Page 650 - Disaster Accident
Georgia mine explosion kills four
Four miners died and six were injured in an explosion at a coal mine in western Georgia today, officials said. The accident happened at the Mindeli mine in the western city of Tqibuli, the head of local police, Besik Amiranashvili, said. "A methane gas explosion at the mine" was to blame, deputy of Tqibuli's city council, David Katamadze, said in televised remarks. Georgia's Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze offered condolences to the victims' families and declared today a day of mourning in the country of 3.8 million people. "A decision has been taken to close the mine pending investigation" into the cause of the latest accident, he said in a statement. Mining unions and labour rights groups have long complained about poor safety standards at Georgia's coal mines, where fatal accidents are common as many mines still use outdated Soviet-era equipment. In April, six miners died and three were injured when the roof collapsed at the Mindeli mine.
Cygnus spacecraft leaves ISS after giving orbital boost
A Cygnus cargo spacecraft left the International Space Station (ISS), after raising the station's altitude by about 282 feet (86 meters), the media reported.
Landslide forces closure of new route to Vaishno Devi shrine
A landslide today struck the Tarakote Marg, the new seven-km track to the Vaishno Devi shrine in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir, forcing its closure, a senior police officer said. However, no one was injured in the incident, Senior Superintendent of Police, Reasi, Tahir Sajad Bhat said. He said the landslide occurred along the new track near Himkoti and efforts were on to clear the debris. The new track was formally inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 19. Officials said the landslide triggered by rains hit the track around 8 am, causing some damage to the infrastructure. The new track between Banganga and Adhkuwari was approved by the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board in February 2011 to decongest the rush of pilgrims on the existing six-km track. Almost the entire track has been covered with sturdy shelter sheds to protect pilgrims against shooting stones and rain. Pilgrimage to the cave shrine atop the Trikuta hills was going on smoothly from the traditional ...
Landslide hits new Vaishno Devi track
A landslide has occurred near Himkoti on the new track to visit Mata Vaishno Devi shrine early Monday morning.No injuries to any of the pilgrims have been reported.The track has been temporarily closed for pilgrims.On July 15, a landslide in Seher Baba waterfall near Reasi district, killed five people and injured 29 others.Earlier on July 12, 13 Amarnath Yatra pilgrims were injured after the tempo they were travelling in crashed into a parked truck near Birma Bridge in Udhampur.
Heavy rains lash Kolhapur, woman killed in house wall collapse
A 32-year-old woman was killed when a wall of her house collapsed after heavy rain in the district this morning, an official said. The victim and her other family members were asleep when the wall of their house in Herle village collapsed around 5 am. The woman died in the mishap, while her husband and two minor children sustained injuries and were admitted to a hospital, the official at the collector's office said. Heavy rains lashed Kolhapur since early this morning, throwing normal life out of gear. The Panchaganga river was flowing above the warning mark while water from the Chandoli dam was discharged after its level rose alarmingly, the official said. The road adjoining the Gaganbawada town was flooded and closed for traffic, he said. Due to the heavy rains, various dams in the district were filling up fast and some were already filled to their maximum live storage capacity, he added.
TN CM announces solatium to kin of journalist
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami today condoled the death of a city-based woman journalist who was killed in a road accident. Palaniswami also announced a solatium of Rs three lakh to the family of the victim, Shalini (24). The deceased, who was employed with a Tamil TV channel was killed yesterday when the car she and her friends were travelling in overturned after the driver lost control. The incident took place on the Madurai-Dindigul road when the victim and her friends were on their way to Chennai after attending a personal engagement in Dindigul district. In a statement, the Chief Minister expressed his sympathies to the family of Shalini and the organisation where she was employed and also announced financial relief to the next of kin. The relief will be paid from the Chief Minister's Public Relief Fund (CMPRF), he added. Meanwhile, DMK Working President MK Stalin and Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) leader T T V Dhinakaran also condoled the death of ...
George Clooney walks unassisted after scooter crash
Actor-director George Clooney arrived here and crossed the airport runway unassisted just a few days after a scooter crash.
Ker rains: Rail, road traffic hit, educational institutions in 8 districts shut
Rail and road traffic were hit in various parts of Kerala today due to waterlogging as heavy rains continued to pound the state with the South West Monsoon becoming active again. In the second spell of rains due to the South West monsoon, 11 people have been killed since July 9, according to the state control room, which is monitoring rain-related incidents. Several low-lying areas are inundated and roads are cut off, it said. Due to waterlogging on rail tracks, signalling system has been affected and at least eight passenger trains have been cancelled and some others are running late in the Ernakulam-Thiruvananthapuram route. Kerala State Road Transport Corporation bus station here is also waterlogged, disrupting services, it said. Educational institutions in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathnamthitta, Alapuzha, Kottayam, Idukki, Ernakulam and Thrissur districts are closed today as district collectors declared a holiday due to heavy rains. Kerala University has postponed all its ...
Fierce heatwave hits Japan flood recovery
A blistering heatwave smothered swathes of flood-hit western Japan today, hampering clean-up efforts as survivors and relief workers toil in stifling temperatures a week after devastating inundations that killed more than 200 people. Tens of thousands of rescue workers are still digging through the debris for bodies after Japan's worst weather-related disaster in over three decades, which saw record downpours spark flash flooding and landslides across the region. The toll of 219 is expected to continue to rise, with at least 21 still missing, while the punishing heatwave has pushed the thermometre above 35C (95F) and raised fears for vulnerable people. Some 4,700 survivors were forced to evacuate the disaster area, where homes were reduced to rubble by the floods and landslides. Many remain in shelters, while others have been left without water supply. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga warned survivors, volunteers and the 64,000 rescue workers in the disaster zone of the dangers .
2 killed, 12 injured in lightning strikes in Ganjam district
At least two persons were killed and 12 others injured when lightning struck them at Mahaguda in Odisha's Ganjam district, police said today. The victims were working in paddy fields on the outskirts of the village located under the jurisdiction of Bhanjanagar police station yesterday afternoon when lighting struck, they said. They were rushed to the sub divisional hospital at Bhanjangara where two of them were declared "brought dead" by doctors, police said. The deceased, both women, were identified as Runu Gouda and Latika Gouda of the same village.
Man killed, another injured in accident
A man was killed and another injured critically after iron railings at a road divider pierced his body following an accident in Sodala area of the city, the police said today. The incident occurred near Purani Chungi on the Ajmer road when a speeding car lost control and hit the road divider. The impact of the collision was such that iron railings at the road divider pierced the car. One of the angles also pierced the body of Dilip from near his abdomen. It took almost one and half hours to cut the angle, SHO of Sodala Police Station Ramavtar Singh Takhar said. Sagarmal died on the spot while Dilip is admitted to SMS Hospital, he said.
Travis Barker's car collides with school bus
Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker is reportedly uninjured after his car was hit by a school bus.
Andhra: SDRF, fire dept. team rescue 55 people trapped in flood water
The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and fire department team on Monday rescued at least 55 people, who were trapped following release of flood water from Vamsadhra river Gotta Barrage, in Srikakulam district.With immediate effect, SDRF and fire department rushed to the spot and rescued all, who were trapped.The operation has ended now.Further details are awaited.
U'khand: Cloudburst damages houses, vehicles
Houses and vehicles have been severely damaged after acloudburst in Kundi village of Chamoli district, Uttarakhand in the early hours of Monday.The cloudburst has damaged the houses of three villagers, 10 shops, seven vehicles, and three bikes.The civil administration has reached the site.Cattle belonging to more than 30 villagers have been reported to be buried under the debris.District Magistrate Ashish Joshi called for an emergency meeting with district-level Incident Response System (IRS) officers at 4 AM in the morning to review the situation.IRS teams in Tharali have been directed to carry out rescue operations with immediate effect.The cloudburst happened around 3 AM in the morning.On July 11, seven people died in the state capital, Dehradun due to heavy rains.
Cloudburst in Chamoli district, many houses, shops washed away
Nearly a dozen houses, ten shops and six vehicleswere swept away following a cloudburst in Tharali and Ghat areas of Chamoli distrtict early today, officials said. No casualties have been reported. Over ten shops and six vehicles were washed away after a cloudburst flooded Pranmati River on way to Ratgaon in Dharbagad area of Tharali at around 3 am, the District Disaster Management Centre in Chamoli said. Heavy rains also caused landslides in Dhurma-Kundi village in Ghat area of the district where muck and rubble swept away five cowsheds and as many houses, an official spokesman in Dehradun said. There were also reports of seven houses being washed away in Maukh Malla village of Serabagad area of Chamoli. Relief and rescue teams havebeen rushed to affected areas, Chamoli District Magistrate Ashish Joshi said. The Badrinath Highway was also blocked for some time this morning at Lambagad, Pipalkoti and Gauchar due to heavy rains. The highway at Pipalkopti has been opened while JCBs are .
18 killed in Pakistan accident
At least 18 people were killed and 30 others injured on Monday in a road accident in Pakistan's Sindh province, police said.
UP Roadways bus on way to Delhi catches fire, none injured
An Uttar Pradesh Roadways bus caught fire near Sindhawli Bridge on Delhi-Haridwar National highway in this district today, but no one was injure in the incident, the police said. The incident occurred this morning when the bus was going to Delhi from Haridwar, a police official said. All the passengers managed to get down the bus safely before fire engulfed the whole vehicle, the police said, adding it seems that a short-circuit led to the fire.
18 killed in road accident in Pakistan
At least 18 people were killed and another 30 hospitalised after a road accident early today in Pakistan's southern province of Sindh, police and rescue officials said. The accident took place when a speedy trailer rammed into a bus, carrying people from a wedding party, in Hala area of Hyderabad district, the police said. The bus had stopped on the National Highway to change a deflated tyre when the speeding trailer bumped into it from behind, they said. The police said 18 people were killed in the accident. Officials at the Edhi ambulance service said that they shifted 30 injured to Hala and Hyderabad civil hospitals. Road accidents are common in Pakistan. Most of them are caused due to reckless driving and bad roads.
Heavy rains in Kerala disrupts normal life
Heavy rains pounded Kerala on Monday disrupting normal life with more rainfall predicted till Wednesday, weather officials said.
5 killed in S.Africa mine fire
At least five miners in South Africa were killed following an underground fire, the government said, while a rescue operation was ongoing for the sole survivor. A conveyor belt at a mine operated by Palabora Copper in northeastern Limpopo province caught fire, trapping the six staff underground, the company said in a statement yesterday. "Five employees have now been confirmed dead at Palabora Mining. The search for one employee continues," wrote South Africa's Department of Mineral Resources on its Twitter account. "An investigation will commence once the last remaining employee is found and the fire underground has been contained and the area declared safe." In its statement, Palabora Copper said that "mine management, officials from the Department of Mineral Resources and organised labour are currently on the mine investigating the cause of the incident". South Africa has been rocked by several fatal accidents at its economically vital mines since the beginning of the year. Four ...