Page 770 - Disaster Accident
22 injured in cylinder blast near Dharamshala sweets shop
As many as 22 people were injured when a cylinder went off at a sweets shops near the Nagrota Surian bus stand here today, a senior district official said. Kangra Deputy Commissioner Sandeep Kumar said the blast took place this evening and the injured included 18 men and four women. He said that out of 22 injured, 21 have been admitted to a hospital in Tanda. One injured with 40% burns has been admitted at Sukhsadan Hospital in Pathankot. Two of the injured received 75 per cent burn injuries, while three have suffered 60 per cent burns. Others have received less than 45 per cent burn injuries, according to the DC. Kumar said the seriously injured have been given Rs 10,000 each and the rest Rs 5,000 each. The place of the incident is some 40 km from the district headquarters.
Seven killed as dust storm hits many parts of UP
At least seven people were killed and half a dozen others injured as a duststorm hit many parts of western Uttar Pradesh late on Wednesday, officials said.
Two killed in north Bengal accident
Two persons were killed when a truck loaded with gas cylinders fell down 200 feet from National Highway 10 in north Bengal on Wednesday, police said.
9 killed in UP thunderstorm
At least nine people were killed and four others injured as a thunderstorm lashed parts of western Uttar Pradesh this evening. Four deaths were reported from Etawah, three from Mathura and one from Agra in incidents related to the thunderstorm, Principal Secretary Information Avanish Awasthi said. Another death was reported from Hathras where a 15-year-old boy was struck by lightning. Today's storm comes days after dust storms and thunderstorms lashed several areas in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. At least 80 people died then in Uttar Pradesh alone. The earlier storm hit Agra, Aligarh, Mathura and Firozabad districts in UP. Agra was the worst hit.
Gujarat road accident victims to get Rs 50,000
The Gujarat government on Wednesday announced that it will provide medical treatment up to Rs 50,000 to all road accident victims across the state.
Four killed, 10 injured in accident in UP
At least four persons, including two minors, were today killed and 10 others injured when a mini truck collided with a roadways bus on the G T Road near Govardhani trisection, police said. Four persons, travelling in the DCM mini truck, were killed when it collided with a Roadways bus of Kannauj depot, leaving 10 others injured, they said. The deceased have been identified as Malti Devi (35), her son Vinay (6) and daughter Lali (4) and Jagdevi (65), police said, adding that the injured were admitted to a hospital. The bus driver fled after the accident.
Addition of organ donation column in driving licence form hailed
A social group pushing for a change in the driving licence application form to allow an applicant to pledge for his/her organ donation has welcomed the government move on this, saying awareness and easy process will encourage people to donate organs.
Tremors felt across north India after Afghan quake
A large part of north India felt tremors on Wednesday as an earthquake, measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale, occurred near the Afghanistan-Tajikistan border, a Met official said, adding no casualty or damage was reported.
Criticised for triggering 'panic', IMD says wind speed observed within range of its forecast
Under attack for issuing an alert for a thunderstorm that triggered widespread panic among people, especially in Delhi, the Met department today said the wind speed observed was well within the range of what it had forecast. In a statement, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said thunderstorm was observed at a few places over Himachal Pradesh, at isolated places over Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, west Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi and Rajasthan. Hailstorm was also observed at isolated places over Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, it added. On Monday, the IMD had issued an amber coloured alert for Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi and west Uttar Pradesh with a forecast for Tuesday. There are four types colour codes signifying the level of caution: green (which means no actions), yellow (situation to be watched) amber (government agencies be prepared for severe weather), red (action needed by the agencies). Several parts of ...
Choc-a-block traffic after tanker spill in Poland
A tanker truck turned a stretch of highway into Poland's sweet spot when it spilt 12 tonnes of liquid chocolate after crashing through a traffic barrier. Local police said it was unclear why the truck belonging to a candy maker slammed into the central reservation on highway A2 between the western towns of Wrzesnia and Slupca. After flipping over, the tanker came to rest across lanes and the chocolate barred traffic in both directions. The driver was hospitalised with a broken arm. Passing vehicles left chocolate tire marks across several kilometres before authorities closed down the highway. A cleaning crew armed with shovels, an excavator and hot water pressure washers have begun chipping away at the chocolate that turned rock solid in the open air. "It will take several hours," local fire fighter chief Bogdan Kowalski told TVN24 television. "Once it hardens, chocolate's worse than snow.
Guj govt to bear medical expenses of road accident victims
The Gujarat government today announced that henceforth it will provide free treatment for the first 48 hours to all the victims of road accidents admitted to any government or private hospital in the state. Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel, who also handles the Health portfolio, made the announcement here. The government would bear the medical expenses of up to Rs 50,000 of each victim, he said. People of other states or even citizens of other countries will also be given free treatment if they meet with a road accident in Gujarat, he added. "The move is aimed at providing timely and better treatment and thereby minimising the loss of life due to accidents," Patel said. The scheme will be applicable to anyone who meets with a road accident anywhere in Gujarat. "The first 48 hours are very crucial for an accident victim. It is a general tendency that accident victims are first taken to a government hospital or a health centre, which may not have a specialist ...
Quakes rattle NW Pakistan, 9 children injured
Two strong earthquakes with one measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale today jolted parts of northwest Pakistan's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, injuring at least nine children and causing panic among the residents. The epicentre of the quake measuring above 6 was along the Afghanistan-Tajikistan border and it originated at a depth of 97 kilometre, said a spokesman for Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Metrological Department. The tremor was felt hours after a 5.5-magnitude earthquake hit Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, injuring at least nine children and spreading fear among residents. The epicenter of the quake was northwestern city of Bannu at a depth of 12 kilometres. The temblor was felt in the Swat Valley and Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan, Pakistan Meteorological Department was quoted as saying by 'The Express Tribune'. At least nine children were injured in Bannu's Government Model School near Tankhi Bazaar, it said. The panic-stricken children rushed out .
Express train hits JCB machine in Odisha, no injuries reported
Ernakulam-Howrah Antyodaya Express on Wednesday morning hit a JCB machine while passing a manned level crossing gate between Haridaspur and New Garhmadhupur.No casualty was reported in the accident.The Pantograph of the Train Engine has been broken. Only Down Line has been temporarily held up. Upper and Middle Line are free for train movement, according to the statement.The Over Head wire and the masts have been damaged. Diesel Engine has been sent to bring the train.Gateman Jashobanta Swain has been suspended by Divisional Railway Manager (DRM)/Khurda Road for dereliction of duty (as per prima facie enquiry findings) and DRM has ordered initiation of disciplinary proceedings against the gateman and responsibility of others will be fixed if any fault is found in the inquiry.
6.4 magnitude quake jolts Pak
An earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale jolted Pakistan Wednesday afternoon.According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), the quake's epicenter was along Afghanistan-Tajikistan border region.The depth of the earthquake, which struck at about 3:40 PM, was recorded at 97 kilometres, reported Geo TV.Tremors were felt across the country's northern regions, including Islamabad, Abbottabad, Bajaur Agency, Manshera, Dera Ismail Khan, Jhang, Chitral, Peshawar, Lahore, Faisalabad, Chiniot, Nowshera, Mianwali, Kotli, DG Khan, Okara, Kasur.The tremors came hours after reportedly a 5.1-magnitude earthquake jolted Pakistan earlier in the day.The earthquake struck at a depth of 40.9 km with the epicentre 29 km North-North-West of Bannu in Pakistan, as reported by the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
'Standing crop spread over 100 hectares damaged in hailstorm in J-K's Rajouri'
The Jammu and Kashmir government today said that standing crops spread over 100 hectares and over a dozen orchards were damaged by heavy rains and hailstorm which hit the Thanamandi area of Rajouri district last evening, officials said. However, all the members of the trapped Gujjar and Bakerwal tribes escaped unhurt and were subsequently rescued in a night-long operation undertaken by the district administration, they said. Over 110 animals belonging to nomadic families were killed in heavy rains and hailstorm yesterday. The officials said an assistance of Rs 3.50 lakh was provided with Rs 35,000 each to the affected nomadic families in the wake of loss of livestock to hailstorm and cloudburst. Another amount of Rs 4 Lakh was sanctioned for compensation of livestock killed, the officials said. Quoting preliminary reports by various teams deputed for assessment of losses to private property in various sectors, including agriculture, horticulture and fisheries as well as public ...
President Kovind to meet soldiers at Siachen base camp
President Ram Nath Kovind will visit the Siachen base camp tomorrow (May 10) and interact with the soldiers posted there.He will be the first President to visit the Siachen camp since the visit of the then President, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, in 2004.President Kovind will also visit the Kumar Post.Avalanches and landslides are common at the Siachen Glacier, also known as the world's highest battlefield, with temperatures dropping to as low as minus 50 degrees Celsius.Both India and Pakistan have had repeated border skirmishes at the glacier for the last three decades.
Quake hits Afghanistan-Tajikistan border; tremors felt in North India
The tremors of an earthquake that hit the Afghanistan-Tajikistan border were felt in several north Indian states including Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan as well as Jammu and Kashmir. The epicentre of the quake, measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale, was Afghanistan-Tajikistan border and it occurred at 4.01 pm, J L Gautam, Head (Operations), National Seismological Centre (NSC) said. The tremors were felt in Delhi, Punjab and Haryana, officials said adding there were no reports of loss of life or damage to property. Strong tremors were felt in Srinagar and other parts of Kashmir valley. In some areas, panic-stricken people rushed out of buildings and vehicles into open spaces. Similar scenes were witnessed in some parts of Rajasthan where mild tremors were felt, a MeT department official said.
India's longest road-rail bridge to be inaugurated by PM this year
In a major boost to defence logistics along the border with China, India's longest road and railway bridge connecting Dibrugarh in Assam to Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh is likely to be inaugurated later this year by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. While all the civil work would be completed by July this year, two more months would be needed to finish the electrical and signalling work on the 4.94 km bridge, said Mahender Singh, Chief Engineer, construction, Bogibeel project. The Bogibeel bridge is likely to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi by the end of this year, officials said. The bridge, which is the second longest in Asia, has three lane roads on top and double line rail below. The bridge is 32 metres above the water level of the Brahamaputra and is fashioned on a bridge that links Sweden and Denmark. For the government, the bridge, officials said is both a symbol of development in the northeast as well as part of a strategic move solving logistical issues for the ..
Now two-wheeler helmets to have mandatory BIS certification: Gadkari
To reduce fatalities in road accidents, 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 today said. 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. "We have approved reports of a committee and have recommended to bring the two-wheeler helmets under mandatory certification scheme of BIS. Recommendations include marking of 'two wheeler' mark in words or picture to distinguish the two-wheeler automobile helmet from other helmets," the road transport and highways minister told PTI. The steps are aimed at not only bringing down the road fatalities but also to promote the usage of helmet while riding two-wheeler without compromising safety, Gadkari said. A Ministry of Road Transport and Highways appointed-committee, headed by Joint Secretary, .
IMD: Strong winds coming for Delhi
Signalling the weather phenomenon in Delhi, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a warning of strong winds and rains, which are expected to hit Delhi and the nearby areas.It also stated that areas of Jhajjar, Rohtak, Bhiwani, Hodal and Palwal may witness hailstorm.Earlier, a high-intensity dust storm hit the Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) on late Tuesday night after the IMD issued a warning that thunderstorm with rain and gusty winds would blow over and adjoining areas of most parts of Delhi and areas in the neighboring states.