Page 635 - Disaster Accident
2 killed, 2 hurt as two-storey building collapses in Kolkata
A dilapidated building collapsed in central part of the city following heavy showers in the early hours today, killing two people and critically injuring two others, a disaster management official said. The incident happened around 2.30am when the two-storey building came crumbling down at the Baithakkhana Road in Muchipara Police station area of the city, he said. The deceased were identified as Gopal Naskar (60) and Manik Jana (48), both residents of the residential-cum-commercial building, a senior official said. The two injured -- Ratan Chaudhuri (48) and Binod Shaw (50) -- were admitted to a nearby hospital, he said. "Rescue operations are underway to ascertain if anyone else is trapped under the debris. Apart from local councillor, teams of Kolkata police and state disaster management personnel, along with fire brigade and civil defence officials, have reached the site," the official added.
Iranian media: 79 injured in earthquake in southern Iran
Iran's state TV says a magnitude 5.8 earthquake has injured at least 79 people in the country's south. The United States Geological Survey put the quake's magnitude at 5.9. There were no immediate reports of fatalities. The earthquake struck in the early morning today near the village of Sirch in the province of Kerman. That's about 1,100 km south of the capital, Tehran. The USGS says the quake was followed by several smaller aftershocks and also a 4.8 magnitude temblor to the northeast, and came after a series of quakes the day before that injured nearly 300 people. Iran sits on major fault lines and is prone to regular earthquakes. A magnitude 7.2 quake hit western Iran in November, killing more than 600.
WR asks Mumbai civic body to repair, re-construct 6 bridges
Railway authorities have requested the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to repair or re-construct half a dozen road overbridges (ROBs), one of which is being closed for traffic from tomorrow. The request by the Western Railway (WR) comes in the wake of collapse of a portion of a ROB in suburban Andheri early this month. The incident had led the Railways to undertake a safety audit of bridges above its tracks with the help of the BMC and experts from the IIT-Bombay. WR chief spokesperson Ravinder Bhakar said today, "In order to ensure total safety of overhead structures on railway tracks at various locations, we have requested the civic body to repair or re-construct on a top priority basis six ROBs that fall in their jurisdiction." "Besides, we have advised the traffic police and the BMC to close a ROB in the Lower Parel area from tomorrow for all vehicles and pedestrians to undertake repair," he said. The decision has been taken after an inspection of the bridge
Premier train passengers don't think service matches enhanced fare: CAG survey
Improved punctuality, cleaner toilets and coaches and better quality food and bedrolls provided in trains are needed to match the increased fare in premier trains, according to a survey carried out by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India.
TN building collapse: Death toll rises to 2
One more person injured in a scaffolding collapse here on Saturday died today, taking the death toll in the incident to two, police said. Two persons were arrested in connection with the incident, they added. The victim, in his early 20s, died at a private hospital, the police said. He was undergoing treatment for injuries sustained after an overloaded scaffolding at an under-construction building collapsed on Saturday, injuring about 32 people. A migrant labourer, who was among the injured, had died earlier and the Tamil Nadu government had announced a compensation of Rs five lakh to the family of the victim. Meanwhile, the police have arrested two persons, including an engineer employed with a private construction firm, in connection with the incident. A case was earlier registered under the relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including those for causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others and causing death by negligence.
Two killed, three injured in roof collapse
Two members of a family were killed and three others injured when the roof of their house collapsed here early on Monday, the police said.
Coast Guard rescues 6 fishermen in Odisha
Six fishermen, who were stranded in mid-sea for over 24 hours, have been rescued by the Coast Guard in Odisha, an official of the maritime agency said. The fishing vessel - Maa Ramchandi - carrying the fishermen had drifted along the sea waters on Saturday after it developed technical snag and lost its sailing capacity. A search and rescue operation was undertaken yesterday after Paradip fishing harbour personnel informed the Coast Guard about the missing fishermen, hailing from Kendrapara district. The crew members and the vessel were sighted by a Coast Guard patrol vessel at about 17 nautical miles off Paradip coast yesterday, B Nath Mahato, Commandant Paradip Coast Guard, said. The fishing vessel was drifting on the seawaters without direction, he said. As the seawater was unsteady and wavering, the fishing vessel had failed to negotiate the rough sea condition, Mahato said. The windy weather had also made things worse for the crew members, said the Coast Guard ...
House roof collapses in Delhi, 2 dead
A couple died on Monday after the roof of their house collapsed in Delhi's Dwarka early on Monday morning.Three children of Sunil (40) and Rachna (40) also sustained injuries.The police said as soon they received a PCR call regarding the fallen roof at Hari Vihar near the Kakrola dairy area, they rushed the spot.The victims were immediately taken to the Deen Dayal Upadhyay hospital.The couple was declared brought dead by doctors while the injured children Vaibhav (19), Gulshan (16) and Gungun (9) are undergoing treatment at the hospital.Meanwhile, Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Dwarka has sought a report for granting ex-gratia to the affected family.As per the elder son Vaibhav, due to the leakage of water, the roof of the house had become weak, hence collapsed.
5 killed as fire breaks out in house
At least five members of a family, including three women, were burnt alive when a fire broke out at a house in Himachal Pradesh's Mandi district early this morning. The fire broke out when the people were asleep after a 'baraat' (wedding procession) returned with the bridegroom and the bride late in the night at Ner Chowk, 145 km from here, family sources said. Mandi Superintendent of Police Gurdev Chand Sharma said fire tenders were rushed to the spot, but five lives were lost before the blaze could be extinguished. Two others have sustained serious injuries. The deceased have been identified as the parents of the bridegroom, Narender Soni (66) and Veena Soni (62); the sister of Narender, Sudesh (70); her daughter-in-law, Mona (40); and her 12-year-old son, Sai Sohel, the family sources said Mandi Deputy Commissioner Rugved Thakur told PTI that two rooms of the house were completely charred in the blaze. The exact reason behind the fire was yet to be ascertained, he added.
Couple dies after roof of Dwarka house collapses
The roof of a house in Delhi's Dwarka area that had weakened over time with seepage collapsed in the early hours of the morning, killing a couple and injuring their three children, police said. The roof collapse, which took the life of Sunil and his wife Rachna, both 40 years old, left Vaibhav (19), Gulshan, (16) and Gungun, (nine) orphaned, officials said. The family of five was buried under the debris when the roof of the one room house in Hari Vihar area of Dwarka gave way around 1 am. The family was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital where Sunil and Rachna were declared brought dead. The three children have been admitted to hospital. Vaibhav, the eldest of the siblings, told police that the house was owned by his father and he was born there. Due to leakage of water, the iron rods which held the weight of the roof had become weak. A layer of bricks was placed on the roof to stop the seepage. However, the iron rods had weakened and could no longer take the load of the roof, ...
Vietnam flooding kills 20, leaves over a dozen missing
Flooding triggered by a tropical storm has killed at least 20 people and left over a dozen missing in northern Vietnam, local media reports said. Ten people drowned in floods caused by heavy rain in Yen Bai province after Tropical Storm Son Tinh hit the country's northern region last week, the Tuoi Tre newspaper reported. In Thanh Hoa province, a flash flood swept through a small village in Lang Chanh district and carried away a dozen stilt houses on Thursday. "The floods came so quick and gave us so little time to escape," said local resident Luong Van Hung. "Some managed to run to high ground, but others got swept away in the floods." The floods took away a family of four as they were sleeping, said Nguyen Xuan Hong, chairman of Lang Chanh district. Two people were found dead in the debris left by the flooding while the body of the family's 5-year-old daughter was recovered today morning in a stream 3 kilometers (2 miles) from their home. A rescue group of 300 people were looking ...
'Tiny robots to soon compete in Olympic-style tests'
The US defence research agency is seeking designs for tiny robots to compete in Olympic-style evaluations, in an effort to develop machines that can be deployed for search and rescue operation in locations that are dangerous or inaccessible to humans. Under a new programme proposed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in the US, the bots will compete against each other to test strength, speed and agility. In a natural disaster scenario, such as an earthquake, having the ability to navigate the rubble and enter highly unstable areas could prove invaluable to saving lives or detecting additional hazards among the wreckage. Partnering rescue personnel with robots to evaluate high-risk scenarios and environments can help increase the likelihood of successful search and recovery efforts, or other critical tasks while minimising the threat to human teams. "Whether in a natural disaster scenario, a search and rescue mission, a hazardous environment, or other critical ...
George Clooney looks happy, healthy post scooter crash
Actor George Clooney seems to be making a full recovery following the serious motor-scooter accident he was involved with on the Italian island of Sardinia earlier this month.
Japan reopens beaches hit by 2011 nuclear, tsunami disaster
Japan has reopened three beaches in regions devastated by the 2011 tsunami and resulting Fukushima nuclear disaster after years of reconstruction efforts, officials said today. Local officials in Fukushima said they hoped the opening of the Haragamaobama beach would help change perceptions of the region, which has become inextricably linked with the 2011 disaster. One of the reopened waterfronts is Haragamaobama beach in Fukushima prefecture, about 40 kilometres north of the crippled Daiichi nuclear plant. The beach in the city of Soma is the closest to the plant of four beaches that the prefecture has reopened. "I'm delighted, because life in Soma had always been associated with the sea before the disaster," Hiroyuki Ito, secretary general of the Soma Tourism Association, told AFP. Water quality inspection has not detected radioactive materials in the offshore seawater for years, and reopening the beach was only delayed while infrastructure for bathers was being built, he said. "I ...
Odisha: Burla gets highest rainfall, breaks 36-yr record
Breaking 36-year-old record, Odisha's Burla town has recorded the highest rainfall this year as it received heavy downpour over 24 hours on Sunday.Burla, situated in Sambalpur district received 622 mm of heavy rainfall, breaking the previous record of 582 mm rainfall, recorded in 1982 in the same district.The police and Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), fire service teams, district administration rescued people marooned in Sambalpur due to flood-like situation yesterday.Meanwhile, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams are on high alert in Odisha and other adjoining states to prevent any untoward situation.All NDRF teams are equipped with boats, divers and other flood rescue related equipment along with paramedic staff.Due to the incessant rainfall, the water levels of Mahanadi River, Baitarani River, Tel River, and Indravati River have increased.The India Meteorological Department had on Sunday said that the depression formed in the north-west Bay of Bengal was ..
Fire breaks out in house, five killed
Five persons were burnt alive after a fire broke out at a house in Himachal Pradesh's Mandi district this morning, an official said. Mandi Deputy Commissioner Rugved Thakur told PTI that a marriage function was going on in the house in Ner Chowk when the fire broke out. Two rooms of the house were completely charred in the blaze. The exact reason behind the fire is yet to be ascertained. He said it took some time for fire engines to reach the spot to put out the fire.
French soldiers arrive in Sweden to fight wildfires
Dozens of French soldiers specialised in firefighting arrived in Sweden early today to tackle blazes raging across the country during an extreme heatwave. Firefighters yesterday were battling around 50 wildfires after an unprecedented drought in the region and soaring temperatures, which have reached the hightest in a century. The 30 French soldiers from a Civil Defence unit landed shortly after midnight today in Stockholm, an AFP correspondent said. They will be joined by another 30 firefighters from the south of France today. France has already sent two Canadair planes to Sweden after authorities asked for EU emergency help to fight the blazes, which have caused no fatalities so far. Italy has sent two firefighting aircraft and Norway sent eight helicopters. Germany and Poland also responded to the request for assistance. Record temperatures above 33 degrees Celsius (90 degrees Fahrenheit) were reported in Uppsala, a city north of Stockholm. There has been practically no rain since .
1 killed, 2 hurt as two-storey building collapses
One person was killed and two others were critically injured today when a house collapsed in the central part of the city following heavy rains, a disaster management official said. The incident happened around 2.30am when a two-storey "dilapidated" building came crumbling down at Baithakkhana Road in Muchipara Police station area of the city, he said. The identity of the deceased is yet to be ascertained as police are not sure if he was a resident of the building or a pavement dweller, a senior officer said. The two injured persons have been admitted to a nearby hospital in a critical condition, the police officer said. "As of now, rescue operations are underway to ascertain if anyone is trapped under the debris. Apart from local councillor, teams of Kolkata Police and state disaster management personnel, along with fire brigade and civil defence officials, have reached the site," the officer added.
Multiple victims reported in downtown Toronto shooting
Canadian police and emergency personnel services are responding to a shooting that reportedly involves multiple victims in the downtown Toronto neighborhood known as Greektown. Police have yet to release any confirmed details of the shooting. But local television station CP24 is showing images of multiple ambulances and other first responders at the scene, with several people being treated by paramedics.
5 charred to death in Himachal fire
At least five people were killed after a major fire broke out in a residential building at Ner Chowk in Himachal Pradesh's Mandi district on Monday.Several others are also feared trapped inside the building. Three fire tenders are present at the spot to douse the flame.ADM Mandi, Rajiv Kumar said that the LPG cylinder blast could be the reason behind the fire."Five persons lost their lives in the fire that broke out at a residential building at Ner Chowk in Mandi. LPG Cylinder blast seems to be the reason behind the fire," Kumar said.More details are awaited.