Page 662 - Disaster Accident
HC concerned over lack of functional CCTV around India Gate circle
Concerned over lack of functional CCTV cameras around the India Gate roundabout in the Lutyens zone of the national capital, the Delhi High Court today said many road accidents and hit-and-run incidents remain untraced due to lack of any information, including video footage about such instances. A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar issued notice to the Centre, Delhi government and police and sought their stand on the issue by July 31. The court also asked them to give area-wise location of the CCTV cameras in the national capital along with information as to how many of them were functional. It said that in another matter relating to an accident outside the Supreme Court, it was assured that the cameras across the city would be made functional soon, "but there appears to be no change". The bench issued the directions while adjudicating a PIL initiated by it on its own after receiving a letter from an AIIMS physiotherapist, claiming that on the night ..
Traffic police use 'Yama' to warn motorists against violations
A mace-wielding 'Yamaraja,' God of Death, attired in his traditional golden dress intercepted motorists near the Town hall here today and warned them he would visit their homes if they flout traffic rules. The Halasuru Gate traffic police roped in 'Yamaraja' as their brand ambassador to drive home the message of the dangers of not sporting a helmet, reckless driving and other violations. "We are observing July as a road safety month. As part of it, we are conducting various programmes such as lectures in schools and colleges and street-plays," Deputy Commissioner oftraffic police Anupam Agrawal toldPTI. "Also, we thought of using the character Yama to sendthe message across that if you disobey the traffic rules, Yama will come to your home," he said. The actor, who stopped motorists and reminded them of the importance of sticking to road rules, was Veeresh, a theatre artiste performing Hindu mythology-based dramas. After intercepting mostly young motorists, Yama waved ...
Operation to rescue remaining Thai boys begins
The rescue operations have begun to retrieve the last five members of the Wild Boars soccer team, who are trapped in a vast cave in northern Thailand's Chiang Rai province.Out of 13 team members, eight have been rescued so far from the Tham Luang cave, while five still remain trapped, CNN reported.The mission is a battle against time and heavy rainfall prediction for the week, which is likely to flood tunnels once again, making the entire operation difficult to carry out.A crack team of foreign divers and Thai Navy SEALS rescued four boys on Sunday and another four on Monday, who were stranded in the cave for more than two weeks."The four boys rescued from the cave in Thailand on Monday were wearing full-face diving masks while they were carried out of the cave to the makeshift hospital nearby," CNN quoted an eyewitness, who is part of the rescue operations stationed at the entrance of the cave, as saying.According to media reports, a Thai health official said that the rescued boys ...
Mumbai rains: Govt closely monitoring situation, says Maha CM
The Maharashtra government is keeping a close watch on the situation in Mumbai and its neighbouring areas, especially in Palghar district, following heavy rains, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said today. Palghar district has received unprecedented rainfall, he said in the Legislative Assembly here. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the Navy are on standby. The state disaster management cell is conducting operations on the ground, Fadnavis informed the House. The Palghar district administration is on alert and arrangements are being made to help the affected people, he said. The chief minister said in Mumbai, waterlogging has been reported from 11 places and traffic diverted in three areas. Due to waterlogging in the Vasai-Virar area, the suburban western railway line has been affected, Fadnavis said. Currently, there is a high tide (off the coast of Mumbai), he said, adding that suction pumps are functioning at full capacity. The chief minister said an additional 150 .
Toll in Japan floods rises to 141
At least 141 people are now known to have died in floods and landslides triggered by torrential rain in western Japan as rescuers are digging through mud and rubble in a race to find survivors, with dozens missing.
Heavy rains continue to lash Mumbai, rail services hit
Torrential rains continued to lash the metropolis and its neighbouring areas for the second day today, disrupting railway services and badly affecting normal life. Suburban services were suspended on a section of the Western Railway (WR) due to waterlogging on tracks and several long-distance and inter-city express trains were delayed or cancelled, officials said. The downpour flooded many roads and streets in low-lying areas of the city and its adjoining districts of Palghar and Thane. People at some places were seen wading through waist-deep water. The Tulsi lake -- a major source of water supply for the city and its suburbs -- overflowed due to the heavy showers. Mumbai's famous tiffin carriers Dabbawalas, also suspended their services today. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted heavy to very heavy rain till Thursday. The IMD's Colaba observatory (for Mumbai) recorded 165.8 mm rainfall in the 24-hour period of 8.30 am yesterday till 8.30 am today. The Santacruz ..
Child among five dead in southwest France fire
Five people including one child were killed when a fire tore through an apartment in the southwestern French city of Pau today, firefighters said. Firemen evacuated nearly 30 residents from the four-storey building after being called at 6.40 am (0440 GMT). The bodies of five people, whose age and gender were not specified, were found in a home on the first floor. A member of the emergency services said they were called by a person "who could not open the door of the apartment where the fire occurred and who was concerned because they saw blood running down the edge of one of the apartment's windows". A couch was on fire when the firefighters arrived, the source added, and the blaze has been brought under control.
10 killed in suicide attack on Afghan security forces: officials
A suicide attacker blew himself up near an Afghan security forces vehicle today, killing at least 10 people, mostly civilians, officials said, in the latest deadly violence to rock the country. The explosion in the eastern city of Jalalabad also left at least four people wounded and set a nearby petrol station alight, provincial governor spokesman Attaullah Khogyani told AFP.
Japan rescuers go house to house as flood toll hits 141
Rescue workers carried out house-to-house searches today in the increasingly unlikely hope of finding survivors after days of deadly floods and landslides that have claimed 141 lives in one of Japan's worst weather-related disasters for decades. The record downpours that began last week have stopped and receding flood waters have laid bare the destruction that has cut a swathe through the west of the country. In the city of Kurashiki, the flooding engulfed entire districts at one point, forcing some people to their rooftops to wait for rescue. By today morning, rescue workers were going door-to-door, looking for survivors -- or victims -- of the disaster. "It's what we call a grid operation, where we are checking every single house to see if there are people still trapped inside them," an official with the local Okayama prefecture government told AFP. "We know it's a race against time, we are trying as hard as we can." Hideto Yamanaka was leading a team of around 60 firefighters ...
Taiwan shuts down for Typhoon Maria
Schools and offices in Taiwan will close today and flights have been cancelled as Typhoon Maria churns towards Taiwan bringing torrential rains and powerful winds. Maria was 500 kilometres east of the northeastern coastal town of Yilan with gusts of up to 190 kilometres an hour as of 10 am local time (0200 GMT), the weather bureau said. Its impact was expected to be the strongest from late Tuesday to early Wednesday, with downpours up to 500 millimetres (19.7 inches) forecast in some areas, the bureau added. Officials have warned of possible floods and mudslides. Taiwanese authorities announced that offices and schools would close on Tuesday afternoon in five cities, including Yilan, where strong waves have started to pound the shore. Local television footage showed farmers in Yilan rushing to their fields harvest scallions, the county's most famous produce. Fishermen in coastal Keeling also brought in their catch and secured their boats ahead of the storm, one day after dozens of ...
Two injured in accident
Two persons sustained multiple injuries in a head-on collision between a bus and a truck on the Mehli-Malyana road here today, the police said. The driver and cleaner of the bus were injured in the accident. No passenger was travelling in the bus at the time of the accident, they added. The injured have been rushed to the Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital (IGMC) here.
Death toll in Canada heatwave hits 70
A heatwave in Quebec in eastern Canada has now been blamed for 70 deaths, officials have said. Thirty-four of the fatalities were recorded in Montreal, the provincial health ministry told AFP. Previously, the toll was 54 dead. The heatwave has hit eastern Canada since early July but only Quebec has recorded a rise in deaths linked to the scorching temperatures. In 2010 around 100 people in the Montreal area died because of stifling heat.
Japan floods toll reach 122
The death toll from devastating floods resulting from torrential rains that pounded Japan has increased to 122, with 27 others reported missing, authorities said on Tuesday.
Operation resumes to free remaining 5 from Thai cave
Divers and rescue workers in Thailand on Tuesday resumed an operation to free the four remaining boys and their coach still trapped in a cave in the country's remote north.
Mumbai rains: Local train services hit, Dabbawalas suspend work
Owing to heavy rain over the night, suburban services of the Western Railway here were stopped, a senior railway official said. The official said that services between Churchgate and Borivili were, however, normal. "Since last night, over 200 mm rainfall has been recorded which led to water logging on railway tracks and considering the passengers' safety, train services have been stopped till the water level on the track recedes," he said. He said that de-watering efforts are being made by the water pumping machines to flush the water. However, the Central Railway's suburban services are running normally at all its corridors despite the heavy rain overnight. "Trains are running normally on Central Railway's all three lines -- main, harbour and trans-harbour," the Central Railway tweeted. It also tweeted to thank its passengers to offer its gratitude. "We received innumerable messages and tweets yesterday from you all bestowing accolades on us that despite heavy torrential rains for ..
Storm Beryl leaves thousands without power in Puerto Rico
Thousands of Puerto Ricans lost power as driving rains from the remnants of Tropical Storm Beryl neared the island, which was devastated by Hurricane Maria 10 months ago. "The entire government of Puerto Rico is on alert for the passage of Beryl's remnants, and heavy rain is expected in the local area," Ricardo Rossello, governor of the US territory, wrote on Facebook yesterday. "We ask citizens to be watchful." The US National Weather Service issued an alert for flash floods, with as much as 50 mm (two inches) of rain already recorded on the Caribbean island. The local Electric Power Authority reported on Facebook that more than 13,000 customers were without service, including those who still do not have power after Hurricane Maria, which struck on its path through the Caribbean last September. The official death count from the hurricane is 64, but a study by Harvard University and Puerto Rico's Carlos Albizu University estimated there were as many as 4,645 hurricane-related deaths, .
Trains delayed, streets waterlogged as rain continues in Mumbai
Train service have been disrupted as incessant rains continue to lash Mumbai and adjoining areas."Due to heavy rains, Up and Down through line at Nala Sopara is halted. However, local trains on Western Suburbs are running late by 10 to 15 minutes between Virar to Churchgate," said Divisional Railway Manager, Western railway, on Tuesday morning.Streets at Gandhi Market, Sion Panvel Highway, Chembur, and Vadala were waterlogged as rain continued to lash the region.The downpours also lead to houses being water-logged in Palghar, causing inconvenience to the people.The onset of monsoon has disrupted routine life in pockets of Maharashtra.As heavy rainfall lashed the city, Maharashtra Education Minister declared a holiday in all schools and colleges in Mumbai Metropolitan Region yesterday.Meanwhile, safety measures have been taken near all beaches. Lifeguard chairs have been arranged at all the six beaches for better visibility, along with a manual siren, public address system, ring boys ..
Boeing to attend air show in Britain
US aircraft giant Boeing has said it will present the company's products and services that will define the "future of aerospace" at the 2018 Farnborough International Airshow in Britain.
Operation to rescue remaining Thai boys to begin shortly
The rescue team is all prepared to resume operations to rescue the last five members of the Wild Boars soccer team, who are trapped in a vast cave in northern Thailand.The mission is a battle against time and heavy rainfall prediction for the week, which is likely to flood tunnels once again, making the entire operation difficult to carry out.Out of 13 team members, eight have been rescued so far from the Tham Luang cave, while five still remain trapped.A crack team of foreign divers and Thai Navy SEALS rescued four boys on Sunday and another four on Monday, who were stranded in the cave for more than two weeks."The four boys rescued from the cave in Thailand on Monday were wearing full-face diving masks while they were carried out of the cave to the makeshift hospital nearby," CNN quoted an eyewitness, who is part of the rescue operations stationed at the entrance of the cave, as saying.The footballers, aged between 11 and 16 years, were found by British divers on late Monday night, .
Tree falls on ACP's car
A tree fell in suburban Matunga today, damaging the car of Additional Commissioner of Police (Central region) S Jaykumar. No one was injured in the incident that occurred this morning. The incident took place when the officer was leaving for his office. He said he was not in the car when the tree fell. Though my driver was inside the car, he didn't sustain any injuries in the incident, Jaykumar added. The island city and its suburbs witnessed heavy rains throughout the day today.