Page 675 - Disaster Accident
Air India restricts US-bound passengers from carrying 'powder-like substance' in handbags
State-run carrier Air India has restricted passengers bound for the United States from carrying "powder-like substance" such as sugar, ground coffee and cosmetics in handbags, an airline official said today. The restriction has come after the US Department of Homeland Security issued a directive last month in view of heightened threat perception over "evolving techniques" of terrorists, he said. Air India is the only Indian carrier that operates direct non-stop flights from Delhi and Mumbai to US destinations such as New York, Newark, Chicago, Washington DC and San Francisco. According to a spokesperson of the airline, the carrier has started implementing the directive on its flights. United Airlines is the only other carrier operating direct flights from Delhi and Mumbai to American cities. The Air India directive to its passenger said "carriage of any powder or powder-like substance in hand or carry-on baggage which is 350 ml or larger is prohibited." Items affected will include ...
16 dead in Indonesia ferry accident: official
At least 16 people, including two children, died today after a ferry ran aground off the coast of Indonesia, officials said, as rescuers raced to save scores of other passengers thought to be aboard the vessel. The deadly incident comes the same day authorities officially called off the search for more than 160 people still missing after another ferry sank on a popular tourist lake in Sumatra two weeks ago. Images from the latest accident showed passengers clinging to the side of the KM Lestari as it listed in waters off Sulawesi island, while other passengers floated in the sea awaiting help. The ferry ran aground about 300 metres (985 feet) from the coast, Indonesia's transportation agency said, as waves swamped trucks and other vehicles on the boat's deck before they plunged into the water. Sixteen bodies have been recovered, with 39 survivors, but authorities have not yet accounted for all 139 people listed in the ship's manifest, said Darfian Mukri, head of the local disaster ...
Fire breaks out in cloth mill near Amritsar
A cloth mill at village Pandori near Verka on the outskirts of the city was badly damaged in a fire today, police said. No loss of life was reported, they added. Clothing material, raw material including thread rolls in bulk quantity, nearly forty cloth manufacturing machines including imported ones, six vehicles and a major portion of the constructed building were engulfed in the flames, an official said. Police said an electrical short circuit was the main reason behind the incident. They said twelve fire tenders were pressed into service to control the flames. It took nearly five hours to control the blaze, they added. SHO Police Station, Verka, Jagjit Singh Chahal, who was present at the spot, said there were 150 employees working inside the cloth mill when the fire broke out. They managed to come out in time, he said.
Once more, Mumbai crippled by bridge crash, heavy rains (Roundup)
Mumbai was crippled for the second time in less than a month after a section of a foot overbridge (FOB) crashed over the Western Railway tracks at Andheri following Tuesday's heavy rains which left many areas of the city flooded, playing havoc with road and rail traffic.
Body of teenager washed away in floodwaters found
The body of a 16-year-old boy was recovered near here today, two days after he got swept away in flood waters following heavy rains, police said. Mohamed Azad fell into an overflowing stormwater drainage channel accidentally while returning home with his friends after watching a night show on Sunday, they said. Azad's friends tried to save him, but in vain, as the floodwaters washed him away. Soon, the friends informed his parents and they alerted the fire and rescue service personnel, who rushed to the spot, the police said. The firemen could not trace the boy as the channel was in torrents because of the heavy rain, they said. After a prolonged search, his body was found near the Karuvattu bridge. Salem had recorded 13 cm of rainfall in the 24 hours ended 8.30 am yesterday.
Major fire breaks out in workshop of power station in Ambala
A major fire today broke out in a workshop of the Ambala power station located on the Ambala-Chandigarh highway, officials said. There was no report of any casualty, they said. The drums filled with transformer oil were lying close to the scrap yard, which was gutted in the fire, the officials said. Fire tenders from Panchkula and Ambala Cantt were rushed to the spot to control the blaze, they said. The officials said that the cause of the fire, suspected to be short circuit, was yet to be ascertained. The loss was not estimated so far, an official said.
445 bridges in Mumbai to undergo safety audit: Rail minister
The Railways today announced to undertake a safety audit of nearly 450 road overbridges, foot overbridges and bridges over the pipelines here to detect and rectify any flaws in them. Railways Minister Piyush Goyal made the announcement in suburban Andheri where a portion of a road overbridge (ROB) collapsed this morning due to heavy rains. The road overbridge, built in 1971, collapsed near the eastern side of the Andheri railway station and some parts of it fell on rail tracks, disrupting train services. Five people were injured in the incident and Goyal announced a compensation of Rs 1 lakh for each of them. A joint safety audit will be conducted by the Railways, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and IIT-Bombay of the 445 ROBs, foot overbridges (FOBs) and bridges over the pipelines in Mumbai as part of efforts to improve safety of commuters, Goyal said. "I have spoken to the director of IIT-Bombay and he has assured all cooperation. In the next six months, all the 445 ...
Hassan-Mangaluru train services disrupted following landslip
Train services between Hassan andMangaluru were disrupted today following a landslip atYedakumeri, 250 km from here. The Karwar-Yashwanthpur train was stopped and returned to Mangaluru, railway officials said. The passengers were refunded train ticket charges. "The landslide due to heavy rain happened at about 2.45 pm today. It happened after a train crossed. By midnight, theblockade would be cleared and train services would resume fromtomorrow," a railway official said.
24-hour heavy rain alert for U'khand; authorities keep vigil
The Meteorological (MeT) department today issued a 24-hour heavy rain alert for a number of places in Uttarakhand, especially those located in the Kumaon region, prompting authorities to put the entire administrative machinery on vigil. Heavy rainfall is likely to occur at isolated places especially in Pithoragarh, Nainital, Champawat, Udham Singh Nagar, Dehradun, Haridwar and Pauri districts during the next 24 hours, the MeT office said. Secretary Disaster Management Amit Negi said officials all over the state have been alerted in view of the MeT department warning but the situation is normal so far. State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams have been deployed at 31 locations and there is a ban on any employee on field duty taking leave till September 15, he said. JCBs and Pokland machines have been stationed at spots vulnerable to landslides so that roads could soon be opened in case they are blocked by landslides. Pilgrims on the Mansarovar yatra are safe and efforts are on to ...
Civic governance has collapsed: Rahul
Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday took a dig at the Maharashtra government after a portion of a railway footover bridge collapsed in Mumbai, saying civic governance had collapsed in the city.
Shimla sees highest precipitation in 13 years
Himachal Pradesh capital Shimla on Tuesday recorded 118 mm rainfall within 24 hours in this month - the highest precipitation since 2005, a meteorological official said here.
Over-bridge collapses in Mumbai suburb; 5 hurt, major disaster averted
An over-bridge at a railway station in Mumbai's Andheri suburb collapsed today during heavy rains, disrupting train services, injuring five people and putting the spotlight once again on the creaky infrastructure of this metropolis. A major disaster was also averted as a packed train that was to pass Andheri station stopped a few metres from the collapsed bridge, thanks to motor man Chandrashekhar B Sawant's quick action in stopping the train when he saw a portion of the bridge collapsing. "I immediately applied emergency brakes and the train stopped," Sawant told reporters. "The collapse was accompanied by a big thud sound of debris falling", he said. The Brihamumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said five people were injured, including two seriously. A part of the 47-year-old Gokhale over-bridge came down at 7.30 a.m., before the commuter rush hour had started, which was the likely reason the casualty figure remained low. Normally, thousands of commuters use the bridge, which connects
Alert motorman applies train brakes in time, averts tragedy
An alert motorman averted a major tragedy today when he applied emergency brakes right in time, stopping his train just a few metres away from the spot where part of a road overbridge had collapsed in suburban Andheri. The motorman (driver), Chandrashekhar B Sawant, who was steering the Churchgate-bound 7.06 am suburban train from Borivli, saw a portion of the road over bridge falling as he was nearing the Andheri station. The road overbridge, built in 1971, collapsed near the eastern side of the Andheri railway station and part of it fell on rail tracks. "I immediately applied emergency brakes and the train stopped a few metres from the spot where the bridge collapsed," Sawant told reporters. "The collapse was accompanied by a big thud sound of the falling debris," he said. Railways Minister Piyush Goyal has "applauded the quick thinking and timely action of WR motorman Sawant at the time of the Andheri bridge mishap and announced a Rs 5 lakh reward for him", an official said.
Mumbai rains: Airlines to accommodate delayed passengers
Several airlines, including Jet Airways, Vistara, GoAir and IndiGo, have arranged for waiver of penalties, re-accommodations and refunds for the passengers who missed their flights in Mumbai due to inclement weather conditions.Heavy rains and collapse of a part of road over bridge (ROB) in Andheri led to heavy traffic and congestion on the road to Mumbai airport due to which many passengers missed their flights.Jet Airways issued a waiver on penalties for date/flight change, refund, no show (including fare difference if any) on all confirmed tickets for flights operating to and from Mumbai for Tuesday.Following that, IndiGo and Vistara Airlines also announced free re-accommodation to customers who missed their flight, on seat availability basis in the next flight.In the wake of heavy rains leading to delay and cancellation of flights, the Ministry of Civil Aviation took various steps in order to ensure hassle-free air travel experience.GoAir has also assured re-accommodation of ...
Bridge that collapsed in Mumbai was last inspected in November
The road overbridge (ROB) that collapsed on the railway tracks in Mumbai's Andheri today was last inspected in November, 2017, an official said. "The audit was done in November, 2017 as a part of the routine inspection. No structural flaw was found in the audit," Ravinder Bhakar, Spokesperson, Western Railway, said. The structure was one of the 2,000 bridges and 550 ROBs that were thoroughly inspected last year, railway officials said. All the bridges are inspected at least twice a year -- before the monsoon and after the monsoon -- they said, adding that some of the structures are inspected more frequently, depending on their condition. While it is not clear what led to the incident, the Commissioner Railway Safety (CRS), Western Circle has been entrusted with carrying out a probe by Railway Minister Piyush Goyal. The railways has set a target of inspecting 10,000 bridges and 2,870 ROBs at least once over a period five years. The officials said after a foot overbridge (FOB) collapsed
Mumbai bridge collapse: Rs 1 lakh ex-gratia announced for injured
Railway Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday ordered an inquiry and announced a compensation of Rs 1 lakh for those injured after part of a road overbridge (ROB) collapsed at the Mumbai's Andheri West Station amid heavy rains."It's an unfortunate incident. I have ordered an inquiry into this. Commissioner of Rail Safety has been ordered to give a report in 15 days. Five people were injured. Ad hoc compensation of Rs 1 lakh will be given to them. Their treatment expenses will be taken care of by railways," Goyal said here.In a recent development in the incident, Harbour lines services were restored after restoration work was completed at Andheri, informed Western Railway.Meanwhile, the railways are working to reinstate all the remaining sections as well.The first train for CSTM from Andheri left at 14.15 hrs.The Gokhale Bridge, which collapsed, connected Andheri East and Andheri West. It collapsed on the tracks near Andheri Station, affecting the transport services at worse.Maharashtra ...
12 dead in Indonesia ferry accident: Official
At least a dozen people, including two children, died today after a ferry ran aground off the coast of Indonesia, officials said, as rescuers raced to save more than 125 other passengers thought to be aboard the vessel. The deadly incident comes the same day authorities officially called off the search for more than 160 people still missing after another ferry sank on a popular tourist lake in Sumatra two weeks ago. Images from the latest accident showed passengers clinging to the side of the KM Lestari as it listed in waters off Sulawesi island, while other passengers floated in the sea awaiting help. The ferry ran aground about 300 metres (985 feet) from the coast, Indonesia's transportation agency said, as waves swamped trucks and other vehicles on the boat's deck before they plunged into the water. "12 people have died and we're still rescuing victims," Syamsibar, the head of South Sulawesi's search and rescue agency -- who like many Indonesians uses just one name -- told ...
Two minor girls die after roof of house collapses in Punjab
Two minor girls of a family died today while others were injured when the roof of their house collapsed due to heavy rains in Khai Phemeke village in this district, police said. Sanjit, the father of the girls, said his wife Roman Bai, son Glou (9) and daughters Kajal (11) and Monika (7) got injured when the roof of their house caved in, they said. The minor girls succumbed to their injuries in the hospital, police said. Deputy Commissioner Ferozepur Ramvir visited the hospital to meet the injured. The DC said all the expenses of the treatment will be borne by the Red Cross Society.
Seven killed in Lahore as monsoon lashes Pakistan
Seven people, including a policeman, were killed in rain-related incidents in Lahore which received 238 millimetre of rain in a day, breaking the 38-year-old record of the capital of Pakistan's Punjab province. According to the rescue teams, five persons were electrocuted while two other deaths occurred when a building collapsed. "The rescue teams are carrying out rescue and relief activities in different areas of the city," said the spokesperson of Rescue 1122, which serves the Punjab Province of Pakistan, the Express Tribune reported. "The 38-year-old record of the rain in Lahore was broken today as 238mm rainfall was recorded since late last night," Chief Meteorologist (Punjab) Muhammad Riaz said. "Intermittent rain will continue next 24 hours," he said. For the first time, a boat service was launched by the Rescue department in famous Lakshami Chowk to rescue stranded motorists. The rain has not only paralysed the life in the city but also left several areas without electricity as
'AI can accurately predict distribution of radioactive fallout'
Scientists have created an artificial intelligence (AI) based computer programme that can accurately predict where emitted radioactive material will eventually land, over 30 hours in advance. "Our new tool was first trained using years of weather-related data to predict where radioactivity would be distributed if it were released from a particular point," said Takao Yoshikane from The University of Tokyo in Japan. "In subsequent testing, it could predict the direction of dispersion with at least 85 per cent accuracy, with this rising to 95 per cent in winter when there are more predictable weather patterns," said Yoshikane. When a nuclear power plant accident occurs and radioactive material is released, it is vital to evacuate people in the vicinity as quickly as possible, according to the research published in the journal Scientific Reports. However, it can be difficult to immediately predict where the emitted radioactivity will settle, making it impossible to prevent the exposure of