Page 729 - Disaster Accident

Four members of Mumbai family killed in mishap in Gujarat

Four members of a family from Mumbai,including three women, were killed and two others critically injured in a road accident here in the early hours of today, police said. The mishap took place when the car they were travelling in crashed into a truck parked on the roadside at Darjipura near the city airport, said B M Rana, inspector at the Harni police station. The deceased were identified as Rajendra Pannalal Shah (53), his wife Jasmina Shah(46) and their relatives Rekha Shah (72) and Hinaben Bhikhibhai Hamriya(38). The two injured were admitted to the Gujarat government-run Sir Sayajirao General Hospital here for treatment, Rana said. The car driver apparently lost control over the wheels and smashed into the stationary truck, the inspector said. The impact of the crash was so severe that four of the car occupants died on the spot, he said. The Mumbai-based family was on a trip to tourist places in Gujarat, Rana said.

15 killed in dust storm in Uttar Pradesh

At least 15 persons lost their lives while nine were injured in a dust storm that swept various parts of Uttar Pradesh last evening. An UP government spokesperson today said that most of the deaths were caused due to falling of trees and house collapse. Moradabad bore the brunt of the storm, with as many as seven deaths reported from the district, followed by three deaths from Sambhal, the state government spokesman said. Two deaths were reported each from Muzaffarnagar and Meerut, while one death was reported from Amroha, he said. Four persons were injured in Amroha, three in Moradabad and two in Muzaffarnagar. The state government has directed all district magistrates to distribute relief within 24 hours.

Malaysia to penalize owners who don't replace Takata airbags

Malaysia's transport minister said Saturday that owners of more than 71,000 affected Honda cars will be penalized if they fail to replace flawed Takata air bags, in a drastic move to curb fatalities. The deaths of seven people in Malaysia have been linked to the defective air bags that are subject to one of the world's largest auto recalls. The latest victim was a 23-year old student whose 2004 Honda City crashed in Kuala Lumpur on May 27, the second death this year alone. Transport Minister Anthony Loke said owners of 71,315 Honda cars have still not responded to the recall replacement and will be barred from renewing their road tax if they don't do so. "The 71,315 cars are like a time bomb that can kill anytime ... the government has to take such (a) drastic measure because human lives are more important than a little inconvenience," Loke said after visiting the victim's family at their home. In the latest case, he said a 2-centimeter (0.79-inch) -long shrapnel was found embedded on

Mountainous northeastern India receives erratic rainfall

Mountainous northeastern India has experienced uneven pre-monsoon rains, though Tripura recorded 71 per cent excess rainfall, officials of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

Thunderstorm kills 5 in UP, Uttarakhand

At least five people were reported dead and six others left injured after a thunderstorm hit Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand on Friday.While two people died in Uttar Pradesh's Moradabad four were killed in Uttarakhand's Mandal.Trees, electric poles and hoardings also fell down at some place.Earlier on Thursday, India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a warning of a thunderstorm with strong winds and rain in various parts of Uttar Pradesh.The warning comes two days after a deadly storm claimed over 30 lives in various states across the country including Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand.

Hawaii volcano lava destroys over 80 homes

More than 80 homes have been destroyed by the Kilauea volcano eruption in Hawaii in the four weeks since lava began flowing, a top official said.

5 dead in US lettuce E.coli outbreak

Five people have died in a major E.coli outbreak in the US involving romaine lettuce, with 197 cases reported across 35 states, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Fire breaks out in Mumbai leather company office

A massive fire broke out at a leather company office, located at Barrister Nath Pai Road in Mumbai, in the wee hours of Saturday.The firefighters reached the spot immediately to douse the flames.Meanwhile, a fire officer received injuries during the operation.No casualty has been reported so far in the fire incident.More details are awaited.

Puerto Rico braces for new hurricane season

Puerto Rico is bracing for a new hurricane season just eight months after hurricane Maria, a category 4 storm, slammed into the island causing a major electricity crisis, the media reported.

UN chief vows to strengthen peacekeeping missions

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said the world body is working hard to make peacekeeping stronger, safer and more effective.

Honda confirms Takata air bag rupture in fatal Malaysia crash

(Reuters) - A Takata air bag inflator ruptured in a fatal car crash earlier this week in Malaysia, Honda Motor Co <7267.T> said on Friday, in what appears to be the 23rd death worldwide linked to the faulty part that can emit deadly metal fragments.

Spicejet flight suffers tyre burst, passengers safe

An Ahmedabad-Bangkok Spicejet flight suffered a tyre burst at the Ahmedabad airport during take-off on Friday.All 188 passengers of the SG-85 flight were reported to be safe.Arrangements were also made to tow the aircraft from the runway, which was blocked for a while leading to congestion.Many incoming flights were also diverted due to the incident.

Honda confirms new Takata air bag rupture in fatal Malaysia crash

(Reuters) - Honda Motor Co on Friday confirmed that a Takata air bag inflator had ruptured in a fatal crash earlier this week in Malaysia in what appears to be the 23rd death worldwide linked to the faulty part that can emit deadly metal fragments.

No casualty in Mumbai fire

No casualty has been reported so far in the fire incident that has taken place in South Mumbai.A major fire broke out in Scindia House on Friday at about 4 pm, according to witnesses.Five people were found stranded on the terrace area who ever later rescued by the firefighters.The Level 3 fire that broke out in the building also houses offices of the Income Tax department.More derails awaited.

Tyre of SpiceJet flight bursts ahead of take-off, none hurt

Tyre of a Bangkok-bound SpiceJet flight burst before taking off from the Ahmedabad international airport this evening, a senior official said. While nobody was injured in the incident, it forced the airport to divert a few other flights. Airport director Manoj Gangal said the SpiceJet flight carrying 188 passengers was grounded around 7.30 pm after the incident. "Tyre of SpiceJet flight 085, from Ahmedabad to Bangkok, got burst during the roll, that is before the take off. The flight was carrying 188 passengers. No one was hurt in the mishap," he said. "Following the incident, the runway has been blocked and seven flights have been diverted," Gangwal added. The airline confirmed the incident in a statement. "During take off roll there was a tyre burst after which the pilots brought the aircraft to a halt. Passengers were deplaned normally," it said.

Jawan killed, officer injured as landslide hits Army patrol team in J-K

An Army jawan was killed and an officer injured today when a patrol party was hit by a landslide near the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir's Uri sector, an official said. A patrol party of the Army was hit by a landslide in Uri Sector this afternoon, resulting in some personnel getting trapped, the Army official said. He said while one jawan died in the incident,a Major-rank officer was injured. The injured officer was evacuated to 92 Base Hospital of the Army here, the officer said.

Cloudburst sweeps away six cowshedsin Puri

A cloudburst occurred at Bamorth village in the district thisevening sweeping away six cowsheds in which a bullock was killed and as many as 10 other livestock were injured, police said. The cloudburst occurred at the top of a hillock in Bamorth village in Thalisain block of the district and the debris and muck flowing down washed away the cowsheds, a police official Praveen Rawat said. "One bullock was killed and 10 other livestock were injured as a huge amount of muck inundated thecowsheds," he said. There was no human casualty in the incident, he added.

NDMA member briefs Mehbooba about various activities

Member, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Lt Gen N C Marwah today called on Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti here and briefed her about various activities and initiatives taken by the authority. He appreciated the steps taken by the state government in disaster risk mitigation measures and the innovative schemes and projects, including the creation of a State Disaster Mitigation Fund, an spokesman said. Lt Gen Marwah, along with state Chief Secretary B B Vyas, also chaired a meeting to review the disaster preparedness and implementation of the Centrally Sponsored Schemes of NDMA in Jammu and Kashmir, the spokesman said. During the meeting, Director, Disaster Management, Aamir Ali gave a brief overview of the status of disaster preparedness in the state and the recent mitigation initiatives undertaken by the department in collaboration with various stakeholders, the spokesman said. Lt Gen Marwah said J-K is actively participating in the various workshops ...

Dust storm hits Delhi NCR

A dust storm hit Delhi-NCR tonight, bringing some relief from the sultry weather. A few flights were diverted due to the dust storm, sources at the IGI Airport said. The dust storm hit Delhi, Noida, Gurgaon, and Ghaziabad. According to the Safdarjung Observatory, a dust storm with a wind speed of up to 40 kmph hit the national capital. It brought the maximum temperature down from 42 degrees Celsius at 8:30 pm to 35 degree Celsius at 9 pm. The weatherman forecast another dust storm in the city tomorrow. According to airport sources, the dust storm caused diversion of three flights, including a Delhi-bound Indigo flight from Chennai, which was re-routed to Lucknow. Airlines such as Jet Airways and Vistara took to Twitter to announce delays in arrivals and departures due to air-traffic congestion in Delhi due to the adverse weather.

9 dead in lightning strikes, wall collapse

At least nine persons died and at least 12 were injured in several districts of West Bengal due to incidents of lightning strike and wall collapse because of heavy rainfall since yesterday evening, a state disaster management department official said today. While four persons were killed due to lightning strikes in Hooghly district, one from Birbhum district died the same way today, he said. One death each was reported from Purba Burdwan district's Katwa and Mangalkote because of wall collapse. Lightning caused the deaths of one person each in Howrah and South 24 Parganas districts yesterday, the official said. "The injured are undergoing treatment at various hospitals," he said.