Page 804 - Disaster Accident
2 killed in Indonesia quake
A shallow earthquake measuring 4.4 on the Richter scale hit Central Java region in Indonesia killing at least two persons, a disaster agency official said on Thursday.
Delhi HC directs DGCA to limit flying hours of pilots
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday directed the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to limit flying hours of pilots.The court passed this direction while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) that pointed out possible fatigue caused to pilots and other airline crew by long flying hours.The court directed the DGCA not to permit a pilot to fly a maximum of 125 hours over 30 consecutive days in order to remain within the prescribed fatigue limits.Expressing concerns that fatigued pilots and cabin crew are posing a risk to passenger safety, the court observed that staff shortage cannot be a justification of the overworking of pilots.A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C. Hari Shankar also directed the DGCA to review the civil aviation requirement (CAR) and frame new flying rules within one year.
IndiGo leaves behind luggage of passengers at Hyderabad airport
Some passengers of an IndiGo flight from Hyderabad to Nagpur were left in a shock after landing when they discovered that their baggage were not carried in the flight last night. According to the airline, the luggage were left behind at the Hyderabad airport as the flight had to carry additional fuel due to the prevailing weather situation en route. Luggage of about 20 passengers were not transported. Due to expected (inclement) weather enroute, the pilot had to carry additional fuel which resulted in a reduced payload. Staff had proactively informed affected passengers about the situation and assured that their baggage will be transported via an alternative flight at the earliest, the airline said in a statement. The passengers, however, alleged that they were not informed, according to sources at the airport.
SDM's wife killed in road accident in HP
The 30-year-old wife of a sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) in Himachal Pradesh's Kangra district was killed in a road accident today, police said. The accident took place near Rani Tal around 3 PM when Sonia, an ayurveda doctor and the wife of the SDM of Nagrota Bagwan, was travelling from Bilaspur to Nagrota, along with her mother-in-law and two-year-old daughter. The car carrying SDM Sidharth Acharya's family collided with another vehicle on the Dharamshala-Shimla national highway, Senior Superintendent of Police of Kangra Santosh Patial said. The injured, including the SDM's mother and daughter, have been admitted to a hospital.
Man killed as SUV rams autorickshaw in south Delhi, 6 injured
A man, in his 40s, was killed and six others were injured after the autorickshaw they were travelling in was hit by an SUV in south Delhi's Lado Sarai late last night, police said today. The deceased has been identified as Chandan Kumar Jha, police said, adding he was in the auto-rickshaw with his three catering work colleagues -- Roopram, Neeraj, Satendra. They were returning from Mehrauli after a function when the auto-rickshaw was hit by the SUV as the three-wheeler turned towards AIIMS, they said. They four in the auto-rickshaw belonged to central Delhi's Baljeet Nagar, they said, adding the four-wheeler bore a Delhi registration number and was coming from MB Road. The police were informed about the accident and rushed the injured to the hospital. The SUV driver fled from the hospital leaving behind two co-passengers, who also sustained minor injuries in the accident, they added. Police said Jha was declared brought dead while the others escaped with fractures but were stable. The
Charred bodies of three sisters found in Odisha
Charred bodies of three sisters were recovered from a house in Odisha's Malkangiri on Wednesday.The locals informed the police after they spotted flames and smoke coming out of the house. Soon, police and fire tenders reached the spot.While dousing the flames, the fire tenders informed the police that door of the house was locked from inside triggering suspicion of suicide.Locals in the area suspected that all three girls, who were unmarried, were depressed over some family-related issue.A case of unnatural death has been registered in this regard.
Air India orders probe against sr pilot threatening co-pilots with axe
Air India has ordered a probe into the complaints that one of its senior pilots threatened to hit his co-pilots with 'crash axe' at least on two flights, the sources said. While ordering probe, India's national carrier also directed the senior pilot not to perform his duties as an instructor till further orders. His 'trainership,' however, was restored last week. In the first incident, the pilot, who is a trainer, allegedly threatened the use of crash axe in the presence of a safety pilot doing the route check. According to sources, the trainer pilot who was in the cockpit of Air Indian flight AI 709 from Kolkata to Dimapur on January 18, 2018, allegedly threatened to use the axe against the co-pilot who was doing his route check. On January 26, 2018, the senior commander allegedly misbehaved again against his co-pilot and doled out the same threat to his trainee pilot during a Mumbai-Kolkata flight, forcing the trainee pilot to file a complaint against him, sources said. Sources said
18 dead as squall hits WB, govt to provide compensation
The nor'wester that hit the city and several districts of West Bengal yesterday left 18 people dead, and the state government would provide compensation to all those affected by it, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said today. She said providing compensation for disaster-affected people is outside the purview of the model code of conduct currently in force in the state for the panchayat elections. "The affected people will be compensated. The amount of compensation will be decided later," she told reporters at the state secretariat. The chief minister said of the 18 dead, eight died in Kolkata, six in Howrah district and two in Bankura and one each in Hooghly and North 24 Parganas districts. According to the police, nearly 50 people were injured in incidents of wall collapse, uprooting of trees and electrocution. "It was a sudden storm. It happens sometimes. No one can control nature," Banerjee said and asserted that the administration acted properly following the nor'wester, otherwise .
SC rejects pleas challenging bail granted to Amanmani Tripathi
The Supreme Court today dismissed the petitions challenging the Allahabad High Court's verdict granting bail to Uttar Pradesh politician Amanmani Tripathi, who is accused of murdering his wife. A bench comprising Justices A K Sikri and Ashok Bhushan rejected the appeals filed by the CBI and the mother of the victim, observing that reasons given by the high court while granting bail to Tripathi, who was earlier expelled from Samajwadi Party, cannot be termed "perverse". "No doubt, the offence with which respondent number two (Tripathi) is charged is a serious one. That by itself cannot be the ground to outrightly deny the benefit of bail if there are other overwhelming circumstances justifying grant of bail," the bench said. Tripathi's wife Sara was killed in July 2015 and it was initially believed that she had died in a road accident near Sirsaganj in Firozabad district of Uttar Pradesh. Later, the victim's mother alleged that she was murdered by her husband and it was not an accident
Twin storm claimed 18 lives in Bengal: Mamata
Altogether 18 deaths were reported in the city and four southern districts following the twin storms accompanied by rains which lashed parts of West Bengal on Tuesday night, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said here on Wednesday.
HC asks DGCA to prescribe specific flight duty time limitations
The Delhi High Court today directed aviation regulator DGCA to prescribe a specific flight and duty time limitation (FDTL) relating to scheduling of flight and cabin crew without any deviations. The court's direction came while disposing of a PIL which raised the issues of pilot and air crew fatigue, while the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said variations were being permitted as there have been no accidents because of it, and also no pilot has complained of fatigue till date. A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar said the DGCA was bound to comply with the provisions under the Aviation Act and Rules so far as the issue of fatique of pilots is concerned and to specify maximum and minimum of flying time. "As far as the submission of the petitioner that the DGCA has no authority to grant any exemption or deviation from maximum limit of flying timing and duty period is concerned, there is substance in it," the bench said. It said that DGCA ...
4 killed in SUV-truck collision
Four persons were killed and seven others injured when an SUV collided with a truck in Ramgarh district today, the police said. Altogether 11 persons hailing from Saunda under Patratu block were going to Ranchi in the SUV when the accident occurred. A speeding truck hit their vehicle on Patratu valley killing the four -- the driver of the SUV, a woman and two minor girls -- and leaving seven persons injured, police said. The injured were initially brought to a hospital in Patratu. Two of them were later referred to the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences at Ranchi, police said.
US to restrict movement of Pakistani diplomats from May 1
The US will place "reciprocal restrictions" on the movement of Pakistani diplomats in the country from May 1, forcing them to stay within 40 kms of the city they are posted in, according to media reports. The US' move came after Pakistan imposed restrictions on American diplomats in the country and barred them from visiting the tribal belt and Karachi. Pakistani officials, however, had argued that those were not restrictions but security measures intended to protect American diplomats. The US is doing so as Islamabad has already imposed similar restrictions on US diplomats in Pakistan, the DawnNews reported quoting a senior State Department official. In an interview with the Voice of America's Uzbek service, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas Shannon said, "Typically, these kinds of restrictions are reciprocal in nature, so I'll just leave it at that." He was asked if the US government was going to restrict the movement of Pakistani diplomats in the country. Asked ..
Magnitude 5.3 earthquake rattles Indonesia
An earthquake measuring 5.3 on the Richter Scale hit 226 km North West of Saumlaki, Indonesia at 9The earthquake struck at a depth of 4km, with the epicentre 52km north of Kebumen district, the Channel News Asia quoted spokesperson for the National Disaster Management Agency Sutopo Nugroho, as saying.Indonesia sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", where continental plates collide prompting frequent volcanic activity.Several houses, a school and a mosque were damaged and several residents were hit by falling debris, according to the report.
Bride among 4 killed in SUV-truck collision
Four persons, including a bride, on the way to her wedding were killed and seven others injured in a collision between a truck and an SUV in Ramgarh district, the police said. Altogether 11 persons of a family hailing from Saunda under Patratu block were going to Ranchi in the SUV for the wedding when the accident occurred. A speeding truck hit their vehicle on Patratu valley killing the four and leaving seven persons injured, police said. The injured were brought to a hospital in Patratu.
Four killed, 38 injured as truck overturns in MP
Four people, including two girls, were killed today and 38 others injured when the truck they were travelling in overturned near here, police said. Ten of the injured were in critical condition, Pohari police station area inspector Rajendra Sharma said. The driver lost control over the truck after its brakes failed and the vehicle overturned at Piparghar Ghati, some 40km from the district headquarters, he said. The mishap left four dead and 38 others injured, the inspector added. The truck occupants were all tribals and most of them were engaged in agriculture, Sharma said. The deceased were identified as Zengo Bai (55), Sripat (43), Anjana (12) and Ratiya (2). The inspector said the injured, including the driver, were being treated at the district hospital.
21 dead in Madhya Pradesh road mishap
21 people died and many others were injured after a mini-truck they were travelling in fell off a bridge over the Son river on Tuesday in Madhya Pradesh.The incident occurred around 9.30 pm in Sidhi district when the group was heading to a marriage party.The injured were immediately admitted to the district hospital.A survivor, Karim, told ANI," The truck driver was not able to control the speed and the truck fell into the river. Escape was difficult as our belongings were floating in the water.""22 people are injured and some of them have serious injuries," said Dr D.K. Dwedi, the doctor who attended the injured.According to primary information, the vehicle, which was coming from Singrauli district and was heading to Sidhi for a marriage, fell about several feet down onto the dry river bed.
Jammu-Srinagar highway closed, Mughal Road opened for one-way traffic
Traffic on Jammu-Srinagar national highway was suspended today after being blocked by boulders which came rolling down from a hillock overlooking the arterial road, while Mughal road was opened for one-way traffic after remaining closed for two days due to snowfall in high altitude areas, officials said. The nearly 270-km Jammu-Srinagar national highway, the only all-weather road linking Kashmir with the rest of the country, was blocked by heavy boulders near Peera in Ramban district, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) traffic, national highway, Sanjay Bhagat said, adding efforts are on to clear the highway. No damage or casualty was reported in the incident. It caused massive traffic jam on the road leaving thousands of passengers stranded, another police official said. He said fresh sliding hampered the efforts of the agency in clearing the highway, and they are now looking for the option to use explosives to blast the huge rocks. "The highway might be open for traffic by late ..
Cold water devastates coral reefs off Japan: Survey
Unusually cold water has devastated some of the world's most northerly coral reefs, which lie off the coast of western Japan, an environment ministry official said today. The ministry surveyed the reefs in recent months and found widespread bleaching, with between 90 to 100 per cent of each of the six spots surveyed affected. In four of the surveyed areas, researchers have reported between 85 percent and 95 percent of the bleached areas were now dead, said Yuto Takahashi, a ranger at the regional ministry office that conducted the survey. The devastation is thought to be the result of unusually cold water temperatures in the area this year, partly produced by the meandering of the Kuroshio current, he told AFP. "Very strong cold fronts of the winter contributed to the low water temperature," he said. "The meandering of the Kuroshio current is also known to have lowered water temperatures" off Wakayama and other areas along the Pacific coast, he added. The Kuroshio is a warm current in
No respite as more showers in offing for West Bengal
After heavy winds lashed Kolkata on Tuesday night, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) today advised fishermen to be cautious while venturing into the sea.Moderate rainfall is also expected later today.Eight people were killed and several others got injured after strong winds of up to 98 km per hour hit Kolkata and its adjoining areas on early Wednesday morning.Reportedly eight people died in Kolkata and Howrah .Metro and train services have also been disrupted.Departure and arrival of some flights have also been delayed because of the storm.