Page 755 - Disaster Accident
Minor girl dead, her brother crushed by speeding dumfer
A minor girl was crushed to death, her elder brother injured in an accident on Friday after a speeding dumfer hit them, over taking a bus in south Delhi, police said.
Only 1 pct of Japan's biggest coral reef healthy: survey
Japan's biggest coral reef has not recovered from bleaching due to rising sea temperatures, with only one per cent of the reef in a healthy condition, according to a government study. The overall volume of coral in Sekisei Lagoon in southwestern Japan near Okinawa had already plunged by 80 per cent since the late 1980s due to rising water temperatures and damage caused by coral-eating starfish. Now only 1.4 per cent of the lagoon, which stretches over 67.89 square kilometres, is in a healthy condition, the environment ministry said, after it was hit by mass bleaching in 1998, 2001, 2007 and most recently 2016. "If coral reefs don't recover, it means a loss of rich fauna for a variety of creatures and would have grave impact on the ecosystem in the region," ministry official Chihiro Kondo told AFP today. For the first time since 2008, the ministry analysed satellite photos and information from some 1,000 monitoring sites for the Sekisei Lagoon and two other reefs around the Ishigaki ...
9 pilgrims killed in UP
Nine pilgrims headed to 'punyagiri or the mountain of good deeds, were mowed down by a speeding mini-truck in Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly district on Friday, police said.
Ebola cases on rise, reach 14 in DRC
The number of confirmed Ebola cases of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has risen to 14 after the Health Ministry announced 11 new confirmed cases and one new related death.
School bus collides with truck, killing teacher and student
A school bus taking children on a field trip to a New Jersey historic site collided with a dump truck today, ripping the bus apart and killing a teacher and student. The crash left the bus lying on its side on the guardrail of Interstate 80 in Mount Olive, its undercarriage and front end sheared off and its steering wheel exposed. Some of the victims crawled out of the emergency exit in the back of the bus and an escape hatch on the roof. More than 40 people were taken to area hospitals. "I heard a scraping sound and we toppled over the highway," said student Theo Ancevski, who was sitting in the fourth row of the bus and was treated at a hospital for cuts and scrapes. "A lot of people were screaming and hanging from their seatbelts." New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said that one adult and one student were killed. Murphy said the driver of the truck was alive at the hospital, but officials didn't reveal his condition. The front end of the red dump truck was mangled in the wreck, which
Two killed in school bus accident in New Jersey
At least two were killed after a school bus collided with a dump truck and fell off a New Jersey highway on Thursday.As reported by the ABC News, fifth-grade students of East Brook Middle School in Paramus, New Jersey were en-route to a field trip accompanied by their teachers and chaperones at the time of the collision.Further Holly Tedesco, Paramus Council president and police commissioner informed about the casualties.The school bus is said to have fallen at Route 80 near Mount Olive Township, which is about 50 miles west of New York City.The deceased have not been identified yet. Further, an unknown number of injured have been admitted to Morristown Medical Center.Further the New Jersey rescue team deployed cadaver dogs to find victims who might have been ejected.The accident site has been closed down by the police forces.
School bus taking kids on field trip collides with truck
A school bus taking children on a field trip to a New Jersey historic site collided with a dump truck Thursday, ripping the bus apart, knocking it on its side and injuring multiple people. The front end of the school bus appeared to be ripped off as it sat on the median of Interstate 80 in Mount Olive. It was also sheared off its undercarriage and a piece of the front end of the bus with the steering wheel visible was lying on top of the guardrail separating the highway from the median. A red dump truck with a mangled front end was parked along the highway nearby, about 80 kilometers west of New York. The truck was registered to Mendez Trucking, of Belleville, and had "In God We Trust" emblazoned on the back of it. "It's a horrific scene," Mount Olive Mayor Rob Greenbaum told The Record. "Our hearts are broken by today's tragedy," Democratic New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said in a tweet. Paramus Public Schools said that the bus was taking students from East Brook Middle School to ...
Fears mount as Ebola reported in DR Congo city
An outbreak of Ebola in remote Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has spread to a city, health watchdogs said Thursday, sharpening fears that the deadly virus now posed a regional threat. The fresh outbreak, publicly declared on May 8 with 23 deaths so far, had previously been reported in a rural part of Equateur Province in the vast country's northwest. But the DRC's health ministry and the World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday said a case had been confirmed in Equateur's capital Mbandaka, located about 150 kilometres (90 miles) from the Bikoro area where the outbreak originated. Amid anecdotal evidence of alarm among local people, a doctor at the city's General Hospital, who requested anonymity, told AFP that more than 300 people in Mbandaka had had either direct or indirect contact with Ebola. Doctors Without Borders (MSF), quoting local officials, said 514 people were believed to have been in contact with Ebola patients and were now being monitored. Peter Salama, in charge
Hawaii volcano summit erupts, residents urged to take shelter
Hawaii's Kilauea volcano erupted from its summit early today, shooting a huge plume of ash miles into the sky and prompting authorities to urge area residents to take cover. The Hawaii Volcano Observatory said the explosion within one of the volcano's craters had produced a volcanic cloud reaching as high as 30,000 feet and was drifting northeast. "At any time, activity may again become more explosive, increasing the intensity of ash production and producing ballistic projectiles near the vent," it said in a statement. The observatory said residents living along the path of the ash plume should take shelter, and maintained a code red aviation alert signaled on Tuesday, meaning no air traffic was permitted in the area. Kilauea is one of the most active volcanoes in the world and one of five on Hawaii's Big Island. The latest burst comes two days after Kilauea sent another massive plume of volcanic ash spewing into the sky. Scientists say the volcanic activity may be a precursor to a ..
Flyover collapse: UP Setu Nigam Officials asked not to leave Varanasi
Varanasi Police on Thursday said that the officials of the Uttar Pradesh Setu Nigam cannot leave the city without informing the Superintendent of Police (SP) after a portion of under-construction flyover collapsed on May 15 .SP Crime, JN Pandey told the media that police have gathered all the information from the project manager of the collapsed bridge."We have gathered information from the project manager of the bridge. The officials of the Setu Nigam cannot leave the city without informing the SP. Further investigation is underway," Pandey said.At least 18 people were killed and 11 critically injured, when a huge slab of a flyover under-construction came down, crushing on cars and a local bus underneath.Following the incident, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced ex-gratia for the affected families.A First Information Report (FIR) has been lodged under sections 304 (Punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder), section .
Guj to bear medical expenses of road accident victims from
Come tomorrow, the Gujarat government would start bearing medical expenses of up to Rs 50,000 for each victim of road accident in the state for the first 48 hours. Even people hailing from other states or citizens of other countries will get free treatment in Gujarat, regardless of their income, if they meet with a road accident and admitted to a government or a private hospital, stated a Government Resolution (GR) issued today by state Health and Family Welfare department. Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel, who also handles Health portfolio, had made the announcement to launch the free treatment scheme last week. "Under this scheme, which will be applicable from tomorrow, the state government would bear the medical expenses of up to Rs 50,000 for each accident victim," it stated. The move is aimed at providing timely and better treatment and thereby minimising the loss of life due to road accidents, the GR said. The government would reimburse the amount to the .
Bengal CID takes over probe into poll official's death
The Criminal Investigation Department of West Bengal Police has taken up a probe into the mysterious death of a presiding officer in the Panchayat polls, a police officer said on Thursday.
Split verdict on Iranian oil tanker disaster off China
A multinational committee probing a collision between an Iranian oil tanker and a freighter off China has come to differing conclusions over the causes of the accident that led to one of the worst oil spills in decades, according to an investigation report. The Panama-registered Sanchi, carrying 111,000 tonnes of light crude oil, collided with the Hong Kong-registered CF Crystal in waters off Shanghai on January 6. The tanker, operated by Iran's NITC, went down in a ball of flames on January 14, and its entire crew of 30 Iranians and two Bangladeshis are presumed dead. The CF Crystal was damaged but was towed to a nearby port and all 21 crew onboard were rescued. The investigation report seen by AFP, was produced by maritime authorities from China, Hong Kong, Iran and Panama, and has reached diverging conclusions. Chinese investigators found the Sanchi failed to make way after it saw the other vessel approaching, whereas Iranian and Panamanian investigators blamed a course change by ..
American diplomat allowed to leave Pak on US assurance: FO
Pakistan today said a senior US diplomat, who killed a motorcyclist in a road accident here, was allowed to leave the country as he had diplomatic immunity and also the Trump administration gave assurance that he would be tried in an American court. Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Faisalalso also said that restrictions on diplomats of both Pakistan and the US have now been in place and diplomats and their families will have to seek prior permission to travel outside the radius of 25 miles. Defence attache Colonel Joseph Hall left the country on May 14 after Washington assured Islamabad that he would be tried under US laws. Pakistan had earlier sent back an American plane, delaying the return of Hall to the US amidst the controversy over his immunity from prosecution. Hall had killed a 22-year-old motorcyclist and injured another on April 7 in Islamabad after jumping a red signal. He was let go by the Islamabad police in line with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, 1961 ..
UK looks at banning cladding blamed for deadly Grenfell blaze
The British government said today it would look at banning building cladding blamed for fuelling last year's Grenfell Tower fire, which left 71 people dead. Housing minister James Brokenshire said he would consult on a ban for high-rise buildings, as part of a shake-up of regulations intended to ensure there was "never again" a repeat of the tragedy. When the fire broke out in a fourth-floor flat in the social housing block on June 14, the flames rapidly spread up to the 24-storey tower, consuming the whole building. Focus immediately turned to the recent renovation of the 1960s concrete block, and the cladding fitted to the outside. "Let me be clear -- the cladding believed to be on Grenfell Tower was unlawful under existing building regulations. It should not have been used," Brokenshire told the House of Commons. "But I will ensure there is no room for doubt over what materials can be used safely in cladding of high-rise residential buildings. "Having listened carefully to ...
Elderly man rescued from water pipe after seven hours
An elderly man, who was stuck for seven hours today in a water supply pipe in Cuttack, was rescued by a team of fire service and disaster unit officials. Pranakrushna Muduli, aged around 60, is a worker at a pumping station of Lower Police Colony in the district, Chief Fire Safety Officer Sukant Sethi said. Around 8.30 am, he had entered the pipe for clearing blockages when another worker, unknowingly, switched on the motor for water discharge, he said. "Unaware of the presence of Muduli in the pipe, a staff member of the pumping station turned on the motor of the pump. Muduli was immediately pulled 20 to 25 feet inside the pipe. As the width of the concrete duct was around 2.5 feet, he could not come out on his own," he explained. A resident of Deulisahi area of Cuttack, Muduli was rescued in a joint operation by Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force and Odisha Police fire service officials, Sethi said. He is currently undergoing treatment at SCB Medical College & ...
Flyover collapse: Corpn MD shunted out
The Uttar Pradesh government today shunted out UP State Bridge Corporation Managing Director Rajan Mittal in the wake of the Varanasi flyover collapse, which killed at least 15 people earlier this week. Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Maurya, who is also the minister for Public Works Department (PWD), said in a tweet that Mittal has been relieved from the post of MD with immediate effect. The minister said J K Srivastav, Chief Engineer (Externally Aided Projects) in UP PWD, has been posted as the new MD of the government-run corporation which was building the flyover. A portion of the flyover coming up in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Lok Sabha constituency collapsed on Tuesday, crushing a mini bus, cars and two-wheelers. Officials initially said 18 people were killed, but the toll was revised to 15 later. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had constituted a three-member committee to probe the accident and submit its report within 48 hours. The UP State Bridge Corporation was constructing ..
Varanasi flyover tragedy: UP Bridge Corporation MD removed
The Uttar Pradesh government on Thursday removed the Managing Director of the Uttar Pradesh Bridge Corporation, Rajat Mittal, over the Varanasi incident where part of an under-construction flyover caved in, killing 15 persons on Tuesday evening, officials said.
After flyover collapse, begins blame game
As the families grieve the death of their kin in the Varanasi flyover collapse earlier this week, the local administration and the work agency are busy playing a blame game. The district police has lodged an FIR against officials of the Uttar Pradesh State Bridge Corporation Ltd, a government-run entity carrying out the construction of the flyover in the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's parliamentary constituency, stating the agency did not follow safety measures. Varanasi Senior Superintendent of Police RK Bharadwaj said that during an inspection of the construction site, it came to the fore that the builders were not following safety measures such as putting up proper barricades and laying out a service lane and an FIR was registered against corporation officials in February. Rajan Mittal, who was removed as corporation MD today, however, refuted the charges and asserted he was is in possession of five letters sent to the SP, Traffic, between November 2017 and March 2018 for ...
Met office issues fresh warning of thunderstorm in UP
Thunderstorm and squall are "very likely" to hit some areas of eastern Uttar Pradesh tomorrow, the meteorological office has warned. It said the districts that could be affected are Siddhartnagar, Kushinagar and Maharajganj. In its forecast, the MeT office said rain and thunderstorm are very likely at isolated places over east Uttar Pradesh and weather is likely to remain dry over western part of the state. Several parts of the state were hit by severe storm last week leaving 18 dead and 27 others injured. Last Wednesday, five people died in Etawah district, three each in Mathura, Aligarh and Agra, two in Firozabad and one each in Hathras and Kanpur Dehat. On May 2-3, storm had killed 134 people and injured over 400 in five states. Uttar Pradesh was the worst affected, accounting for 80 deaths, most of them in Agra district in western part.