Page 669 - Disaster Accident
Rumours doing rounds about non-veg food being served at govt guest houses: U'khand minister
Uttarakhand minister Satpal Maharaj today said that rumours were being circulated about non-vegetarian food being served at the guest houses and other facilities of the Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam, a state government enterprise. Dismissing the rumours, he said these were the result of "professional competition". "It's unfortunate that some people are spreading such rumours. I want to assure all the pilgrims, including those undertaking the Char Dham Yatra, that no such thing happened. No non-vegetarian food is served at GMVN facilities," he said. The minister said that under the 'Swadesh Darshan' scheme, the Tourism Ministry has provided Rs 20 crore for integrated development of the heritage circuit in the Kumaon region that comprises Katarmal, Jogeshwar, Devidhura, and Baijnath. Rs 5 crore has been allocated to the state to implement the 'Prasad' scheme, he said. Several pilgrim centres in the country, including Kedarnath in Uttarakhand, have been identified for development under the .
UK police race to find source of new nerve agent poisoning
British police are scouring sections of Salisbury and Amesbury in southwest England, searching for a container feared to be contaminated with traces of the deadly nerve agent Novichok. More than 100 officers are looking for clues today in a race to understand how two local people in Amesbury were exposed to a nerve agent that was produced in the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Police believe they were somehow exposed to a contaminated container that may have been used in a March nerve agent attack on an ex-Russian spy and his daughter in nearby Salisbury. The two new victims Dawn Sturgess, 44, and Charlie Rowley, 45 are in critical condition. British officials blamed the March poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal on Russia. The Kremlin denies any involvement.
Death toll from Thai boat disaster rises to 21: Phuket official
The death toll from a boat accident near the Thai holiday island of Phuket surged to 21, officials said today, as divers reported seeing multiple bodies inside the sunken hull of the Phoenix tourist vessel. Phuket provincial rescue centre said "21 bodies" had been retrieved from the water, while Rear Admiral Charoenphon Khumrasee of the Thai navy said divers had seen "over 10 bodies" inside the submerged boat, which was carrying Chinese tourists when it went down yesterday.
ADB approves $100m grant for displaced people in Bangladesh
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said on Friday that it has approved a grant assistance of $100 million to help displaced people sheltered in 32 camps in Bangladesh.
2 dead, 2 feared drown in Mumbai
One more body of the five people, who were feared drowned off Mumbai's Juhu beach, was recovered on Friday, taking the death toll to two.A group of youngsters on Thursday entered the sea for a swim at the iconic Juhu Chowpatty beach, but got trapped under high tide. Lifeguards were able to rescue one boy, who is now admitted in a hospital.One body was fished out late on Thursday.Search is now on for the remaining two boys.The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has taken help of fire brigade department and the Navy in the rescue operation. A chopper has also been pressed into service to find the missing boys.Though authorities remain vigilant on the beaches of Mumbai and have lifeguards and rescue boats, but at times they are unable to keep a close watch on swimmers.Just last month, a teenager was swept away by sea waves at Marine Drive in south Mumbai while apparently clicking a selfie.In a separate incident, five members of a family were drowned in the sea off Ratnagiri coast in ...
Two more dead as 'record' heavy rain hits Japan
Two people were found dead near rain-swollen rivers in Japan today, officials said, as "record" downpours prompted authorities to order more than 210,000 people to evacuate their homes. The body of a woman was found by a river in central Japan's Gifu while a 59-year-old man was confirmed dead after being found by a river in western Hiroshima prefecture, local police said. Police said they were investigating how the two died, while public broadcaster NHK said a third woman was feared dead after being found unresponsive by a river in the Kyoto region. Yesterday, a construction worker was killed when he was swept away by flood waters in the Hyogo region, as a severe rainfront drenches much of the country. Several people have been reported missing, with landslides reported in some areas and flash floods in others. Authorities announced new evacuation orders on Friday, bringing the number of people told to leave their homes to 210,853, most of them in western Japan. "Japan is seeing record
Polish MiG crash kills fighter pilot
A military pilot died today ejecting from his MiG-29 jet fighter over northern Poland, the defence ministry said. The Soviet-design aircraft from the 22nd tactical air base at Malbork went down in the early hours about 20 kilometres (12 miles) from the town. An investigation will be held into the circumstances of the crash, the ministry said in a statement, adding that the fighter pilot had more than 800 hours of flying experience, including 600 on combat duty aboard MiG-29s. The Polish army has a fleet of 48 US F-16s as well as 32 MiG-29s, several of which have been grounded due to a lack of spare parts.
Rains lash Goa for third day, low-lying areas inundated
Incessant rains continued to lash Goa for the third consecutive day today, inundating low-lying areas and throwing normal life out of gear in several major cities in the state. A senior India Meteorological Department (IMD) official said the state will continue to witness heavy to very heavy rainfall in the next 48 hours. Continuous downpour in the cities, including Panaji, Mapusa, Vasco and Margao, led to traffic congestions and flooding as water entered the houses in low-lying areas. "There were complaints of water entering the houses at Mala area in Panaji. A team of workers has been sent to clear water-logged areas," a senior official of the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) said. Following heavy rains last month, all the areas around the CCP headquarters had gone under water. In Margao city, some houses in Kharebandh area witnessed a similar situation. A bridge connecting South Goa to Margao city at Paroda in Quepem taluka, 45 kms away from here, submerged that
Amarnath Yatra resumes from Pahalgam route
The Amarnath Yatra resumed today from the Pahalgam route after a gap of two days while it remained suspended for the third consecutive day from the Baltal route due to landslides. The yatra was suspended on Wednesday on both routes in the wake of landslides and shooting stones at several places and intermittent rains in the Yatra area. A spokesman of the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) said here today that the yatra resumed from the Pahalgam route in south Kashmir's Anantnag district this morning. He, however, said the yatra remained suspended from the Baltal route in central Kashmir's Ganderbal district due to landslides near the base camp and in Danibagh area of Kangan on the Srinagar-Leh highway. The landslide at Danibagh also forced the closure of the Srinagar-Leh road the only road-link connecting the valley with Ladakh region. A police official said today that three pilgrims died and four others were injured when they came under a landslide between Brarimarg and Railpathri on
Diver dies on Thailand cave rescue operation
A Thai diver died while taking part in operation to save 12 boys and their football coach, who are trapped inside a flooded cave complex in northern Thailand.The deceased Thai rescuer has been identified as 38-year-old Petty Officer 1st Class Samarn Kunan, Thai daily Khao Sod reported.Samarn died inside the Tham Luang Nag Non on day 13 of the operation, the report quoted the deputy provincial governor, as saying on Friday morning.He was delivering oxygen tanks and on the way back he fell unconscious.Attempts to resuscitate him failed. Samarn's body was brought out and taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead.This comes as the rescue operations are underway for the footballers who were found by British divers on late Monday night, with footage showing them visibly weak and huddled on a mud mound deep inside the cave.They had been trapped in a flooded Thai cave here for nine days. Aged between 11 and 16 years old, the boys were members of the Wild Boar soccer team.The rescue ...
Seven bodies found as hopes dim for Chinese tourist boat sunk off Thai coast
\\Thailand's navy pulled seven bodies from waters off the coast of the holiday island of Phuket today after a tourist boat went down in heavy seas with dozens of Chinese passengers on board. The grim find takes the death toll so far to eight, with 49 other passengers unaccounted for but believed to have been trapped on the Phoenix as it sank in the Andaman Sea on Thursday afternoon. The vessel, which made a day trip from Phuket despite a weather warning, keeled over after it was battered by five-metre (15-foot) high storm waves. "Navy searchers found seven dead (on Friday morning)," Busaya Jaipiem, a spokeswoman for Phuket province told AFP, as helicopters scanned the sea and divers tried to reach the sunken boat. The Phoenix was carrying 105 passengers, the majority Chinese tourists, when it hit trouble, sparking a rescue attempt that took place in the dark. Some 48 people -- passengers and crew -- were rescued before the operation was suspended late Thursday. But by Friday morning ..
Amarnath Yatra resumes from Pahalgam route
The annual Amarnath Yatra resumed on Friday from the Pahalgam route in the Kashmir Valley while it continued to remain suspended for the third day from the Baltal route.
Earthquake of 6.0 magnitude rattles Russia
An earthquake, measuring 6.0 magnitude on the Richter Scale, struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia's Far East on Friday.According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake occurred about 93 kilometers East of Ozernovskiy at a depth of 79.8 km at around 7:10 a.m.However, no casualties or damage has been reported so far.Further details are awaited.The peninsula has a high density of volcanoes and associated volcanic phenomena, with 19 active volcanoes.It is located in a seismically active zone and regularly suffers from earthquakes.The Kamchatka Peninsula is the part of the so-called "Ring of Fire" - a string of volcanoes encircling the Pacific Ocean.
Seven bodies pulled from sea after Thai boat capsize: Phuket official
Thailand's navy pulled seven bodies from the water after a tourist boat went down in heavy seas with dozens of Chinese passengers on board, a Phuket official said today. "Navy searchers found seven dead (on Friday morning)," Busaya Jaipiem, a spokeswoman for Phuket province told AFP, taking the confirmed death toll so far to eight, with many still missing.
Phuket: 1 dead, dozens missing after boat capsizes
At least one man was dead and scores of Chinese tourists went missing after a boat capsized off the popular southern island resort of Phuket in Thailand.The boat, the Phoenix, was carrying 105 passengers in the Andaman Sea. It was hit by massive waves which prompted it to keel over, South China Morning Post reported.The search-and-rescue operation resumed on Friday morning, with helicopters dispatched to the area.At least 49 people are still missing, said Phuket Governor Noraphat Plothong.The Thai Navy, marine police and local fisherman are cooperating in the search and rescue efforts."We will conduct air searches and send divers to check inside the sunken Phoenix boat," the report quoted Noraphat, as saying.Meanwhile, two other separate boat capsizes were reported in the same area on Thursday evening.According to the reports, a yacht called the Senerita carrying 39 Chinese and Western tourists also capsized in the high seas. All of those passengers in both cases were pulled from the .
Coach of Madurai Express derails at Khandala, none hurt
A sleeper class coach of Madurai Express derailed at Khandala railway station on Mumbai-Pune route in the wee hours today, an official said. Nobody was injured in the incident, although it led to cancellation of four trains and diversion of another. "The incident occurred at 2.44 am when seating-cum- luggage rake (SLR) of 11043 LTT-Madurai Express derailed while entering platform no. 1 of Khandala station. Since the train was moving at a very low speed, no passenger was injured," a senior official of the Central Railway (CR) said. Khandala railway station is located 123 kms from Mumbai. "Soon after the derailment, an accident relief train (ART) was pressed into service. The express train resumed its journey around 6 am," he said. The passengers of the affected coach were shifted to the adjoining coaches and after the train reached Pune, a replacement coach was attached. The train departed from Pune at 8 am, the official added. "Owing to the derailment, four trains were ...
Diver dies during Thai cave rescue operation
A former Thai Navy diver who joined an ongoing operation to rescue 12 boys and their coach from a cave in northern Thailand died on Friday.
Nepal: Evacuation of Indian pilgrims in 'total control'
The Indian Embassy in Kathmandu has confirmed that the evacuation of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra pilgrims in Nepal is almost over and that everything is in "total control.""I hope your relatives are now out danger. It has been a very difficult evacuation process but now almost over and we are in total control," First Secretary (Consular) Embassy of India, Kathmandu Pranav Ganesh said."We would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused during our operations but we couldn't have singled out one person for evacuation at other's expense," he added.On Thursday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had announced that 883 pilgrims, who had been stranded due to inclement weather, have been evacuated from Simikot to Surkhet and Nepalganj in the last three days.On July 2, a Mission representative conducted a head count and found that 437 pilgrims were stranded in Simikot and 250 pilgrims were stranded in Hilsa.The representatives organized a medical checkup of all elderly and ailing ...
Fireworks explosion kills 24, injures 49 near Mexico City
Twenty-four people were killed and at least 49 injured today when a series of explosions ripped through fireworks workshops in a town just north of Mexico City, according to officials. The dead included at least four firefighters and two police officers who rushed to the scene after the first explosion, only to be killed by a subsequent wave of blasts. Video shot from a nearby highway showed a massive plume of smoke rising from the area of the explosions in the town of Tultepec. Wrecked buildings and scorched ground covered a rural patch of modest homes and small farm plots. Authorities said four small buildings were destroyed. The government of the State of Mexico said in a statement that eight people from Tultepec were killed, along with the six emergency personnel and two others who have not yet been identified. The state government later raised the death toll to 24, but did not specify who the other victims were in a statement posted to its Twitter account. The first explosion ...
Divers to check sunken Thai boat for Chinese tourists: governor
The search for dozens of missing Chinese tourists whose boat capsized off the Thai holiday island of Phuket resumed early today, with divers poised to scour the sunken hull, the local governor told reporters. The Phoenix ran into trouble yesterday afternoon, when it was hammered by five-metre high waves that had been whipped up by a storm. The boat, which had left the popular snorkelling spot of Koh Racha to return to Phuket, was carrying 105 passengers, the majority Chinese tourists. The body of one of the passengers, believed to be a Chinese holidaymaker, was pulled from the sea late yesterday and brought to shore, shortly before the search was called off for the night. Helicopters, police and fishing boats were deployed early today as the rescue mission restarted. "We will conduct air searches and send divers to check inside the sunken Phoenix boat," Noraphat Plothong said. "Police investigators said most of the tourists were wearing life jackets," when the boat went down, he ...