Page 799 - Disaster Accident
Beijing says 32 Chinese tourists killed in North Korea bus accident
A bus crash in North Korea has killed 32 Chinese tourists and four North Koreans, the foreign ministry in Beijing said today. Two other Chinese nationals were injured in Sunday's accident south of the capital Pyongyang, ministry spokesman Lu Kang told a regular press briefing. "We are investigating the cause" of the accident, Lu said. The ministry provided few details but China's state broadcaster CGTN earlier tweeted that more than 30 people died when a tour bus fell from a bridge in North Korea. The tweet was later deleted. State broadcaster CCTV broadcast images of a large overturned vehicle with light rain falling on rescue vehicles and doctors attending to a patient. China was informed about the accident on Sunday night, and its embassy personnel in Pyongyang rushed to the scene and are working to manage the situation, the foreign ministry said in a statement earlier. The vast majority of foreign tourists to North Korea are Chinese, with the Cold War-era allies sharing a long ...
Fire in cloth factory, two killed
Two men were killed in a fire that broke out in a cloth factory in Gandhi Nagar area of Shahdara, the police said today. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. The deceased were identified as Fezan (22) and Shahmat (30). A call was received around 12 am by the Delhi Fire Service and 10 fire tenders were rushed to the spot. The ground floor of the factory is a godown for clothes while stitching work is carried out on the first and second floors of the building, they added. The owner of the factory, Kishore Aggarwal (68) lives on the third floor with his family. The other labourers and Aggarwal's family was rescued from the blaze but the two labourers were trapped. A case has been registered and police are probing the cause of the fire.
Railways to hand over century-old heritage bridge to UP government
In a bid to save its heritage structures, the Railways has decided against dismantling the 113-year old Lord Curzon Bridge in Allahabad and will hand it over the Uttar Pradesh government for its preservation.
At least 32 Chinese killed in North Korea bus crash
At least 32 Chinese nationals and four North Koreans were killed in a bus crash in North Korea, China's foreign ministry said today. "We are investigating the cause" of the accident which occurred on Sunday, ministry spokesman Lu Kang told a regular press briefing, hours after Beijing reported "heavy casualties" in the crash.
Delhi Metro steel girder falls in Ghaziabad, few injured
A steel girder of the Delhi Metro today fell in Ghaziabad's Mohan Nagar area, injuring a few people, a DMRC official said. "As per initial information, it appears that a steel girder, which was erected for constructing a footover bridge at Mohan Nagar, fell. Few injuries have been reported. However, we are still verifying the details," a Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) spokesperson said. "The Chief Project Manager and General Manager of Safety operations have reached the spot to take stock of the situation," he said.
1 killed, 2 injured after being run over by train in Lucknow
One person died and two others were severely injured after being hit by a train at Harauni railway station in Lucknow's Banthra on Monday morning.The incident took place after the train platform was suddenly changed at the station, causing panic among the passengers.Angry passengers vandalised the train after the accident, making the railway staff hostage for the negligence.Railway officials have given an assurance of taking action against the guilty employee after the investigation is done.In the meantime, Up Line of Kanpur-Lucknow rail division is affected.
2 killed in road accident in Bareilly
Two people died in a truck- motorcycle collision in Izzatnagar area in Bareilly, police said today. Ajay Kumar, 35, and Yogesh, 25, were on their way to a marriage last night when their motorcycle collided with the truck near Mayur Van Chetna Kendra, police said. The two were rushed to a hospital where doctors declared them dead. The truck driver escaped after the accident and efforts were on to trace him, police said.
Metro girder collapses in Ghaziabad
A number of people were injured on Monday after a girder, which was being used by the Delhi Metro for the construction of a foot-over bridge, collapsed here, authorities said.
Two men killed in Delhi fire
Two men were killed after a massive blaze broke out in a three-storeyed building here, said a fire officer on Monday.
At least 30 die in North Korea bus crash
At least 30 people have died in a deadly tour bus crash that took place on North Korea's Huanghai Road on Sunday.According to reports, exact details on the accident are still awaited; however, a renovation project on the road and poor weather conditions might have played a role.Among the casualties could be members of a group from Chinese travel company staff from Beijing.The Chinese Embassy in North Korea has confirmed the news."The Chinese Embassy in North Korea was informed by the DPRK that a serious traffic accident occurred on North Korea's Huanghai Road at night, causing heavy casualties to Chinese tourists," the foreign ministry said.According to RT, North Korea attracts a significant number of Chinese tourists, who make up about 80 per cent of all foreign tourists to the country.
N Korea road accident causes 'heavy casualties': China
A road accident in North Korea has caused "heavy casualties" among Chinese tourists, China's foreign ministry said today. The ministry provided few details but China's state broadcaster CGTN earlier tweeted that more than 30 people died when a tour bus fell from a bridge in North Korea. The tweet was later deleted. China was informed that the accident occurred last night, and its embassy personnel in Pyongyang rushed to the scene and are working to manage the situation, the foreign ministry statement said. The vast majority of foreign tourists to North Korea are Chinese, with the Cold War-era allies sharing a long land border and operating flights between the two countries. Tens of thousands of Chinese tourists are believed to visit the North every year, with many crossing via train through the Chinese border city of Dandong. North Korean roads are largely poor and potholed, and in many areas they are dirt rather than tarmac.
Fog causes major delays at Melbourne airport
A thick fog caused major delays at Melbourne's Tullamarine Airport on Monday, the Australian authorities said. Several domestic flights were cancelled due to poor visibility.
100 huts gutted in Meerut fire
At least 100 huts were gutted in a massive blaze that took place in Meerut's Jahidpur Village on Sunday night.The locals said that the incident occurred when a wedding procession was crossing the spot. During the celebrations and fireworks, one of the firecrackers landed on the roof of a hut, which caused the blaze.The locals reported the incident to the fire department and the police. While the police arrived at the spot, the fire department did not arrive in time.The police, with the help of the locals, then attempted to douse the flames.No casualties have been reported so far.
Four British pilgrims killed in Saudi road crash
Four British pilgrims were killed and 12 others injured in Saudi Arabia when their bus collided with a fuel tanker, officials said here. The crash occurred on Saturday near the western Saudi town of Al Khalas while the pilgrims were on their way to the holy city of Mecca. "The royal embassy of Saudi Arabia in London is working with (Britain's) Foreign Office to issue emergency visas immediately to both the relatives of the four pilgrims who died as well as to families of the 12 British pilgrims who were injured," the embassy said in a statement yesterday. "The injured have been taken to a hospital in Mecca where everything possible is being done to care for them." The Saudi ambassador to Britain Mohammed bin Nawaf also tweeted his "sincere sympathies". The embassy's statement said 17 British pilgrims were aboard the bus. The fatalities included a 70-year-old grandmother from Blackburn, in northern England, and an elderly man, a mother and her grown-up son, all from the neighbouring ...
Delhi: 2 killed in garment factory blaze
At least two workers died after a fire broke out at a garment factory in North East Delhi's Kailash Nagar area on Sunday night.The three-storey building consisted of a godown on the ground floor. The tailoring work used to be done on the first and second floors respectively.The fire destroyed all garment materials stored in the factory.Eyewitnesses said that the fire brigade arrived late to douse the flames, that resulted in casualties.A short-circuit is likely to be the cause of the blaze.An investigation is underway.
4 Britons on pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia killed in bus crash
A British travel company says four Britons on pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia have been killed in a bus crash. Hashim Travel said the four were among 18 people on a bus travelling from Mecca to Medina on Saturday. The travel company says the bus collided with a gasoline tanker truck. It says other people on the bus were treated for injuries. The Foreign Office called the collision near the town of Al Khalas in west Saudi Arabia a "serious road traffic accident." It said in a statement it is working to assist families of the people killed and injured. It didn't give further details. Hashim Travel says it has organized pilgrimage tours for more than 15 years.
7 killed, 3 injured in separate road accidents in Bihar
Seven persons were killed in two separate road accidents in Bihar's Purnea and Khagaria districts today, police said. In the first incident, four people were killed when two trucks collided on National Highway 57. All four of them - two drivers and two cleaners - died on the spot, Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Raj Kumar Shah said. Three people have been identified so far, while the details of the fourth person are yet to be ascertained, Shah said. While one truck was headed towards Araria district, the other, coming from the opposite direction, was on its way to Purnea, he said, adding that the bodies have been sent to Purnea Sadar Hospital for post-mortem examination. In the second incident, three persons were killed and as many injured when an autorickshaw collided with a four-wheeler is Khagaria district, police said. The incident happened near Kaithi Vishwakarma Asthan in Chautham block, a police officer said. While three passengers of the autorickshaw died on .
With onset of summer, nation facing acute shortage of drinking water
Even before the summer has fully set in, the acute water crisis has gripped many parts of the country.According to some surveys, people are facing water shortage this summer due to the depletion of water levels.Some parts of Jaipur in the desert state of Rajasthan has been declared as 'dark zone' (regions with depleting groundwater), as water crisis hits the city with the onset of summer.The villagers from Kho Nagoriyan have been continuously complaining of inconvenience and lack of water in their area as the summer peaks.Locals said, "We are entirely dependent on government water tankers which also come in a gap of two to three days with only 4,000 litres of water for 4,000 to 5,000 people. We do not even get sufficient water for drinking."Earlier in the day, Locals in Maharashtra blocked National Highway and pelted stones on government vehicles to protest over the shortage of drinking water in Aurangabad's Khuldabad.One of the protestors, who were surviving solely at water tankers ..
UAE says Qatari jets came too close to passenger flight
The United Arab Emirates said today that Qatari fighter jets narrowly avoided a UAE passenger flight over neighbouring Bahrain, the latest in a series of such claims. The UAE General Civil Aviation Authority said the incident took place at midday Sunday and the captain of the flight with 86 passengers onboard had "to make a quick manoeuvre to avoid collision". "Qatari jets chased the UAE passenger plane and came close to it leaving just seconds before collision... a very dangerous and unsafe approach which endangered the lives of passengers," the authority said in a statement cited by news agency WAM. It said the UAE would be filing a complaint to the International Civil Aviation Organization. Bahrain's civil aviation agency said in a statement cited by news agency NBA that the Airbus 320 was travelling from Dammam in eastern Saudi Arabia to UAE capital Abu Dhabi. The UAE and Qatar have in the past few months regularly accused each other of airspace violations. Qatar -- under boycott .
High-rise tower in Dubai catches fire; no injuries reported
A fire broke out today atop a prominent skyscraper in Dubai, sending smoke billowing from its roof and those inside fleeing into the streets before firefighters extinguished the blaze. No injuries were reported. An Associated Press journalist saw smoke pour out of the spire that crowns the Almas Tower in Dubai's Jumeirah Lake Towers neighbourhood as ambulances and fire trucks arrived at the scene. The government's Dubai Media Office later described the blaze as a "minor fire." "The building was evacuated safely," the agency wrote on Twitter. "No injuries have been reported." Authorities offered no cause for the blaze. The 68-story Almas Tower, 360-metres (1,180-feet) tall, is home to the Dubai Multi Commodities Center, which is also an economic free zone. The DMCC had hosted a conference earlier Sunday in partnership with Asia House called "The New Global Trade Order." The DMCC later wrote on Twitter that the fire's epicenter was in the tower's mast. Dubai, a skyscraper-studded city ..