Page 615 - Disaster Accident
German farmers step up $1 billion aid call after drought damage
HAMBURG (Reuters) - German farmers intensified calls for around 1 billion euros ($1.17 billion) in special aid on Tuesday after crop damage from a drought and heatwave, but Berlin said it would wait for an August harvest report before making a decision.
CM sanctions Rs 4 lakh each for families of bus accident
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has sanctionedRs 4 lakh each as ex-gratia relief for the families of those who died in an accident in the Raigad district on July 28. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also sanctioned Rs 2 lakh each for the next-of-kin of the deceased, a statement from Fadnavis's office said here. A bus, on its way to a hill station, fell into a gorge in Raigad district of Maharashtra on Saturday afternoon killing 30 passengers, all of them staff members of Dapoli agriculture university. Only one passenger survived the accident.
Car crashes into bridge railing, falls into river
A speeding vehicle crashed into the balustrade of a bridge over the Ganges river here and fell into deep waters early today, police said. The number of occupants of the MUV was not known and divers from national and state disaster response forces have vainly searched the river for the whole day for survivors, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Patna City, Ram Kumar Chaudhary said. "Rescue teams of NDRF and SDRF have been pressed into service but till late this evening there was no trace of either the vehicle or any of its occupants. The waters are deep and the current is strong," Chaudhary said. The MUV was coming towards Patna from Vaishali district side of the Mahatma Gandhi Setu, he said. Close to 6 km long, the Mahatma Gandhi Setu is one of the longest river bridges in the country.
Vietnam floods kill 3, threaten to submerge parts of Hanoi
Seasonal floods have killed three people and threaten to submerge parts of Vietnam's capital, officials said today. Two children and a man drowned today in Chuong My district, a suburb of Hanoi, where water has overflowed one bank of the Bui River and engulfed several villages, the officials said. On the other side of the river, sandbags have been piled for 10 km to prevent water in a dike from spilling into the inner city of the capital, Hanoi, which has a population of 7.5 million. "It is extremely important to keep the dike safe to protect (central) Hanoi," Mayor Nguyen Duc Chung said on national VTV. In Nam Hai village in Chuong My district, Nguyen Van Bon paddles a rubber tube to get into his half-submerged house. His furniture, refrigerator, washing machine and bags of rice are all elevated above the water. Bon's wife and son, together with thousands of older people and children from the village, have been evacuated to higher ground. Others have taken shelter in the upper floors
Daughter pilots cabin crew mother's farewell flight
Pooja Chinchankar could not hold back her tears. Having served as Air India's crew member for 38 long years, she retired today from the service with her final flight from Mumbai to Bengaluru. Passengers cheered as she walked down the isle one last time. An inflight announcement thanking her for her service was also made. But, what made her farewell memorable was that her send-off in the air was steered by her daughter Ashrrita, a pilot with the airline. Ashrrita, who witnessed her mother's last stint as an air hostess from the flight deck, has been tweeting heartwarming messages about the "one flight that mattered" since yesterday. The tweets went viral on social media as followers showered both the mother and daughter with love and goodwill messages. "Guys, tomorrow I will be flying with my mother on her retirement day, when she gracefully operates her last flight as an Air Hostess with @airindiain after 38 years of service, privileged to be her first officer tomorrow! #proud ...
Two dead in second wave of floods in Assam, 50,000 affected
The second wave of floods in Assam has claimed two lives and affected nearly 50,000 people in three districts, Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) sources said today. One person was killed in Kamrup Metropolitan district and another in Lakhimpur district in flood-related incidents, they said. With this, the total number of people who lost their lives in floods this year in the state rose to 36, including three in landslides triggered by the deluge. The ASDMA said over 47,800 people are affected at present in Dhemaji, Golaghat and Sivasagar districts. Dhemaji is the worst affected with nearly 29,500 people hit, followed by 13,000 in Sivasagar. Currently, 145 villages are under water and 4,947 hectares of crop area has been damaged, the ASDMA said. Authorities are running 46 relief camps and distribution centres in three districts, where 1,326 people have currently sought shelter, it added. Currently, river Brahmaputra at Nimatighat in Jorhat, Dikhow at Sizasagar town, ...
Chipotle slumps 8 percent after Ohio outlet linked to food poisoning complaints
(Reuters) - At least 140 people said they had fallen sick after eating at a Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc restaurant in Ohio, sending shares of the burrito chain down 8 percent in early trading.
Idukki Dam: alert continues as water level nearing maximum
The government machinery in Kerala continued to be on alert with the water level in the Idukki dam inching towards the maximum, even as rain lashed many parts of the state, claiming two lives today. A 74-year-old man was electrocuted when he came in contact with a live wire here this morning, while another man died in Malappuram district, the state control room, monitoring the monsoon related incidents, said. With these two deaths, the total number of those killed in monsoon related incidents over the past two months has gone up to 141. The water level in the high range Idukki reservoir, where an 'orange alert' was issued last night, touched 2395.58 feet by 6.00 PM today, according to the Kerala state Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA). The 'orange alert' was sounded after the water level in the dam touched 2,395 feet, which is prior to the 'red alert' that will be issued when it reaches 2,399 feet. The full level of the dam is 2,404 feet. The water level is related ..
Yamuna continues to swell, more people shifted in Delhi
The water level of the Yamuna river which has already crossed the danger mark in the capital is constantly rising and had reached 206.05 metre on Tuesday evening.
Torrential rain causes widespread damage in Nagaland
More than 50 families have been evacuated from around 49 houses damaged by the landslides since last night triggered by torrential rain which continued to wreck havoc in Nagaland, official sources said today. Damage of 13 houses has been reported from Naga Hospital Colony, 36 in Pezielietsie colony within Kohima town affecting at least 54 families since last night, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Kohima, Lithrongla told PTI here. Properties and agricultural fields have been damaged in terms of crores of rupees but, no human casualty has been reported, the sources said. The numbers are increasing every hour as the landslides are occurring continuously triggered by incessant rain, she said adding that major mudslide has also occurred this evening at Officers Hill near 4th NAP C Coy camp but details on the damage caused is awaited. A major traffic easing diversion road for Kohima town Naga Hospital Junction Daklane Census office junction was also completely cut off last .
Goa to have its own vessel to tackle oil spill in rivers
The Goa government is in the process of constructing a vessel which will tackle pollution in inland waterways due to oil spillage, the assembly was informed today. Port Minister Jayesh Salgaoncar said the ship is being constructed by his department and it will be deployed to tackle instances of oil spillage in inland waterways. He was replying to various questions raised by MLAs on demands for grants for the port department. Without mentioning the timeline of its commissioning, the minister said the vessel will tackle oil spills in rivers. It would be equipped with a separate tank to store the oil taken out from rivers and various equipment required for pollution tackling exercise. Pollution of rivers due to oil spillage by vessels travelling through them has been a matter of concern for the state government. Salgaoncar said the coastal state has 555km long inland waterway of which 255km is in the Mandovi and Zuari rivers. The minister said another ship is being ...
Two more bodies found at sea after Greek wildfires
The bodies of two people thought to have fled into the sea to escape the wildfires that ravaged coastal towns near Athens last week have been recovered, port police said today. Confirmation that the pair were victims of the fire would bring the disaster's death toll to at least 93. Police have now recovered eight bodies from the sea off a string of popular coastal communities that were devastated by the fires that broke out on July 23. The fires burned with such ferocity that most people fled to the safety of the sea with just the clothes on their backs. Many then had to wait several hours in the water for help to arrive. It was local fishermen, not the coastguard or navy, who first came to their aid. A merchant marine official told AFP that the search for further victims was continuing. The rightwing and centrist opposition accuse the government of bungling its response in an area frequently hit by wildfires, and of trying to hide the scale of the loss of human life as the disaster ..
6 die of electrocution in Bangladesh
Six people died after being electrocuted in Bangladesh's Sirajganj district on Tuesday, police said.
Evacuees from Yamuna bank say tents overcrowded, govt relief inadequate
Twenty-six-year-old Premvati, a mother of three, is having a tough time making ends meet after her family was evacuated four days ago because of the rising water levels in the Yamuna. With the Yamuna flowing over the danger mark, her family is one of the many living in Chilla village in Yamuna Khadar who have been evacuated. Breastfeeding her eight-month-old baby, inside a makeshift tent near Mayur Vihar extension along the NH-24 highway, she complained about not getting adequate support and relief from the government. "We were asked to evacuate four days ago by the authorities. We moved here and have built a temporary tent along the roadside all on our own. The tents set up by the government are already overcrowded. "To use toilet we have to walk over a kilometer where the mobile toilets are stationed. Also, there is no proper arrangement for drinking water and food. Somehow we are managing. Today more tents are being put up and we hope to find a place there," a visibly disturbed ...
Additional aid for loss of property in natural disasters this monsoon: U'khand govt
People whose shops, commercial establishments or houses have been fully damaged in natural disasters in Uttarakhand this monsoon will get an additional assistance of a maximum of Rs 1 lakh each from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund (CMRF). Issuing a directive to this effect, Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat said a maximum of Rs 1 lakh each should be paid to the owners of shops, commercial establishments and residential houses which have been fully or acutely damaged in natural calamities. A maximum of Rs 50,000 out of this amount should be paid for fully damaged shops, commercial establishments and residential structures and another Rs 50,000 in case of loss of goods, according to an official statement released here. Cloudbursts in different parts of the state damaged a number of shops and residential structures.
12 more die in UP rains, toll rises to 92; more rains likely tomorrow
Twelve people have been killed and seven others injured in rain-related incidents in different parts of Uttar Pradesh during the past 24 hours, pushing the death toll to 92, official sources said here today. According to latest reports, three people were killed in Kanpur Dehat, two in Hathras and one each in Chitrakoot, Auraiya, Allahabad, Unnao, Amethi, Jaunpur and Fatehpur, they said. "The toll since last week in such incidents has reached 92 while the total number of those injured is 91," the sources said. In these incidents, 59 cattle lost their lives and over 600 houses were also damaged. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed senior officials of all the districts to alert people and asked them to undertake extensive tours in the affected areas to identify dilapidated buildings and get them vacated, a government spokesperson said here. Adityanath has also directed the officials to provide immediate financial and medical assistance to people severely affected by ...
Road safety clubs to be set up in Kangra colleges, schools
To educate youngsters about traffic rules, road safety clubs will be set up in schools and colleges in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh, officials said today. According to Kangra deputy commissioner Sandeep Kumar, all schools and colleges in the district have been intimated about the initiative. To make young drivers sensitive about safe driving, all the heads of schools and colleges have been directed to constitute the clubs," Kumar said. "The clubs shall have teachers, students and parents as members and will help in improving road safety and reducing accidents, he added. Kumar said the clubs will educate youngsters about the rules of the road especially those who ride without wearing helmets. Generally, it is seen that youth ride two-wheelers without helmets, which is one of the main reasons for fatal accidents, he said, adding that most of them don't even have a valid driving license. Principals are instructed to ban the entry of students coming to the institution on a ...
Pak army rescues Russian climber stranded for six days
Helicopter pilots of the Pakistan Army today rescued a Russian climber stranded on a treacherous peak in the northern region, ending his six-day ordeal. Alexander Gukov was rescued from Latok-I peak at an altitude of 20,650 feet (6,257 meters) in Gilgit-Baltistan, the army said in a statement. The rescue of Gukov following the death of his climbing partner Sergey Glazunov came after seven unsuccessful attempts, it said. Glazuniv fell to his death on July 26 after the two climbers were caught in a bad weather. Earlier this month, the army also rescued two British mountaineers who were stuck in an avalanche on Ultar Sar Peak at an altitude of 19,000 feet near Hunza Valley.
At least 60 students fall ill after drinking contaminated water in Maharashtra
At least 60 students were hospitalised today after they drank contaminated water from taps near their school in Maharashtra's Ahmednagar district, a police official said. Eight students are in a serious condition, he said. The students, aged 10 to 12 years, complained of stomach ache, dysentery and giddiness after drinking contaminated water from taps near their school, run by an NGO Rayat Shikshan Sanstha, in Pimpaldari village, Superintendent of Police (SP) Ranjankumar Sharma said. They were rushed to a primary health centre in Dhargaon where most of them were admitted, he said. Eight students, whose condition was serious, were shifted to a hospital in Loni city for treatment, the SP said, adding that seven students were discharged after treatment at the primary health centre. "We have collected water samples and sent them for analysis," Sharma said.
10 killed, 100,000 displaced in Myanmar floods
At least 10 people have been killed and more than 100,000 people forced to flee their homes after heavy rains pounded Myanmar and flooded villages, according to government officials.