Page 659 - Disaster Accident
Turkey jails mine bosses over 2014 disaster that killed 301
A Turkish court today handed jail terms of up to 22 years to five top managers convicted of negligence over Turkey's worst ever mining disaster, which claimed hundreds of lives. The accident in May 2014 killed 301 people when one of the pits of the Soma mine became engulfed by flames and carbon monoxide gas, trapping 800 miners working inside. The tragedy sparked protests and raised new concerns about Turkey's dire industrial safety record. Relatives and the opposition denounced today's verdicts -- handed out on negligence rather than murder convictions -- as outrageously lenient after prosecutors had initially demanded terms of 301 times 25 years for all the main suspects. After a trial lasting over three years, the court in the western Turkish town of Akhisar jailed the former CEO of the Soma mine, Can Gurkan, for 15 years, the state-run Anadolu news agency said. The mine's general manager Ramazan Dogru and technical manager Ismail Adali were handed prison sentences of 22 years and .
French military helicopter crashes in Ivory Coast; 1 dead
France's army says a French military helicopter has crashed in Ivory Coast during a training mission, killing the pilot and injuring another crew member. The army says the 25-year-old officer died yesterday night of injuries sustained when his Gazelle helicopter crashed about 20 kilometers (12 miles) east of Abidjan earlier in the day. The army says the helicopter had been involved in a joint training exercise with Ivory Coast forces. The circumstances of the crash are being investigated. France has a supply point in Abidjan for its Operation Barkhane, which combats growing extremism in West Africa. In October a cargo plane chartered by the French military crashed into the Atlantic Ocean on its approach to Abidjan, killing four crew members from Moldova and injuring six others from Moldova and France.
Rajasthan: 3 die in accident as onlookers click selfies
In a shocking case which highlights the lack of civic sense and sympathy, three people grievously injured in an accident succumbed at the spot as onlookers were busy clicking selfies.The incident was reported from Barmer district after pictures of onlookers clicking selfies with the accident victims in the background went viral.Three youths were reportedly riding a bike when they rammed into a school bus in Chohtan area here. While two of the victims died on the spot, the third youth was lying in a pool of blood, screaming for help.However, eyewitnesses present resorted to filming the incident and clicking pictures, rather than helping the injured youth.Unable to get timely treatment, the third youth ultimately succumbed to his injuries.
7 killed in rain-related incidents in U'khand
At least seven persons were killed in separate rain-related incidents in Uttarakhand, officials said today. Four persons, including a woman and a minor boy, were killed when debris from a hillside fell on a residential building near Shastri Nagar in Dehradun district early this morning, the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) here said. Two children were injured in the incident and were admitted to a hospital here, it said. One person drowned after being swept away by the swirling waters of the Sheetla river at Charba village in the Vikas Nagar area of Dehradun, the SEOC said. Similar incidents were reported from Balbir Road and Raipur areas of the city, where one person each was drowned in the swollen Rispana river. Rain water inundated a number of houses in different areas of the city, causing inconvenience to the people. The bodies of all the three persons drowned have been recovered, it said. A suspension bridge was washed away in the Nachni area of Munsyari in Pithoragarh ...
'Clear evidence of need' in N Korea: UN aid chief
The United Nations' humanitarian chief today said he had seen "clear evidence" of need in North Korea -- where one fifth of children are malnourished -- during a rare trip. Mark Lowcock's visit to the impoverished, isolated country this week is the first such trip by a UN under secretary for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator since 2011. "More than half of children in rural areas... have no clean water," he said in a video posted on Twitter. "Something like 20 per cent of the children in the country have malnutrition." One hospital he visited had 140 patients with tuberculosis but had drugs for only 40 of them, Lowcock added, saying: "There's a very clear humanitarian need." About 10.6 million people among the country's 25 million population need humanitarian assistance, the UN said, also noting "disparities" in access to basic health services between rural and urban areas. Mortality rates for under-fives are 20 per cent higher in the countryside than in towns, it ..
Death toll in Japan flood hits 179
The death toll arising from torrential rains and floods in central and southwestern Japan has risen to 179, the government said on Wednesday, while the search and rescue efforts for the missing continue.
Rains kill 7, govt schools shut down in Dehradun
Seven people were dead and two injured on Wednesday in heavy rains in Uttarakhand's capital Dehradun.An order was issued today to close down government schools and anganwadi centres following the thunderstorm and heavy rain alert.A family of four from Darbhanga in Bihar died and two were injured when the buttress of their house collapsed in Shastri Nagar area of Dehradun.There were reports of three persons drowning in different parts of the city. Of the three, bodies of two have been recovered. Search for the third body is still on.Confirming the deaths, Senior Superintendent of Police Nivedita Kukreti said teams of Incident Response System (IRS), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force have been informed."Due to heavy rains, drains have overflowed at several places. IRS, NDRF and SDRF teams have been informed. The police are out in the field with their teams. We have evacuated the people who were trapped, and the bodies have been sent for ...
Nine killed in Manipur landslides
Heavy rain triggered landslides in three places in Manipur's Tamenglong town early this morning, killing nine persons and injuring seven, officials said. The bodies of two children are yet to be recovered, said Chief Minister N Biren Singh. The seven injured have been admitted to the district hospital in Tamenglong, which borders Assam and is about 150 km from here. "I am deeply saddened to know that nine precious life lost due to landslide at 3 places in Tamenglong Head Quarter, till now 7 bodies have been recovered, 2 bodies of children yet to be recovered. Rescue operations are on," the chief minister said on Twitter. District Deputy Commissioner Rabinder Singh told PTI that the bodies of seven of the nine persons missing following the landslides have been recovered. Security personnel and locals are carrying out rescue operations on a war footing, he said. Jitendra Singh, union minister for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), tweeted, "Saddened to learn, 9 precious lives .
Turkey jails mine boss for 15 years over 2014 Soma disaster
A Turkish court today jailed for 15 years the chief executive of the Soma mine where 301 people were killed in May 2014 in Turkey's worst ever mining disaster. After a trial lasting over three years, the court in the western Turkish town of Akhisar jailed the former CEO of the Soma mine, Can Gurkan, for 15 years over the disaster, the state-run Anadolu news agency said. The mine's general manager Ramazan Dogru and technical manager Ismail Adali were handed prison sentences of 22 years and six months, and operations manager Akin Celik and technical supervisor Ertan Ersoy 18 years and nine months, it added.
Typhoon Maria barrels into China after pounding Taiwan
Typhoon Maria injured two people in Taiwan and prompted more than 3,000 to be moved to shelters before making landfall in China, authorities said today. The government's disaster response center said the two were hit by falling tree limbs in the capital Taipei yesterday, as the medium-strength storm passed north of the mountainous island of 23 million people. The center said a total of 3,430 people had evacuated their homes in nine cities and counties by today morning to avoid landslides triggered by heavy rainfall. In 2009, Typhoon Morakot killed almost 700 people in Taiwan, including about 400 when their village was wiped out by flooding and landslides. The central government issued red alerts for landslides in two mountain villages of northwestern Taiwan's Hsinchu county, effective today. Seven cities and counties ordered work and school closures for the day. The typhoon also caused the cancellation of 138 international flights and 170 domestic flights. Its wind speeds reached 191 .
9 killed in Manipur landslide
At least nine persons, including five children, died after a landslide hit Manipur's Tamenglong district early on Wednesday.
Amarnath pilgrim from Rajasthan killed in J&K accident
An Amarnath pilgrim from Rajasthan died while two others were injured in an accident on the Jammu-Srinagar Highway in Pulwama district on Wednesday.
Thai PM thanks people involved in cave rescue
Thailand's Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha has thanked people involved in the rescue of the 12 boys and coach trapped in a flooded cave for more than two weeks. Prayuth gave a televised national address today, saying the government's efforts, the assistance of people in Thailand and abroad, and the outpouring of moral support made the mission a success. He also acknowledged the loss of a former navy SEAL, Saman Kunan, who died last week while replenishing air tanks inside the cave. Prayuth said, "His honour, sacrifice and legacy will forever be in our hearts." The soccer teammates had become trapped in the cave June 23 and were finally extracted by experienced divers over three days.
Japan floods: Death toll mounts to 176
The death toll in the deadly flash floods in Japan has risen to 176, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said on Wednesday.Suga further noted that nine people are currently missing, CNN reported.Earlier in the day, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited Okayama Prefecture, one of the areas hit by the incessant rains, and surveyed the damage from above in a helicopter.He also visited an evacuation centre to oversee the operations.Abe is scheduled to visit Kurashiki city in Okayama province and meet with the Okayama governor.75,000 responders have been deployed for search and rescue operations in the affected areas.Suga warned that thunderstorms and landslides in the coming hours could pose a further threat to the operations.Nearly 17,000 households are still without power, and phone lines are down across multiple prefectures.According to the report, evacuation orders remained in place for some two million people, and another 2.3 million were advised to evacuate.
Bruno Mars forced off stage following fire scare
American singer Bruno Mars was forced to leave the stage following a fire scare during a concert here.The singer was performing at Glasgow Green when he was forced to temporarily halt the show due to a pyrotechnic issue.After Mars exited the stage, fans were shown a safety alert, which read: "This is a safety announcement. It is necessary to stop the show, temporarily. Further information to follow."Fans took to Twitter to report the fire and posted their reactions on the same.A fan wrote, "Bruno Mars is on FIRE (no, seriously... they've had to temporarily stop the show because of the fireworks ...) thanks to the team for extinguishing."Another fan wrote, "Lots of panicked quote tweets asking if everyone's okay so yes everyone's fine! show's back on and everyone's grand.""Woop! @BrunoMars back on after about 7 mins off stage on safety ground," tweeted another fan.Mars is set to perform in London later this week, where he is due to play Barclaycard's British Summer Time Festival on ...
8 dead, 3 injured in vehicle collision in UP
Eight persons were killed and three others injured when their vehicle hit a lorry on the Lucknow-Agra Expressway today, police said. The victims belonged to Alwar district of Rajasthan and were returning from a pilgrimage to Naimisaranyam in Sitapur district of Uttar Pradesh, they said. Naimisaranyam, also known as Neemsar, Nimsar or Nimkhar, is a temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu. The accident took place under Tirwa police station in the early hours, Additional SP Keshav Chandra Goswami said, adding that the injured were rushed to a hospital. The deceased are yet to be identified, the officer added.
Seven killed, two missing in Manipur landslides
At least seven persons were killed and two missing following landslides in different places in Manipur's Tamenglong town early today morning, officials said. The landslides, triggered by heavy rain, injured seven persons who have been admitted to the Tamenglong district hospital. The bodies of seven of the nine persons missing following the landslides have been recovered, District Deputy Commissioner Rabinder Singh told PTI. Security personnel and locals are carrying out rescue operations on a war footing, Singh said.
Heavy rains take a break in Mumbai; Western Railway resumes services
In a much-needed relief to Mumbaikars, heavy rains took a break today and the suburban train services resumed functioning, officials said. The local train services were badly affected on a section of the Western Railway (WR) yesterday due to inundation of tracks. The road traffic was moving smoothly after four days of heavy rains, which had crippled life in the megacity. Trains were packed with commuters since early morning and the WR was running its services on some routes with restricted speed as the tracks were still flooded. In just 10 days, the city received 864.5 mm rain, which is nearly equal to what it gets in an entire month, the MeT department said. The local trains, considered the lifeline of Mumbai, were suspended between Nallasopara and Virar stations yesterday, causing huge inconvenience to those travelling on the busy western line. Today, scores of commuters flocked the railway stations looking for local trains to reach their destinations, WR chief spokesperson ...
Uttrakhand: Landslides block Chamba-Rishikesh NH-94
The Chamba-Rishikesh NH-94 on Wednesday was blocked after landslides occurred near Fakot and Bhinnu areas of the state's Tehri district.The road clearing work is underway with machines being deployed in both the locations.Earlier, the India Meteorological Department had predicted that heavy rainfall may lash some parts of Uttarakhand.Meanwhile, deadly landslide also hit Manipur's Tamenglong town, taking away lives of nine people.
1st Nepal-India broad gauge railway likely in Dec
Nepal plans to operate its first ever broad-gauge passenger railway service from Janakpur town to Indian border town Jayanagar in Bihar starting December, a senior Nepalese rail official has said.