Page 607 - Disaster Accident

Fire at RTO in Mumbai; documents, computers gutted

Hundreds of documents and other items were destroyed in a fire at the Regional Transport Office (RTO) here today, but no one was injured, an official said. Fire-fighters took nearly three hours to douse the blaze that erupted at the RTO in Tardeo area of south Mumbai early this morning, he said. The blaze destroyed the electric wiring, licence and other documents, furniture, computers, printers and other items in 15 to 20 cabins on the RTO's ground floor, the fire brigade cell of the city civic body said in a statement. "No casualties were reported in the mishap. However, several documents pertaining to the licence department were gutted," a fire brigade official said. The fire brigade control room received the information about the blaze at the RTO at 5.20 am, he said. Eight fire fighting engines and two water tankers were rushed to the spot. The fire was extinguished around 8.10 am, he said. An investigation was on to ascertain the cause of the fire, the official said,

Small plane crashes in Switzerland, family of 4 killed

A small plane crashed today into a forest in central Switzerland, killing a local family of four who had just taken off for France, police said. In a separate incident, another plane crashed in the country's southeast, but there was no immediate information on casualties. Police in the central canton (state) of Nidwalden said an aircraft went down today morning near the town of Hergiswil, which is on Lake Lucerne at the foot of Mount Pilatus. Authorities had to send up a helicopter to extinguish the resulting fire before rescue workers could get to the scene, they said. There was no immediate word on the possible cause of the crash, which was under investigation by Swiss authorities. Police said later today the victims were a couple and their two children from the region aboard the plane, which had taken off less than 20 minutes earlier from an airfield in Kaegiswil and was headed for France. In a separate incident today, police in the southeastern Swiss canton of Graubuenden said a ..

One dead, six hurt as bus skids off road in HP; driver booked

One person was killed and six others injured as a Patiala-bound bus met with an accident allegedly due to rash and negligent driving in Himachal Pradesh's Chamba district today, police said. The PEPSU Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) bus (bearing number PB09X-3602) skidded off the road and rolled down about 100 metres from the road at Dhagoh, near Tunnuhatti, Chamba Superintendent of Police Dr Monica Bhutunguru said. The bus, with nearly 10 passengers on board, was on its way to Patiala in Punjab from Dalhousie in Himachal Pradesh, she added. The deceased was identified as Jagdish Chand, a resident of Amritsar, the SP said. She added that a police team from Bakloh police post reached the spot immediately after getting the information of the accident at around 6.20 in the morning and rescued the injured passengers with the help of locals. The injured were rushed to the Sri Harigiri hospital, Bakloh, where there condition was reported to be stable, the SP said, adding that the injured .

Kuttanad wetland ecosystem development package to be revived

The Kerala government today said it would revive schemes and programmes under the 'Kuttanad wetland ecosystem development package', which were stopped some years back due to alleged lapses in implementation. The Kuttanad package, conceived by the M S Swaminathan Research Foundation, includes proposals for ecological restoration, flood control, development of agriculture and fisheries, sanitation and drinking water supply. A consensus to revive the package was arrived at a high-level meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan held to take stock of the flood relief workshere. However, the main Opposition Congress boycotted it in protest against the Chief Minister not visiting flood affected areas. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, PWD minister G Sudhakaran said the state government would approach the Centre to implement different schemes and programmes under the package. He flayed the decision of the Congress to boycott the meeting and said it exposed the ..

Old-time plane crashes in Swiss Alps; casualties uncertain

An old-time propeller plane operated by a company that offers panoramic flights has crashed in the Swiss Alps. There was no immediate word on casualties. Police in southeastern Graubuenden canton (state) said a several-seater plane crashed yesterday on the Piz Segnas mountain above the Swiss Alpine resort of Flims, striking the mountain's western flank about 2,540 meters (8,330 feet) above sea level. The area is popular with hikers and includes a glacier. Police gave no information on casualties, but said today they plan a news conference in the afternoon. Ju-Air, a company based in Duebendorf, near Zurich, that offers flights with old-time Junkers Ju-52 planes, said one of its aircraft had been involved in the accident yesterday. It did not give any further information. Swiss police confirmed that a Ju-Air plane with the registration HB-HOT was the one that crashed. Nearly 5,000 Ju-52 planes were manufactured between 1932 and 1952. The Swiss daily Blick said the planes can ...

150 passengers stranded at Mumbai Int'l Airport due to flight delay

Flight was scheduled to depart at 8 pm on Thursday

20 killed in bus-tanker collision in northwest Pakistan

At least 20 people, including women and children, were killed and 35 others injured when a passenger bus collided with a tanker in northwest Pakistan last night, a media report said today. The accident took place near Samari area of Kohat district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while the ill-fated bus was on its way to Karachi from Buner, Geo News reported. Rescue members had immediately rushed to the site and shifted the bodies and wounded persons to district headquarters hospital, the channel said. The accident killed 20 people and left 35 passengers injured, it added. The deceased included two women and two minors, police said. Citing rescue sources, the channel said that the two bodies were removed from underneath the tanker and moved to the hospital.

Bangladesh student protest over road safety heats up

Student-led protests against the lack of respect for traffic regulations and increasing road accidents have heated up in Bangladesh, with violent outbreaks across the country.

Confirmed Ebola cases rise to 13 in Congo's latest outbreak

Congo's health ministry said the number of confirmed cases in a new outbreak of the Ebola virus has risen to 13, including three deaths. The World Health Organization has warned that this new outbreak of the deadly virus in North Kivu province poses a particular challenge as the region is a "war zone" with several active armed groups. The nearby city of Beni and heavily travelled borders with Uganda and Rwanda also complicate efforts to contain the disease, which is spread via contact with the bodily fluids of those infected, including the dead. Congo announced the latest outbreak on Wednesday with four confirmed cases, a week after declaring the end to a previous outbreak in the northwest with 33 deaths. It is not clear whether the new outbreak is related.

14 killed in Pakistan bus-tanker collision

At least 14 people were killed and over 30 others injured in a deadly road crash in Pakistan's northwestern district of Kohat on Saturday, the media reported.

Rijiju to visit flood-affected areas in Nagaland on Sunday

Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju will on Sunday visit flood and landslides-affected areas in Nagaland which has been facing a crisis-like situation in the wake of the widespread natural calamities.

Assam flood situation worsens, 110,000 affected, toll rises to 43

The authorities are running 132 relief camps and distribution centres in five districts, where 23,504 people have taken shelter

Eight killed in Jharkhand accidents

Eight persons, including five employees of the Jharkhand Electricity Board, were killed in two separate road accidents in Jharkhand on Saturday, police said.

18 killed in Pak as bus collides with oil tanker

At least 18 people were killed and 35 others injured when a bus collided head-on with an oil tanker in northwest Pakistan today, authorities said. The ill-fated Karachi-bound bus was hit by the oil tanker from the opposite direction on the Indus Highway near Kohat in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Officials said 18 passengers died of their injuries at the DHQ Hospital, Kohat, while 35 others were admitted under treatment. The dead included men, women and children. The police said the incident occurred due to over speeding. The bus was taking passengers from Buner district to Karachi.

Death toll in Laos dam collapse reaches 30

The death toll in the flooding caused by a dam collapse in southern Laos has climbed to 30 after the recovery of four more bodies, rescue authorities said on Saturday.

2 killed in Karachi explosion

At least two people were killed and five others were injured in a cylinder blast on Saturday in Pakistan's port city of Karachi.

Nitish expresses grief over death of six Bihari labourers in

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today expressed profound grief over death of six labourers belonging to the state, who were killed yesterday in an accident at a cement factory in Kalaburagi city of Karnataka. The CM has directed Labour Resources Department officials to get the details of the incident and ensure payment of ex-gratia at the earliest to the next of the kins of the deceased as per the provisions of the department, an official release said here. Kumar also prayed for speedy recovery of those injured in the incident, it said. It may be noted that six labourers had died yesterday at Kalaburagi in Karnataka when a crane at an under construction site of a cement factory collapsed on them.

3 more killed in heavy rains in UP, major rivers in spate

Three more persons were killed as rains and thundershowers continues to lash most parts of Uttar Pradesh, while major rivers, including Ghaghra and Sharda, were in spate, leading to fears of floods in several districts. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath undertook an aerial survey of the flood-hit areas of Lakhimpur Kheri today and instructed the authorities to remain on high alert and provide swift assistance to the needy. The Meteorological Department here said that south-west monsoon has been active over eastern region of the state leading to light to moderate rains and thundershowers at most places. There were also heavy rains in isolated area. Three deaths were reported today, one each in Mirzapur, Unnao and Kanpur, in rain related incidents. The toll in rain related incidents had reached 183 since July 1 The weather office warned that heavy rains very likely at isolated places. The Central Water Commission said major rivers, including Ghaghra, Sharda and Sai, were in spate and were

Maha Guv cancels 'At Home' reception due to Jul 28 bus mishap

Maharashtra Governor C Vidyasagar Rao today cancelled the Independence Day "At Home" reception against the backdrop of the July 28 road accident in the state's Raigad district in which 30 employees of an agricultural university were killed. Thirty out of 31 passengers in a bus, all staff of the Dr Balasaheb Sawant Konkan Krishi Vidyapith in Dapoli, were killed after the vehicle plunged into a 500-foot deep gorge near Ambenali Ghat on the Poladpur-Mahabaleshwar road. The traditional Independence Day reception hosted by the Governor, known as "At Home", was scheduled to be held at 5.30 pm on August 15 at the Raj Bhavan at Ganeshkind in Pune, an official release said. The statement said that the Governor took the decision to cancel the reception against the tragic backdrop of the death of several employees and officials in the accident. The Raj Bhavan statement, however, clarified that the Governor will attend the flag-hoisting ceremony, at the Council Hall in Pune at 9 am .

Moderate quake strikes Tibet

A moderate earthquake measuring 5.2 in the Richter scale today hit southwest China's Tibet Autonomous region. No casualties have been reported in the quake that jolted the Rutog county in Ngari Prefecture. The epicentre was at a depth of 10 km, said the China Earthquake Networks Centre. "The epicentre is at the sparsely populated area near the border of Ngari and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region," Ma Chunhong, head of the county publicity department said. A rescue team has been sent to the seismic area, state run Xinhua news agency reported stating that no casualties have been reported so far.