Page 800 - Disaster Accident
Bikaner: Five killed, 11 injured in road accident
At least five people were killed and 11 injured when the mini-bus they were travelling in allegedly rammed into an unidentified vehicle in Rajasthan's Bikaner district, police said today. The accident took place late last night on NH-11 in Dungargarh police station limits when the passengers of the mini-bus were on their way back home in Binadesar village after attending a marriage ceremony from Moondsar, they said. In the tragic accident, Mahaveer Prasad (55), Lekh Ram (45), Govardhan Ram (45), Sukhram Jat (60) and Tola Ram (45) died while 11 others were injured, who are undergoing treatment at PBM Hospital in Bikaner, police said. They said that efforts were on to trace the other vehicle involved in the accident. According to police, a case was registered in connection with the incident and bodies were handed over to family members after post mortem.
17 dead in China's dragon boat accident
At least 17 persons were killed on Saturday after two dragon boats capsized in South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the authorities confirmed.The boats were practicing for a race in the Taohua River in the city of Guilin when the accident happened, China's state-run news agency Xinhua reported.According to the Television pictures a long, narrow boats packed with paddlers overturned where the current seemingly was strong. Another dragon boat arrived at the scene, also full of paddlers, and it capsized as well.Almost 60 people were tipped into the water, the report added.Eight boats and over 200 people had been deployed to the rescue.Dragon boat racing is popular in various parts of Asia, and the Dragon Boat Festival is a traditional holiday in China, when races are held nationwide.
Two Army personnel killed in Arunachal as road caves in
Two Army personnel were killed and another went missing when a vehicle of the Madras Regiment skidded off the road and fell into the Kundil River in Lower Dibang Valley district early today, official sources said. Four other officers also sustained minor injuries in the accident, they said. The vehicle, with 18 personnel on board, was patrolling the Iduli village area of the district, near China border, around 2.30 am when the road suddenly caved in, Lower Dibang Valley Deputy Commissioner Mitali Namchoom said. The driver lost control on the wheel and the car fell into the river, she said, adding that the area is prone to landslides. The district administration, along with police and Army officers, is undertaking rescue operations, Namchoom said, adding that two bodies have been retrieved so far while the third is still missing. "The bodies have been sent to the hospital and search is on for the missing personnel," she said. The NDRF battalion, stationed at Changlang ...
Jordan MP, family members among 8 killed in road crash
A Jordanian MP, his wife and three of his children were among eight people killed late Saturday when their car collided with a winch truck, a security source said. The truck's driver and his assistant were also killed in the crash on the desert highway south of Amman, along with MP Mohammad Amamreh, his wife, three children and his brother-in-law, the source said Sunday. Parliament speaker Atef Tarawneh expressed his sorrow at the loss of Amamreh, a 53-year-old former army colonel from the southern Jordanian city of Maan. Tarawneh decided to cancel a parliamentary session that was slated for Sunday, with a new date set for Monday, a statement said. Jordan has a dire road safety record, with 750 people killed in 2016, nearly 150 more than the previous year. Accidents are often attributed to the poor state of roads, disregard for driving rules and bad weather conditions, including sandstorms. The desert highway that stretches from Amman to the southern port city of Aqaba is often the ...
Sharp decline in rail accidents seen in 2017-18
The last financial year- 2017-18 saw a steep decline in the number of rail accidents, chiefly due to the extensive rail track upgradation taken up by the Railway Ministry.The number of accidents dipped to a record 73, a double-digit-figure for the first time in recent past. The number of accidents in 2013-14 was 118, according to the data provided by the ministry.The process of rail track upgradation also kicked up in 2017-18, wherein 4405 km of tracks were upgraded, 50 percent more than in 2013-14, when 2926 km of track upgradation was done.Track upgradation includes replacement and strengthening of old and weak tracks that are the prime reason for rail accidents.Since upgradation work requires halting railway movement in respective areas, delays in train schedule can be attributed to the same.
No question of coal shortage during monsoon: Secy
Ruling out any possibility of dry coal shortage in the upcoming monsoon season, the Coal Ministry said it has sufficient stocks to meet the demand of power plants. The ministry, however, stressed that it expects power plants to lift their requirement in time to avoid any shortage which was witnessed last year after the rainy season. The ministry hopes that the electricity producers which faced fuel problem last time would be careful this year and pile up adequate stocks, Coal Secretary Susheel Kumar told PTI. "No question of coal shortages at power plants. Because they have to have adequate stocks as per CEA guidelines (for) 21-22 days. They will keep stock. In any case they have faced problem last year so they know what are the problems. This year I am sure they are going to be careful," he said. Power plants were hit by coal shortages in the second half of 2017 which affected power production in some states. The ministry said it is fully geared to meet the increased coal demand this
Two Chinese dragon boats capsize in river, 17 killed
Two dragon boats practicing for a race on a river in southern China have overturned, drowning 17 people, authorities said today. The accident happened at about 1:30 PM yesterday when the dragon boats, 18 meters long and with a capacity of 30 passengers each, overturned during the practice session on Taohuajiang River in Guilin, the regional capital. About 60 people fell into the water. Seventeen people were killed after the boats overturned yesterday in southern China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the authorities said. Eight boats and over 200 people were dispatched for the rescue. Authorities in Guilin said villagers in Dunmu Village organised the practice session without notifying police beforehand. Two organisers have been detained, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
17 dead after 2 dragon boats overturn
Seventeen people were confirmed dead after two dragon boats overturned on Saturday in China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, local authorities said.
Rs 3.5 lakh crore needed for internal security in 2020-25: MHA
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Saturday said it had informed the 15th Finance Commission about its budgetary requirement of more than Rs 3.5 lakh crore for internal security and other responsibilities between 2020-25.
Many houses damaged as storm hits Meghalaya's West Garo Hills
A cyclonic storm hit parts of Meghalaya's West Garo Hills district, damaging a large number of houses and crops, officials said today. According to District Deputy Commissioner Ram Singh, many electricity poles and mobile towers also suffered damages in the storm, which hit the district yesterday. "The cyclonic storm yesterday has affected several villages in Selsella, Dadenggre, Rongram and Tikrikilla Community and Rural Development blocks. An assessment of the amount of damages suffered is being done," he said.
Quake measuring 3.7 on Richter scale felt in south Gujarat
A mild tremor measuring 3.7 on the Richter scale was felt in parts of south Gujarat, including Bharuch and Surat districts, though no damage was reported, officials said. The quake was recorded at around 4:56 pm, officials said. "An earthquake measuring 3.7 on the Richter scale was recorded with its epicentre located 38 kilometres East South East of Bharuch," said an official of the Gandhinagar-based Institute of Seismological Research (ISR). Bharuch Collector Ravi Arora said that no damage was reported due to the quake. "The earthquake was of minor intensity and no damage has been reported. People felt mild tremors," he said.
Jet Airways' 4 engines to undergo inspection post SouthWest Airlines incident
Jet Airways today said four engines of its planes would be inspected to check fan blade issues following safety directives issued by American and European regulators in the wake of the Southwest Airlines incident where an engine blew up mid-air. The full service carrier also said the inspections would not affect its flight schedule. Earlier this week, a CFM56-7B engine of Southwest Airlines' Boeing 737 aircraft had blown mid-air. Jet Airways operates 83 Boeing 737 planes with CFM56-7B engines. It has been operating B737 aircraft for almost 25 years. An airline spokesperson said it has received the latest Emergency Airworthiness Directives from the FAA and the EASA. These directives mandate an inspection of all fan blades of any engine that has accumulated 30,000 flight cycles or greater. "Jet Airways has commenced the required comprehensive checks to ensure full compliance of the directives within the stipulated period of 20 days. "The airline has four engines that are impacted by the
Early rains expose risks for Rohingya refugees in B'desh: UN
The arrival of pre-monsoon rains in southern Bangladesh has revealed an alarming level of risks for Rohingya refugees, the UN said, warning of the lack of funds to protect hundreds of thousands of desperate people once the rainy season begins in earnest. "The arrival of the rains marks the start of what is going to be an incredibly challenging period for the refugees and those working to support them," said John McCue, an official at the UN International Organisation for Migration (IOM), in Cox's Bazar, where more than 700,000 refugees are living in overcrowded camps. "The worst is yet to come when cyclone and monsoon seasons hit in the coming weeks," he said. UN agencies and their partners have some heavy machinery and road clearing equipment, with more expected to arrive. But humanitarian workers are facing severe shortage when it comes to other vital resources. To date, just seven per cent of the UN migration agency's USD 182 million appeal for 2018 has been secured. "The grim ...
20 children injured in car-school van collision in UP
At least 20 children were injured when their school van collided with a car this morning in Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr city, an official said today. The incident took place when the van was on the way to Balvidya Mandir School at Jehangirabad town, Circle Officer Jitendra Singh said. The injured were rushed to district hospital, he said. According to preliminary investigation, the incident occurred when the driver of the bus fell asleep and the vehicle veered and collided with the car, he said.
Indian, Pakistan army exchange fire across LoC
The Indian and Pakistan armies traded heavy fire across the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district on Saturday, defence officials said.
5 killed, multiple missing after boat accident in China
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV says five people have died and others are missing after two dragon boats capsized in southern China, causing 60 people to fall into the water. CCTV reported that the boats had been rehearsing for a race today in the Taohua River in the city of Guilin when the accident happened. It was not immediately clear what caused the boats to capsize. Five bodies and two survivors were pulled from the water. CCTV says rescuers have been searching for an unspecified number of others who remained missing. China has sought to step up safety surrounding nationwide dragon boat racing on the Duanwu festival, which falls near the summer solstice and commemorates the death of the poet and minister Qu Yuan in the third century BC.
Most of 16000 who died in TN in road mishaps in 2017 motorists
Over 16,000 persons, a majority of them motorists, lost their lives in more than 65,000 road accidents in 2017 in Tamil Nadu, the state government said today. "In the year 2017, there were 65,562 accidents in our state (Tamil Nadu) with 16,157 fatalities due to them," an official release here said. The Transport Department release, issued to detail the highlights of the Road Safety Week starting April 23, said more motorists died in these mishaps, though it did not give out any numbers in this regard. The state government was taking various efforts to ensure safe roads and the Road Safety Week was an initiative in this regard, it added. The Road Safety Week, scheduled between April 23 and 30, will have various programmes including rallies and awareness initiatives focussed on the need of wearing helmets and seatbelt, speed control and adherence to traffic rules, it said.
Fire breaks out at Amit Shah's meeting venue in UP
A minor fire broke out at the venue of a public meeting of BJP president Amit Shah, triggering panic and commotion in the audience. The fire, which was brought under control in short time, broke out due to an electrical short-circuit near the media enclosure, officials said. Shah and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath were present on the dais at the time of the incident. State BJP chief Mahendranath Pandey was addressing the gathering when smoke and sparks were noticed. Because of the fire, the programme was stopped for a while.
Fire breaks out in some shops in Chandni Chowk
A fire broke out in a few shops in Chandni Chowk's Bhagirath Place today, a Delhi Fire Service official said. A call was received at 12 noon about the fire in some shops and 10 fire tenders were rushed to the spot, he said. The fire fighting operations are still underway. Further details are awaited.
Red Cross worker killed in southern Yemen: spokesman
A Red Cross employee was killed in Yemen's southern city of Taez today, an ICRC spokesman said. "One of our colleagues was killed by an armed man in Taez city," Sanaa-based Red Cross official Adnan Hizam told AFP. Most of Taez is government-controlled, but many parts of the surrounding area remain in the hands of Huthi rebels. The International Committee of the Red Cross has not made public the aid worker's nationality or name. "We are in mourning for one of our colleagues who was shot dead in #Yemen this morning. We are trying to find out more about this tragic incident," ICRC Yemen tweeted. Nearly 10,000 people have been killed in Yemen since a Saudi-led coalition intervened in the country in March 2015 to push back Huthi rebels who forced the government into exile. The United Nations says the conflict has triggered the world's worst humanitarian crisis, with over 22 million people dependent on aid and 8.4 million on the verge of famine. Yemen is also struggling with cholera and ...