Page 756 - Disaster Accident
Mob attacks police station over road accident, 25 arrested
Minutes after a motorcyclist was crushed to death today in Bihar's Aurangabad district, a group of people gathered outside a nearby police station, hurled stones at it and set fire to trucks, prompting police to arrest 25 of them, a senior officer said. Twenty-year-old Dhananjay Kumar was run over by a sand-laden truck laden near Dihara Jhumar village in Baarun police station area of the district this morning, Superintendent of Police, Aurangabad, Satya Prakash said. "Angry villagers alleged that the inability of the police to regulate traffic had caused the accident and attacked Baarun police station, pelting it with stones, and set fire to a dozen trucks parked nearby," the SP said. Police resorted to "mild use of force" to quell the mob and arrested 25 people, he said, adding that efforts were on to nab the truck driver, who fled the spot after crushing the motorcyclist to death.
Varanasi flyover tragedy: Samples sent to IIT-Roorkee
Samples of iron beams, cement, concrete and other construction material used in a Varanasi flyover, a portion of which collapsed on Tuesday killing many, have been sent for "quality and standards test" to IIT-Roorkee in Uttarakhand, an official said on Thursday.
WHO says Ebola outbreak has spread to DR Congo city
The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has spread to a city, the World Health Organization said today, raising concern the deadly virus may prove tougher to contain. "One new case of Ebola virus disease has been confirmed in Wangata, one of the three health zones of Mbandaka, a city of nearly 1.2 million people in Equateur Province in northwestern Democratic Republic of the Congo," the UN's health agency said in a statement. The outbreak, publicly declared on May 8, had previously been reported in a rural area of Equateur that lies roughly 150 kilometres (93 miles) from Mbandaka. "This is a concerning development," WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in the statement. The agency said it was deploying around 30 experts to Mbandaka "to conduct surveillance in the city." Forty-four cases have been reported in the outbreak so far, including three confirmed, 20 probable and 21 suspected, according to the WHO's tally.
Lightning strike kills shepherd in Hisar
A shepherd was killed after he was struck by lightning while sleeping in a field in Petwar village here, the police said today. The victim was identified as Ramzan, a resident of Rajasthan's Jaisalmer district. It started raining last night while Ramzan was sleeping in the field and a thunderbolt struck the area, police said. He was hit by lightning and died on the spot, they added. Ramzan had come to Haryana along with a few other shepherds three months back as water scarcity in Rajasthan made grazing sheep difficult.
Impact of climate change on river ecosystems
According to a recent study, climate change can impact fragile river ecosystems all over the world.Research undertaken in South Africa's Kruger National Park (KNP) has shown that increasing frequency of cyclone-driven extreme floods is responsible for destroying some of the world's most sensitive and valuable riverine habitats.Researchers from the universities of Hull, Aberystwyth, and Salford and the engineering consultants "Architecture, Engineering, Consulting, Operations, and Maintenance" (AECOM), used laser survey technology (LiDAR) flown from an aircraft, to measure the impacts of cyclone-driven extreme floods in 2000 and 2012 on rivers in KNP.KNP game reserve has global significance for its habitats and associated species, and the rivers flowing through the park provide essential ecosystem services, including water and habitat in the shape of the many varied channel morphologies and associated riparian forest.The high-resolution data has been used to create accurate digital ...
2 killed in UP road accident
Two persons were killed and a dozen injured when a speeding state-owned bus plunged from an elevated road in Uttar Pradesh's Etawah district on Thursday, police said.
Couple killed, 13 injured in accident
A couple died while 13 others were injured in a head-on collision between a tempo and a state transport bus in Rajasthan's Sriganganagar district today, police said. Bhoop Singh Mali (50) and his wife Nikko Devi (45) died on the spot whereas 13 others were injured, they said. The injured are undergoing treatment at a government hospital. Bodies have been handed over to family members after postmortem and a case registered against the bus driver, police said.
India's state power plants resume coal imports amid domestic shortages
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - State-run thermal power plants in India's coastal states have again begun buying overseas coal due to domestic coal shortages, government and utility officials said, in a setback for the country's long-term plans to eliminate imports.
US regulators open probe into Tesla crash in Utah
US safety regulators have launched investigation into a crash in Utah that occurred when a Tesla Model S plowed into a fire department vehicle while it was on "autopilot" mode, the media reported.
Storm blows away roofs of over 600 homes
Sunday night's storm had blown away the roofs of more than 600 homes in Bardiya, Kailali, Kanchanpur and Dang districts.Hundreds of families are hence forced to live under open sky.A woman was killed and seven other people were injured.District Police Office, Bardiya, said the storm wrecked nearly 75 homes and damaged 155 others at places like Barbardiya, Madhuwan, Thakurbaba, Rajapur and Geruwa, Kathmadu Post reported.In Kailali, the storm blew away the roofs of 47 schools, affecting hundreds of students.Farmers in the district also suffered loss as their crops were flattened by high wind.However, the disrupted power supply in areas like Bardiya, Kailali and Kanchanpur districts has been partially resumed from May 15.
Fire breaks out near TBRL complex in Panchkula
A fire broke out this evening near the Terminal Ballistic Research Laboratory (TBRL) complex located in Haryana's Panchkula district, about 20 kms from here, police said. The fire broke out at around 7:30 pm, the police said, adding that no injuries were reported in the incident. TBRL is an armament research lab under the department of Defence Research and Development. While the main laboratory is situated in Chandigarh, the firing range, spread over an area of 5000 acre, is located in Panchkula. The fire is stated to have started from the bushes near the TBRL after which it spread in the thick vegetation. Thick smoke was billowing until late in the night, the police said. "We have been told by officials of TBRL that they have managed to douse the flames," said Panchkula Deputy Commissioner of Police Rajendar Kumar Meena. Five fire tenders were rushed to the site to put out the fire. But they used their own three fire tenders to douse the flames," said the DCP. The exact details of ...
ECoR mobile app for buying tickets for unreserved seats
The East Coast Railway (ECoR) today launched a mobile app for passengers to book tickets for unreserved seats in train under its jurisdiction. Launching the app based unreserved ticketing system (UTS), ECoR General Manager Umesh Singh said it will be of great relief to passengers travelling in unreserved seats. Currently, passengers stand in long queues for several hours to buy tickets from booking counters at railway stations, Principal Chief Commercial Manager AK Behera said adding that the number of people in queues will be reduced. This app will also promote paperless transactions in railways, he said adding that passengers can pay through credit cards, debit cards, net banking and UPI. Tickets once booked cannot be cancelled or refunded, he said.
Andhra boat capsize: 12 bodies recovered, CM announces ex-gratia
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday announced an ex-gratia of Rs. 10 lakh to the families of the people, who lost their lives after a boat carrying 44 passengers capsized in Godavari river on May 15.Naidu further added that Rs. one lakh will also be handed over to the families for final rites."An ex-gratia of Rs. 10 lakh will be given to the kin of the families. The Government will also provide housing, job opportunities to the families. The boat was loaded with cement bags and motorcycles too which has led to the mishap. Boat driver and others have been arrested," Naidu said.He further said that of 44 people, bodies of 12 people have been recovered, while 10 are missing and 22 are safe."There were 44 passengers on the boat at the time of the mishap. 37 are from East Godavari district and seven are from West Godavari district. Meanwhile, details of 26 men and 12 women have been traced while 22 are safe. So far, 12 dead bodies have been recovered while 10 ...
PM announces ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh in Varanasi flyover collapse incident
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each to the kin of those killed in the Varanasi flyover collapse incident. He also announced Rs 50,000 each to those seriously injured in the incident, an official statement said. A portion of a flyover being built by a state-run corporation collapsed on a busy road in Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi yesterday, killing at least 18 people as it crushed a mini bus, cars and two-wheelers. Modi represents Varanasi in the Lok Sabha.
Varanasi tragedy: PM Modi announces ex-gratia for kin of victims
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday announced ex-gratia relief of Rs. 2 lakh each to the kin of those who lost their lives after a portion of an under-construction flyover collapsed in Varanasi's Cantonment area.Also, Rs. 50,000 will be given to the injured people. The compensation will be given from the Prime Minister relief fund.At least 18 people were killed and 11 critically injured yesterday, when a huge slab of a flyover under-construction came down, crushing on cars and a local bus underneath.Following the incident, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced ex-gratia for the affected families and met the victims at the Kabir Chaura Hospital in the city.A First Information Report (FIR) has been lodged under sections 304 (Punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder), section 308 (Attempt to commit culpable homicide) and section 427 (Mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Review safety steps at sites where construction works are on
The Telangana government today directed its civic officials to review safety measures at sites where construction works are on in the wake of the collapse of an under construction flyover in Varanasi yesterday, killing 18 persons. Telangana Municipal Administration Minister K T Rama Rao directed them to undertake a thorough review on safety measures at sites where construction works are going on, a government press release said. The government has taken up road development works and construction of flyovers and double bedroom houses for the poor on a large-scale in the city. Greater Hyderabad Corporation Municipal Commissioner B Janardhan Reddy noted that a number of safety measures have been taken at the construction sites and said a review of the safety measures would be conducted soon, the release added. At least 18 people were killed yesterday in Varanasi yesterday after a portion of the flyover being built by the Uttar Pradesh Bridge Corporation collapsed on a busy .
22 killed in Andhra launch capsize, 12 bodies fished out (Third Lead)
Tuesday's launch capsize in Godavari river in Andhra Pradesh claimed 22 lives and the rescue workers on Wednesday fished out bodies of 12 persons including two children, officials said
Manipur to soon launch air ambulance service: Minister
Manipur will soon launch an air ambulance service to reach out to the hill and rural areas that are difficult to access by roads, Health Minister L. Jayentakumar said on Wednesday.
UP to form bridge safety cell
The Uttar Pradesh Government will set up a bridge safety cell that will regularly inspect construction sites to prevent tragedies like yesterday's flyover collapse. Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya said the government will form the "Setu Suraksha Cell" to keep an eye on all bridges and flyovers being constructed in the state. The safety cell will ensure that precautions are taken at construction sites and there is no compromise with the quality of the work, Maurya told reporters today. The cell will ensure the safety of people travelling in vehicles and on foot near the construction sites, he said. It will also make sure that the labourers are also safe. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath visited Varanasi yesterday, a few hours after accident and met the injured at the BHU Trauma Centre and the Divisional Hospital at Kabirchaura. He instructed health officials to provide all medical facilties to the injured free of charge. The state government today .
Godown storing shoes gutted in fire in Jammu
A big godown, where shoes worth crores of rupees were stored, have been gutted in a fire in Jammu winter capital city, police said today. The fire broke out due to short circuit in three-storied godown in the Canal Road area of Jammu city last evening, resulting in the gutting of shoes worth crores of rupees, they said today. Over a dozen of fire tenders were pressed into service to extinguish the fire, they said, adding that the fire was prevented from spreading to the neighbouring areas.