Page 727 - Disaster Accident
Fire at power receiving station in Uri
Fire broke out in a power receiving station in Uri area of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said. Fire broke out in receiving station in Boniyar area of Uri in the north Kashmir district of Baramulla, officials of Fire and Emergency Services Department here said. Electricity supply to around 20 villages of the area was cut off due to the blaze. Fire tenders were rushed to the spot which brought the blaze under control, the officials said, adding the cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.
1 killed, another hurt as sports car turns turtle near Kolkata
A man was today killed and his friend seriously injured when the sports car they were travelling in hit a divider and turned turtle at Domjur area of Howrah district. The vehicle, which was coming at a high speed from Dankuni, hit the divider while approaching a bridge on National Highway 6 at Domjur, an hour's drive from Kolkata, and landed upside down on the ground with a thud, a senior police officer said. "Prima facie it seems that Shibaji Roy, a man in his early 30s, was driving the car. His friend Ashna Surana (21) was seated next to him," he said. Both of them were pulled out of the mangled vehicle by local people with the help of police officers. "While Roy was declared dead on his arrival at a private hospital in Kolkata, Surana was admitted with serious injuries," the officer said. A forensic test will be conducted on the mangled parts of the car, which was towed away to Domjur police station, he said, adding that the accident led to disruption in traffic ...
Navy evacuates 38 stranded Indians from Yemen
The Indian Navy on Sunday evacuated 38 stranded Indians from Socotra island in Yemen where they got stuck after a cyclone hit the area 10 days ago, forcing India to launch an operation to rescue them. All are reported to be safe.
Death toll in Oman, Yemen from Cyclone Mekunu rises to 30
Authorities say Cyclone Mekunu killed at least 30 people when it barreled across Oman and Yemen last month. The International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said in a statement that the majority of the fatalities happened on the Yemeni island of Socotra, where 20 were killed. The federation said in a statement Thursday another four were killed in Yemen's al-Mahrah governorate, which borders Oman. In Oman, authorities had previously said at least six people were killed by the storm. Cyclone Mekunu made landfall on the Arabian Peninsula early May 26, causing flash floods and other damage. It earlier hit Socotra in the Arabian Sea. The cyclone packed maximum sustained winds of 170-180 kilometers (105-111 miles) per hour with gusts of up to 200 kph (124 mph).
Bodies of 11 migrants recovered off Tunisian coast
The bodies of 11 migrants have been recovered and 67 others rescued after their boat began sinking off Tunisia's southern coast, the interior ministry said today. Those rescued from the fishing vessel off the coast of southern Sfax province included "Tunisians and foreigners", it said citing an initial toll. The Tunisian national guard and navy units found the ship about 30 kilometres off shore after receiving a distress call at around midnight on Saturday. The ministry said search operations, with the help of military aircraft and divers, were ongoing. Tunisians and migrants regularly try to cross the Mediterranean to seek a better future in Europe, but departures peaked last September. According to NGOs, the uptick reflected frustration among young people hard hit by unemployment. In October, a collision between a migrant boat and a Tunisian military ship left at least 44 dead, in what Prime Minister Youssef Chahed called a "national disaster".
Building collapses in Kenya's capital; police report 3 dead
Three people have been killed when a building collapsed in Nairobi's low income residential area of Huruma, a police official and witnesses said today. Pius Masai Mwachi of the National Disaster Management Unit said a rescue operation is going on after a five-story residential building collapsed early Sunday in the Ngei area of Huruma. A body was pulled from the rubble and another person who was rescued alive later died, he said. Three others rescued are being treated at a hospital, he said. A third body was being pulled out of the rubble, said a photographer for The Associated Press who was at the scene. Building collapses have become common in Nairobi, where 4 million people live in low-income areas or slums. Housing is in high demand and unscrupulous developers often bypass building regulations. After eight buildings collapsed and killed 15 people in Kenya in 2015, President Uhuru Kenyatta ordered an audit of all the country's buildings to see if they were up to standard. The ...
Cyclone Mekenu: Indians stranded on Yemeni island evacuated
The Indian Naval Ship, Sunayna, on Sunday helped successfully evacuate the 38 Indian nationals who were stranded on the Yemeni island of Socotra in the aftermath of cyclone Mekenu."All 38 have been reported to be safe. Post evacuation, the ship would be proceeding towards Porbandar to disembark the Indians ashore," the Indian Navy said in a statement.A "very severe" Cyclone Mekunu crossed Socotra on May 24, leaving 38 Indians stranded on the island with limited food and water.The cyclone led to flooding of Socotra's villages and capsized boats while disrupting all sorts of communication channels.Sunayna, currently deployed for a mission-based deployment in the Gulf of Aden, was pressed into action to evacuate the 38 Indian nationals stranded on the Yemeni Island, as part of Operation NISTAR earlier in the day.The evacuated Indians were brought onboard and immediately given medical care, food, water and telephone facilities to contact their families, the Indian Navy said.
Thousands of acres ablaze in US wildfires
Massive wildfires in the US states of California, Colorado and New Mexico have torched thousands of acres and forced hundreds to evacuate their homes, the media reported.
Adityanath announces relief for thunderstorm victims
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday directed officials to provide immediate relief and assistance to the people affected due to heavy rains and thunderstorm in the state.The chief minister also asked the officials to assess the losses caused due to the thunderstorm.As many as 15 people were reported dead and nine others left injured after thunderstorm hit various regions of Uttar Pradesh on May 29.The causalities were reported from Moradabad, Muzaffarnagar, Meerut, Amroha, and Sambhal districts of the state.Trees, electric poles, and hoardings also fell down at some place causing massive destruction.
Two climbers fall to death in Yosemite National Park
Two climbers fell to their death at the Yosemite National Park in California.
158 Jet Airways passenger stranded at Mumbai Airport
Around 158 passengers of Jet Airways 9W-2314 Mumbai-Ahmedabad are stranded at Mumbai Airport on Sunday.According to the passengers waiting at the airport, the onboard staff had informed them that Ahmedabad Airport is closed; however, later a Jet Airways official told ANI that the aircraft is facing a technical fault."It is true that a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) has been issued for runway maintenance work from 10 am to 3 pm but Jet Airways had been permitted for landing however later it was found that the aircraft has a technical fault," he said.
Coal India to pilot new billing system with NTPC
Coal India Ltd will try out a new customer-friendly billing system for consumers with state-iwned power major NTPC on a pilot basis, in line with a global quality practice framework, a top official has said. The new billing mechanism will compute prices on every unit of Gross Calorific Value (GCV( of coal, doing away with the grade policy at present. The GCV unit-based pricing of coal was first announced by Gopal Singh in January this year, when he was holding temporary charge as chairman of Coal India. Singh had expected the rollout of the new pricing method from April this year. "It has not started yet. It entails lot of things and that's why we are not in a hurry. Consumers should also agree. We are planning to carry out a pilot soon with NTPC," Coal India director (marketing) S N Prasad told PTI. The trial will be conducted with 1-2 plants of NTPC and 1-2 mines of Coal India in the first round. "After 2-3 months, we will analayze the results before taking a call on ...
ECoR gears up safety prevautions for monsoon
The East Coast Railway (ECoR) has taken precautionary steps before the onset of monsoon to ensure safety of running trains, disruption free services and also to minimise the effects of heavy rainfall, an ECoR statement said. ECoR General Manager Umesh Singh has directed officials to be on alert towards any incident caused by monsoon rain and flood situation near railway track for the safety of passengers and smooth train operations. "Accordingly, all precautionary measures have been taken prior to the onset of monsoon," it said yesterday. The catch water drains and side drains have been cleared of silt, vegetation and other obstructions to ensure free flow of rain water. The water ways of bridges have been cleared of vegetation and other obstructions, it said. Full Supply Level (FSL) in the case of canals and Danger Level (DL) in case of bridges have been painted with bright red band across each pier adjacent to the abutment so as to be clearly visible to the patrolmen, .
Building collapses in Nairobi; Kenyan police report 2 dead
A police official says two people have been killed in a collapsed building in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi. Pius Masai Mwachi of the National Disaster Management Unit says a rescue operation is going on after a five-story residential building collapsed early Sunday in Nairobi's Huruma Ngei neighborhood. He said a body was pulled from the rubble and another person who was rescued alive later died. He said three others rescued are being treated at a hospital. Building collapses have become common in Nairobi, where 4 million people live in low-income areas or slums. Housing is in high demand and unscrupulous developers often bypass building regulations.
Boeing dampens talk of redesign for potential new jet
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Boeing Co is prioritising passengers over cargo belly-space in its potential new mid-sized airplane, a senior executive said on Sunday, dampening speculation of a redesign to accommodate freight demand from Asian airlines.
Tanker driver killed after vehicle overturns in UP
A tanker driver was today killed and another person injured when the vehicle overturned and caught fire in Chandausi area here, police said. The incident took place this morning in which the driver was killed on the spot, Circle Officer Omkar Singh said. The victim had not been identified yet, CO said, adding that the fire tenders later controlled the fire. A probe was underway in the matter, he said.
Two dead in plane crash off Long Island: US Coast Guard
A small plane crashed into the ocean off Long Island, leaving two people dead and two others missing, the US Coast Guard has said. The Piper PA-31 Navajo "crashed about one mile off of Indian Wells Beach, Long Island" with "four people aboard," the Coast Guard said in a statement. Two people have been "recovered" and "assets on scene are searching for two more missing people," it added. "Our deepest sympathies go out to the families and loved ones of the two recovered individuals," Coast Guard Captain Kevin Reed said in the statement. The Coast Guard said its personnel as well as the Air National Guard, police and local fishing vessels were taking part in the search for the missing. It did not specify the cause of the crash.
10 killed in Mexico accident
At least 10 people have been killed when a cargo truck slammed into a bus in Mexico's Tlaxcala state.
US military operations killed 500 civilians globally in 2017: Pentagon
US military operations around the world claimed the lives of 500 civilians in 2017, according to a Pentagon report released on Friday (local time).According to the report, the civilians were killed in a total of six countries which included Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Yemen.In the report, it has been pointed out that Pentagon had no credible reports of civilian casualties from Libya and Somalia. Also, the Pentagon is yet to assess 450 civilian-casualty reports in Iraq and Syria, due to the paucity of resources, thereby indicating a possibility for the final tally to be higher.It was the first time ever Pentagon released figures for civilian casualties caused by U.S. military operations.
7 killed in storm Alberto flooding in Cuba
Heavy flooding caused by Subtropical Storm Alberto killed seven people when it struck Cuba, Civil Defence officials said today. Two people are also missing after the storm slammed the island earlier in the week, officials said in a statement published in state-run local media. The fatalities, all men between the ages of 26 and 77, drowned in different parts of central and eastern Cuba, the regions hardest-hit by Alberto. The two missing men are aged 18 and 51, Civil Defense officials said. The deaths are "all due to reckless behaviour," Interior Minister Julio Cesar Gandarilla said Tuesday at a meeting led by President Miguel Diaz-Canel to evaluate the storm damage and its toll, which at that time was four dead. More than 40,000 people were evacuated in four central provinces due to the heavy rain, state media reported. The Cienfuegos oil refinery, a linchpin of Cuba's economy, was forced to temporarily close down due to flooding. About 12,000 cubic meters (nearly 16,000 cubic yards)