Page 697 - Disaster Accident
Toll in Lucknow hotels blaze reaches 6
The death toll in the blaze at two hotels here climbed to six on Wednesday, with one person succumbing to his burn injuries, police said. A magisterial probe into the blaze has begun.
Sterlite urges Madras HC to provide manpower, electricity
Representatives of the Vedanta Group-owned Sterlite Copper plant on Wednesday approached the Madras High Court, appealing for the provision of the minimum manpower and electricity to maintain the factory.Their plea stated that they needed a power supply and authorised personnel to rectify the leakage of sulfuric acid in the plant, the process for which had begun on June 18.Earlier, Thoothukudi District Collector Sandeep Nanduri had informed the media that all the necessary security protocols were being followed to ensure the safety of locals.Last month, the people of Thoothukudi protested against Sterlite industries, demanding a ban on the plant alleging that it was polluting groundwater, and was hazardous for the environment.The protests took a violent turn on May 22 when police opened fire on the protesters, which killed 13 people and left at least 102 injured.
178 missing in Indonesia ferry disaster
Nearly 180 passengers are missing after a ferry sank into the depths of a volcanic lake in Indonesia, police said today, almost tripling initial estimates -- but the search-and-rescue agency cautioned it was still unclear how many people were aboard the vessel when it capsized. The wooden boat, which sank Monday on Sumatra's Lake Toba, a popular tourist destination, was thought to be operating illegally, with no manifest or passenger tickets. The situation has sparked confusion -- and different estimates from various agencies -- about the number of people on board. Indonesia's disaster agency, separate to the search-and-rescue body, originally said some 80 people were on the boat along with dozens of motorcycles when it overturned and sank. Police said in a statement today that there were as many as 178 people missing, which if confirmed would make it one of Indonesia's worst maritime disasters. The estimates have been based on local people reporting missing relatives who they ...
Government to team up with Google for flood forecasting
Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Shri Nitin Gadkari has expressed hope that collaboration with Google will help in effective flood management in India.
Delhi-bound flight suffers bird hit
A Delhi-bound Air India flight carrying 131 passengers was forced to return to the city airport today after suffering a bird-hit 20 minutes into its journey, the national carrier said today. All passengers are safe. The flight AI 440 was airborne for nearly 20 minutes before it suffered the bird-hit, "forcing" it to return to the city airport, an Air India spokesperson said. "All passengers are safe and the aircraft is being inspected by Air India engineers to assess the damage caused due to the bird strike," he said. The stranded passengers were later accommodated in the airline's subsequent flights as well as in those operated by private carriers, he added.
20-30 houses for flood-hit people per constituency in Manipur
The Manipur government will build at least 20 houses in each of the 60 Assembly constituencies for people whose homes were destroyed in the recent flood, Chief Minister N Biren Singh has said. Twenty to 30 houses will be built in each Assembly constituency from the Local Area Development Fund of the legislators, the chief minister told reporters on the sidelines of a programme here yesterday. He was interacting with the representatives of Indian Oil Corporation who had come to donate 500 cylinders to the flood-affected people as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility. More than 1.8 lakh people have been affected due to the flash floods in the state triggered by torrential rain, he said while interacting with Indian Oil Distributors'. The flood has claimed eight lives so far, rendered 59,689 people homeless since 23,456 houses across 304 villages were affected during the pre-monsoon flood. Describing the flash floods as "one of the worst since 1989" with the state .
Assam flood situation worsens, death toll reaches 20
The flood situation in Assam deteriorated as the flood-related incidents claimed six more lives in the state, taking the death toll to 20.The devastating floods, heavy rains and landslides have created havoc in several north-eastern states in the past week, claiming many lives in Assam, Tripura and Manipur.According to an official release by the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), the flood in Assam's Hailakandi district has affected 58,208 people.The power supply has been also affected in many areas. Educational institutes and government offices also remained closed in many districts.Overall 4.5 lakh people have been affected at 6 districts in the current wave of floods in Assam.Some of the worst-hit areas in the district are Wangoi, Lamphel, Iroishemba, Lamsang, Patsoi and Konthoujam.In lieu of excessive flooding, over one lakh displaced people have taken shelter at temporary relief camps.State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) ...
ICPA issues 'Flight Safety Week' over non-payment of dues
The Indian Commercial Pilot Association Southern Region, a pilots' union of Air India, recently directed all its members to observe a 'Flight Safety Week' in the wake of non-payment of flying allowances, claiming it leads to immense stress.The protocols of the 'Flight Safety Week' include not accepting last-minute pullouts for flights, reporting sick if stressed and strictly observing weekly offs."You are hereby directed to observe the 'Flight Safety Week' in full sprit in the interest of safety of the crew and passengers as we are 'presently' operating in very stressful conditions, due to non-payment of Flying Allowance leading to immense financial stress," the ICPA (South) said in the circular."Physiological stressors lead to emotional factors such as financial worries. Time and again studies have clearly shown that emotional factors are repeatedly present in aircraft accidents," the circular added.The protocol requires the pilots to not extend flight duty time, report sick if they .
UP Police files FIR in Charbagh Hotel fire accident
An FIR has been registered against the owners and workers of MSJ International and Virat Hotels, in connection with the hotel fire accident in Lucknow's Charbagh area, which killed six people.Uttar Pradesh Police has registered the case under Sections 285,337,338 and 304 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).The incident that broke out on June 19 also left five people injured.According to police, the investigation is underway.The police said that more than 50 people have been rescued from the hotel and shifted to the hospital."Four people have died and more than 50 people were rescued from the building. Cause of fire still to be ascertained," Lucknow Inspector General (I.G.) of Police, S Pandey told media on the day of incident.
Sadbhav Infrastructure Project signs contract worth Rs 55 crore
For maintenance and repair works for road project in Jaipur
Indonesia raises number of ferry sinking missing to 166
Indonesian officials say 166 people are missing from a ferry sinking at a popular lake on Sumatra, a much higher number than previously believed. The boat didn't have a passenger manifest and disaster officials have several times raised the number of people it was carrying as distraught relatives who rushed to Lake Toba in northern Sumatra provided information. Yesterday, officials said 94 people were missing and expected the number to rise. Only 18 people were rescued and one death confirmed in the immediate response to the tragedy on Monday evening. An Associated Press reporter on Wednesday morning saw rescuers transferring a body to an ambulance onshore. Grief-stricken relatives urged officials to speed up the search effort.
NGO calls on RS to approve Motor Vehicle Act amendment
In a bid to reduce road accident deaths in India, Consumer Voice, which works for citizens road safety, on Tuesday asked the Rajya Sabha to pass the bill amending the three-decade-old Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.
Salvage team on board fire-ravaged merchant vessel
A salvage team went on board merchant vessel SSL Kolkata on Monday for the first time since the fire fighting operation in the ship to make an assessment of the situation created by the June 14 blaze, a Defence Ministry spokesperson said.
Woman, two babies injured as hospital ceiling plaster falls
Three persons, including a five-day-old baby, were injured after plaster of the ceiling of gynaecology ward of Civil Hospital here collapsed late this evening. Santosh Kadam, chief of the Regional Disaster Management Cell (RDMC) of the Thane Municipal Corporation, said the injured are being treated at the hospital. While one of the injured was a 22-year-old woman, the other two were infants, one of them only five days old, Kadam said. Other occupants of the ward were shifted elsewhere, he said, adding that probe was on.
9 TN fishermen rescued by Coast Guard
Nine Tamil Nadu fishermen, stranded in high seas after water entered the engine room of their fishing boat, were rescued by the Indian Coast Guard on Tuesday, an official statement said.
6 more die in Assam flood; situation improving in other NE states
The overall flood situation in the north-east continued to improve today, except in Assam, where six more people died, taking the death toll due to flood-related incidents in the region to 31, officials said. According to a report of the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), four people lost their lives in flood-related incidents in worst-hit Karimganj district while two died in Cachar district since yesterday, taking the death toll in the state to 20. Over 5.64 lakh people have been affected by the flood in Nagaon, Hojai, Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi districts. Till yesterday, 5.49 lakh people were hit by the flood across six districts, including Golaghat. Karimganj is the worst hit, affecting nearly 2.36 lakh people, followed by Hailakandi with 2.21 lakh, the report said. At present, 727 villages in the affected districts are under water and 3,890 hectares of crop areas have been damaged, the report said. It said the authorities are running 457 relief camps and ...
Coast Guard rescues nine fishermen
Nine fishermen were rescued today by a Coast Guard ship after they sent a distress signal to authorities following flooding of their boat, about 98 nautical miles off the Tamil Nadu coast. The Tamil Nadu registered fishing boat 'Palani Murugan,' with nine crew were stranded at sea following uncontrolled flooding in the engine room. "They signalled an emergency on board due to heavy flooding in the engine room. A Coast Guard ship at sea was diverted for Search and rescue operation," a defence public relations official here said. The Coast Guard ship rescued all nine fishermen and they are expected to arrive here late tonight, the official added.
Make road safety national priority: memorandum
Seeking to make road safety a national priority, a memorandum addressed to the president and the prime minister was signed at an event in New Delhi today. The initiative by Consumer Voice, a Delhi-based non-profit group, focused on the need to amend the Motor Vehicles Act 1988 to address the change in road safety scenario in India. "The participants of the workshop signed a memorandum to prime minister, vice president, president and chief justice of India to make road safety a national priority, according to a statement by the organisers. "We have, therefore, brought together survivors of horrific road crashes and their families to tell their tales along with civil society organizations to join together in our appeal," Ashim Sanyal, chief operating officer of Consumer VOICE, said. The initiative was supported by MPs Sanjay Jaiswal and Parvesh Verma, and Abhay Damle, joint secreary in transport ministry.
Floods kill 15 in I Coast
Fifteen people died in Abidjan, Ivory Coast's economic capital, during flooding caused by torrential rain overnight, Interior Minister Sidiki Diakite said today. Rain poured down from 11pm last night to 6am today, causing flash floods up to 2.5 metres (more than eight feet) deep, he said. Rescue teams saved 115 people and searches were underway for other casualties, he said, adding that emergency medical centres had been set up across the seaside city. A city of five million, Abidjan suffers from infrastructure problems and many homes are built in flood-prone areas. The affected areas ranged from the posh Cocody neighbourhood, where many embassies and the presidential palace are located, to the teeming working-class Yopougon neighbourhood. "Many residents are perched on the roofs of their homes," Fiacre Kili, the head of the civil protection agency said. "Searches are going on." Several homes were flooded and boundary walls were toppled in the upscale Cocody and Riviera ...
Six more die in Assam floods, over 5.5 lakh still marooned
With six more deaths reported from Cachar and Karimganj districts on Tuesday, the death toll in the first wave of floods in Assam has reached 17 as 5,64,074 people continued to be affected by the deluge in five districts on Tuesday.