Page 652 - Disaster Accident
Flood alert issued to people living along banks of the Cauvery
A flood alert has been issued to people living on the banks of the Cauvery from Mettur to Edapadi in Salem district, following the release of one lakh cusecs of water from Karnataka, officials said today. Residents living on the banks have been asked to move to safer places and also to protect their belonging as the river is expected to be in spate due to heavy inflow from the neighbouring state, Salem district collector Rohini said. There is also the possibility of water from Hogenakkal, which is also receiving copious water, entering Cauvery river and people in low lying areas have been advised to move to safety, she said. In case of emergency, people can contact phone number 1077, the alert said. The Mettur dam level today stood at 83.2 feet against the full level of 120 feet official sources said. A flood alert has been in force for the last six days for those living on the banks of Bhavani river near Mettupalayam in Coimbatore district due to release of nearly 7000 .
Couple killed in J&K accident
A couple was killed and their three children injured on Sunday in a road accident in Jammu and Kashmir's Doda district, police said.
Winds, rain hindering rescue operations to trace 7 missing in AP boat capsize
Surging river water, coupled with rain and strong winds, hampered operations to trace seven people, most of them teenagers, who have gone missing after a boat capsized in the Gautami river in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, officials said today. As many as 20 teams of rescue personnel, including Navy divers, have fanned out in the river from the accident spot at Pasuvullanka up to Yanam coast, both upstream and downstream, and are continuing the search. "Our operations are hampered by strong winds and rain. Besides, water level in the river has also risen by three feet due to heavy discharge of water from the Godavari. Still, we are carrying out the search," National Disaster Response Force Deputy Commander Madhusudan Reddy said. A Navy helicopter has been positioned at Rajamahendravaram for the search operation and it will be deployed once the weather clears, the State Disaster Management Authority said. The SDMA informed in a communique here that six girls and a woman were
NDRF trains over 66 lakh in disaster resilience
Over 66 lakh people across the country have been imparted basic disaster preparedness and combat training by the NDRF till now as part of its efforts to create effective response against calamities like earthquakes and floods, a latest data has said. The premier disaster response force conducts four types of awareness modules -- community awareness programmes, school safety programmes, familiarisation exercises and mock drills -- round the year. The data accessed by PTI stated that a total of 66,27,069 people were the beneficiaries of these programmes organised in all the regions of the country since the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) was raised in 2006. A total of 1,0193 sessions were held during the same period by the force, the data said. NDRF Director General Sanjay Kumar said the aim of the exercises is to make a disaster-resilient society and prepare the local population in effectively tackling any kind of a man-made or natural calamity. "Over 66 lakh people from across
Making contaminated water potable -- at just 50 paise a litre
An innovative approach is underway in this Bihar district to make contaminated water potable -- with the active participation of private players in coordination with state agencies.
33 injured after loss of cabin pressure forces emergency landing in Germany
Thirty-three people were injured after the cabin of a Ryanair flight depressurized, leading the plane to plunge 9,000 meters and forcing an emergency landing at Frankfurt-Hahn Airport, Germany's Federal Police said on Saturday.
Six missing after country boat capsized
Six people, five girls and a woman, were missing after a country boat they were travelling in capsized in river Gautami in Andhra Pradesh's East Godavari district this evening, an official communique said. The AP State Disaster Management Authority said 26 passengers of the boat were rescued but two of them were hospitalised with injuries. Thirty-two passengers were travelling in the boat that was on its way from Saladivari Palem to Pasuvullanka when it capsized after colliding with a pier of an under-construction bridge, it said. The number of fatalities was yet to be confirmed, the SDMA said. A 30-member team from the State Disaster Response and Fire Services Department began a search operation at the accident spot using boats and high-powered lamps. A 22-member team of the State Disaster Response Force from Kakinada was also taking part in the operation while NDRF teams from Kakinada and Visakhapatnam were also joining with necessary equipment, the SDMA said. East Godavari District
U'khand: Passengers to charged during rescue operations
Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority on Saturday issued a notification that stated the passengers would be charged availing helicopters during rescue operations at the time of disasters.Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority, in its notification, said that the charges for the normal passengers availing helicopters in Pithoragarh during rescue operations at the time of disaster, will be fixed Rs 3,100 (including GST) per person.The order has been approved by the Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat.The notification also directed that the charges should be implemented with immediate effect.This is the first time any state has issued an order to charge people during rescue operations.
6 missing after boat capsizes in Andhra Pradesh
Six people went missing after a boat, which was travelling from Talarivaripalem to Pashuvulanka, capsized in the East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, on Saturday.The boat, which was carrying around 32 people, rammed into a pillar of an under construction bridge.26 people are safe, out of which two are hospitalised, while six people are reportedly missing.Teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response (SDRF), Fire Department, and Indian Navy have reached the spot of the accident.The rescue operations are underway.The boat was carrying mostly students, under the age of 15.Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu expressed his shock over the incident and ordered Chief Minister's Office secretary Adusumilli V. Rajamouli to monitor and review the rescue operations.East Godavari district collector is also present at the spot.
Western Railway begins safety audit of bridges in Mumbai
Western Railway has started inspecting bridges above its tracks as part of a safety audit that was ordered by Railway Minister Piyush Goyal following the collapse of a portion of a bridge at Andheri station on July 3. A WR statement informed that the audit began yesterday with a tower wagon being used for the purpose that reduced the time for such bridge inspection from four hours, by the conventional method using ladders, to two hours. The audit is being conducted jointly by personnel from the Railways and Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and experts from IIT-Bombay. WR chief spokesperson Ravinder Bhakar said that the Mahalaxmi Road Overbridge, built in 1920, was inspected yesterday, by senior WR officials including general manager AK Gupta, and it was found to be structurally sound and safe. He added that Bandra-Kalanagar ROB, built in 1961, was also inspected in the early hours of today. This bridge too, he said, was found to be structurally sound. The WR statement .
DGCA to soon approve restart of wide-body aircraft ops at Calicut airport, says Prabhu
Aviation regulator DGCA is expected to soon approve resumption of wide-body aircraft operations at Calicut airport, Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu said today. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) had suspended wide-body aircraft operations at Calicut airport in May 2015, following a directive from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) citing safety concerns. "Recd. numerous representations for restarting Wide-body aircraft operations at Calicut airport (stopped in May 2015 due to safety concerns). On assuming charge as minister in March 2018, I had asked AAI to upgrade the infrastructure & directed DGCA to expedite the approval," Prabhu said in a tweet today. "Happy to inform that AAI has completed all requirements and DGCA approval is expected very soon. Safety and passenger convenience both continue to be my highest priorities," the minister said in another tweet. In April 2017, a team of of civil aviation department officials had visited the Calicut airport ..
10 killed in Myanmar landslide
At least 10 people were killed in a massive landslide in Myanmar's Kachin state on Saturday.
Passenger fury at Ryanair after pressure drop forces landing
Passengers of budget airline Ryanair expressed anger today over the way the company treated them following an unscheduled landing in Germany that forced dozens to seek hospital treatment. In interviews with German and Irish media, passengers described moments of terror as their plane flying from Dublin to Zadar, Croatia, late yesterday descended suddenly, following what Ryanair said was a drop in cabin pressure. Oxygen masks fell from the ceiling and passengers reported feeling intense pain in their ears until the plane levelled off and landed at Frankfurt-Hahn airport. Minerva Galvan Domenech from Spain told news website Spiegel Online that passengers, some of them bleeding from their ears, mouth or nose, had to wait 45 minutes before being allowed to leave the plane. German police said 33 of the 189 passengers on board were taken to a nearby hospital after complaining of headaches, ear pain and nausea. All were able to leave again by this morning. Passenger Conor Brennan told the .
HC notice to TN Govt, NHAI on cattle menace on highways
The Madras High Court has issued notice to the Tamil Nadu government and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) on a PIL against cattle menace on highways. A division bench comprising justices T S Sivagnanam and Bhavani Subbaroyan issued notice on a PIL from Abinand Sreedhar. "In our view the prayer as couched is inappropriate and cannot be granted. This is so because it is not the authorities who are permitting the cattle grazing. It is the villagers adjacent to national and state highways who bring their cattle and at times the cattle stray into the highways," the bench observed. Therefore, petitioner cannot seek a direction to the respondents to stop cattle grazing as they have not permitted it, the bench said. The bench observed, "We might have been well justified in rejecting the writ petition. However, taking note of the concern explained by the petitioner, refrained from doing so, and grant liberty to the petitioner to give suggestions to the authorities." Liberty is ..
Minister visits tribal village after reports of diarrhoea
Maharashtra Water Resources Minister Girish Mahajan today visited Rahude village in Surgana tehsil of the district, where four persons reportedly died last week following a diarrhoea epidemic. Mahajan is also the guardian minister for the district. A government release said that water in a village well had got contaminated, possibly due to drain water flowing into it. Nearly 100 persons from the village, which is predominantly tribal, contracted diarrhoea after drinking the water, it said. However, those who died last week were suffering from other diseases, the release said. The minister directed the officials to make alternative arrangement for drinking water and ensure medical treatment for those ailing.
Seven missing after boat capsizes in AP river
Seven persons are missing after a country boat carrying 30 people capsized in the Gautami river in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh today. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said 23 passengers have been rescued while search is on for the remaining. Naidu said the boat was carrying 30 people, mostly students, when it capsized after colliding with a pier of a bridge under construction. A search and rescue operation is on in the river Gautami, a tributary of the Godavari, officials said. National Disaster Response Force and the State Disaster Response Force from Rajamahendravaram and Visakhapatnam have been deployed for the rescue operation along with police and revenue personnel. The boat was en route to Saladivari Palem from Pasuvullanka when the mishap occurred this evening. As the river was in spate, the water was swirling, making the boat movement unstable, a senior official of the State Disaster Management Department here said. It hit a pier of the bridge that .
Bihar project promises drinking water at 50 paise per litre
An innovative cost-effective drinking water project in Bihar promises to lower the price of one-litre bottle to 50 paise. The project launched on Saturday in Darbhanga by Sulabh International will convert contaminated pond water into safe drinking water.
Dozens injured as Ryanair flight loses cabin pressure
More than 30 passengers on a Ryanair flight, some bleeding from their ears, were reportedly taken to hospital after the cabin became depressurised and the plane had to make an emergency landing in Frankfurt.
Four missing after boat capsizes in Andhra
Four persons went missing while about 20 others were rescued after a boat capsized in Godavari River in Andhra Pradesh on Saturday, eye-witnesses said.
Nepal monsoon death toll rises to 56
The death toll in floods and landslides caused by torrential rains across Nepal since the beginning of monsoon season has risen to 56, the Ministry of Home Affairs said on Saturday.