Page 710 - Disaster Accident

Mumbai BeauMonde Towers fire contained

The massive fire, which broke out on Wednesday afternoon on the upper floors of the BeauMonde Towers located in Mumbai's Prabhadevi area, is contained now.According to the Mumbai Fire Brigade, there is intense heat and fire in some pockets.About ninety to ninety-five persons were rescued safely.The fire, which was earlier characterised as Level-2, turned into Level-3 category.However, the cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.No casualties were reported.As many as twenty fire tenders, two quick response vehicles, five water tankers and two ambulances were present at site at the time of firefighting operations.Bollywood star Deepika Padukone, who owns a flat in the complex, took to Twitter to write about being safe."I am safe. Thank You everyone. Let us pray for our firefighters who are at site risking their lives," Padukone tweeted..

Odisha signs MoU with US-company for lightning early warning

Odisha government today signed an MoU with an US-based company for detection of precise location of areas likely to be affected by lightning strikes before 45 minutes of the occurrence, officials said. Managing Director of the Odisha State Disaster Management Authority B P Sethi signed an memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Earth Networks. Besides lightning, the proposed facility will also give early weather warning like thunderstorm alerts, they said. Sethi said Earth Networks has the expertise on providing lightning early warning service in more than 50 countries and also providing service to West Bengal, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. With Earth Networks informing on locations of possible lightning, the state government will ensure dissemination of early warning through mass messaging and mobile-based application to the people of such localities enabling them to take suitable precautionary measures to save their lives. Lightning has become a major natural disaster ..

Heavy rains trigger flash floods in Imphal valley

Incessant rains over the past 24 hours have triggered flash floods in the Imphal Valley, officials said today. Several low-lying areas in Imphal East, Imphal West, Thoubal and Bishenpur districts have been inundated, they said. The General Administration Department declared a holiday today for all government offices and educational institutions. The Directorate of Education (School) declared a two-day holiday - today and tomorrow - for all government and private schools in the Imphal Valley, barring Jiribam district. Although the rain stopped in the morning, the MeT department has predicted more showers till June 15. In Thoubal district, at least a hundred houses have been flooded by the overflowing Thoubal river, forcing residents to take shelter in relief camps. The Imphal river at Minuthong in the state capital is flowing at the "highest flood level". The Irilbung and Lilong rivers are also flowing at the danger level, they said.

Cabinet approves Dam Safety Bill

The Union Cabinet today approved a proposal for enacting the Dam Safety Bill 2018, which will help the states and union territories to adopt uniform safety procedures to ensure safety of reservoirs. The Bill also seeks to constitute a national committee on dam safety which shall evolve safety policies and recommend necessary regulations, Finance Minister Piyush Goyal told reporters. There are over 5,200 large dams in India and about 450 are under construction. In addition, there are thousands of medium and small dams. Due to lack of legal and institutional architecture for dam safety in India, dam safety is an issue of concern. The Bill provides for establishment of National Dam Safety Authority as a regulatory body which shall discharge functions to implement the policy, guidelines and standards for dam safety in the country. In certain cases, such as dams of one state falling under the territory of another, the authority shall also perform the role of State Dam Safety Organisation ..

NDMA conducts flood management drill in Lucknow

As part of a flood preparedness exercise, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) today conducted a table-top drill at the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) here. It comes a day before a state-level mock exercise on flood preparedness will be organised in 23 flood-prone districts of Uttar Pradesh in collaboration with State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA), an official release said here. All the districts confirmed that their Disaster Management Plans (DMPs) were updated, response teams identified and other preparations in place, it said. Today's drill was based on scenarios created in collaboration with state department on flood mapping and other related hazards. Independent observers were also briefed about their role and standard feedback forms were given to them, the release said. Earlier this month, a coordination-cum-orientation conference was held where a detailed briefing about the conduct of mock exercise was carried out by an NDMA coordinator. These ...

Cabinet approves Dam Safety Bill

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday gave its approval to a bill aiming at formulating safety procedures and standard specifications for construction and maintenance of dams.

Eid exodus: Asia's Muslims on the move for end of Ramadan

Millions of Asia's Muslims were on the move today as they headed for home towns to celebrate with relatives the Eid al-Fitr holiday marking the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan. From Karachi to Kuala Lumpur, highways, airports and train stations were jam-packed in an annual exodus that made Indonesia's usually traffic-clogged capital Jakarta look like a ghost town. Some 70 per cent of its residents -- about eight million people -- headed for other cities and villages across the vast archipelago, home to the world's biggest Muslim-majority population. About 32 million Indonesians were estimated to be on the move this week, while some 50 million in Bangladesh were thought to be heading home. "This year some 11.5 million people will leave the capital Dhaka to go back to their villages to celebrate Eid," said Mozammel Hoque Chowdhury, general secretary of the Passengers Welfare Association. Afghans, meanwhile, were hoping for a peaceful Eid after the Taliban announced their first .

Fire in Kolkata's New Market, no injuries

A fire broke out in a shop in the iconic New Market, packed with customers for Eid shopping, on Thursday but no injuries were reported, a fire official said.

Deepika Padukone 'safe', prays for firefighters

Deepika Padukone has assured fans about her safety in the wake of a fire in a multi-storey building which also houses her residence and office. The 32-year-old star took to Twitter to inform the followers about her well being and also extended gratitude to the firefighters managing the mishap. "I am safe. Thank You everyone. Let us pray for our firefighters who are at site risking their lives..." Padukone wrote. The actor was not inside the 34-storey Beaumonde building in Prabhadevi area where the blaze emanated from the top floor, according to fire department officials and sources close to the actress. Both her flat and office were unaffected by the fire, said the sources close to her. No one was injured so far in the blaze which was reported at 2.08 p.m, fire brigade sources said. Over 90 people have been safely evacuated from the building even as the fire department personnel were trying to douse the fire, the sources said. At least 10 fire engines, two quick response vans, five ..

Monsoon covers most of northeast, creates havoc in Tripura, Mizoram

The Southwest Monsoon has already covered most parts of northeast India while the floods caused due to heavy rains are creating havoc in Tripura and Mizoram, officials said on Wednesday.

Coast Guard rescues seven sailors off Gujarat coast

The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) early today rescued seven sailors on board a tugboat that was stranded off Porbandar coast in Gujarat following engine failure mid sea, an official statement said. These seven crew members on board tugboat 'Jalarak', were airlifted by the Coast Guard helicopters early today near Porbandar shore, as the vessel drifted towards the coast after suffering an engine failure during the night, a statement issued by the defence spokesperson said. "During its journey from Veraval in Gir Somnath district to Sikka port in Jamnagar, the tug came to a standstill in the mid sea at midnight following engine failure," it said. Due to the extreme weather conditions, the tug started drifting towards the Porbandar harbour. Upon getting the distress call in the night, Coast Guard sent their ship 'Shoor' to evacuate the sailors by towing the tug, it added. "However, as the tug further drifted towards shallow waters near the coastline, it was not possible to extend

90 evacuated from blazing Mumbai skyscraper, Deepika Padukone safe

At least 90 residents were evacuated safely after a fire broke out on the 33rd floor of the Beaumonte Towers in the posh Prabhadevi area of Dadar here on Wednesday afternoon.

13 dead as boat capsizes off Indonesia's Sulawesi

At least 13 people died when a passenger boat overloaded with holiday makers celebrating Eid capsized off the Indonesian island of Sulawesi today, officials said. Twenty-four surviving passengers were admitted to hospital but dozens are believed still missing, said local disaster agency head Amiruddin, who like many Indonesians goes by one name. The packed traditional wooden boat -- known locally as a jolloro -- left Makassar, provincial capital of South Sulawesi, in the afternoon for a short journey to the tiny resort island of Barrang Lompo, some 15 kilometers (9 miles) northwest of the city's coast. "The boat reportedly hit a large wave amid bad weather and capsized," Amiruddin said. The passengers were thought to be Barrang Lompo natives who work in Makassar and were heading home to spend the Islamic holiday Eid al-Fitr with their families. Makassar police chief Aris Bachtiar said the boat was overloaded. "We are still investigating," he said, adding that the captain had been ...

Patanjali food park: UP Govt seeks more time for grant of sub-lease

The Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday wrote a letter to the Food Processing Ministry asking for time till June 30 for grant of sub-lease, in connection with the Patanjali Food Park.Initially, the time granted by the government was till June 15.On June 5, Managing Director of Patanjali Ayurved Limited and co-founder of Patanjali Yogpeeth, Acharya Balkrishna, took to his Twitter handle and informed that they have to shift the food park due to state government's disappointing attitude. He further said their initiative to improve the lives of farmers in the region would not be achieved after this decision.According to reports, around 455 acres of land was allocated for the Patanjali Food and Herbal Park in Greater Noida.In 2016, former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav had laid the foundation of this park.

Make food labelling draft regulations more effective, stringent: CSE to FSSAI

A Delhi-based green body today said it has submitted recommendations to FSSAI on the draft regulations on labelling released by the food regulator, urging it to make the norms "more effective and stringent". In April, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India issued a draft of the Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2018 and sought comments from stakeholders. The Centre for Science and Environment said in a statement that the draft has "major gaps" and called for making it "more effective and stringent". The CSE said it has submitted recommendations to FSSAI to "ensure a robust labelling framework in India". "A strict labelling law is very important to combat obesity and non-communicable diseases plaguing our country. Though this draft regulation is a good beginning, it also has major gaps that need to be plugged to make it effective," CSE deputy director general Chandra Bhushan said. One of the "significant gaps" the CSE pointed out is that the draft

Fire breaks out in Mumbai skyscraper

A massive fire broke out on Wednesday afternoon on the upper floors of a skyscraper, located in Worli's Prabhadevi area in Mumbai.About ninety to ninety-five persons were rescued safely.The fire, which was earlier characterised as a 'Level-II' one, now falls in 'level-III' category.Fire fighting operations are underway.Six fire engines and five jumbo tankers and a hydraulics platform and ambulance are present at the spot currently.The building is reported to be Beaumonde residential complex, where Bollywood star Deepika Padukone also owns a house.No causalities have been reported so far.

90 evacuated from blazing Mumbai skyscraper

At least 90 residents were evacuated safely on Wednesday after a fire broke out on the 33rd floor of Prabhadevi's Beaumonde Towers, where Bollywood star Deepika Padukone also resides.

Fire in building which houses Deepika Padukone's residence

A fire broke out in a multi-storey building here which houses the residence and office of bollywood actress Deepika Padukone. Deepika was not inside the 34-storey Beaumonde building in Prabhadevi area where the blaze emanated from the top floor, according to fire department officials and sources close to the actress. Deepika has residence in one floor of the building and office in another but both were unaffected by the fire, said the sources close to her. No one was injured so far in the blaze which was reported at 2.08 pm, fire brigade sources said. Over 90 people have been safely evacuated from the building even as the fire department personnel were trying to douse the fire, the sources said. At least 10 fire engines, two quick response vans, five water tankers have been put in service to douse the fire.

Heavy rain renders over 3,500 families homeless in Tripura

Over 3,500 families have been rendered homeless in Tripura as heavy rains hit the state during the past 24 hours, officials said today. Although the rain stopped this morning, over 500 families have been evacuated to six relief camps during the period in West Tripura's Sadar sub-division as their homes were submerged by water. The water level in the river Howrah, which passes through the capital town, was flowing slightly below the danger level at 12 pm, Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Sadar Tapan Kumar Das said. "The situation may turn worse if the state receives fresh shower as predicted by the meteorological department. We are ready to meet any eventuality as all officials concerned are alerted," he said. The Assam-Agartala National Highway, considered lifeline of the state, was thrown open for vehicular movement after clearing debris late last night. The road remained cut off for several hours due to land slips at Atharamura hill yesterday. According to the latest report .

'NASA flies large unmanned aircraft in public airspace'

NASA has for the first time successfully flown its large remotely-piloted Ikhana aircraft in the public airspace without a safety chase airplane, the US space agency said today. "This historic flight moves the US one step closer to normalising unmanned aircraft operations in the airspace used by commercial and private pilots," NASA said in a statement. Flying these large remotely-piloted aircraft over the US opens the doors to services such as monitoring and fighting forest fires to providing new emergency search and rescue operations, according to NASA. The technology in this aircraft could, at some point, be scaled down for use in other general aviation aircraft, it said. "This is a huge milestone for our Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration in the National Airspace System project team," said Ed Waggoner, NASA's Integrated Aviation Systems Program director. Flights of large craft like Ikhana, have traditionally required a safety chase aircraft to follow the unmanned aircraft as it .