Page 612 - Disaster Accident
11 people injured as a portion of 3-storeyed building caves in
A portion of a three-storeyed building collapsed here today, leaving 11 people injured, police said. The injured, including two women, were admitted to hospital. The nearly 40-year-old building situated in the heart of the city was under repair, police said. A search is on to ascertain if any more people are trapped under the debris. Besides a hotel, the building also housed four mobile phone repairing units. According to preliminary information, the structure collapsed when a pillar of the hotel which was under repair, caved in.
India rice rates up on monsoon lull; flood threat looms in Thailand, Vietnam
BENGALURU (Reuters) - Rice prices in top exporter India rose this week on concerns of lower production due to below-normal rainfall, while traders in Thailand and Vietnam kept a close eye on the possibility of flooding in major rice growing regions.
Four killed in truck-bus collision in Amreli district
Four persons including a three-year-old boy were killed when a state transport bus in which they were travelling collided with a truck this morning, police today said. The Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC) bus was going to Unjha from Savarkundla when the accident took place. A truck coming from the opposite direction collided with the bus, killing four of the passengers on the spot The deceased were identified as Himmat Sarvaiya (53), Rohit Sarvaiya (40), Dwamitra Chauhan (23) and Fazim Quereshi (3). The injured were rushed to the Amreli civil hospital and the condition of two of them was critical, police said. Police lodged a complaint against the truck driver who fled from the spot and is yet to be traced.
Uber brings 'Safety Toolkit' feature to India
Global cab-hailing major Uber on Thursday brought "Safety Toolkit" to India -- a comprehensive set of features in the app for riders -- after rolling it out first in the US.
5 buses damaged in fire at depot
Five buses parked in a bus depot at Warangal were damaged in a fire mishap early today, but no one was injured, officials said. The fire broke out in a bus at around 2.30 am and spread to four vehicles parked nearby at the depot in Warrangal, about 150 km from here, a state road transport corporation official said. A short circuit in the driver's cabin was suspected to have caused the fire, the official said citing preliminary investigation. The fire was extinguished in about 40 minutes and no one was injured, Warangal District Fire Officer M Bhagwan Reddy told PTI. An inquiry had been ordered into the incident, officials said.
Uber launches easy to access Safety Toolkit features
After a successful rollout of operations in the US, ride-sharing platform Uber on Thursday announced the launch of its comprehensive features "Safety Toolkit" for riders in India.With keeping technology at beat, Uber aims to improving both awareness and usage rates of some of the existing as well as newly introduced features."At Uber, safety is a top priority and we look towards harnessing technology to solve for rider and driver safety concerns in more innovative ways. The roll-out of Safety Toolkit to millions of riders across India is an extension of this commitment to the community that we serve," said director, Product Management, Uber, Sachin Kansal.He added that the updated platform will prioritize awareness and sensitization, and will make safety features more accessible and easier to use."A key feature that we are introducing today as part of the Safety Toolkit is 'Trusted Contacts', which offers riders the option to automatically share all or select late night trips with ...
Nationwide student protests enter fifth day in Bangladesh
Bangladesh shut down high schools across the country today as tens of thousands of students protested for a fifth straight day after two teenagers were killed by a speeding bus. Bangladesh's transport sector is widely seen as corrupt, unregulated, and dangerous, and as news of the teenagers' deaths spread rapidly on social media, they became a catalyst for a massive outpouring of anger. Authorities have pleaded with students to call off the protests that have near-paralysed Dhaka and spread beyond the capital, with vehicles vandalised and clashes with police in some parts. The demonstrators, mostly students in their mid-teens, chanted "we want justice" on Thursday as they defied pouring rain to march in Dhaka for another day, bringing traffic to a standstill. The education ministry shut down high schools Thursday in an effort to quell unrest, promising students their demands for reforms to road safety would be considered. But anger has not subdued since a bus racing for passengers ...
Minor girl rescued from borewell referred to Patna hospital
The three-year-old girl, who was rescued from a 110-feet deep borewell here, has been referred to Patna for further treatment.The minor girl, who was rescued on Wednesday night after a 30-hour-long rescue operation, is currently undergoing treatment at Sadar Hospital here.The three-year-old was playing inside her house when she suddenly slipped into the deep hole which was being dug for constructing the borewell on Tuesday afternoon.Soon after, rescue teams comprising of personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) were pressed into action.Two small teams were deployed at the spot in order to augment the rescue efforts. One team was airlifted from base Bihta in Patna to Murgiachak area. The other was mobilized from the NDRF Base to Munger by road.The girl was finally rescued at 9:35 pm on Wednesday, after which she was admitted to Sadar hospital.Meanwhile, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi said strict action would be ..
N Korea says 'unprecedented' heatwave causing heavy crop damage
North Korea today warned that an "unprecedented" heatwave has caused heavy damage to crops as it urged citizens to "join the struggle" to prevent drought-like conditions from worsening and hampering food production in the impoverished country. The Korean peninsula has been gripped by a scorching heatwave in recent weeks, with dozens of deaths in the South blamed on soaring temperatures that have hit all-time highs. The temperature in North Korea's capital Pyongyang climbed to a record high of 37.8 degrees Celsius yesterday, with state TV warning that it was "taking a toll on the economy". It did not elaborate on the scale of the damage. But the rising temperatures have already inflicted heavy losses on the richer South, which has reported more than three million deaths of livestock and a fivefold increase in deaths from heat-related illnesses, while vegetable prices have doubled due to supplies being affected. The North's state-run Rodong newspaper today said that curbing further ...
Central team to visit flood-hit districts in Kerala
A central team is scheduled to arrive in Kerala on August 7 to assess the extent of damage and losses incurred in the state due to the recent rains and floods. The inter-ministerial team headed by a joint secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs would arrive in Kochi and visit the worst-affected Alappuzha, Kottayam and other neighbouring districts, officials in the Revenue Ministry said today. The central team would be in the state till August 11 and would interact with state government officials and district administration. The team would meet Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Revenue minister E Chandrasekharan, the officials added. Meanwhile, about 9,000 people were still staying in relief camps and of them more than 7,000 were in Alappuzha district. Though there was a respite from rain for the past two days, flood water has not yet receded in many places in Kuttanad in Alappuzha district. Government machinery continued to be on alert to meet the situation arising out of the ...
343 personnel from flooded passenger ship rescued
The Indian Coast Guard today rescued 343 personnel from a passenger ship that reported flooding on-board while it was docked off the Car Nicobar Islands, officials said. The Coast Guard has diverted a ship to the area and also pressed in a Dornier aircraft in the rescue mission, they said, adding all the crew members of the passenger vessel, MV Swaraj Dweep, are safe. "A Passenger Vessel 40 Nautical Miles off Car Nicobar (A&N group of Islands) carrying 343 personnel reports severe flooding on board & seeks immediate assistance. @IndiaCoastGuard Ship at sea diverted for assistance in coordination with ICG Dornier Aircraft @DefenceMinIndia," the Indian Coast Guard said on Twitter today. The damage control was done using heavy duty submersible pumps, the Coast Guard said. "Update on #SAR off Andaman & Nicobar Island. @IndiaCoastGuard Ship arrived scene of incidence & boarded the Vessel 'MV Swaraj Dweep'. De-flooding and Damage Control commenced using heavy duty ...
Six more die in rain-related incidents in UP
Six more people were killed and eight others injured in rain-related incidents in different parts of Uttar Pradesh overnight, raising the death toll to 154 since July 1, officials said today. According to reports, two people were killed in Barabanki while one died each in Kanpur Dehat, Shahjahanpur, Ballia and Kannauj. The death toll has reached 154 since July 1, they said, adding that 131 people were injured in rain-related incidents during this period. More than 187 head of cattle died and 1,259 houses were damaged, they sand. Most of the deaths occurred due to wall and house collapse, uprooting of trees, electrocution and caving in of land, officials said. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had yesterday directed senior officials of all the districts to alert people. He had asked them to undertake extensive tours of the affected areas and to identify dilapidated buildings and get them vacated, a government spokesperson said here. He also directed officials to provide immediate ...
Man-made floods in Bengal; DVC should consult state: Ritabrata
Alleging that floods in West Bengal were man-made, independent member Ritabrata Banerjee today demanded that the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) should consult the state government before releasing excess river water. Raising the issue during the Zero Hour in Rajya Sabha, Banerjee said DVC was releasing excess water every year resulting in severe floods in West Bengal. Excess water is released as several barrages under DVC have not been cleared or dredged. The state government has been raising this issue from time to time but no action has been taken, he said. Last year, two lakh cusecs of water was released that caused flood in more than 106 blocks. "DVC needs to sit with the state government on an immediate basis on the issue of releasing water. No water should be released without consultation with the state, he said. "Man-made flood is happening. This needs to be stopped. State should be taken on board," he said.
Fears grow as flooding displaces 150,000 in Myanmar
Fears that embankments could burst under fresh rains mounted in flooded southeastern Myanmar, where some 150,000 people have been forced from their homes and a dozen people killed. A vast area of farmland across four provinces lies under muddy water with rescue teams trying to reach villages by boat to provide food to those who are unable or refuse to leave their homes. Above the town of Madauk in Bago region, floodwaters are only inches from the top of vulnerable embankments that are so far holding fast, but locals are afraid that fresh monsoon rains could spell disaster. "If this embankment doesn't hold firm against the next flood, many more villages will be at high risk," rescue team leader Hlaing Min Oo told AFP as he oversaw a chain of volunteers loading a boat with food destined for marooned flood victims. "For the moment, there's little chance that the water levels will go down." Evacuation orders are still in place across Bago, Karen, Mon and Taninthari provinces with 36 dams .
Coal India announces production and offtake performance for July 2018
For the month of July 2018, coal production stood at 40.56 million tonnes compared to 36.69 million tonnes in July 2017, recording a growth of 10.6%.
Exp train engine, coach derail at Howrah stn; services hit
The engine and a coach of an empty rake of 12871 Howrah-Titlagarh Ispat Express derailed while entering Howrah station this morning, affecting train services of the South Eastern Railway partially, an official said. No one was injured in the accident as the empty train was coming to the station from carshed for commencing its journey to Titlagarh, the SER spokesman said. The derailment at 6 am caused blocking of three platforms at the New Complex of Howrah station. As a result, some express trains had to be rescheduled or short terminated and three pairs of EMU locals were cancelled, the spokesman Sanjoy Ghosh said. The 12821 Dhauli Express and 12871 Ispat Express were rescheduled. The LTT-Howrah Jnaneswari Express, Mumbai-Howrah Mail, Puri-Howrah Jagannath Express and Jagdalpur-Howrah Express were short-terminated at Santragachi station, Ghosh said. Three pairs of EMU locals between Howrah and Panskura were also cancelled owing to the accident.
PNC Infratech update on damaged caused to service road of Agra-Lucknow Expressway
The company took the required rehabilitation measures on emergency basis and the damaged portion of side road has been filled-up by the same day (01.08.2018) evening.
Yamuna water recedes in Delhi
The water level of the Yamuna river here has started receding and reached 204.31 metres on Thursday.
Rio urges PM for assistance for rain-hit Nagaland
Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio has requested the prime minister for granting immediate interim assistance to combat the crisis in the state due to incessant rain for the past few weeks. Nagaland has been receiving heavy rainfall for the past few weeks, which has resulted in loss of lives, displacement of many people in most of the districts and damage to public infrastructure, Rio said in a letter to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday. Road connectivity in many areas has been snapped and power line and communication network damaged, he said in the letter, a copy of which was made available to the media. Adequate supply of essential commodities, including petroleum products, to all district headquarters is not possible as stocks are getting depleted, the chief minister said. The aspirational district (backward) of Kiphire has been cut off from all directions. In the foothills and plain areas, floods have created enormous damage to property as the villages ...
More than 1,000 homes torched in California wildfires
A massive wildfire in Northern California has torched more than 1,000 homes in and around the city of Redding, authorities has said as some evacuees were allowed to return home and new blazes exploded in what has become an endless summer of flame in the Golden State. "Whatever resources are needed, we're putting them there," Gov. Jerry Brown said at a news conference yesterday. "We're being surprised. Every year is teaching the fire authorities new lessons. We're in uncharted territory." Just a month into the budget year, the state has already spent more than one-quarter of its annual fire budget, at least USD 125 million, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokesman Mike Mohler said. Cal Fire said another 440 buildings, including barns and warehouses, have also been destroyed by the fire, which is now the sixth most destructive in California history. The huge Redding-area blaze, which started July 23, forced 38,000 people from their homes and killed six. It has ...