Page 739 - Disaster Accident
Summers bring Shimla's water woes to a boil
As north India's summer heat makes hordes of tourists flock to Himachal Pradesh capital Shimla, the season also brings bucketloads of trouble for its residents -- a majority of localities are facing a water supply crisis, getting potable water only once a week.
Couple, grandchild killed in bike-truck collision in MP
Three members of a family, including a three-year-old child, were killed when a truck collided with their motorcycle in the district today, the police said. The victims -- a couple and their grandson -- were going towards Ujjain when the truck coming from the opposite direction hit their vehicle on the Agra-Mumbai Road, about three km from the district headquarters, Lal Ghati police station in-charge Arjun Singh Mujalde said. The truck overturned after hitting the two-wheeler, he said. However, the truck driver fled the spot after he managed to come out of his vehicle, Mujalde said. The deceased were identified Kailash Gayri (48), his wife Shyamu Bai (45) and their grandson Ketan (3). The bodies were sent for postmortem. A case was registered, the official said, adding that a search was on for the truck driver.
'Our families would be killed': Rohingya brace for monsoon
Marooned on a dusty slope in the world's largest refugee camp, Osiur Rahman looked to the hill where a Rohingya girl was buried in a landslide just days earlier and contemplated his chances should the earth give way beneath his feet. "Our families would be killed. There are children everywhere around here. We constantly fear that rain could trigger a landslide," the 53-year-old told AFP on the steep embankment where he lives with nine family members in a bamboo shack. For the 700,000 Rohingya Muslims who have fled to southeast Bangladesh in the past nine months, the approaching monsoon season poses the most serious threat since they were violently expelled from Myanmar. Close to one million of the stateless Muslim minority live in the Cox's Bazar district but the new arrivals, stranded on unstable hills in bamboo and plastic shacks, are especially vulnerable. A massive operation to shore up the camps against disaster is in overdrive, with bulldozers levelling hills and refugees ...
19 CRPF troopers injured in Srinagar accident
Nineteen Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) troopers were injured in a road accident here on Sunday, police said.
Blake Lively drove husband to hospital during childbirth
Actor Ryan Reynolds says actress and wife Blake Lively once drove him to the hospital when she was giving birth to their child.
ISR prepares district-level earthquake hazard map for Gujarat
The Instituteof Seismological Research (ISR), a state agency, has come out with an 'earthquake hazard map' of Gujarat, which provides information about how intense the ground movement can be if earthquake hits a particular place. It can help town planners and architects take necessary precautions to mitigate the impact of a possible earthquake, ISR officials said. To prepare the map, the ISR took into account data of seismic activities in Gujarat from as back as 1668. It plans to bring out the map in a coffee-table book format, said Ravi Kumar, Director General of the ISR. "We have developed the map for all 33 districts. It shows ground acceleration to be experienced in different parts of the state. It can come in handy for town planners to assess possible intensity of an earthquake," Kumar said. As per the map, Bhuj and the Rann of Kutch in Kutch district are highly active seismic zones, and are expected to experience the highest degree of ground motion in the ...
5.2-magnitude quake hits Fiji
An earthquake measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale jolted Fiji on Sunday, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said.
15,000 lightning strikes recorded across Britain
Around 15,000 lightning strikes were recorded in four hours across Britain, the BBC Weather said on Sunday.
Palm plantation drive in Odisha to check lightning deaths
The Odisha government has decided to resort to the traditional practice of planting palm trees on both sides of roads, farm lands and forest boundaries as a measure to check casualties due to lightning strikes. In a letter to forest officials, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests D Swain said palm trees are good lightning conductors. He asked the regional chief conservators and divisional forest officers to undertake a massive plantation drive across the state, which, on an average, witnesses 400 lightning fatalities every year. The traditional practice of palm plantation, discontinued due to urbanization and development, could be the answer to the natural disaster, the letter said. The trees also have wide range of uses- its fruits are eaten, stem used as wood and leaves for thatching, baskets, mats and others. "Lightning usually hits the tallest object first. This palm tree, which is tallest, will work as lightning conductor, decreasing the death toll," the letter ...
Saudi Arabia says 2 soldiers killed in Yemen fighting
Saudi Arabia has said that two of its soldiers were killed in fighting against Yemen's Huthi rebels as the kingdom reported foiling a drone attack on a southern airport. The official SPA news agency reported late yesterday that two soldiers from the national guards were killed "during their participation on the southern border" -- a reference normally used for the fighting in Yemen against the Iran-backed Huthis. SPA however did not provide details on when or how the two soldiers were killed but said senior officials took part in their funerals. A Saudi-led Arab coalition has been fighting in Yemen since March 2015 against the Huthi rebels with the goal of reinstating the internationally recognised government of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi. Colonel Turki al-Maleki, spokesman for the coalition, meanwhile said Saudi air defences had intercepted and destroyed a Huthi drone that targeted the international airport in Abha in the south. An examination of the debris showed the drone was
Dozens of huts gutted in massive fire
About three dozen huts and 18 paddy grain dumps were gutted in a massive fire in R S Pura sector of Jammu and Kashmir, an official said today. The fire in the Kalali Tiba village broke out last evening and spread rapidly due to strong winds which swept parts of Jammu region, Deputy Director, Fire and Emergency Services, R C Raina told PTI. Fire tenders from nearby stations were rushed to douse the flame. Eight fire tenders were on the job and managed to restrict the fire after night-long operation. Out of 150 kullas (mud houses), 31 were gutted along with 18 paddy grain dumps and a number of cowsheds, Raina, who led the fire-fighting operation, said. He said five fire tenders were still on the ground as the clearance operation was still continuing. Raina said the cause of the fire was not known immediately but it is suspected that the fire was caused by a short-circuit. He said senior revenue officials are on the spot to assess the damage.
Death toll from bad weather rises to 20 in Sri Lanka
Nearly 20 people have lost their lives and over 150,000 have been affected from the floods and landslides caused due to heavy rains in Sri Lanka.Two people are missing and 10 others have been injured.According to the Disaster Management Center (DMC) 153,712 persons belonging to 40,017 families have been affected due to the heavy pre-monsoon rains across Sri Lanka in 19 districts, as per Colombo Page.Due to extreme weather conditions, 55,553 persons from 14,265 families have been displaced and moved to shelters in 265 safe locations.In totality, 105 houses were fully destroyed and 4,708 houses have been partially damaged. 155 small and medium enterprises and 68 critical infrastructures have also been damaged.Meanwhile, the government has allocated Rs. 33.8 million to provide relief to those affected and displaced by the floods and landslides.The National Disaster Relief Services Center has also allocated Rs. 38.66. A household resettling advance of Rs. 10,000 for 16 Districts has been .
Powerful cyclone strikes Oman, Yemen; 6 dead, 30 missing
A cyclone more powerful than any previously recorded in southern Oman slammed into the Gulf country and neighbouring Yemen yesterday, deluging a major city with nearly three years' worth of rainfall in single day. The storm killed at least six people while more than 30 remain missing, officials said. Cyclone Mekunu caused flash flooding that tore away whole roadways and submerged others in Salalah, Oman's third-largest city, stranding drivers. Strong winds knocked over street lights and tore away roofing. Rushing waters from the rain and storm surges flooded typically dry creek beds. The holiday destination's now-empty tourist beaches were littered with debris and foam from the churning Arabian Sea. Three people, including a 12-year-old girl, died in Oman, and another two bodies were recovered from the Yemeni island of Socotra. More than 30 people were still missing in Socotra, including Yemeni, Indian and Sudanese nationals. Yemeni officials also reported damage in the country's far .
40 houses gutted in fire in RS Pora in J&K
40 houses have gutted in a fire in Jammu and Kashmir's RS Pora region on Sunday.The police said, "Five fire tenders are present on spot."The police also said that no incident of death has been reported so far."As of now, there's no loss of human life. We're trying to douse the fire" the police said.Further investigation is underway regarding the fire.More details awaited.
One killed in Meerut sugar mill fire
One person was killed and two others were injured in a fire that broke out on Saturday in Kinauni sugar mill here following an explosion in its distillery, confirmed Meerut District Magistrate, Anil Dhingra.Following the incident, the firefighter immediately rushed to the spot and doused the flames.The injured have been shifted to a nearby hospital for treatment.
Forum writes to Nadda for justice in medical negligence cases
A 'campaign for dignified healthcare' launched by a forum of family members of children who died due to alleged medical negligence, has appealed the Union Health Minister J P Nadda to intervene for justice to families concerned. In a letter addressed to Nadda and Health minister of Haryana government, the forum has alleged "inadequate response and apathy" of governmental mechanisms for investigating cases of medical negligence and ensuring justice to the affected families. The campaign is spearheaded by family members of children died due to alleged medical negligence at top superspeciality hospitals in Delhi NCR, members of civil society and non governmental organisations. The letter expressed distress over "inadequate" workings of the medical negligence committees meant to investigate complaints from affected families. The Forum also charged "glaring deficiencies in the Central Clinical Establishments Act citing "absence" of a charter of patients' rights and an institution of ...
Three killed, 25 injured as bus turns turtle
Three persons were killed and 25 others injured when the bus they were travelling in overturned near Gudalur in nearby Nilgiris district today. The bus was proceeding to Bengaluru from Udhagamandalam when the driver lost control of the vehicle at Thavalamalai, late in the evening, the police said. While three persons died on the spot, the injured were admitted to the Gudalur government hospital.
10 killed in multi-vehicle collision in Telangana
Ten people were killed and 26 others injured in a multi-vehicle collision in Telangana's Siddipet district on Saturday evening, police said.
Army helicopter makes emergency landing in Assam
An Indian Army helicopter made an emergency landing at Bihpuria College playground in Assam's Lakhimpur district today after it developed a technical snag. The Army aviation corps helicopter had taken off from Tezpur Misamari and developed a snag mid air, Defence Spokesperson Harshvardhan Pandey said. The helicopter had on board three Army officers and one pilot, Pandey said. Another Army helicopter reached the spot and returned with the stranded officials. "The chopper is still in the field and it will take more than one day to repair," Pandey said.
48 dead in road mishap in Uganda: Reports
At least forty-eight people have died in northern Uganda when a bus hit a tractor driving with no lights at night and then a truck, the Ugandan Red Cross said on Saturday.The accident took place on Friday night in the district of Kiryandongo, about 220 kilometers north of the capital Kampala, said national police spokesman, Emilian Kayima, who had earlier reported a death toll of at least 22, several media reports stated.The wounded were transferred to the local hospital in the area.Senior police officer in the region ASP Julius Hakiza said "the bus knocked the tractor from the rear and thereafter lost control resulting into a head-on collision with a trailer registration number, which was moving from the direction of Kampala," the AfricaNews reported.When it comes to Uganda, it is said to have one of the worst records for road safety, owning to the poor condition of vehicles and roads.The police statement says "many road accidents are a result of avoidable human undertakings.