Page 769 - Disaster Accident
Helmet makers welcome mandatory BIS certification
Helmet manufacturers today lauded the government's decision to bring all two-wheeler helmets under mandatory certification of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). "We are in high spirits with the government decision as they have taken the much needed step considering the alarming number of fatalities of two wheeler riders due to road accidents," ISI Helmet Manufactures Association President Rajeev Kapur said in a statement. The government's decision will encourage the usage of helmet while riding a two-wheeler that too with complete safety, he added. The government has recommended bringing two wheeler helmets under mandatory certification of BIS, and having 'two-wheeler' marking in word or picture on them, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari announced yesterday. The new helmets to be designed on the recommendations of a committee will also be India-specific and will weigh at least 300 grams less than the existing ones, he had said. In order to reduce fatalities in road accidents, the ...
At least 32 dead as Kenya dam bursts after torrential rains
At least 32 people died after a dam burst in central Kenya, sweeping away their homes while many of them were asleep, police said today. After a severe drought, weeks of torrential rains in Kenya have led to flooding and mudslides that have left 164 dead. The private Patel dam, used for irrigation and fish farming, burst on Wednesday evening in Solai, near the Rift Valley city of Nakuru, regional police chief Gideon Kibunjah told AFP. "The search and rescue exercise is ongoing and more bodies have been retrieved. The number we have as of now is 32 people dead and several are missing," Kibunjah said. "It is a disaster because most people were asleep when the tragedy occurred and their houses were swept away." He said 36 people had been hospitalised. A senior police officer at the scene, speaking on condition of anonymity, said emergency workers had spent the night combing through engulfed houses to retrieve the bodies of the victims and had only covered about half of the affected ...
Four Army trucks damaged in fire on moving goods train in MP
Four Army trucks were damaged in a fire that broke out on a moving goods train near Maramjhiri station near here today, a Betul district official said. No one was injured in the incident and the fire was put out soon, District Collector Shashank Mishra said. Four Army trucks were completely damaged as the fire engulfed four waggons of the train, he said. The train was on its way to Faizabad in Uttar Pradesh from Bengaluru when it caught fire near Maramjhiri, eight km from the Betul district headquarters, Central Railway sources said. The train was stopped when its guard noticed the blaze, and fire tenders were pressed into service, they said. The cause of the fire was yet to be ascertained.
DR Congo reports four more Ebola cases
Four more cases of Ebola have been detected in northwest Democratic Republic of Congo, doctors said today, two days after DRC reported a fresh outbreak of the disease. Of the four affected people, two are caregivers at the hospital in Bikoro where the Ebola outbreak has been concentrated, the hospital's chief surgeon Serge Ngalebato told AFP. The latest Ebola outbreak in the region northest of Kinshasa near the border with the Republic of Congo has so far killed 17 people. The World Health Organization (WHO) has made $1 million (842,000 euros) available to stop the virus from spreading to other provinces and countries, a representative of the UN's humanitarian affairs agency OCHA told reporters. The Nigerian government on Wednesday said it was acting to prevent the spread of Ebola from the vast central African country. The federal government had put in place an emergency programme to monitor all border activity to keep Nigerians safe, Health Minister Isaac Adewole said after a cabinet
Up storm toll rises to 16, fresh storm warning
The death toll in the storm that hit parts of Uttar Pradesh last night has risen to 16, an official said today as the Met office issued another bad weather alert for the state. "Four deaths were reported from Etawah, three each from Mathura and Aligarh, two each in Firozabad and Agra and one death each in Hathras and Kanpur Dehat last night," an official spokesperson said. Twenty-seven others were injured in the calamity which affected nine districts, mostly in western Uttar Pradesh that had also borne the brunt of a previous storm on May 2-3. The official said seven houses were damaged in last night's storm. Thirty-seven head of cattle perished. A weather office spokesman today warned of more thunderstorms accompanied by strong winds on Saturday and Sunday at isolated places in eastern Uttar Pradesh. He said a dust storm too was "very likely" at certain places in western UP. On Sunday, thunderstorms accompanied by squalls with a wind speed of 50-70 kmph were very likely at isolated ..
Groundnuts fire brought under control after 4 days, forensic
Nearly four days after a major fire broke out at a warehouse located on the outskirts of the city, in which groundnuts worth Rs 3.5 crore were gutted, the firefighters brought the blaze under control today, officials said. The Gujarat CID-Crime, which has taken over the investigations into the devastating fire, immediately began its probe into the incident. According to a top CID official, preliminary probe has revealed that it was an accident and not the result of sabotage. Nonetheless the probe agency has roped in forensic experts. "The fire, which started on the night of May 6, is now under control. The blaze has destroyed groundnuts worth Rs 3.5 crore kept in the godown," Deputy Inspector General of Police, CID-Crime Deepankar Trivedi said. Rajkot chief fire officer B J Theda said, "The fire has been brought under control. But it has not been completely doused as yet. Efforts are still on." The stock of groundnuts, which was stored in the godown located in Shapar ...
Four killed in UP accident
Four people were killed and 10 injured on Thursday when a truck hit a jeep full of pilgrims in Uttar Pradesh's Jaunpur district, police said.
UP thunderstorm: Toll rises to 16 dead, 27 injured
The thunderstorm that hit parts of Uttar Pradesh last night has claimed 16 lives and left 27 others injured, an official said today. "Four deaths were reported from Etawah, three each from Mathura and Aligarh, two each in Firozabad and Agra and one death each in Hathras and Kanpur Dehat last night," an official spokesperson said. He said 37 head of cattle also perished in the calamity which affected nine districts, mostly in western Uttar Pradesh that had borne the brunt of the previous storm on May 2-3. The earlier storm had killed at least 134 people and injured more than 400 in five states, the Home Ministry had said. Uttar Pradesh was the hardest hit with 80 deaths, most of them in Agra district. The official said seven houses were damaged in last night's storm. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath today issued fresh directives to the administration to speed up relief operations. An official release said he asked the ministers-in-charge and district magistrates to visit the ..
UP Relief Commissioner announces compensation to thunderstorm victims
Uttar Pradesh Relief Commissioner, Sanjay Kumar on Thursday said that compensation will be provided to those affected by the thunderstorm that hit various districts of Uttar Pradesh Wednesday night.A team of respective district magistrates has been appointed for the same.According to Sanjay Kumar, at least sixteen people were killed and over twenty-five got injured in the thunderstorm last night."16 people and 22 animals were dead and 25 people have been injured in nine districts due to a thunderstorm in Western UP yesterday. Six houses have been destroyed. I spoke to the respective District Magistrates and asked them to ensure compensation to those affected by this evening," he said.A high-intensity dust storm hit New Delhi and Haryana late Monday night. The high-speed winds hit the national capital and adjoining areas in NCR - including Gurgaon and Noida, prompting authorities to issue advisory.Till date, as many as 124 people have lost their lives due to high-intensity dust storms .
Protests erupt in Allahabad over lawyer's dead
Protests erupted in several parts of Uttar Pradesh's Allahabad city after a lower court lawyer was shot dead in a busy marketplace on Thursday.The lawyer, Rajesh Srivastava, was killed at around 10.30 a.m. in Allahabad's Manmohan Park area while he was on his way to the office.Meanwhile, lawyers protesting their colleague lawyer's death set a bus on fire near the District Magistrate's office in Allahabad.The motive behind the murder is yet to be ascertained.An investigation is underway.
Marine protected areas can help save coral reefs: Study
Marine protected areas (MPAs) may be effective in saving coral reefs from the damaging effects of global climate change, according to a study which contradicts the notion that such efforts are futile. The study by researchers at the University of Maine in the US spanned 700 kilometers of the eastern Caribbean, discovering that local reef protection efforts can work. According to the findings, published in the journal Science Advances, local fisheries management resulted in a 62 per cent increase in the density of young corals, which improves the ecosystem's ability to recover from major impacts like hurricanes and coral bleaching. "MPAs can help coral reefs, but studies to the contrary just were not measuring the right things at the right scales," said Robert Steneck, a professor at the University of Maine. "The idea behind MPAs is that, by reducing fishing pressure, you increase the number of seaweed-eating fish, and they decrease the amount of harmful seaweed, which makes it easier .
IMD issues 5-day weather warning across the country
After strong winds lashed Delhi yesterday evening, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Thursday warned of thunderstorms along with hail, squall and heavy rains for the next five days.The department has issued a forecast for May 10 to May 14, according to which thunderstorm accompanied with squall will hit isolated places over West Bengal and Sikkim today. Heavy rain is likely in Tamil Nadu and Kerala along with thunderstorm in at least 13 states.Heat wave conditions are likely at one or two pockets over Vidarbha tomorrow.On the weather outlook between May 12 to May 13, IMD said that widespread rain and thunderstorms are likely over isolated places of Kerela, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Odisha, Karnataka and West Bengal.Whereas a dust storm in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan is also predicted for both the days.A thunderstorm accompanied with squall and hail is likely at isolated places over Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Bihar, West
Canadian police probe washed up human foot
Canadian police have launched an investigation after a human foot washed up on the shores of British Columbia, marking the 14th time since 2007 that tides have carried a shoe-clad foot to the provinces coastline, the media reported.
Officials: At least 27 killed after dam burst in Kenya
A dam burst its banks in Kenya's Rift Valley, killing at least 27 people and forcing hundreds from their homes, Kenyan officials said today. Water burst through the banks of the Patel Dam in Solai, Nakuru County, on Wednesday night, sweeping away hundreds of homes, including those on the expansive Nyakinyua Farm, which borders the reservoir. "We have recovered 27 bodies and many people are missing. It is a disaster," said Rongai police chief Joseph Kioko. Rescue operation by Kenya Red Cross and Nakuru County disaster management teams went into operation today and up to 40 people have been rescued from the mud and taken to hospitals. Many are feared still trapped. Officials said the dam water and mud spilt out of the reservoir and submerged homes, extending to a radius of nearly two kilometers (more than a mile) Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiangi was set to visit the site today.
UP dust storm toll climbs to 12
The death toll in a dust storm that hit Uttar Pradesh has increased to 12, a government official said on Thursday.
Officials: 21 bodies recovered after dam burst in Kenya
Kenyan officials say a dam has burst its banks in the country's rift valley, forcing hundreds of people from their homes. At least 21 people have died. Police spokesman Joseph Kioko said water burst through the banks of the Patel Dam in Solai, Nakuru County, sweeping away hundreds of homes in the neighborhood, including those on the expansive Nyakinyua Farm, which borders the water reservoir. The incident raises the already high death toll in Kenya from floods due to seasonal rain. In a statement, Nakuru Governor Lee Kinyanjui assured residents that "we will do our best to take affected families to safety and help them get medical attention.
Death toll rises by 11 in UP dust storm
11 more people lost their lives in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday due to the high-intensity dust storms, taking the death toll to 81.The deaths were recorded in Agra, Etawah, Mathura, Aligarh, Firozabad and Kanpur Rural districts of Uttar Pradesh.Moreover, 11 people were injured.On May 7, the Meteorological Department had issued a 48-hour dust storm and thunderstorm warning.Now a total of 135 people have lost their lives due to high-intensity dust storms in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.Also in Rajasthan 209 were injured in the massive storm.Moreover, two people died in New Delhi on May 8 after a strong dust storm caused ambulances to catch fire.
Hawaii could face volcanic smog, acid rain
Following the eruption of the Kilauea volcano, residents of Hawaii's Big Island will now have to deal with steam-driven explosions, hazardous volcanic smog and acid rain, the US Geological Survey (USGS) has warned.
Toll rises to 12 in UP thunderstorm
The toll from a thunderstorm which lashed parts of Uttar Pradesh has risen to 12, officials said today. "Four deaths were reported from Etawah, three from Mathura, one death each from Agra, Aligarh, Firozabad and Kanpur Rural last night," Principal Secretary Information Avanish Awasthi said. One more person died at Hathras, the police said. Awasthi said district magistrates have been asked to distribute relief among the storm-hit people immediately. Thunderstorms and lightning on May 2-3 had killed at least 134 people and injured more than 400 in five states, the Home Ministry had said. Uttar Pradesh was the hardest hit with 80 deaths, most of them in Agra district.
Thunderstorm kills 8 in UP
At least eight people were killed in various parts of Uttar Pradesh in the thunderstorm that hit the state on Wednesday.Out of the eight, three people were from Mathura, four from Etawah and one from Agra.Earlier on Tuesday, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a mild thunderstorm and dust storm warning for the next 24 hours in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh and its neighbouring hill states.A high-intensity dust storm hit New Delhi and Haryana on late Monday night. The high-speed winds hit the national capital and adjoining areas in NCR - including Gurgaon and Noida, prompting authorities to issue advisory.Till date, as many as 124 people have lost their lives due to high-intensity dust storms in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan earlier this week with the highest casualties in Uttar Pradesh, where about 73 persons were killed.In Rajasthan, 35 persons were killed, while 209 were left injured.