Page 634 - Disaster Accident
Worst flood in recent times, says Kerala CM
Kerala faced the worst flood in recent times, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said today as he took stock of the flood situation in parts of the state following the monsoon fury that has claimed 49 lives this month alone. Holding a video conference with district collectors and officials of Kollam, Kottayam and Alappuzha, he directed them to ensure availability of drinking water in Kuttanad, one of the badly-hit regions where the Navy today joined the relief operations. According to an official release here, Vijayan said the government was able to provide relief to affected people in a better way, taking steps to reach necessary relief materials to people staying in camps and in their marooned houses. He also sought the co-operation and support of the society in tackling the flood situation, saying the whole state should come forward in taking up sanitation work once the water recedes to prevent outbreak of diseases. Steps would be taken to ensure supply of cooking gas ..
Woman jumps into river from bridge, rescued by fire brigade
A 49-year-old woman jumped off a bridge into the Kuakahi river here and was swept by the river current for around 6 km before she was rescued by fire brigade personnel, police said. The woman, identified as Sumitra Kumari Das had jumped into the river from the bridge near Hanspal at the outskirt of the state capital this afternoon. She was rescued after she was swept by the river current for around 6 km from the spot where she had attempted suicide, they said. Sumitra a resident of Behera Sahi in Nuapalli area of Bhubaneswar was under severe depression and therefore attempted suicide, the police said. Her husband, an employee of Nalco, was missing since three years. A missing case has been registered at a police station in Koraput. Fire service sources said Sumitra was rescued by a team from waters near the Tankapani road. The woman was immediately rushed to the Capital hospital where her condition is now stated to be stable.
Himachal CM condoles death of people in fire incident
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur condoled the death of five members of a family who were burnt alive when a fire broke out at a house in Mandi district early this morning. The tragic incident occurred when the people were asleep after a 'baraat' (wedding procession) returned home with the bride and the groom late last night at Ner Chowk, 145 km from here, family sources said Thakur met the bereaved family members and expressed deep condolences today. He assured them that the cause of the fire would be probed and every possible help would be provided. Union Health Minister J P Nadda too expressed grief over this shocking incident. He said his thoughts and prayers were with the bereaved family members. Meanwhile, Mandi Deputy Commissioner Rugved Thakur told PTI that Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Rajiv Kumar would probe the incident. The ADM will inquire all the aspects including the cause of the fire and allegations of fire-fighters arriving late at the spot. The ...
AI plane suffers bird hit while landing at Chennai airport
A Chennai-bound AI flight from Singapore with 230 passengers on board suffered a bird hit while landing today, prompting authorities to cancel its return flight, officials said. The plane's nose was damaged in the incident, airport officials said. An Air India spokesperson said the plane suffered the bird hit while it was 400 feet above the ground near Chennai airport. After it landed safely, it was taken to a separate bay to rectify the damage, the officials said. The flight, which was later scheduled to leave for Singapore, was cancelled as the aircraft was considered "not fit" for the journey. Officials said 159 Singapore-bound passengers of the carrier were later accommodated in an alternative flight arranged by AI.
Karnataka rivers in spate after record monsoon rains (Lead, Correcting headline)
Rivers in Karnataka are in spate following record southwest monsoon rains over the last seven weeks, inundating low-lying areas, submerging road bridges and flooding farmlands, said an official on Monday.
Ground water in Vedanta's Thoothukudi smelter contains heavy metals - minister
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Ground water in Vedanta Resources' Thoothukudi copper smelter contains heavy metals exceeding limits for drinking water, India's junior minister for water resources, Arjun Ram Meghwal, told lawmakers on Monday.
WB: 2 killed after 100-year-old building collapses
Two people were killed while few others injured after a 100-year-old building collapsed in West Bengal.The building collapsed in Sealdah area, which is in the center of West Bengal.According to the locals, the building is over 100-year-old and was declared unsafe by local civic officials.As of now, the rescue operation is underway to ascertain if anyone is trapped under the debris.Earlier today in Dwarka's Hari Vihar, a couple died and their three children sustained injuries after the roof of their house collapsed.According to elder son Vaibhav, the roof of the house had become weak due to the leakage of water and hence collapsed.
Record monsoon rains turn Karnataka rivers into spate
Record southwest monsoon rains over the last seven weeks have turned rivers across Karnataka into spate, inundating low-lying areas, submerging road bridges and flooding farmlands, said an official on Monday.
Delay in shutting down NTPC power plant led to deadly blast in Uttar Pradesh - probe
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - An explosion of hot gas at a boiler at NTPC's Unchahar power plant last year that killed 45 workers was the result of an "error in judgement" by some of the plant's most experienced operators, according to an internal report on the state-run electricity producer's biggest disaster.
Groundwater in Sterlite plant area contaminated beyond permissible limits: Govt
A study by a central agency in the area around the Sterlite Copper plant in Tamil Nadu has indicated groundwater contamination with heavy metals beyond permissible limits, the Centre said today. "The Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) has carried out a study to ascertain the groundwater quality in and around (the) State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu (ISPCOT) industrial area, Thoothukudi (wherein M/S Sterlite industry is one of the industry)," Arjun Ram Meghwal, the Union minister of state for water resources, said in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha. "The study indicates that most of the groundwater samples are contaminated with high Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) and heavy metals like, cadmium, chromium, manganese, iron and arsenic, which are beyond (the) permissible limit," Meghwal added. The Union minster said according to the information from the Central Pollution Control Board, the analysis of groundwater samples from the Sterlite industrial unit by
Odisha CM asks officials for vigil on Mahanadi flood
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday directed officials and departments concerned to remain on alert to handle possible flooding of Mahanadi river due to incessant rains.
1,883 small and big quakes hit India since 2015: Govt
More than 1,880 earthquakes of varying magnitudes, including three measuring above 7M, jolted India during the past three years until this July, Minister of Earth Sciences Harsh Vardhan said in Lok Sabha today. All the three major earthquakes occurred in 2015. On April 26 that year, a 7.9M quake struck between Nepal's capital city Kathmandu and another city, Pokhara. On May 12, a second earthquake of 7.3M hit the country's eastern part, near Mount Everest. Nearly 9,000 people died in Nepal. The third major earthquake hit the Hindu Kush region in Afghanistan. Although these earthquakes did not have their epicentres in India, tremors were felt in several parts of the country and led to losses to property and claimed lives. In a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha, Vardhan gave a break-up of the earthquakes that hit India between 2015 and July 12 this year. He said the National Centre for Seismology (NCS) recorded 1,739 quakes with magnitudes between 3 and 5, while 121 quakes had ...
Govt open to debate on flood situation in LS: Minister
The government is willing to hold a detailed discussion on the flood situation in the country, but parties should refrain from politicising the issue, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar said today. During the Zero Hour, K C Venugopal (Congress) demanded that the government should declare floods in Kerala a natural calamity as it has resulted in loss of thousands of crores of rupees. Kumar said besides Kerala, floods have also affected states like Odisha, Karnataka and Bihar. "It's a matter of concern. I can assure that we can have a detailed discussion under rule 193 on flood situation if members so want," Kumar said. He, however, advised the parties "not to politicise the issue of human suffering". He said the Centre will extend assistance to not only Kerala but all flood-hit states.
Magisterial inquiry ordered into Shimla house fire
The Himachal Pradesh government today ordered a magisterial inquiry into the blaze at a house in Mandi district that left five members of a family including three women dead, an official said. The fire broke out early this morning when the people were asleep after returning from a wedding procession with the bridegroom and the bride late in the night, family sources said. Mandi Deputy Commissioner Rugved Thakur told PTI that Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Rajiv Kumar would probe the incident. The ADM will inquire all the aspects including the cause of the fire and allegations of fire-fighters arriving late at the spot. The ADM will submit the report within seven days, he said. Expressing "heartfelt condolences" to the bereaved family members, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur assured that the cause of the fire would be probed and every possible help would be provided to the victims' kin.
Ghaziabad house collapse toll rises to 2
The death toll in a five-storey house collapse here has risen to two following the discovery of a child's body.
2 killed, 5 injured as cars collide head-on in Rajasthan
Two people were killed and five others injured when two cars collided head-on in Rajasthan's Sikar district, police said today. The accident occurred last night near Bhadala ki Dhani on NH-52 when two cars collided head-on, killing Satish Rao and Vivek Bijaraniya of Palsana town on the spot, they said. Two critically injured people were referred to a hospital in Jaipur whereas three others were admitted to a hospital in Sikar. The bodies were handed over to family members after postmortem, the police added.
Uber, Lyft suspend driver who live-streamed rides
Ride-sharing services Uber and Lyft have suspended driver, Jason Gargac, who secretly live-streamed all of his 700 rides on Amazon's Twitch.He captured interactions with passengers, including children, and those who appeared drunk, Quartz reported.While it is not uncommon for the drivers to film their passengers for safety reasons against false accusations and bad reviews, both Uber and Lyft felt the driver crossed the line by invading privacy and have suspended him.
Flood fear looms large in Odisha
Apprehending a "low to medium" flood in Mahanadi and Bitarani river systems due to depression induced very heavy rainfall across the state, Odisha government today asked district collectors in delta region to remain prepared for all emergency situations. "We should remain in a state of full preparedness to tackle any emergency situation and provide immediate relief to the affected people," Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said after taking stock of the situation here today. Stating that the state has received heavy rainfall during last three days necessitating evacuation of some people and provision of temporary shelter, Patnaik said the district authorities must start damage estimation where situation has improved. Six persons were killed in the rain related incidents in the state between July 20 and July 23, officials said. The deaths were reported from Rayagada(2), Sambalpur(2), Subarnapur (1) and Malkangiri (1) districts. Meanwhile, the Special Relief Commissioner (SRC)
Varanasi Nagar Nigam selects Cyient
To improve water supply and sewerage services in Varanasi
Two killed in Kolkata building collapse
Two persons were killed and another was injured as an old building collapsed in central part of the city following heavy rains early on Monday, police said.