Page 805 - Disaster Accident

US military chopper makes emergency landing in Japan

A US military helicopter made an emergency landing at an airport in Japan on Wednesday, defence sources said here.

Illicit liquor has claimed 25 lives in past one year, say UP villagers

Residents of Thatiya village of Kannauj district on Wednesday claimed that over 25 people have died in last 12 months after drinking illicit liquor.They made this claim after many in the village fell ill after drinking illicit liquor.Wife of one such deceased person told ANI, "My husband would have been alive if he did not have this (illicit) liquor. This contaminated liquor should be banned in the state."However, the authorities refuted villagers' claim.Kannauj District Magistrate Ravindra Kumar said, "There have been no deaths due to illicit liquor. I have directed police and a team from CMO (chief medical officer) office to visit the area.

Airlines inspecting Boeing 737 engines after fatal Southwest incident

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Some major customers of Boeing Co's popular 737 jets including Korean Air Lines Co Ltd said on Wednesday they were inspecting engines of the type that blew apart mid-air on a fatal Southwest Airlines Co flight on Tuesday.

Three sisters charred to death in Odisha

Three sisters were charred to death in a fire which broke out in their house in Malkangiri district today, police said. The charred remains of the three sisters were found after fire brigade personnel launched an operation to extinguish the fire in the house located at Mauligudi Sahi area, Malkangiri Superintendent of Police, Jagmohan Meena said. Neighbours had informed the fire brigade after noticing smoke billowing out of the house. The deceased were identified as Maneka Rao, Renuka Rao and Mangi Rao, aged between 18 and 24 years, the police said. The fire appeared to have originated from the kitchen and was perhaps caused by a leakage in the LPG cylinder, the police said. The exact reason behind the fire would be ascertained after a thorough investigation, the SP said.

Can dogs predict earthquakes? Probably not

The long-held belief that strange behaviour by cats, dogs and even cows can predict an imminent earthquake is not backed by evidence, according to a new study.

40 houses gutted in Shimla fire

A massive fire in Himachal Pradesh's Shimla district on Wednesday gutted at least 40 houses and property worth lakhs of rupees, officials said.

21 killed in MP accident

At least 21 members of a wedding party were killed when a mini truck in which they were travelling fell into the Son river in Madhya Pradesh's Sidhi district, an official said on Wednesday.

One killed in Delhi accident

One person was killed and five others were injured on Wednesday after their auto was hit by the driver of a speeding SUV in Delhi, police said.

Your pooch may not predict earthquakes: study

For centuries people have claimed that strange behaviour by their dogs and cats can predict an imminent earthquake, but the first rigorous analysis of the phenomenon shows that there is no strong evidence behind it. A study published in the journal Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America suggests that most of this "evidence" consists of single observations and anecdotes that cannot be tested rigorously. The researchers studied 729 reports of abnormal animal behaviour related to 160 earthquakes. "Many review papers on the potential of animals as earthquake precursors exist, but to the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that a statistical approach was used to evaluate the data," said Heiko Woith from the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences. The researchers collected reports on potential earthquake predictions across a variety of animals, from elephants to silkworms. Most reports were anecdotes rather than experimental studies, and the majority of the reports ..

40 houses gutted in Himachal village fire

Over 40 houses were gutted in a fire that broke out at Kaishani village of Shimla district in the wee hours of Wednesday morning.The locals helped in dousing the fire by the time fire tenders reached the spot.No casualty has been reported so far, according to sources.The reason behind the fire has not been ascertained yet.This is the second incident of fire within two days in Himachal Pradesh.Yesterday, a two-storied building caught fire at Chaupal village in Shimla.

Amanmani Tripathi to remain out on bail in wife's murder case

Uttar Pradesh MLA Amanmani Tripathi, accused of killing his wife Sara Singh, will remain out on bail as the Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed pleas by the CBI and victim's mother against an Allahabad High Court order granting him relief.

Australian probe: Pilot saw warning just before fatal crash

A pilot saw an engine malfunction warning signal moments before his helicopter crashed on Australia's Great Barrier Reef last month, killing a honeymooning couple from Hawaii and injuring a Colorado couple, a crash investigation reported today. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau released its preliminary report on the cause of the crash northeast of the Hamilton Island tourist resort on March 21 that killed Peter Hensel, 79, and his 65-year-old wife, Sue, who had married in December. They were heading to a tourist pontoon that has dive facilities and underwater chambers to view coral. Sue Hensel's daughter Emily Sheets, 33, and her husband Bobby, 34, escaped the crash with minor injuries. The 35-year-old pilot, who has not been identified, was not hurt. The five-seat Eurocopter EC120 B single-engine helicopter was approaching a landing pontoon from an altitude of 12 meters (40 feet) and the pilot saw a warning light on his dashboard. He decided to abort the landing but felt a ...

15 dead, several injured as squall hits West Bengal

The nor'wester that hit the city and other districts yesterday left 15 persons dead and 50 others injured, the police said today. Of the 15, seven died in the city, six in Howrah district and one each in Bankura and Hooghly districts respectively, the police said. Nearly 50 people were injured in incidents of wall collapse, uprooting of trees and electrocution, the police said. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has instructed the chief secretary to look into the situation and prepare a report on the damage and deaths caused by the storm. The disaster management department has been asked to send teams to affected districts, state secretariat officials said. Among the seven casualties in the city, an autorickshaw driver and a woman died when a tree fell on the vehicle on Lenin Sarani in central Kolkata, the police said. Two other passengers of the autorickshaw succumbed to their injuries at a hospital late last night. Of the six deaths in Howrah, four persons were electrocuted after .

Death toll in MP accident rises to 21

The death toll in last night's accident in Madhya Pradesh's Sidhi district where a mini-truck carrying a marriage party fell off a bridge over Sone River has gone up to 21, a police official said today. The accident took place around 10.30 pm nearly 42 kms away from Sidhi district headquarters, police said. The vehicle fell around 60-70 feet down on the dry part of the river after it hit the retaining wall of Jogdaha bridge near Amelia, the official said. Till late last night, police had confirmed the death of 15 persons. "The death toll in the mishap has gone up to 21. So far, we have recovered bodies of 21 men, including three members of a musical band. The mishap has left nearly as many injured," Rewa division's Inspector General Umesh Joga told PTI. "The marriage party belonged to a Muslim family of Devsar town area in Singrauli district," he said. The injured were admitted to Sidhi district hospital and the rescue operation is still on, he added. The district collector as well ..

Female passenger killed as US flight makes emergency landing

A female passenger was killed after a US flight made an emergency landing in Philadelphia city due to engine failure, authorities said.

Fire breaks out in Shimla village, 50 families rendered homeless

More than three dozen houses were completely destroyed in a fire which broke out past midnight in Khasani village in Rohroo sub division of Shimla district, about 130 km from here. As many as 50 families were rendered homeless in the blaze, officials said today. The fire spread fast and engulfed large number of heavily timbered old houses with traditional wood carving. Villagers ran out of their houses in panic as the blaze swept. The villagers fought the flames and stopped the fire from spreading to a cluster of about 150 houses. However, about 35 to 40 houses were reduced to ashes by the time the fire tenders from Rohroo and Kotkhai arrived at the spot . The fire brigade fought the flames for more than five hours. Sub Divisional Magistrate, Rohroo, Babu Ram Sharma, said 50 families rendered homeless by the blaze have been provided immediate relief of Rs 10,000, temporary shelter, clothes and ration. The cause of fire was yet to be ascertained, he said adding old houses were made ..

21 killed after truck ferrying them falls off bridge in MP

At least 21 people were killed and many others suffered serious injuries after a mini-truck they were travelling in fell off a bridge over the Son River in Sidhi district of Madhya Pradesh.According to primary information, the casualties might go up as many more people were trapped inside the vehicle.The mini-truck was reportedly coming from Singrauli district and was heading to Sidhi for a marriage.The vehicle fell about 60-70-foot down onto the dry river bed. Efforts were on to pull out the truck.The injured were admitted to the district hospital.The police and district collector reached the spot and were supervising the rescue operation.More details are awaited.

Egypt jails 5 railway employees over deadly collision

An Egyptian court sentenced on Tuesday five railway employees up to 20 years in jail over a train collision in the Alexandria in August last year that left at least 49 dead.

India signs MOUs with Sweden, Denmark, Iceland

India signed Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) and Agreement with Sweden, Denmark and Iceland on Tuesday during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Sweden visit.Following is the list of MOUs and Agreements.MOUs/Agreements between India and Sweden• Joint Declaration on India-Sweden Innovation Partnership for a Sustainable Future between Ministry of Science and Technology of India and the Ministry of Enterprise and Innovation of Sweden.MOUs/Agreements between India and Denmark• MOU on Cooperation in the field of Sustainable and Smart Urban Development between the Ministry for Housing and Urban Affairs of India and the Ministry of Industry, Business and Financial Affairs of Denmark• MOU on Cooperation in the fields of Animal Husbandry and Dairying between Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying & Fisheries, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare of India and the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration, Ministry of Environment and Food of Denmark• MOU on Food Safety Cooperation

Two killed in Iran's helicopter crash in Persian Gulf

At least two people were killed in an Iranian helicopter crash in Persian Gulf on Tuesday evening, media reports said.