Page 642 - Disaster Accident
5.7 magnitude quake rattles Mexico, no damage reported
A 5.7 magnitude earthquake has rattled southern and central Mexico, but there are no immediate reports of damage or injuries. Workers at some Mexico City office towers temporarily evacuated their buildings, but quickly re-entered after the swaying stopped. The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake occurred around 8:30 a.m. local time (13:30 GMT) and was centered near the city of Huajuapan de Leon in southern Oaxaca state. On September 19, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake damaged or destroyed hundreds of buildings and killed 228 people in Mexico City and 141 others elsewhere.
Injuries reported in blast at Pennsylvania
An explosion at an Army depot Thursday morning left at least three people with burn injuries, officials said. The blast occurred at Letterkenny Army Depot about 7:15 am today. Army Depot officials posted on social media that the "incident is contained and will not affect depot operations or workforce safety elsewhere." There is no suspicion of terrorist activity, officials said. Employees posted on social media the blast happened in a paint shop. The Franklin Fire Company posted on its Facebook page that three burn victims have been airlifted to hospitals. Details about other injuries were not immediately available. Some people have been treated at the scene. The depot, located 257 kilometers west of Philadelphia, employs about 3,600 people. The depot's website says work there focuses on air defense tactical missile ground support equipment, mobile electric power generation equipment, Patriot missile recertification and route guidance vehicles. Depot staff members have been told to .
High-pressure steam leak in Manhattan; no injuries reported
A steam pipe exploded beneath Fifth Avenue in Manhattan early Thursday, hurling chunks of asphalt, sending a geyser of billowing white steam stories into the air and forcing pedestrians to take cover. No injuries were reported, but Con Ed, which owns the subterranean pipe, warned people who may have gotten material on them to bag their clothes and shower immediately as a precaution against possible asbestos. Buildings along several blocks of Fifth Avenue have been evacuated as a precaution. The high-pressure steam leak was reported at around 6:40 a.m. The steam was still billowing about 10 stories high two hours later. WABC reported there also were manhole explosions from West 19th Street to West 21st streets. Some subway trains were bypassing the area. "I looked around and saw this big huge plume of steam shoot into the air," said Daniel Lizio-Katzen, 42, who was riding his bike home to the West Village. "It was a pretty violent explosion," Lizio-Katzen told the Daily News. '"The ...
Rijiju to visit flood-affected Kerala
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju to visit Kerala to take stock of the flood situation in the state and provide all possible help. In a tweet, Rijiju said he would soon go to the state on the directions of the prime minister. "On the direction of Prime Minister @narendramodi ji I'll be going to Kerala with MHA team to assess the flood damage and to extend all possible help from the Govt of India," he said. Heavy rains claimed 12 lives in Kerala and caused widespread damage to property and crops last week. With low-lying areas under floodwater, over 5,000 people have been shifted to relief campus across Kerala, the state control room monitoring the rain incidents said.
Indian-origin landlord jailed for fire deaths in UK
An Indian-origin landlord in the UK who failed to fit smoke alarms inside a house owned by him leading to the death of two boys in a fire, has been jailed for a year, in the first prosecution of its kind in the country since new smoke alarm regulations were introduced in 2015.
Heavy rainfall continues in south Gujarat, Saurashtra
Over 700 people have been rescued from flooded spots in the last one week as incessant rains are lashing south Gujarat and Saurashtra, affecting 25 villages, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani today said. As many as 32 people have lost their lives in rain-related accidents in the state since the onset of monsoon, he said, after holding a meeting to review the damage caused by rains. The Revenue department has formed 161 teams to assess the loss of property and damage to crops, he announced. "Rain-related incidents have claimed 32 lives this monsoon. Fourteen of them are drowning deaths while others died due to reasons such as electrocution or lightning strike," he said. In the last one week, over 700 persons were rescued and shifted to safer places by local authorities and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the chief minister said. "25 villages in 11 districts of Saurashtra and south Gujarat are badly affected. As waters have started receding today, we will ..
Man tries to kill self outside Nagpur Vidhan Bhavan complex
Police today foiled a bid by a differently-abled man to kill himself by immolation outside the Vidhan Bhavan complex here where monsoon session of the state legislature is underway, an official said. The man, identified as Ashish Amdhare (32), was apparently agitated over Lakadganj police in the city not registering an FIR he had sought to lodge in an assault case, the official said. Sitabuldi police station inspector H K Kharabe said Amdhare arrived in front of the main gate of the Vidhan Bhavan in Civil Lines area at around 1 PM. He was carrying a small can of kerosene, the officer said. "Amdhare poured kerosene on himself and tried to lit a match, when the police personnel on duty overpowered him," he said. Amdhare told the police that he had met with a road accident with a tanker in Lakadganj area on July 15 and was beaten up by the driver. He claimed that when he approached Lakadganj police station, the police officials there merely registered a non-cognisable (NC)
Death toll in rains in Ker touches 39
The toll in rain-related incidents in Kerala has climbed to 39, with 11 more deaths being reported from various parts of the state during the last 24 hours, officials said today. More than 90,000 persons have been shifted to relief camps, they said. Among the districts from where deaths have been reported are the worst-affected Alappuzha and Kottayam, besides Idukki, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Kannur and Kasaragod, State monitoring cell officials said. Though there was some respite from the rain in some places, water-logging in low-lying areas has thrown normal life out of gear. Over 95,540 people have taken shelter in 564 relief camps across the state, officials said. In Alappuzha district, 50,836 people have been shifted to relief camps while in Kottayam 28,135 persons are in camps. According to officials, 116 lives have been lost since the onset of the South West Monsoon on May 29. The second spell of rains since July 9 has claimed 39 lives. It is a nightmare for people ...
6 dead as fishing boat sinks in Indonesia
At least six people were killed and seven others were missing after a fishing boat capsized off the southeastern coast of Indonesia's Java island on Thursday, officials said.
Food safety officials test fish samples for formalin
Meghalaya Food safety officials today began random testing of fish samples using the latest test kits for traces of carcinogenic formalin in fishes imported from other states, an official said. "Today, food safety officials conducted 20 random tests on fishes imported from other states mainly from Andhra Pradesh and they were all tested negative for formalin," Food Safety deputy commissioner S N Sangma told PTI. He said 20 samples were collected from wholesalers and randomly tested by using a simple, rapid detection kit for any traces of possible uses of formalin as a preservative. The test kits, called 'CIFTest' have been developed by Central Institute of Fisheries Technology and yesterday 14 of such kits have arrived in the state, according to Sangma. Today the tests were conducted on fishes collected from wholesalers in the state capital and from tomorrow, fishes samples in other districts will also be tested using the CIFTest kits, he said. The state is awaiting 13 ...
5 students killed, 4 injured as truck runs over them in Odisha
At least five school students, including three girls, were killed and four others seriously injured when a speeding truck ran over them near their school on National Highway-16 in Odisha's Bhadrak district today, an official said. The accident occurred near Rahanja village under Bhadrak Rural police station when the children -- studying in class IX -- were returning home from Ranitel High School. As the nine students were crossing the highway, they were hit by the truck, killing four at the spot. Another succumbed to injuries at the Bhadrak District Headquarters Hospital, Bhadrak district Collector Gyana Das said. "Five students have died in the accident. Three of them are girls. Four others are in hospital," Das told PTI. The deceased students belonged to Rahanja and Asura villages under Bhadrak rural police station. Of the injured, one was shifted to SCB Medical College Hospital in Cuttack, while the other three were admitted at the district headquarters hospital in a critical ...
Govt fixes max speed limit for 9-seater passenger vehicle on expressway at 120 km/hr
Maximum speed limit on access-controlled expressways for passenger vehicles with not more than eight seats in addition to the driver's seat has been fixed at 120 km per hour, Parliament was informed today. In case of four-lane and above divided carriageway, the maximum speed limit for such vehicles (M1 Category) has been fixed at 100 km per hour, Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways Mansukh L Mandaviya told Lok Sabha in a written reply today. The minister said for such category vehicles, the maximum speed limit on roads within municipal and other roads has been fixed at 70 km per hour. Mandaviya said for "motor vehicles used for carriage of passengers comprising nine or more seats in addition to the driver's seat (M2 and M3 category vehicles), the maximum speed limit on expressways, highways and other roads has been fixed at 100 km per hour, 90 km per hour and 60 km per hour, respectively. For goods vehicles (all N category vehicles), the maximum speed limit on ...
5 school students killed, 4 injured in Odisha road accident
In a tragic incident, at least five school students were killed and four others suffered critical injuries after being run over by a speeding truck on a national highway in Odisha's Bhadrak district on Thursday.
Hry CM sanctions Rs 9 crore under Road Safety Fund
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has sanctioned Rs 9 crore under the Road Safety Fund for procurement of state-of-the-art equipment and vehicles to prevent fatalities in road accidents, check drunken driving and overspeeding, and upgrading the e-challan system. As many as 61 alco-sensors, 402 e-challan machines, 12 each of interceptor vehicles, small and big cranes would be procured with the funds. This will help in strengthening the police machinery as well as check and bring the habitual traffic violaters to books, Director General of Police B S Sandhu said here today. In addition to these, reflective jackets and angles, face masks, bar lights, large and effective barricades and traffic helmets would be purchased and traffic awareness seminars and workshops organised in the districts, he said. "At present, 248 alco-sensors are available with the police to deal with drunken drivers. Now, 61 more would be procured," Sandhu added. The DGP said 402 e-challan machines would ...
Central team to visit Kerala for assessing rain damage
Even as the death toll in Kerala due to rains climbed to 17 with the recovery of one more body, the Centre on Thursday assured that a central team will soon visit the state to assess the damage caused in at least eight districts.
Over Rs 17k cr disbursed under rural drinking water scheme in last 3 years: Min
More than Rs 17,000 crore has been disbursed by the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation under the National Rural Drinking Water programme in the last three years, the government said today. The Union Minister of State for Drinking Water and Sanitation, Ramesh Jigajinagi also informed the Lok Sabha that an additional Rs 1,966 crore has been disbursed for the current year. The National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP) was launched under Bharat Nirman by the UPA government in 2009 with an objective of providing safe and adequate drinking water supply through hand-pumps, piped water supply to all rural areas, households and persons. The ministry released Rs 4, 264 crore in 2015-16, Rs 5,931 crore in 2016-17, and in 2017-18, it disbursed Rs 6,989 crore to the states under the NRDWP. The NRDWP is a centrally sponsored scheme with 50-50 fund sharing between the Centre and states.
14 killed, 17 hurt as bus rolls down gorge in Uttarakhand's Tehri; second such incident in state this month
An Uttarakhand Roadways bus rolled down a 250-metre deep gorge around 15 kilometre from Chamba in Tehri district early today killing fourteen persons, including two women, and injuring seventeen others, officials said. The ill-fated bus was on way to Haridwar from Bhatwari when it met with the accident, the second such tragedy in the hill state this month. The accident occurred near Kirgani on the Chamba-Uttarkashi highway at around 8.20am today when the bus plunged into a 250-metre deep gorge killing thirteen persons on the spot and and leaving eighteen injured, Tehri District Magistrate Sonika said. One of the injured persons died at a hospital during treatment, she added. There were 31 passengers, mostly locals, in the bus when the accident took place, she said. Seventeen of the injured were under treatment at different hospitals, officials said. Eleven people, who sustained serious injuries, were flown in choppers to AIIMS, Rishikesh, while the rest were under treatment at ...
4 school children killed, 5 injured as truck runs over them in Odisha
At least four school children were killed and five others seriously injured when a speeding truck ran over them on the National Highway-16 in Odisha's Bhadrak district today, an official said. The accident took place near Rahanja village when the children were returning home on bicycles from Ranitel High School. "We have received the report of death of four children and injury of five others. We are making arrangement for treatment of the injured children," Bhadrak district Collector Gyana Das told reporters. The injured students were admitted to district headquarters hospital in a critical condition. Angry local people set fire to the truck which hit the children and put up a road blockade demanding action against the culprits and compensation to the victims' families, Bhadrak SP Battula Gangadhar said. Hundreds of vehicles were stranded near the accident site on the highway, connecting Chennai and Kolkata. The driver and cleaner of the truck fled after the accident, police ...
Alert sounded for heavy rains in Uttarakhand
An alert for heavy rains has been sounded in Uttarakhand for the next 36 hours, an official said on Thursday.
Buildings' collapse: Death toll 9, search underway
The death toll in the collapse of two buildings in Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh climbed to nine on Thursday as five more bodies were removed from under the debris. Authorities continued with the search for any survivor/body.