Page 725 - Disaster Accident
Tunisia searches for survivors of deadly shipwreck
Tunisia's navy scoured choppy waters today for survivors and victims of the Mediterranean's worst shipwreck in months, with the UN migration agency warning more than 100 people may have been killed. A total of 68 survivors were rescued yesterday off the coast of Sfax in southern Tunisia, while 48 bodies were recovered according to Tunisia's defence ministry. A survivor told AFP that more than 180 people were crammed onto the boat -- double its capacity -- when it started taking on water and sank. "The search operation restarted at 4:00 GMT with the help of nine navy units, one helicopter and divers," Mohammed Salah Sagaama, commander of Sfax's naval base, told AFP. "Up until 10:00 GMT, no more bodies have been recovered," he added, saying the search efforts were hampered by strong winds and limited visibility. So far 10 Tunisians have been identified among the victims and 14 people from other African nations. Tunisia, like other North African nations, is a gateway for migrants ...
Rs 50k for death of each milch animal in Pak firing
The government has enhanced to Rs 50,000 the compensation for loss of each milch animal due to cross-border firing in Jammu and Kashmir where over 1,200 ceasefire violations by Pakistan have taken place since January this year. The Union Home Ministry today said the compensation of Rs 30,000 for loss of each milch animal was quite inadequate compared to their actual value. Considering the problem of border-residents, the government of India has increased the compensation amount to Rs 50,000 per milch animal, a statement issued by the ministry said. Border areas of Jammu and Kashmir are facing losses of livestock, crops, houses etc. due to cross-border firing from across the border. The central government had announced expenditure for relief camps and compensation for losses of houses, crops and livestock at rates fixed in December 2017 by the national Disaster Relief Fund for the victims of cross-border firing. These claims will initially be paid to the victims by the Jammu and ...
Thunderstorms likely to hit UP in next 24 hours
The Indian Metrological Department on Monday predicted that the thunderstorm is likely to hit the parts of Uttar Pradesh in the next 24 hours.MeT director, JP Gupta told ANI, "Thunderstorm likely in Rampur, Moradabad, Saharanpur, Bijnor, Deoria, and Ballia districts in the next 24 hours. Local authorities and government are always kept on loop regarding any kind of possible mishaps."The pre-monsoon showers in several districts will surely bring down the temperature and will provide relief from the scorching heat.Earlier in the day, the weather department issued a warning of heavy rain and thunderstorm in several parts of the country.It stated that thunderstorm accompanied with gusty winds and lightning is very likely at isolated places over Gangetic West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh,Vidarbha, Goa, central Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, interior Karnataka and coastal Andhra Pradesh.After a thunderstorm hit various ...
Ferrari crash: Forensic team examines car, accident spot
A day after a person was killed and another injured in a car crash in West Bengal's Howrah district, a team of forensic experts on Monday examined the wrecked convertible Ferrari and inspected the accident spot.
Bonobos have human-like sense of disgust: Study
Bonobos lose their appetite if they experience disgust just like humans, according to a study which found that their curiosity transforms into caution when food is presented with faeces, soil or bad smells. In nature, parasites and pathogens are everywhere, and can enter the body along with food. Humans have therefore adapted sensitivity to the signs of such pathogens, said researchers from Kyoto University in Japan. In a series of experiments, bonobos were presented with different food choices involving novel food items: foods contaminated with faeces or soil; chains of food items linked to a contaminant; previously contaminated food; or only the odours of faeces or rotting food. The study published in the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, found that although bonobos happily gobbled up clean food, they steadfastly avoided anything contaminated. Moreover, their sensitivity to contamination risk seemed to wane the farther away a food item was located from the .
Pb to install online water testing metres: Minister
The Punjab government will soon install online water quality testing metres at all inlet points of canals and rivers from where water is being supplied for drinking purpose, state minister Razia Sultana said here today. The water supply and sanitation minister said the purpose of this whole exercise is to ensure that water is treated properly and all toxic heavy metals are removed from the water supplied for drinking purpose. She said, "It is our statutory and moral responsibility to provide safe drinking water to the people of Punjab." Water level is fast depleting while the water bodies are getting contaminated. The Punjab government is concerned about cases of contamination of various water bodies in the state, Sultana said. She said the Congress government is fully aware of its statutory duty and we have in principle decided to install meters at different river and canal outlets from where the water is being extracted for drinking purposes. The minister directed Principal ...
Inquiry into deadly London tower fire aims to answer: 'Why?'
An inquiry into the fire that tore through London's Grenfell Tower high-rise almost a year ago, killing 72 people, began evidence hearings today with a lawyer vowing it would address the "overwhelming question: Why?" The judge-led inquiry, which is expected to last about 18 months, aims to find the causes of Britain's deadliest fire in decades and to prevent future tragedies. It will examine how a blaze that started with a faulty refrigerator spread so quickly, the response of emergency services and local authorities, and the country's high-rise building regulations. But some survivors are critical because it won't investigate wider issues around social housing. "The fundamental question which lies at the heart of our work is how, in London, in 2017, a domestic fire developed so quickly and so catastrophically that an entire high-rise block was engulfed," said Richard Millett, chief counsel to the inquiry. "And how it was that 71 people lost their lives in a matter of hours, leaving ..
Three killed in road accident near Ambala
Three people, including two members of a family, were killed in a collision when a car, cycle and truck collided on the Ambala-Jagadhri road near Dheen village, around 20 km from here, police said today. A third member of the family was seriously injured in the collision. The deceased were identified as Harjeet Singh (49) and his son Prabhjot Singh (16) and Vijender Singh, the cyclist, the police said. Harjeet was headed back home after work with his two sons last night when one of the tyres of his car burst, causing the vehicle to collide with a truck, they said. Vijender Singh, who was crossing the road at that time on his cycle, was also hit by the car, police added. Harjeet's younger son is undergoing treatment at the local civil hospital. A case has been registered by the police.
Monsoon to hit Maha between June 6-8; Mumbai may receive heavy rains later this week: Weather agencies
Monsoon is likely to reach Maharashtra and Goa in the next two days, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said today, with a private weather forecasting agency predicting sustained heavy rains later this week. Rain over the western coast, especially in Mumbai, is likely to peak between June 8 and 10, private agency Skymet said. However, the government said as monsoon is strengthening, increased rains were expected from June 7 in Kerala, coastal Karnataka, Konkan belt and Goa. It also warned of "possible flooding" from June 10 onwards in these areas. Monsoon, which made an onset in Kerala on May 29, three days before its scheduled arrival, has advanced in some parts of Tamil Nadu, and southwest, west-central, east-central, northeast of Bay of Bengal, and in most of the northeastern states, the IMD said. "Conditions are likely to become favourable for further advance of southwest monsoon into some more parts of south peninsula, Bay of Bengal, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and remaining .
Four killed, 7 injured in two road accidents in Madhya Pradesh
Four people were killed and seven others injured in two separate road accidents in Madhya Pradesh since last evening, police said today. Two persons were killed after they were hit by a speeding car in Omkareshwar in Khandwa district last evening, they said, adding five others were injured in the accident. Omkareshwar Police Station in-charge R S Bhadoriya said the car hit four people sitting under a tree near Mortakka village located off the Indore-Ichhapur road, about 60 km from Khandwa. Two of them, Pratap (45) and Tarachand Sahu (50), were seriously injured and died on their way to a hospital, he said. The two others and three people travelling in the car were injured and admitted to a hospital at Sanawad town, the police officer added. In the second mishap, two persons were killed after their car rammed into a tree on Ratibad-Sehore road in the outskirts of Bhopal in the wee hours of today, an official said. Ratibad Police Station in-charge Ghanshyam Dangi said one
Taiwan searches for missing F-16 fighter jet
Taiwan's air force said today it was searching for an F-16 fighter jet that went missing at the start of annual live-fire drills. The single-seat jet disappeared off the radar over mountainous terrain in the northeastern county of Keelung at 13:43 pm (0543 GMT), 34 minutes after take off, the air force said in a statement. It added that it was making "all efforts" to search for the missing pilot, Major Wu Yen-ting. Wu was also involved in the last F-16 accident in Taiwan, in 2013, when he parachuted to safety following a suspected mechanical failure. The five-day drill kicked off Monday with troops practising thwarting a Chinese "invasion" by simulating surprise coastal assaults to reflect increased military threats from Beijing. Although Taiwan is a self-ruling democracy, it has never formally declared independence from the mainland and Beijing still sees it as a renegade province to be brought back into the fold, by force if necessary. Taiwan's defence ministry has said the main ...
Thunderstorm, dust storm 'very likely' in parts of UP
The weather office today said the possibility of thunderstorm and dust storm accompanied with gusty winds was "very likely" at isolated places in Uttar Pradesh during the next 24 hours. Dust storms have become a regular phenomenon in the state and have left over 130 people dead last month. Light rain and thunderstorm occurred at isolated places over easterm parts of the state, while the weather was dry over west UP, the Met department said. The weather bulletin said rain and thunderstorm were "very likely" at isolated places over the next few days. Jhansi was the hottest place in the state at 44.8 deg C. The latest dust storm in the state over the weekend had claimed 17 lives and left 11 persons injured. Most of the deaths were caused due to falling of trees and house collapse.
Ajmer: Water crises forces locals to lock water drums
Water shortage in Ajmer's Vaishali Nagar has forced people to lock their water drums. And with temperature shooting to 43 Degree Celsius, the intensity of the situation is making life difficult for the residents.The government water tanks are the main source of water, but even these come once between two to four days, locals claimed. With houses here in Ated area built on a high altitude, water supply to the region is hampered, thus leading to theft of water."No official from the water board comes to review the situation. This increasingly hot weather has made it very difficult for us to get water. Whenever the tanker comes, it becomes a war-like situation for filling water. If they build a water tank here, the problem will be solved," Manju Devi, a local, told ANI.Another local claimed that although pipelines are fitted in these houses, water cannot be completely filled due to insufficient pressure.A similar situation prevailed last week, where locals were seen locking their water ...
Heavy rain, thunderstorms very likely in several states
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Monday issued a warning of heavy rain and thunderstorm in several parts of the country.According to the IMD, heavy rainfall is very likely at isolated places over Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Telangana, Rayalaseema, coastal Andhra Pradesh and Kerala.Meanwhile, the weather department also stated that thunderstorm accompanied with gusty winds and lightning is very likely at isolated places over Gangetic West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh,Vidarbha, Goa, central Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, interior Karnataka and coastal Andhra Pradesh.IMD's latest alert comes after a thunderstorm hit various regions of Uttar Pradesh late last week, leaving 15 people dead and nine others injured.The causalities were reported from Moradabad, Muzaffarnagar, Meerut, Amroha, and Sambhal districts of the state.Trees, electric poles, and ...
25 killed in in Guatemala volcano eruption, 1.7mn residents affected
At least 25 people were killed, 20 others injured and some 1.7 million residents have been affected by the eruption of Guatemala's Fuego volcano, the most violent in recent years, according to government authorities.
Guatemala volcano eruption kills 25
At least 25 people were killed when Guatemala's Fuego volcano erupted Sunday, belching ash and rock and forcing the airport to close, the country's disaster agency said. "The toll was 25 dead as of 9:00 pm (0300 GMT Monday)," the spokesman for the National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction (Conred) said in a WhatsApp group. Search and rescue operations for the missing and dead have been suspended due to low light and dangerous conditions, and will resume this morning, the spokesman said. The eruption sent ash billowing over the surrounding area, turning plants and trees gray and blanketing streets, cars and people. Farmers covered in ash fled for their lives as civil defense staffers tried to relocate them to shelters during the event. Earlier, Conred chief Sergio Cabanas and President Jimmy Morales held a news conference, saying that the eruption left seven dead, 20 injured and affected more than 1.7 million people. Morales announced a red alert for Escuintla, Chimaltenango and ...
7 killed in Guatemala volcano eruption, over 1 mn residents affected
At least seven people have died, 20 others injured and 1.7 million have been affected by the eruption of Guatemala's Fuego volcano, the most violent in recent years, according to government authorities.
Moderate quake hits near Hawaii's Kilauea volcano
An earthquake measuring 5.5 on the Richter scale hit five km away from the active Kilauea volcano in Hawaii, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre. No Tsunami alerts were issued.
Seven killed in Guatemala volcano eruption
Seven persons have been killed and nearly 300 injured after Guatemala's Fuego volcano erupted, officials said.
6 killed after Guatemala volcano erupts
At least six people were killed and 20 others were injured after the Fuego volcano erupted near Guatemala City on Sunday, leaving the residents in panic, according to officials.The volcano, situated about 40 km south-west of Guatemala City has been spouting ash and black smoke into the sky, which has spread to the capital and other places, according to several media reports.Due to this, operations at the La Aurora International Airport in Guatemala City has been closed and several people living near the volcano have been evacuated.As per reports, the lava of the Fuego volcano ravaged a nearby village, causing heavy casualties.The Guatemalan government has advised people to stay away from the affected areas and wear protective masks to prevent inhaling poisonous smoke and falling ash.Meanwhile, Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales has declared a national emergency and urged people to stay calm and not wander around the affected areas.