Page 771 - Disaster Accident

Ernakulam-Howrah Antodaya Express hits excavator in Odisha

Passengers of the Ernakulam-Howrah Antodaya Express had a narrow escape after the train hit an excavator near Haridaspur station in Odisha's Jajpur district on Wednesday.

Casualties feared as blasts rock Kabul

Three blasts rocked Kabul on Wednesday, confirmed the officials in Afghanistan.The first attack happened in Dasht-e-Barchi area in Kabul city. Following this blast, two more explosions occurred in Shahr-e-Naw area, in downtown Kabul, reported Afghan's TOLO News, citing spokesperson for the country's Interior Ministry Nabjib Danish as saying.Casualties are feared, however, the exact figures are unknown as of now.No group or individual has claimed the responsibility for the explosions.

Tremors felt across Himachal

Tremors of an earthquake were felt across Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday, triggering panic among the people. However, no loss of life or damage to property was reported.

Quake jolts J&K

A 'moderate' earthquake jolted Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday sending people running out of buildings in panic. No casualties were reported yet.

Tremors felt in Punjab, Haryana and Delhi

Tremors of an earthquake that had its epicentre in the Afghanistan-Kazakhistan border region were felt in the north Indian states of Punjab, Haryana and Delhi, officials said. The quake was felt at about 4:15 pm today, a MeT Department official said. "The intensity of the earthquake, which had its epicentre in Afghanistan-Kazakhstan border, measured 6.2 on the Richter Scale," he said. There were no reports of loss of life or damage to property, government officials said. Tremors were also felt in Delhi, Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) officials said.

Sudden change in Delhi weather; thunderstorm, squall likely

A sudden change in weather was witnessed across Delhi-NCR on Wednesday afternoon with dark clouds appearing in the sky as the weather office issued a warning of 50-60 kmph winds hitting the region.

Goa govt to appoint agency to collect disaster-related data

The Goa government plans to appoint an agency for collection of disaster-related data to avoid any untoward incident in the upcoming monsoon season. The government will float a request for proposal (RFP) by the end of this month to appoint a private player for the task of data collection. Revenue Minister Rohan Khaunte gave this information here today. The southwest monsoon generally arrives in Goa in the first week of June. "The state government would be floating RFP for collection of data on disaster management by the end of May to invite bids from private players," Khaunte said. "They will have to collect all the data related to disaster management and submit it to the state. The tender would be awarded in the month of June," he added. Khaunte said the state government is also working on setting up control rooms at taluka, district and state levels. All the helplines of various departments would be integrated so that the people have single point of access in case of ...

Seven from MP killed as tanker collides with car in Gujarat

Seven members of two families, including three children, were killed when a tanker collided with their car head-on in Gujarat's Chhotaudepur district in the early hours today, the police said. The incident occurred at Rangpur village in Chhotaudepur when the members of the two families, all from Dhar district in Madhya Pradesh, were going to a hospital in Vadodara for the treatment of a child, he said. Around 6 am, a tanker coming from the opposite direction hit their vehicle on a road outside the village, located about 140 km from here, Sub-Inspector G N Parmar said. The tanker driver fled after the accident. Both the car and the tanker had registration numbers of Madhya Pradesh, the police said, but did not provide details of what was the tanker carrying. Following the accident, some locals rushed to the spot and pulled out the victims from the car, the police official said, adding while six people, including two children and as many women, died on the spot, another child died at a .

Chardham Yatra resumes as weather clears up

A day after snowfall in the higher reaches of Uttarakhand disrupted the Chardham Yatra and claimed the life of a porter, the pilgrimage resumed today as the weather cleared up and traffic restored along the main routes. The Chardham Yatra comprises the Himalayan shrines of Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri. The inclement weather yesterday has claimed at least one life with a porter from Nepal buried in an avalanche while returning to Gangotri from Kedartal along with a team of 31 tourists, Gangotri National Park Deputy Director Shravan Kumar said. SDRF and police personnel deployed at landslide-prone Lambagad on way to Badrinath, where the road was blocked for eight hours yesterday due to rubble, oversaw smooth passage of pilgrims to the Himalayan shrine, Chamoli District Magistrate Ashish Joshi said. The weather was also clear at Kedarnath with pilgrims arriving in large numbers since morning to pay obeisance at the shrine, Rudraprayag SP Prahlad Meena said. Former chief ..

Train hits excavator machine at level crossing, no one injured

An express train today hit an excavator machine at a manned level crossing in Odisha's Jajpur district, an official said. No passenger in the Ernakulam-Howrah Antodaya Express was injured in the incident, but services on the line were disrupted for a couple of hours, he said. The excavator machine was abandoned on the railway tracks by its driver after it developed snags near the level crossing, between Haridaspur and New Garhmadhupur stations, a senior East Coast Railway (ECoR) official said. The pantograph of the Howrah-bound train along with the overhead wire and masts were damaged in the collision, he said, adding that another engine was immediately sent to the spot to resume services. The gateman at the level crossing, Jashobanta Swain, has been suspended by the Divisional Railway Manager (DRM), Khurda, for dereliction of duty, sources said.

Multiple explosions hit Kabul

Three explosions in a span of 20 minutes were heard in the Afghan capital on Wednesday. Officials feared there could be casualties.

MSI drives in Vitara Brezza with AGS; price starts at Rs 8.54 lakh

Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) today launched its compact SUV Vitara Brezza with auto gear shift (AGS) technology priced between Rs 8.54 lakh and Rs 10.49 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). The AGS variants are in addition to the model's manual transmission trims which continue to sell in the market. The refreshed Vitara Brezza now comes with enhanced safety features and a number of internal and external changes, the company said. "We have enhanced its (Vitara Brezza's) allure to meet aspirations of our young customers. They now have the option of AGS, the acclaimed two-pedal technology, for enhanced convenience," MSI Senior Executive Director (Marketing and Sales), R S Kalsi said in a statement. AGS has been very well accepted by customers, and sales of AGS variants in the Maruti Suzuki portfolio have tripled in three years, he added. By making this technology available on Vitara Brezza, together with a refreshed design, the company expects the model to become even more attractive, Kalsi ...

Travelling by bus much safer than car rides: study

Taking the bus is a lot safer than travelling by car, according to a study conducted in Canada which found that car trips were linked to a significantly greater number of injuries. The study, published in the Journal of Urban Health, looked at the risk of injury along the 10 busiest bus routes in Montreal and showed that the risk is four times greater for car occupants than for bus occupants. Besides looking at specific routes, the study led by the Universite de Montreal Public Health Research Institute (IRSPUM) in Canada, is the first to compare the effect of car and bus use on the safety of pedestrians and cyclists. Per kilometre travelled, car trips were associated with a greater number of pedestrian injuries (four times more), cyclist injuries (five times more), and fatal and severe injuries (five times more) compared to bus trips. There were 28 times more seriously injured people in cars (278 over 10 years, including 19 deaths) than bus occupants (10 seriously injured, no ...

Many Airbnb venues in US lack basic safety protection: study

Many Airbnb venues in the US fail to provide the critical carbon monoxide and fire safety protections that are legally required of hotels and motels, according to a study. The analysis, published in the journal Injury Prevention, revealed that while the majority of rental properties - 80 per cent - were said to contain smoke detectors, only 56 per cent were reportedly equipped with carbon monoxide detectors. Even fewer - 42 per cent of venues - were said to have fire extinguishers, and first-aid kits were reported in just over a third (36 per cent) of venues. Researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in the US said that these numbers are troubling. The researchers also point to a lack of national safety standards for peer-to-peer (P2P) hospitality services like Airbnb, which they say leaves room for ambiguity about safety requirements for these rental properties. "Hotels and other hospitality settings present unique fire and safety challenges, such as the ...

Magnitude 5.5 quake rattles NW Pakistan, 9 children injured

A 5.5-magnitude earthquake today jolted northwest Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, injuring at least nine children and causing panic among the residents, media reports said. 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 of the three-story building. Few jumped from second and third floor of the building. The injured have been moved to District Headquarters Hospital, the report said. Last month, a 5.6-magnitude earthquake jolted many towns of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province. The epicenter of the quake was at the depth of 200 kilometres in Hindu Kush mountain area of Afghanistan.

5.5-magnitude quake hits Pakistan

An earthquake measuring 5.5 on the Richter scale hit the Pakistan capital here and parts of the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and east Punjab provinces on Wednesday, the Met said.

Coal mine explosion kills five workers in China

A methane gas explosion today ripped through a coal mine in central China's Hunan province, killing at least five workers, officials said. The explosion took place in at the coal pit of the Hunan Baodian Qunli Mining Co., Ltd. in Shaodong County, the county's publicity department said. Officials of the provincial work safety authority and the county government have arrived at the site to coordinate the rescue efforts, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. Five workers were killed in the explosion. The cause of the accident is under investigation, the report said The explosion is the first major coal mine accident this year and might lead to more tighter scrutiny on coal mine safety practices. Though the number of deaths have reduced at coal mines in recent years, mining accidents are common in China, which is the world's largest coal producer.

5 killed in China colliery blast

Five persons were killed in China early on Wednesday after a methane gas explosion ripped through a coal mine in Hunan, authorities said.

17 dead as Ebola returns in Congo

At least 17 people have been killed following signs of hemorrhagic fever in the Bikoro Health Zone in the Equateur Province in the northwest of Congo, according to the Minister of Health, Orly Ilunga.

Dust storm hits Delhi, NCR

A high-intensity dust storm hit the Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) on late Tuesday night.Earlier in the day, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) had 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 neighbouring states.The Indian Meteorological Department has also issued a warning in regard to Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.Earlier, dark grey clouds were seen over Uttarakhand's Dehradun and a severe hailstorm and rain lashed Himachal Pradesh's capital, Shimla, as well.Yesterday, a high-intensity dust storm hit New Delhi and Haryana.Besides the national capital, the high-speed winds were also recorded in NCR regions including Gurgaon and Noida, prompting authorities to issue advisory.So far, up to 124 people have lost their lives due to high-intensity dust storms in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan with the highest casualties in UP, where over 70 people have died.