the Lok Sabha that fire tenders will be deployed in all 10 inhabited islands in Lakshadweep. Home Minister Rajnath Singh said he was aware of problems being faced by people of the Union Territory and would take all possible steps to resolve them. "We will deploy fire tenders in all 10 inhabited islands," he said during Question Hour. The department of fire protection and control is running under the control and supervision of Superintendent of Police- cum-Chief Fire Officer, he said.
Tourist exodus from Lombok as quake toll hits 98
Terrified holidaymakers rushed for boats and planes to leave Indonesia's Lombok island today after it suffered a second deadly quake within a week, while rescuers struggled to reach hard-hit areas where survivors are in urgent need of food and shelter. The shallow 6.9-magnitude quake killed at least 98 people and destroyed thousands of buildings in Lombok on Sunday, just days after another deadly tremor surged through the holiday island and killed 17. Rescuers today resumed the search for survivors, and to recover the bodies of victims in the rubble of houses, mosques and schools destroyed in the latest disaster. More than 20,000 people are believed to have been made homeless on Lombok, with 236 severely injured, and authorities have appealed for more medical personnel and basic supplies. Emergency crews were today working through the wreckage of a collapsed mosque in the northern village of Lading-Lading, where authorities fear a number of people are trapped. At least one body has ...
Man saved from quake-flattened mosque on Indonesia island
Soldiers have pulled a man alive from the rubble of a large mosque flattened by an earthquake on the Indonesian island of Lombok, while thousands of homeless locals waited for aid today and stranded tourists camped at beaches and in the lobbies of damaged hotels. The north of Lombok has been devastated by the magnitude 7.0 quake that struck Sunday night, damaging thousands of buildings and killing at least 98 people. Rescuers were still struggling to reach all of the affected areas and authorities expect the death toll to rise. Disaster officials have not said how many people they believe are buried beneath the ruins of the Jabal Nur mosque but a rescue worker told The Associated Press that about 50 people were praying inside when it collapsed. Video shot by a soldier shows rescuers shouting "Thank God" as a man is pulled from a space under the mosque's flattened roof sometime on Monday and he staggers away from the ruins supported by soldiers. "You're safe, mister," says one of the ..
Global rights group slams Bangladesh government for attacks
A global human rights group has accused authorities in Bangladesh of using abusive measures in handling a student-led protest calling for safer roads. New York-based Human Rights Watch said in a statement today that ruling party men armed with sticks and machetes have swooped in on protesters and journalists since the students took to the streets on July 29 after two students were killed in a road accident in Dhaka. Several journalists, including an Associated Press photographer, have been attacked. Human Rights Watch also criticized the arrest of a renowned photographer on charges of spreading false information about the protest. The protests grew last week, becoming a major embarrassment to the government, which faces a general election later this year.
4 killed, 9 missing in China's coal mine accident
At least four persons were killed and nine others remain missing in a coal mine accident in China's Guizhou province, official media reported. The coal and gas burst happened yesterday at 9.10 pm in the Zimujia coal mine in Guizhou's Panzhou city, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. The cause of the explosion was unclear, while rescue work was underway, it said. Mining accidents are common in China. However, the number of deaths have reduced at mines in recent years. In June this year, a powerful explosion in a iron mine in country's northeast Liaoning province claimed the lives of 11 people and left nine others injured. Similarly in May, a methane gas explosion ripped through a coal mine in central China's Hunan province, killing at least five workers.
Heavy downpour in Kashmir
Torrential rains lashed Kashmir today, bringing much needed respite to the residents of the Valley from the unusually high temperatures over the past 10 days. Heavy rainfall started early this morning at most places in Kashmir, including Srinagar, causing water-logging in the city centre and Lal Chowk and other areas of the city, officials said. The downpour resulted in massive traffic snarls in the city, while pedestrians faced difficulty wading through inundated roads, the official said. The rainfall brought to end the heatwave which was prevalent in the Valley over the past 10 days, with the maximum temperature reaching 34 degrees Celsius yesterday in Srinagar. Electricity supply has been snapped in some areas as a precautionary measure, the officials said.
Ship rams into Indian fishing boat, 3 dead
A ship off the coast of Kerala here rammed into an Indian fishing boat early on Tuesday along the international route, killing three fishermen, a minister said. The ship is being located.
3 fishermen feared dead after boat hit by Ship off Ker coast
Atleast three fishermen were feared dead while some others were injured after an unidentified vessel allegedly hit their fishing boat off Chettuva coast in Thrissur district early today, officials said. The incident occurred at around 3.30 AM while the boat carrying around 15 fishermen from Munambam area of Ernakulam district was engaged in fishing off Chettuva coast, they said. The coastal police officials said they have received information that some fishermen were missing and a few others were injured in the incident. The matter was under investigation, they said. The ship left the scene soon after the incident. Meanwhile, Kerala Fisheries Minister J Mercykutty Amma told a TV channel that as per initial information three fishermen have lost their lives in the incident. Police said the Navy and Coast Guard have been apprised of the incident. Further details are awaited. On June 7, two fishermen were injured when a foreign vessel allegedly hit their fishing boat off the ...
Four friends killed in Jaipur road accident
Four persons were killed and one injured when their car collided with a tractor in Narena area of Jaipur district, a police official said today. The mishap occurred on Rupangarh-Narena road last night when the victims were on their way to Jaipur from Ladnu after purchasing a dog, SHO of Narena police station Narayan Singh said. The dog also died in the accident. Those killed were identified as Sagar, Tinku, Nitesh and Mahendra, Singh said, adding that all of them were friends.
California wildfire explodes in size, largest in state's history
Catastrophic wildfires continue to ravage California, as one blaze nearly doubled in size over the last three days, making it the largest in the US state's history, according to authorities.
UN chief saddened' over devastation caused by earthquake in Indonesia
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres today expressed sadness at the "devastating" loss of life, injuries and damage caused in the magnitude 7 earthquake that hit Indonesia's East Lombok over the weekend. According to Indonesia's National Disaster Management Authority, at least 98 people have lost their lives, with more than 200 injured and thousands displaced. In addition, thousands of houses have been damaged, and according to news reports around 10,000 have been evacuated from the island. This latest quake came a week after a 6.4 magnitude earthquake jolted the same area, which left more than a dozen people dead, over 150 people injured and thousands displaced. The Secretary-General extends his condolences to the families of the victims and to the Government and people of Indonesia, and wishes the injured a quick recovery, said a statement issued yesterday by his Spokesman, who added that the United Nations stands ready to support ongoing rescue and relief efforts, if required. The
Hail hurts 14 people, kills at least 2 birds at Colorado zoo
A powerful storm that pummeled a busy Colorado zoo with large hail yesterday injured 14 people and killed at least two animals, authorities said. Five people were taken to the hospital with traumatic injuries after the short but intense afternoon storm passed over Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, according to the Colorado Springs Fire Department. Another nine were treated at the scene, but additional details about the victims and their injuries have not been released. Jenny Koch, the zoo's marketing director, told The Denver Post that two vultures and a duck were killed by the hail. But the Colorado Springs Gazette quoted her as saying only one vulture and one duck were killed. She did not immediately return a phone call yesterday night to clear up the discrepancy. "It was hail the size I've never seen before," she told The Post. "Basically chunks of ice ... It's frightening." Softball-sized hail was reported in the area, but it was smaller at the zoo. About 3,400 people were at the zoo at the .
4 killed in China coal mine accident
Four people were killed and nine others reported missing in a coal mine accident in China's Guizhou province, authorities said on Tuesday.
Indonesia quake: Operation underway to rescue thousands of tourists
An operation was underway on Tuesday to evacuate thousands of tourists who were stranded after a deadly earthquake jolted Indonesia's Lombok Island killing 98 people and injuring over 200 others.
Bihar: Man dies after toilet wall collapses at Patna Junction
A 70-year-old man died after a wall of a bathroom collapsed in the second class passengers' waiting room at the Patna Junction railway station on Tuesday morning.The man, named Veer Bahadur Singh, was a resident of Vishunpur area in Vaishali district. He was supposed to travel from Patna to Kolkata.Railway authorities are investigating the matter.Further details are awaited.
Twin blazes form California's largest wildfire in history: official
Two blazes mercilessly charring northern California have grown so rapidly that they became the US state's largest in recorded history, authorities said. Collectively dubbed the Mendocino Complex, the wildfires have burned through 283,800 acres (114,850 hectares) -- an area nearly the size of the sprawling city of Los Angeles -- and are just 30 percent contained, according to state fire authority CalFire.