Page 648 - Disaster Accident
Odisha prepared for flood-like situation, says minister
The incessant rain in the past 48 hours, measuring up to 297 mm, could lead to floods in Odisha but the state is well equipped to handle such a situation, its minister has said. "Of the 30 districts of the state, 26 districts have received heavy rainfall in the past two days leading to flood-like situation in major rivers. The district collectors have been asked to remain alert for possible flood," Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Maheswar Mohanty told reporters here. Stating that only four districts -- Deogarh, Sundergarh, Kendrapara and Gajapati -- received low rainfall, the minister claimed that the govenrment machinery is well prepared to face a possible flood-like situation. However, the Special Relief Commissioner's (SRC) office maintained that there is least possibility of any major flood this time as the heavy rains have stopped as the low pressure has weakened. However, the IMD has warned heavy rainfall for two more days in four districts. According to .
Odisha prepared to tackle flood-like situation
The Odisha government on Tuesday said it is well prepared to face a possible flood-like situation in the state following heavy downpour for the last two days.
5 killed in S.Korea's military copter crash
Five soldiers were killed and one was injured in a military helicopter crash on Tuesday in South Korea's Pohang city, authorities said.
Flooding kills 49 in northern Nigeria
Flooding caused by torrential rains on Nigeria's border with Niger has left 49 people dead and another 20 missing, the emergency services said on today. Five villages in Jibia district were affected after a river burst its banks after hours of heavy rains overnight Sunday, Aminu Waziri, the head of the Katsina state emergency management agency, told AFP. "We have recovered 49 dead bodies from the five villages and we are still searching for 20 others," he added. Twenty-four of the victims were washed away by to Mada Rumfa and Kantumi villages in neighbouring Niger. "Some of the victims were pulled from the rubble of their collapsed homes," said Waziri. More than 2,000 people displaced by the flooding were sheltering in primary schools in Jibia, while 27 injured had been taken to hospital. "The state government has released relief materials for the affected persons and we have also asked for intervention from the national emergency management agency." Flooding is common in many parts .
Two dead, 3,500 relocated as rains lash parts of Gujarat
Two persons, including a school boy, drowned as incessant rains lashed Saurashtra and south Gujarat regions, with Gir Somnath being among the worst-affected districts in the state, officials said today. According to the officials, 3,500 people have been shifted to safer places in different districts of the state. Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, who flew to Gir Somnath from Gandhinagar to hold a review meeting with district officials, was forced to return as the helicopter could not land at the Keshod air strip due to bad weather, an official said. He was later flown in a special Air Force helicopter. One Devendra Chavda (18) drowned in flood waters last night near Bhupgat town in Rajkot district, and efforts were on to trace his body, a Fire department official said. Sandeep Rathod (7) was washed by the rising waters of the Mini river when he was crossing it on his way back home from his school near Angadh village in Vadodara district, a Nandesari police station official said. "The ...
Kerala rains: Over 34,000 people housed in relief camps
Nearly 34,000 people have been shifted to relief camps after flood water inundated low-lying areas due to heavy rains that have lashed Kerala for the past one week. A total of 34,693 people from 8,033 families were shifted to 265 relief camps he across the state, the control room monitoring rain-related incidents said. At least 12 people have died and six reported missing in rain-related incidents after the monsoon became active on July 9. In the second spell of rains, around 36 houses were completely destroyed while 1,214 suffered partial damage, officials said. Control room officials said the flood water has not yet receded in several places. Many parts of Kottayam and Alappuzha districts were still under flood water. Educational institutions in these two districts remained shut today. Road traffic continued to be hit in some parts of the state due to water-logging. Rains are expected to continue till July 19.
Five dead in S Korea military helicopter crash
Five people were killed and one injured when a South Korean military helicopter crashed today at a marine base in the country's southeast, the defence ministry said. The helicopter crashed and caught fire during a test flight after repairs at the base in the port city of Pohang, the ministry said in a statement. "Five of the six crew members on board were killed and the remaining one has been taken to hospital due to injury," it said. The ministry said an investigation into the cause would be launched but did not specify whether all victims were soldiers. The helicopter was a domestically made model known as the MUH-1 or Marineon, Yonhap news agency said.
Indian navy rescues 2 crew members stranded in Indonesian dock
The Indian Navy today rescued two crew members stranded inside an Indonesian floating dock which got grounded off Thottappally beach in Alappuzha district, a Defence spokesman said here today. The floating dry dock, Al Fattan, coming from Sabang in Indonesia and headed to Abu Dhabi had got grounded off Thottappally beach two days ago. There was a request for assistance with rescue of two crew members stranded inside. An Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) from Indian Naval Air Squadron 322 was launched by Southern Naval Command to evacuate the Indonesian crew members. They were brought to INS Garuda and handed over to Coast Guard and civil administration for emigration formalities, the spokesman said. He said the rescue operation was not easy due to the prevailing adverse weather conditions. Strong winds and rain were a major impediment in operations at sea. The spokesman also said the operation was "an example of jointmanship" as the rescue operation was carried out on the
Nowhere to run: Rohingya hunker down as monsoon arrives
The hill on which the young woman's shelter is being built is so unstable that the earth crumbles under your feet. The threat of landslides is so dire that her neighbors have evacuated. Though living here could spell doom as the monsoon rains fall, she will live here anyway. For Mustawkima, a Rohingya woman who fled Myanmar for the refugee camps of neighbouring Bangladesh, there is no other option. Hers is a dilemma repeated over and over for many of the 900,000 Rohingya refugees living in ramshackle huts across this unsteady landscape: With the long-dreaded monsoon season now upon them, they have run out of places to run. For months, officials raced to relocate the most at-risk families to safer areas that had been bulldozed flat, but there simply isn't enough available land. Most refugees believe it is too dangerous to return to Myanmar, where the military launched a brutal campaign of violence against the minority Rohingya Muslims last year. And so, as the rains begin to flood ...
India accounts for 1/5th of global deaths from floods
Mumbai, July 17 (IndiaSpend/IANS) India accounts for one-fifth of global deaths due to floods, according to government data that lends perspective to a new World Bank study that says climate change will lower the standards of living of nearly half of the countrys population by 2050.
Woman injured in waterfall accident dies, toll climbs to 8
A 50-year-old woman, who was injured in the Siar Baba waterfall accident in the district, today succumbed to injuries at a hospital in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir, taking the death toll in the incident to eight, officials said. A huge boulder had rolled down a 100-feet high waterfall at Talwara village, killing seven persons and injuring 33 others on Sunday last. The incident had happened when a large number of people, mostly from Jammu district, had gathered at the picnic spot and some of them were taking a bath under the waterfall. Babli Devi, a resident of Gangyal and one of the critically injured persons, succumbed to injuries at the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Narayana Superspeciality Hospital at Kakryal near Katra this morning, the officials said. All the 33 injured were admitted to hospital on Sunday evening and being provided free treatment by the shrine board. Of them, five of the seriously injured are recuperating in Intensive Care Units while four of whom were operated ..
Guatemala volcano eruption toll reaches 116
The death toll from the eruption of Guatemala's Fuego volcano on June 3 has risen to 116, authorities said.
Lava bomb hits Hawaii tour boat, 23 injured
At least 23 people were injured when a lava bomb hit a tour boat in Hawaii, according to fire officials.
23 injured after lava bomb hits Hawaii tour boat
At least 23 people were wounded after lava struck the roof of a tour boat in Hawaii."Hilo Medical Center confirmed13 passengers were treated at the hospital, and another 10 passengers with superficial injuries were treated on arrival at Wailoa Harbor," reported CNN.According to the report, one woman was in serious condition with a fractured femur, while others suffered burns and gashes on their legs.There were about 49 people found aboard a boat reportedly, however, the numbers are not confirmed.The lava is from Hawaii's Kilauea volcano, which erupted in early May.An investigation into the matter is underway.
Cuba plane crash caused by human error: company
A plane crash that killed 112 people in Cuba on May 18 was caused by human error, the Mexican company that owned the jet said today. Global Air, whose operations were suspended by the Mexican authorities over the accident, said a study by international experts of the black boxes from the Boeing 737 had found that the pilots' take-off was too steep. "The data reveal that the crew took off at a very pronounced angle of ascent, creating a lack of lift that caused the aircraft to crash," the company said in a statement on Twitter. The small firm, which was founded in 1990, said it "has been assuming its responsibilities to the victims of this tragic accident." Former employees of the airline have accused it of operating decrepit planes, failing to maintain them adequately and putting lives at risk with practices such as night flights without radar. However, the company said such allegations were being fabricated by disgruntled employees, and called for its operating license to be ...
'Lava bomb' from Hawaii volcano injures 23 on boat
A projectile from the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii struck a boat carrying people watching lava from the two- month-old eruption, injuring 23, the fire department said. Thirteen of them required hospitalization and the rest were treated at a harbor when the boat engaged in a "lava tour" returned to the Big Island, also known as Hawaii. Lava flowing into the Pacific is a spectacular sight, producing a foggy haze known in Hawaii as "laze." One woman was in serious condition with a fractured femur. The total number of people on the boat was not immediately known, the Hawaii County Fire Department said. In the early morning incident a "lava bomb" punctured the roof of the boat and damaged a railing, the department said. It gave no further details. "It was an explosion, basically," said Janet Snyder, a spokeswoman for the county mayor, told the Tribune Herald newspaper. "It punctured a hole right through the roof of the boat." She described the boat as "covered with lava." The eruption has ...
Gujarat floods: NDRF pressed into action
The heavy rainfall in monsoon season is creating flood -like situations, resulting in untoward incidents like boat capsize and drowning at some places.National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams which are pre-positioned in flood-prone areas are relentlessly engaged to assist the administration in rescue and evacuation work.An NDRF team pre-positioned at Gir Somnath (Gujarat) commenced rescue and evacuation operations at Girgodada Railway Station, Gir Somnath where several persons got stuck in four bogies of a local train due to water-logging at railway track.So far, 252 persons have been evacuated to safer places.One NDRF team conducted rescue and evacuation work at Sant Nagar Colony, Surat, Gujarat where heavy rains lashed low lying areas and stranded several people. The team evacuated 85 persons to safer places.NDRF team deployed in Valsad (Gujarat) for emergency response has been relentlessly engaged in evacuation work at Bander Road, Valsad city and Kashmir Nagar with full zeal .
Govt says DGCA to regulate air traffic controllers after fall in ICAO audit score
With India's score falling in the latest UN aviation watchdog ICAO's air safety oversight audit, the government today said it would soon empower the DGCA to regulate air traffic controllers. The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) carried out the Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme for India in November 2017 and another team of the watchdog came in February this year. The audit result showed that the country's score declined to 57.44 per cent from 65.82 per cent earlier, placing India below Pakistan, Nepal and many other nations. The decline was mainly due to ratings of air traffic controllers being given by the Airports Authority of India (AAI), which is also the provider of air traffic control services, the officials said. During a late evening briefing here today, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha, Civil Aviation Secretary R N Choubey and senior DGCA officials emphasised that there are no safety concerns for the country's civil aviation ...
Search operation still on to trace missing girl's body
: Braving harsh weather, more than 235 personnel belonging to various agencies carried out a day-long search operation for the second consecutive day today and fished out the body of a girl from river Godavari. The bodies of five more girls who too drowned in the river after their boat capsized on Saturday evening are still missing. While the body of a 35-year-old woman was retrieved last evening, that of the girl was traced near Tallarevu today. The girl has not yet been identified, the State Disaster Management Authority said in a release. Deep divers from the Indian Navy were taking part in the operation along with NDRF, SDRF and other personnel. A Navy helicopter has also been pressed into service to carry out the search. In all seven persons, including six children below the age of 15, were washed away in river Gautami a tributary of Godavari when the country boat they were traveling in capsized after colliding with the pier of a bridge under construction. About ..
53 trapped in flood waters in AP river rescued
A group of 53 people engaged in sand mining got trapped in flood waters in a river following opening of a barrage in Srikakulam district and were rescued today after spending nightmarish hours perched atop lorries, police said. All were rescued and ten lorries pulled out to safety in an operation involving the personnel of the national and state disaster response forces, fire service and police and using drones to locate the marooned, they said. The workers and drivers of the ten lorries from here had gone to the sand reach in Vamsadhara River near Purushottapuram area last night for loading sand when the water was below knee level. They were caught unawares as water was released from nearby Gotta Barrage following heavy inflows in view of rains in catchment areas in Odisha. Srikakulam Superintendent of Police C M Trivikrama Varma said irrigation officials released 30,000 cusecs of water from the barrage and the discharge soon led to substantial rise in water level at ..