Page 654 - Disaster Accident
Report on Kurangani Hills wild fire submitted
Four months after a forest fire killed 22 trekkers in Kurangani hills, the inquiry report on the circumstances leading to the tragedy was submitted by a senior IAS official to Chief Minister K Palaniswami today. Revenue and Disaster Management Principal Secretary Atulya Misra, who probed the wild fire, submitted the report, official sources said. The contents of the report are not known immediately. The tragedy occurred on March 11 when two groups of people -- 24 from Chennai and 12 from Tirupur and Erode districts -- were returning after trekking expeditions to the Kurangani Hills in the Western ghats falling under Theni district, over 540 km from here. A wild forest fire engulged the hills, killing 11 of the trekkers while as many succumbed to injuries at various hospitals in subsequent days. The trekkers included 25 women and three children. On March 14, the state government had named Misra as the enquiry officer to probe the wild fire, asking him to look into the ...
Huge iceberg near Greenland village sparks flooding fears
A massive iceberg drifting near the coast of Greenland has triggered fears of flooding if it breaks up, leading the authorities to evacuate a high-risk zone. The authorities have urged residents of the Innarsuit island settlement with houses on a promontory to move away from the shore over fears that the iceberg, which was spotted yesterday, could swamp the area. "We fear the iceberg could calve and send a flood towards the village," Lina Davidsen, a security chief at the Greenland police, told Danish news agency Ritzau today. The settlement in northwestern Greenland has 169 inhabitants, but only those living closest to the iceberg have been evacuated, Ritzau reported. "The iceberg is still near the village and the police are now discussing what do to next," Kunuk Frediksen, a police chief in the Danish autonomous territory, told AFP. The incident comes weeks after scientists at New York University shot and released a video of a massive iceberg breaking free from a glacier in eastern
Delhi-NCR witness heavy rains, causing water-logging, traffic snarls
Heavy rains pounded several parts of the National capital including the National Capital Region (NCR) on Friday bringing the much-needed respite from the scorching heat.Though, the heavy downpour also caused water-logging in various areas of the city like Udyog Bhawan and Akbar Road, hampering the traffic.The Delhi Secretariat also got flooded following a leak in the building.The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on July 11, predicted that the city would experience rainfall in the coming 3-4 days.
6 killed, 24 injured in two road accidents in Nepal
Six people were killed and 24 others injured in two separate road accidents in Nepal, the police said today. In the first incident, five people died and eight others were injured last night when a jeep fell into a 400-metre deep gorge in Panchpokhari area of Sindhupalchok district, about 45-km east of the Nepal's capital, they said. The accident happened at Salle Danda along the Melamchi-Manekharka road section when the ill-fated vehicle was going to Manekharka from Tipeni. Three passengers died on the spot while two others on the way to the hospital. The injured have been admitted to Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Maharajgunj in Kathmandu, the police said. In the second incident, a 24-year-old woman died while 16 others were injured when a bus skidded off the road and fell into the Mulkhola river in Musikot Municipality-1 of Rukum district in western Nepal today. The bus was going to Mulkhola from Salle Buspark when the accident happened this afternoon, the police said. Four
Heavy rains lead to waterlogging, traffic congestion in Delhi
Heavy rains wrecked havoc in the city as commuters faced hard time navigating through waterlogged roads and faced traffic congestion. There was heavy waterlogging under Tilak Bridge, Modi Mill Flyover, Dhaula Kuan flyover and near Welcome Metro station. Commuters faced problems at Zakhira Flyover Kamal T-Point, Anand Parbat, Y-Point Old Railway bridge Kishan Ganj, Azad Market and near Old Iron Bridge Dharmpura. Delhi Traffic Police kept posting updates about places where there was heavy waterlogging on its Twitter handle "Traffic is heavy near Ramlila Ground due to heavy rain. Waterlogging was reported on the road between Sultanpur and Ghitorni road and under IP flyover. Waterlogging was also reported under Minto bridge, Raja Puri Red Light, Sec-1 Dwarka near Agrasen Hospital, Lawrence Road Industrial area, IGNOU crossing, etc," a senior police officer said. Heavy traffic was witnessed at Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg due to heavy rain. Waterlogging was also reported at and around Mayapuri .
Over 700 fined for unauthorised stopping of trains: S Railway
Miffed by 'trivial' reasons for stopping trains by the pulling of the alarm chain, Southern Railway today said it has apprehended 737 passengers and collected 2.8 lakh as fine for the offence from January-June 2018. The Railway, in a press release, said, that on most occasions, the alarm chain was unnecessarily pulled by the passengers when a co-passenger could not board/alight train, when mobile/belongings had fallen off or gone missing, when a passenger who could not hop in after alighting to purchase eatables, or when passenger has overslept and missed the destination. A train stopped by the use of the alarm chain has to be detained for a considerable time for resolving the system, the release said. Moreover, the delay affects the operation of the subsequent train service, the release said, while appealing to the passengers to refrain from such acts. Pulling of the chain, without valid and sufficient cause such as a threat to life or a dacoity, is a punishable ...
Six injured in Kashmir accident
Six people were injured in a road accident in Jammu and Kashmir's Pampore town on Friday, police said.
Plane goes slightly off runway on landing due to bad weather
A Doha-Kochi Qatar Airways plane with 306 passengers on board went slightly off the runway after it landed at the airport here today due to a sudden downpour and strong crosswinds. A spokesman of the Cochin International Airport said there were no casualties and no flights were diverted. He said the weather condition was favourable when the aircraft approached the runway. But a sudden downpour and strong crosswinds caused it to touch down a few metres off the pre-designated central line at 2.19 am, he said in an official release. The pilot corrected it, brought the plane back to normal course and then to the parking bay, the release said. Twelve runway lights were damaged in the incident, it said, adding that the debris was immediately removed and the runway was made operational at 3.38 am. The 'Fly Dubai' flight bound for Dubai and an Emirates flight bound for Kochi were delayed for a few minutes, the release said. An investigation is being carried out by the Directorate General of ..
Flight goes slightly off runway on landing due to bad weather
A Doha-Kochi Qatar Airways flight with 306 passengers on board went slightly off the runway after it landed at the airport here today due to a sudden downpour and strong crosswinds. A spokesman of the Cochin International Airport said there were no casualties and no flights were diverted. He said the weather condition was favourable when the aircraft approached the runway. But a sudden downpour and strong crosswinds caused it to touch down a few metres off the pre-designated central line at 2.19 am, he said in an official release. The pilot corrected it, brought the plane back to normal course and then to the parking bay, the release said. Twelve runway lights were damaged in the incident, it said, adding that the debris was immediately removed and the runway was made operational at 3.38 am. The 'Fly Dubai' flight bound for Dubai and an Emirates flight bound for Kochi were delayed for a few minutes, the release said. An investigation is being carried out by the Directorate General of .
Egypt state media says blast near Cairo airport injures 12
Egypt's state-run news agency says a blast at a chemical factory near Cairo's main airport injured at least a dozen people. MENA early today quoted an unnamed Interior Ministry official as saying firefighters had contained the fire caused by the blast late Thursday in a storage facility. There were no reports of deaths. The official said the wounded were hospitalised for treatment. Images circulated online showed huge flames and thick smoke billowing up into the sky. Army spokesman Tamer al-Rifai said the explosion was the result of the "high temperature." Temperatures in Cairo have reached into the high 90s, low 100 degrees Fahrenheit in recent days, not unusual for Cairo in the summer. The Civil Aviation Ministry said the explosion happened outside the airport's perimeter and air traffic was undisrupted.
2 killed, 1 injured as tanker hits motorcycle in UP
Two people were killed and one person was injured when their motorcycle was hit by a tanker in Uttar Pradesh's Chitrakoot district today, police said. The accident took place in in Shivrampur area of the district, said Circle Officer Karvi Vijayendra Dwivedi. The deceased were identified as Parasnath (18) and Mithilesh Patel (35).
Up in smoke: Vaping China co-pilot sparks mid-air emergency
An Air China jet made a rapid emergency descent after a co-pilot mistakenly turned off air-conditioning systems in a bid to conceal his e-cigarette smoke, Chinese media quoted the country's civil aviation authority as saying today. The incident, which resulted in the deployment of passenger oxygen masks, occurred Tuesday on a flight by the Chinese flag carrier from Hong Kong to the city of Dalian in northeastern China. The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said in a press conference in Beijing that the drama was triggered when the co-pilot sought to turn off a ventilation system to prevent his smoke spreading into the main cabin, the respected news site Caixin said. Smoking is not allowed aboard Chinese commercial passenger flights. But the co-pilot accidentally switched off air-conditioning instead, leading to a decrease in cabin oxygen levels. That set off an emergency warning system indicating that the 737 jet may have flown too high and instructing the pilots to ...
Boys meant to stay 1 hour in cave, but floods trapped them
The boys mending from their long ordeal trapped in a cave and the rescuers who brought them to safety are starting to share stories of the dangers and their survival. The hospital in northern Thailand where the 12 boys of the Wild Boars soccer team are quarantined said Friday they are basically healthy, aside from some minor infections. Parents who have talked with the boys told Thai media they said their June 23 trek into the cave was supposed to last just an hour until flooding trapped them, and the lifesaving water they drank dripped from the ceiling. The Thai navy SEAL commander earlier acknowledged the rescue mission was even more difficult than it appeared, with many men being treated in a hospital after their dives.
Qatar Airways' flight lands 'off-centred' on Kochi runway
A Qatar Airways' Kochi-bound Airbus A330 aircraft carrying 306 passengers from Doha landed "off-centred" on runway due to adverse weather conditions today morning, damaging 12 runway lights. However, all passengers were safe, a Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) spokesperson said. Two flights - a Dubai-bound FlyDubai and an Emirates' flight for Kochi - were delayed due to the incident, which is being investigated by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the CIAL said in a statement. Qatar Airways cancelled the return leg of the flight and accommodated all passengers on other flights, it added. The airline confirmed the incident, saying the aircraft "skidded" during landing roll due to heavy rain and water on the runway, damaging a few runway lights. "A Qatar Airways flight, QR 516, bound for Kochi from Doha, with 306 passengers on board, landed off-centred on runway, apparently due to the adverse weather build-up immediately prior to touch down at ...
UP Amarnath pilgrim dies after being hit by private car in Samba
A 36-year-old Amarnath yatra pilgrim died and three others were injured when a private vehicle hit them on the Jammu-Lakhanpur highway in Samba district today, a police official said. A group of pilgrims, hailing from Etah district of Uttar Pradesh, were walking when a private car driven by a person called Bhuvin Dubey hit them near Bari Brahmana flyover, the official said. He said four pilgrims were injured in the accident and were immediately rushed to hospital, where one of them, identified as Mukendra Singh, succumbed to injuries. The condition of another pilgrim, Chander Paul, is stated to be critical, he said, adding Veeri Singh and Ram Paul escaped with minor injuries but are still undergoing treatment. The mishap took place when it was raining heavily, the official said, adding the driver of the car, a local resident, was arrested and a case was registered against him.
Pilot's smoking mid-air forces flight descend
A state-owned Chinese airline, Air China, flight had to descend on Tuesday after a co-pilot smoked an electronic cigarette mid-air.The South China Morning Post quoted an official statement of the Air China which was issued on the micro-blogging site Weibo. The statement said: "If the investigation reveals that the crew has violated regulations, the company will seriously deal with the responsible person with zero tolerance".The incident happened on the night of July 10. And, the result of the preliminary investigation came out on July 12.The South China Morning Post reported that the Dalian-bound flight from Hong Kong suddenly descended to 25,000 feet from 35,000 feet.The People's Daily, the media mouthpiece of the Communist Party of China in their official twitter handle said that, the aviation authority in their initial investigation found that the sudden dropping was a result when a co-pilot smoked an electronic cigarette during the flight and mistakenly shut off the ...
Qatar Airways flight skids off runway in Kerala
A Qatar Airways flight from Doha to Kochi skidded off the runway while landing at the Cochin International Airport early on Friday due to heavy rains, an airport official and the airline said.
Kochi airport runway lights damaged
Few runway lights at the Cochin International Airport (CIAL) were damaged after a Qatar Airways flight veered off the runway earlier on Friday. However, all passengers and crew on board were safe.In the early hours of Friday morning, a Qatar Airways flight from Doha entered the airport area at around 2.50 am. However, an error at the time of landing led to damages being caused to a few sidelights along the runway.Following the incident, operations on the runway were stalled for a brief ten-minute period, following which the situation returned to normal.According to a CIAL spokesperson, the flight, QR 516, missed the centre line due to heavy rains this morning.An investigation has been initiated into the incident.
Tree falls on train's windshield, loco pilot injured
A tree fell on the windshield of the Bathinda-bound Kisan Expres during heavy rains and storm, leaving the loco pilot injured, railway officials said today. The train was running between Jakhod Khera and Adampur railway stations of North-Western Railway when the incident took place yesterday. Officials said the tree hit the windshield of the engine at 7: 30 pm yesterday amid storm and heavy rains. Some pieces of the broken windshield hit loco pilot Komal Prasad of Ghaziabad. He was admitted to the Civil Hospital Adampur from where he has been discharged after first aid. After the incident, another engine was brought to Adampur from Sirsa and the train left for its destination after a delay of about two hours, the officials said.
Landslide and massive flood kills eight persons in Nepal
A huge landslide and flood triggered by torrential rains in Nepal today killed at least eight persons, including three of a family while more than 3,000 people were displaced, prompting deployment of the army for rescue and relief operations. The landslide hit the Bhaktapur district last night and swept away the home of the family while they were asleep. The bodies of the victims were identified as that of a 70-year-old man, his 62-year-old wife and their granddaughter. The bodies have been pulled out of the debris, police said. Two persons were killed in Rupandehi, one each in Kapilvastu, Baglung and jhapa districts, according to the official. Parts of Bhaktapur Municipally have been submerged due to the flood on the Hanumante river following continuous downpour for the past three days. Dozens of houses were inundated due to the flood displacing hundreds of people. Inspector Himal Shrestha, spokesperson for the Bhaktapur Police, said 111 people were rescued from floods in the Radhe .