Page 72 - Disaster Accident
10 killed, 6 injured in road accident in Gujarat
At least 10 people were killed and six others were seriously injured in a road mishap in the district on Tuesday.According to eyewitnesses, the tragedy took place due to a collision among a tanker, a truck and a pick-up van near Gambhira village of Anklav Tehsil of the district.All the deceased were residents of Borsad Tehsil of the district. They were going towards Anand in a pick-up van when this terrible accident took place. They were employed in a private company near Vadodara.As soon as the news of the incident was reported, the local police, SP of Anand district and District Collector reached the spot.All the injured were admitted to hospitals in Vadodara and Borsad. Local police are investigating the matter.
China: Death toll mounts to 6 in bar mishap in Guangxi
Six people lost their lives and 87 others were wounded after the roof of a bar collapsed in China's Guangxi region on Tuesday.All the missing have been accounted for, Xinhua reported while quoting the regional emergency management department.Out of the wounded, 16 people were rushed to the hospital with severe injuries, while one person is believed to be in critical condition.Investigations have been launched into the mishap, with police summoning 23 people in relation to the incident. Furthermore, local law enforcement authorities detained seven people following the accident.More than 250 people were sent to aid in search and rescue efforts by the authorities. The national, as well as regional health commissions, sent medical expert teams to oversee the treatment of the injured.The bar was situated on the top floor of a three-story steel-framed building.
10 injured in fire caused by cylinder blast in Jogeshwari
At least 10 people were injured Tuesday in a cylinder blast inside a house in suburban Jogeshwari, police said. The incident took place around 8.30 pm at a home in Hanuman Chawl in the suburb's Behram Baug locality, leading to a blaze, an official said. "At least ten people have sustained burns. They were shifted to a nearby hospital and five of them were discharged after preliminary treatment," he said. Fire Brigade personnel managed to douse the blaze by 9:15pm, he said, adding that the cause of the fire was being ascertained.
Centre asks states for better preparedness ahead of monsoon
The Centre on Tuesday asked states to step up their preparedness by advance planning and deployment of human, physical and financial resources ahead of the southwest monsoon which will arrive in the first week of next month.
Chevrolet rolls out 'Buckle to Drive' to encourage young drivers to wear a seatbelt
Teenagers need constant reminders for getting things done; such as wearing the seat belt while driving. To make driving safer for the teens, Chevrolet has introduced a new feature that will compel drivers to buckle up before shifting gears.Called Buckle to Drive, the new feature reminds young drivers to wear their seat belt before driving. If the seatbelt is not buckled, the feature prevents the driver from shifting the vehicle out of the park for up to 20 seconds followed by an audio alert reminding them to buckle up, the official Chevrolet blog explains.The feature is standard in 2020 Chevrolet Traverse and is only available through the vehicle's Teen Driver mode that was introduced in 2015.
US Postal Service tests mail delivery via a self-driving truck
The United States Postal Service (USPS) is set to test the self-driving technology to dispatch mail as part of a two-week program.According to CNBC, the USPS has joined hands with a self-driving truck company, TuSimple, to run the pilot-program in late May. As part of the program, a self-driving truck will deliver mail between distribution centres in Phoenix, Arizona and Dallas, Texas.The pilot program will only have five runs and the autonomous will have a safety engineer and driver inside to monitor the performance and take over if required.
Woman rag-picker dies of burn injuries
An unidentified woman rag- picker died after suffering burn injuries in Gotri area of the city Tuesday morning, police said. The 35-year-old woman was sleeping next to a bundle of rags under the Harinagar fly-over when the rags caught fire, said inspector D K Rao. She woke up screaming when the flames engulfed her, and some people who were nearby doused the fire by throwing water on her, Rao said. The woman was taken to the government hospital where she succumbed to injuries, he said. It was yet to be ascertained how the fire started, he added.
Kerala govt okays draft plan to rebuild flood-hit state
Kerala cabinet Tuesday approved the draft plan for the 'Rebuild Kerala Development Programme' to reconstruct the flood-hit state ravaged by 2018 floods. "The cabinet has approved a comprehensive development plan for the rebuilding the state which was destructed in the floods last year,'' an official press release said here. The aim is to rebuild the state to withstand such natural calamities. The plan will be an inclusive one, the release said. The project would link the ongoing development projects with the rebuilding initiative. The draft plan aims to reduce the loss of life during such natural calamities, it said. "Also, the state will form a river basin management authority as part of water resource management. The government will also develop a centralised command centre for controlling the water in the dams," the release said, adding that the dam safety authority would be strengthened. The 2018 flood claimed 483 lives and it was among the major disasters reported
Home Secretary calls on states for better preparedness ahead of monsoon
Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba on Tuesday called on the states and Union Territories to step up their preparedness by advance planning and deployment of human, physical and financial resources ahead of the monsoon season, an official release said.Speaking at the annual conference of Relief Commissioners/Secretaries to review preparedness for South West Monsoon-2019, Gauba said, "The Centre would provide all possible assistance under the National Disaster Relief Fund (NDRF) and the State Disaster Relief Fund (SDRF) besides mobilization of Central Forces.""The Centre had released more than Rs. 7,000 crores under SDRF and an additional Rs. 10,000 crore under NDRF last year to the States for Disaster Relief," the release read.Gauba called upon the States to undertake capacity building of urban local bodies, State Disaster Response Force, Fire Service, and Civil Defence since they are the first responders during a calamity."During the recent cyclone Fani, loss of human lives was minimal .
Three killed in bike-on-bike collision in Sikar district
Three youths died in a head-on collision of two bikes in Jajod village of Rajasthan's Sikar district on Tuesday, police said. Kishan Verma (20) and Amit Kumar Verma (20) were going to Jajod from Srimadhopur when a bike coming from the opposite side, driven by Anil Kumar Verma, crashed into them, police said. All three were grievously injured in the accident and rushed to a nearby hospital. While Kishan and Amit were declared brought dead by the doctors, Anil died undergoing treatment, said Srimadhopur Solice Station In-Charge Shankar Lal Swami. He said the bodies were handed over to family members after post-mortem.
11 dead, 10 injured in van-oil tanker collision in Anand, Guj
Eleven persons were killed and ten injured when the pick-up van in which they were travelling collided with an oil tanker in Anand district of Gujarat Tuesday, police said. The accident took place on a state highway near Gambhira village in Anklav tehsil, said a local police official. The victims, most of them factory workers, were returning to Sarol village in Borsad tehsil of the district from Padra in Vadodara district where they worked, he said. While eight persons died on the spot, one died on the way to hospital and two others died during treatment at a government hospital in Vadodara, police said. The van was carrying a total of 22 people. Those injured were admitted to hospitals in Borsad and Vadodara. Driver of the oil tanker was absconding, the official said, adding that further probe was on.
Train services disrupted on Sealdah-Naihati section
Train services on the Sealdah - Naihati section of Eastern Railway's Sealdah Division were disrupted on Tuesday today after a group of people obstructed railway track here.As per railways, "A group of people obstructed railway track near level crossing gate No. 29T at Kankinara on non-railway cause since Tuesday morning. The obstruction is still continuing."The railway is, however, attempting to maintain services up to Brrackpore on the Up line and up to Naihati on the Down line."Eastern Railway also informed that due to obstruction, many trains including 3 mail express trains are detained en route. Authorities had to cancel seven pairs of EMU locals. Moreover, 7 EMU trains were terminated short of distance", railway authorities informed.It also said that a large contingent of RPF and GRP are at the site to ensure safety and security of passengers and to resume normal services.
Over Rs 17,000 cr given to states as disaster relief last year: Home Secy
The Centre released over Rs 17,000 crore as assistance to states affected by natural calamities like floods, cyclone and drought last year, Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba said Tuesday. He also said the central government has sanctioned additional battalions of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) which are being raised in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Delhi-NCR. The Centre released more than Rs 7,000 crore under the State Disaster Relief Fund (SDRF) and an additional Rs 10,000 crore under the National Disaster Relief Fund (NDRF) last year to the states as disaster relief, said Gauba in his inaugural address at the annual conference of relief commissioners and secretaries here. He asked the states and the Union Territories to step up their preparedness by advance planning and deployment of human, physical and financial resources ahead of the monsoon season. In the meeting, which reviewed the preparedness for the South-West Monsoon-2019, the Union home ...
Woman charred to death as car catches fire after accident
A 35-year-old woman was charred to death Tuesday when the car in which she was travelling caught fire following a collision with another vehicle in Maharashtra's Beed district, police said. Her husband and their 14-year-old daughter sustained serious burn injuries. The accident took place at Kolgaon in Georai tehsil around 12.30 pm when Dnyaneshwar Jadhav (40), his wife Manisha and daughter Lavanya were returning to Pune after attending a wedding in Parbhani, a police official said. A speeding SUV hit their car and the car caught fire, he said. While Dnyaneshwar and Lavanya could get out of the vehicle, Manisha was trapped inside, he said. Lavanya's condition was critical, the officer added. Dnyaneshwar, an engineer, works with a private company at Bhosri near Pune, he said.
Two killed in latest Alaska floatplane crash
Two people were killed in a floatplane crash in Alaska Monday, officials said, the second fatal incident involving the same local airline in a week. "A pilot and a single passenger are deceased after a Taquan Air Beaver Floatplane crashed in Metlatkatla Harbor" on Monday afternoon, Ketchikan Gateway Borough said in a statement. "There were no other individuals on board the aircraft." The victims' bodies have been recovered and taken to a nearby medical facility, while the plane was being towed to shore by volunteers, it added. Last Tuesday, a Taquan Air floatplane crashed into another aircraft in mid-air killing six people, also near Ketchikan, in southeastern Alaska. The Taquan Air plane last week was flying a shore excursion sold through a cruise line. Ketchikan is a popular tourist spot on southern Alaskan cruise routes surrounded by fjords and dense forests. Multiple tour companies offer rides through the area's fjords, many of which include a water landing in a ...
MeT Dept issues yellow weather warning in Himachal Pradesh
The Meteorological Department has issued a fresh yellow weather warning for thunderstorm in Himachal Pradesh on May 22 and 23, an official said Tuesday. The Shimla Meteorological Centre has forecast thunderstorm accompanied with gusty winds in plains and low and middle hills of the state on Wednesday and Thursday, he said. The MeT office issues colour-coded warnings to alert the public ahead of severe or hazardous weather which has the potential to cause 'damage, widespread disruption and/or danger to life.' Yellow is the least dangerous out of the weather warnings it indicates the possibility of severe weather over the next few days that could affect the public. Meanwhile, precipitation occurred at isolated places over the state during the last 24 hours. The lowest temperature in the state was recorded in Lahaul-Spiti's administrative centre Keylong at 5.5 degrees Celsius.
Major fire erupts at shop in Kerala
A massive fire broke out at an umbrella showroom at the crowded Pazhavangady area here on Tuesday, fire and rescue services personnel said. The two-storey Chellam Umbrella Mart and its godown were engulfed in fire. However, no major casualty was reported but a fireman sustained minor injury while trying to contain the blaze, police said. Smoke was seen emanating from above the building of the Mart that sells umbrella and school bags, by 9.30 am. The blaze spread fast to the nearby shops and a house in the thickly populated commercial area, causing concern among the people. After being informed by the workers of the shop, five units of the fire-tenders rushed to the spot and brought the flames under control after nearly three hours of relentless efforts. People in the nearby buildings were evacuated considering the danger. The owner of the shop said stock worth more than Rs one crore was believed to have been destroyed completely. The exact cause of the fire was yet to be .
Four students killed in accident
Four students were killed when their car rammed into a stationary truck near Sarfabad village on the Eastern Peripheral Expressway on Tuesday, police said. The accident took place when the car was coming from Haryana, Circle Officer, Khekda, R.P Singh said. Another girl, who sustained injuries in the accident, has been admitted to the district hospital. Further details are awaited.
Metro services affected on Yellow Line due to technical snag
Services were disrupted on the Yellow Line of the Delhi Metro on Tuesday morning due to a technical glitch, leaving many passengers stranded. Yellow Line connects Samaypur Badli in the city to Huda City Centre in Gurgaon. Due to the snag, commuters had a hard time reaching their destination and many passengers were stranded at the Qutub Minar station. "Due to a technical snag at Chattarpur, train services have been affected on the Yellow Line. The issue is being rectified," a senior DMRC official said. Trains are being run in following loops temporarily -- between Huda City Centre and Sultanpur and between Samaypur Badli and Qutub Minar, he said. "There will be no train movement between Sultanpur and Qutub Minar," he said.
New Zealand mine reopened nine years after deadly blast
A coal mine where dozens died in one of New Zealand's worst-ever industrial accidents was re-opened after nine years Tuesday as experts began the long process of recovering the men's remains. Twenty-nine people were killed at the Pike River mine in November 2010 after a blast triggered by a build-up of flammable methane gas. The South Island mine has been sealed since amid fears of further explosions, angering family members who wanted the entombed remains recovered. While some experts said the mine was too dangerous to enter, relatives of the victims argued it was the only way to find the cause of the blast that killed 24 New Zealanders, two Australians, two Britons and a South African. The controversy was so intense that when Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was elected in 2017 she specifically appointed minister Andrew Little to oversee the mine's reopening. Little announced Wednesday that the seal to the Pike River mine access tunnel, or drift, had been opened as families of the dead