Page 760 - Disaster Accident
US diplomat involved in fatal accident leaves Pakistan
A senior US diplomat who killed a motorcyclist in a road accident here last month was allowed by the Pakistani authorities to leave the country just days after officials prevented him from boarding a US military plane.
DGCA rolls out draft duty & rest hour norms for cabin crew
Aviation regulator DGCA today proposed a new set of norms for the maximum duty time and rest hours for cabin crew members, prohibiting airlines from deploying a fatigued staff and endangering flight safety. The latest draft norms prescribe a maximum 22 hours of duty time for cabin crew members operating an ultra-long haul flight (over 16 hours or more), among others. It also provides for a 36 hours rest in case of the flight crossing eight times zones. The Delhi High Court had on May 4 granted eight weeks to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to finalise fresh norms on flight duty and rest hours for cabin crew and pilots. The court also gave the regulator time till today to upload the draft civil aviation requirement (CAR) on flight and duty time limitations (FDTL). The direction for a fresh CAR had come on a plea by an NGO, Dedicated to Aviation Safety and Health, and some Air India cabin crew members working on long-haul flights, who had challenged the ...
IMD issues heavy rain, thunderstorm warning in NCR
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday issued a fresh warning for heavy rains and thunderstorm in the next two hours in the National Capital Region (NCR).Gusty winds and rain is expected to lash areas like Narnaul, Alwar, Bharatpur, Mathura and Agra.As many as 80 were killed in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and east Uttar Pradesh due to thunderstorms and lightning with Uttar Pradesh alone recording 51 deaths.The latest devastation comes nearly two weeks after dust and thunderstorm claimed 134 lives injured 400 people in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana, Uttarakhand and Punjab.
Varanasi: Portion of under-construction flyover collapses, 12 dead
Atleast 12 people were killed and several feared trapped under debris, after a portion of an under-construction flyover collapsed in Varanasi's Cantt. area on Tuesday.Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya and Minister Neelkanth Tiwari have been directed by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to go to Varanasi's Cantt area."Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya and Minister Neelkanth Tiwari have been directed by CM to go to Varanasi's Cantt area, where over 12 people died after portion of under construction flyover collapsed there. CM expressed grief and directed administration to speed up rescue operation," said Uttar Pradesh Health Minister Sidharth Nath Singh.More details are awaited.
Remaining Magenta Line to start soon: DMRC
The Kalkaji Mandir-Janakpuri West stretch on the Magenta Line has been approved by the Metro Safety Commissioner and will open for public soon, the Delhi Metro Rail Corp said on Tuesday.
Under construction flyover collapses in Varanasi, deaths feared: Police
A portion of an under construction flyover near the railway station here collapsed today and several people were feared buried under it, police said. The incident occurred post-noon, officials said adding rescue teams were rushed to the spot. Senior police and administration officers also reached the site of the incident. "It is feared that several people are buried under the rubble," an official said. Some vehicles were also crushed in the incident, they added.
Labelling norm on packaged food in next 2-3 months: FSSAI
Food regulator FSSAI will finalise the labelling standards on packaged food products in the next 2-3 months and is open to make changes in the draft rules to address the industry's concern, its CEO Pawan Kumar Agarwal said today. Last month, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) had issued a draft of Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2018 and sought comments from stakeholders. The regulator has proposed making it mandatory to display red colour-coding on front of the pack of food products that have high-fat, high-sugar and high-salt content levels. "We are getting stakeholders' comment on the draft regulations. The final regulations is expected in the next 2-3 months," Agarwal told reporters here when asked about the proposed labelling standards. He said the FSSAI is studying the model used in foreign countries like Australia, New Zealand, Mexico and the US, for colour coding display on the packaged food item. "We are aware of the ...
Hawaii issues 'red air' alert for areas near Kilauea volcano
A "condition red" air quality alert has been issued after the Hawaii Fire Department reported that fissures near the Kilauea volcano were releasing high levels of sulfur dioxide gas.
Heavy rains, floods kill 7 in Afghanistan
Heavy rains and flooding have claimed seven lives and destroyed several houses in Afghanistan's northern Samangan and Baghlan provinces.
India gives NRs 180mn for river training in Nepal
Kathmandu, May 15 ( IANS) India has provided the largest sum for river training in Nepal in a bid to control floods that also affect India during the monsoon season.
Portugal braces for wildfire season after 106 died last year
Almost 6,300 firefighters are on standby in Portugal as the country gears up for the annual wildfire season amid controversy over whether enough has been done to prevent a repeat of last year's unprecedented 106 deaths. The government says that as from today, 13 water-dropping helicopters are available, with other aircraft already contracted for the critical period from June 1. Authorities have enacted a series of measures since last year's deadly blazes, including a national and mandatory forest cleaning programme. A severe drought last year left forests tinder-dry. Experts have blamed the large-scale wildfires on woodland that is often neglected. Rural areas of Portugal are commonly populated by elderly people who sometimes are unable to clear forest debris. Critics say the government has been slow to act.
Chinese hail 'hero' pilot who landed with broken cockpit window
The pilot who made an emergency landing in southwest China after a broken cockpit window sucked his co-pilot halfway out of the aircraft was hailed as a "hero" on today by astonished citizens. Liu Chuanjian braved the intense cold and blasting wind to slow the airliner from its original speed of about 800-900 kph (500-560 mph) to land in about 20 minutes. All 128 people aboard the Airbus A319 of Sichuan Airlines survived the ordeal. The plane was bound for Lhasa in Tibet from the southwestern city of Chongqing when the cockpit window shattered at about 9,800 metres (32,000 feet). The flight was diverted to the city of Chengdu in Sichuan province. "The windshield burst suddenly and a loud noise was heard, and when I looked to the side, I saw that the co-pilot was already halfway out of the window. Luckily his seatbelt was tied," Liu told the Chengdu Business Daily. The plane was vibrating strongly and it was impossible to read the instruments, said Liu, who was a former flight ...
Indian-Australian killed in road accident in Australia
A 36-year-old Indian-Australian man was killed and his father severely injured when their truck collided with another truck on a highway in South Australia, according to a media report today. Amit Kumar Bonsrey was killed in the accident while his father, who accompanied him, was severely injured and is undergoing treatment at Royal Adelaide Hospital, Australian news website SBS reported. "His father accompanied him on the drive as it was a long drive. He has been injured and has undergone a 16-hour surgery three days ago. He remains in critical condition," his acquaintance Surender Chahal said. Bonsrey, who worked at a factory in Adelaide was delivering goods to Mildura, a regional city in north-west Victoria, when his truck collided with another truck on the highway on April 30, Chahal said. Bonsrey is survived by his wife, his one-year-old son and a 15-year-old daughter, the report said.
Indian man killed in Australia road accident
A 36-year-old Indian man has died after an accident on a highway in South Australia.
Security breach forces UP CM's chopper to land in field
In a major security breach, a helicopter flying Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was on Tuesday forced to land in an agriculture field in Kasganj, officials said.
Small fire hits Cincinnati Zoo; no humans, animals hurt
A small fire in a concession stand at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Gardens caused thousands of dollars in damage, but no humans or animals have been injured. Fire department officials say the blaze broke out shortly after the zoo closed Monday evening. It started in a food smoker at the Safari Grill restaurant. Firefighters controlled the flames in about 15 minutes. The cost of the damage was estimated at $75,000.
WFP chief urges North Korea to grant more access
North Korea needs to allow more access and monitoring for international aid, the head of the UN's World Food Programme said today following a four-day visit to the country. The WFP is one of the few aid agencies operating in the isolated country, which suffered a famine that killed hundreds of thousands of people -- estimates range into the millions -- in the mid-1990s. But raising money for humanitarian aid in North Korea has become more challenging as Pyongyang has poured resources into its nuclear and missile programmes rather than feeding its people, and been hit with multiple rounds of UN sanctions as a result. David Beasley, the WFP chief, said Pyongyang was granting wider access than ever before, with his organisation able to carry out 1,800 site visits last year, but it needed to allow more. "We still need greater access, more information, more data," he told a press conference in Seoul. "I said very clearly... you have people around the world that are concerned that the food .
Jet Airways denies in HC that suspended pilots undertook flight duties
Jet Airways today denied in the Delhi High Court that two of its pilots, suspended by the aviation regulator for allowing unauthorised entry into the cockpit during a flight, had undertaken flight duties during the period of suspension. The airline also told a bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar that the period of suspension of the two pilots is over now. The submissions were made during the brief hearing of a plea alleging that Jet Airways had cleared the two suspended pilots for flight duties in contravention of the order of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The court listed the matter for further hearing on May 22. A journalist, Rajneesh Kapur, has made the claims in his application and alleged that one of the pilots had also undertaken a flight during the period of his suspension. The plea, filed through advocate Nikhil Borwankar, has also questioned the appointment of the VP (Operations), alleging that his nomination to the post ...
Two killed in Odisha road accident
Two men were killed and another sustained injuries when their car fell off a bridge in Odisha's Kalahandi district early today, a police officer said. "The accident occured around 2am on National Highway-26, near Khasbahal village in the district. The two men were on their way to Kesinga from Sundergarh, where they had gone to attend business-related work," he said. It seems the driver lost control of the car, which then skidded off the road and plunged 25 feet below the bridge, the officer said. Both Dinesh Jain (41) and Sanjaya Agarwal (42) died on the spot, he said, adding that the driver had been admitted to a hospital with serious injuries.
US Defence attache involved in crash leaves Pakistan
An American diplomat, who was involved in a fatal car crash in Pakistan, has left the country, Geo News quoted the United States Embassy, as saying.Colonel Joseph Emanuel Hall, the Defence and Air Attache at the US Embassy, was reportedly flown out of Pakistan from the Nur Khan Airbase in a special aircraft.Colonel hall left the country after the United States refused to withdraw his diplomatic immunity. However, an Islamabad court had ruled earlier that Col Hall's diplomatic immunity did not protect him in the case, as per media reports.The local police had handed over all records related to Colonel Hall to the US officials, the report said.On Saturday, the authorities in Pakistan prevented the Colonel Hall, from flying out of the country. A U.S. Air Force C130 had landed at Pakistan's Nur Khan air base to bring Hall back to the United States but was forced to leave without him, according to Pakistani media.Last month, Colonel Hall, ran down three persons in Daman-e-Koh, north of ...