Page 865 - Disaster Accident
Hundreds of flights in NY region cancelled before storm
Hundreds of flights were cancelled today to and from New York airports as the region braced itself for heavy snowfall. Some 470 flights -- nearly 37 per cent of the total scheduled -- arriving and departing from John F Kennedy International Airport had already been canceled by 9:00 am (1400 GMT), along with 550, or 44 percent, of flights from New Jersey's Newark airport and 485, or 42 per cent, from La Guardia, which operates primarily domestic flights, according to the FlightAware flight tracking site. The Port Authority agency that oversees the three airports -- which has come under sharp criticism for the chaos that followed early January's snowstorm -- said each airport had stocked folding beds, blankets, diapers and baby formula as a precautionary measure. New York expected between six and 10 inches of snowfall today, with up to 20 inches predicted in more rural areas of New York state, New Jersey and Connecticut. The National Weather Service warned of "heavy wet snow, coastal ...
Guj: Death toll in Bhavnagar accident mounts to 32
The death toll in yesterday's accident near Ranghola village in Gujarat's Bhavnagar district has risen to 32 with two more persons succumbing to their injuries today, police said. The deceased were part of a group of around 60 persons who were travelling in a truck to attend a marriage. The accident occurred when the driver of the truck lost control while trying to overtake another vehicle on a bridge on Bhavnagar-Rajkot highway last morning and the truck fell off the bridge. "The two persons who died while undergoing treatment at a local hospital today were among the eight persons who were critically injured in the accident," said an official of Umrada police station. The ill-fated truck was headed towards Totam village in Botad district from Anida village. While 26 people died on the spot, four succumbed to their injuries in a hospital yesterday. Around 30 persons were injured in the accident. Chief Minister Vijay Rupani yesterday announced an ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh to
Pilot project for panic alarm launched in Delhi buses
On the eve of International Women's Day, the Delhi government launched a pilot project for panic alarm system in city buses and said it aims to install alarm systems in all city buses in a year's time.
Maersk Line says four missing after container vessel catches fire in Arabian Sea
(Reuters) - Maersk Line, the world's biggest container shipping company, said the search continued on Wednesday for four missing crew members after one of its new-build container vessels caught fire in the Arabian Sea.
Climate change causing avalanches, cold injuries to soldiers
Admitting that climate change in high altitude areas was having an impact on soldiers stationed there, the government told the Lok Sabha on Wednesday that the adverse impact is visible in form of avalanches and cold injuries.
ICAO team in India for aviation security audit
A team of the UN aviation watchdog ICAO started its nine-day long security audit for India today during which it will review regulatory framework and the civil aviation security system of the country. A four-member team of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) will conduct the audit till March 15 as part of its Universal Security Audit Programme. The objective of the programme is to promote global aviation security through continuous auditing and monitoring of aviation security performance of the 191 member states. The team will examine airport operations such as passenger and baggage security as well as cargo, catering and mail security. It will also assess training of aviation security personnel, quality control functions, aircraft and in-flight security and response to acts of unlawful interference, according to a senior official. In order to inspect the country's aviation system, the team will also visit the Chennai airport for three days between March 10 to March .
Driving licence issuing process to become fully computerised: Gadkari
Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday announced that the process of approving driving licences will soon be made fully computerised and there will be no human interface in granting such licences to heavy vehicle drivers in the country.
Togadia survives road accident, alleges security lapse
Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Pravin Togadia miraculously escaped unhurt a road accident near Surat on Wednesday and immediately voiced suspicion that it was an attempt to kill him.
Approval process for driving licence to be fully computerised: Gadkari
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari today said there is a need for "vehicle rationing" and and soon approval process for driving licenses will be computerised to ensure that only genuine trained drivers should get authorisation. "There is need for vehicle planning on the pattern of family planning as there are more vehicles on roads....There is urgent need to make our roads safe. There is shortage of 22 lakh drivers in the country and the government is taking steps to bridge this gap," Road Transport & Highways, Shipping, Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Minister Gadkari said. Launching District Driving Training Centres here, the minister said efforts are on to plug the loopholes in the system and added that about 30 per cent of driving licenses in the country are bogus. He said that soon there will be no human interface in granting driving licences especially to heavy vehicle drivers in the country. "The process of approving such driving licenses will be made ...
Facilities to Coal Mine Workers
The operations in Coal Mines are regulated by the Mines Act-1952 and rules, regulations and bye-laws framed thereunder and other important statutes related to use of electricity and explosive etc. These statutes are administered by the Directorate-General of Mines Safety (DGMS). DGMS ensures that the all the mines are operated as per statutes and any violations of safety statutes or guidelines are pointed out by them during their inspections.
Singapore cargo ship with 13 Indians catches fire, 4 missing
An explosion followed by a massive fire ripped through a Singapore-flagged container ship with 13 Indian crew including the captain off Agatti Islands, the Coast Guard said on Wednesday. Four crewmen, including an Indian, are reported missing.
8 die as Russian helicopter crashes in Chechnya
At least eight people were killed in a Mi-8 helicopter crash in south Russia's Chechnya Republic on Wednesday, authorities said.
'Explosive' eruptions at Japan volcano
Powerful eruptions at a volcano in southern Japan spewed ash thousands of metres into the air today, as authorities warned locals not to approach the mountain. "The plume reached the height of 3,000 metres for the first time since April 3, 2011" following a total of 29 eruptions at Mount Shinmoedake, Japan's weather agency said in a statement. The volcano, which featured in the 1967 James Bond film "You Only Live Twice", has been grumbling since Thursday. But today and the previous day, the volcano produced so-called "explosive" eruptions, which also feature air blasts. Footage captured by the Meteorological Agency showed lava and thick grey smoke rising from the mountain around midnight. People were ordered to stay away from the volcano as major ash deposits spread from the crater, the agency said. There have been no injuries reported as a result of the volcanic activity. Japan, with scores of active volcanoes, sits on the so-called Pacific "Ring of Fire" where a large proportion of .
Printing ink giant Siegwerk India goes toluene free
Siegwerk, one of the leading suppliers of printing inks for packaging applications worldwide, continues its global commitment to product and consumer safety by providing customers the highest quality products and services.In India, Siegwerk has further strengthened its portfolio by moving to toluene free inks.The unfavourable toxicological and organoleptic properties of toluene are the driving factors in moving away from the solvent. This move further supports the strategy of global brand, which have restricted or even completely banned the usage of toluene in ink formulations intended for food packaging.In principle, in the manufacture of all products supplied by Siegwerk for NP&H (Nutrition, Pharma & Hygiene) applications, toluene or raw materials containing toluene are not used as intentionally-added ingredients. Siegwerk has a strong commitment to safe inks for all kind of applications and has, as a result, committed to toluene-free production in India. The Siegwerk ...
Six die of gastroenteritis in Andhra's Guntur
Six persons including three women have died of gastroenteritis in Guntur town of Andhra Pradesh over the last three days since Monday, officials said on Wednesday.
70 train accidents in current year: Minister
As many as 70 train accidents were reported between April 1, 2017 and February 28, 2018, the government informed Parliament today. In a written reply in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Railways Rajen Gohain said the national transporter accorded the highest priority to safety and that all possible steps were undertaken on a continual basis to prevent accidents. "During the last three years, the number of consequential train accidents has decreased from 135 in 2014-15 to 107 in 2015-16 and further to 104 in 2016-17. In the current year (April 1, 2017-Feb 28, 2018) the number of consequential train accidents has further reduced to 70, as compared to 99 in the corresponding period of the previous year," the minister said. Consequential train accidents include mishaps with a serious repercussion in terms of loss of human life or injury, damage to railway property or interruption to rail traffic.
Fukushima plant ice wall partly reduces radioactive water
A government-commissioned group of experts has concluded that a costly underground ice wall is only partially effective in reducing the ever-growing amount of contaminated water at Japan's destroyed Fukushima nuclear plant, and other measures are needed as well. The plant's operator says the ice wall has helped reduce the radioactive water by half. The plant also pumps out several times as much groundwater before it reaches the tsunami-damaged reactors. The panel agreed today that the 35 billion yen (USD 320 million) ice wall helps, but doesn't completely solve the problem. The 1.5-kilometer coolant-filled underground structure was installed around the wrecked reactor buildings to create a frozen soil barrier to keep groundwater from flowing into the heavily radioactive area. The groundwater mixes with radioactive water leaking from the damaged reactors.
ONGC ropes in Rotary Wing Society to probe Mumbai chopper crash
State-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) has roped in the Rotary Wing Society of India to probe whether poor maintenance was one of the reasons for a Pawan Hans helicopter crashing in Arabian Sea in January this year which killed all the seven people onboard. RWSI is a not-for-profit professional body specialising in both civil and military helicopters. It is an affiliate of Helicopter Association International (HAI) and headed by Air Vice Marshall K Sridharan. "While the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is probing the reasons for the accident, we wanted to ascertain if the talks of poor maintenance at Pawan Hans could be a factor," a senior company official said. The RWSI report is expected later this month. "The objective behind the exercise is to take corrective measures so as to avoid reoccurrence of such unfortunate accidents," he said. "We are not looking at fault finding. We want to be assured that all is well with Pawan Hans and if there are any areas where ...
Boeing P8i launched to find missing Maersk crew members
The Indian Navy Boeing P8i was launched on Wednesday from Tamil Nadu's Arakkonam to look for the four missing crew members of Maersk Container.Earlier, a Maersk container ship, with 27 crew members, including 13 Indians onboard caught fire in the Arabian sea.The fire broke out in the container ship Maersk Honam following an explosion.The incident took place on Tuesday when the ship was 340 nautical miles from Agatti in Lakshwadeep Islands.23 people out of 27 were rescued while search operation was underway to locate the other four crew members which are said to be missing.The Indian Coast Guard and the Maritime Rescue Coordination Center (MRCC) are jointly carrying out the rescue operation.Efforts are also being made to douse the fire.MRCC Mumbai of the Indian Coast Guard received a message from a Singapore flagged Maersk Honam at 9:45 p.m. on Tuesday.ICG spokesperson deputy commandant Avinandan Mitra informed that 13 of the total people onboard were Indians including the Captain ..
Container ship with 13 Indian crew catches fire, 4 missing
A Maersk container ship, with 27 crew members, including 13 Indians onboard caught fire in the Arabian sea.The fire broke out in the container ship Maersk Honam following an explosion.The incident took place on Tuesday when the ship was 340 nautical miles from Agatti in Lakshwadeep Islands.23 people out of 27 have been rescued while search operation are underway to locate the other four crew members which are said to be missing.The Indian Coast Guard and the Maritime Rescue Coordination Center (MRCC) are jointly carrying out the rescue operation.Efforts are also being made to douse the fire.MRCC Mumbai of the Indian Coast Guard received a message from a Singapore flagged Maersk Honam at 9:45 PM on Tuesday .ICG spokesperson deputy commandant Avinandan Mitra informed that 13 of the total people onboard were Indians including the Captain of the Ship."The ship was at a distance of 570 km (340 nautical miles) from Agatti in Lakshwadeep Islands. The MRCC immediately alerted all the ...