Page 867 - Disaster Accident

32 killed as Russian plane crashes in Syria

A Russian transport plane carrying 32 people crashed on Tuesday while trying to land at an airbase in Syria, killing everyone onboard, the Defence Ministry announced.

Russian plane crash at base in Syria kills 32: report

A Russian transport plane crashed on landing at Russia's Hmeimim airbase in Syria, killing all 32 on board today, the defence ministry said in a statement carried by RIA Novosti. There were 26 passengers and 6 crew, the ministry said. "The reason for the crash according to preliminary information could have been a technical fault," the ministry said, adding that the plane had not come under fire according to a report from the ground. The transporter was around 500 metres from the runway, the statement said. A commission will investigate the causes of the crash. Moscow began conducting air strikes in Syria in September 2015, and its intervention has swung the nearly seven-year conflict firmly in favour of its ally in Damascus. The latest accident comes after a Sukhoi military jet crashed while trying to take off from Hmeimim in October last year, killing two crew. Russia's most recent officially acknowledged military loss in battle in Syria was last month when a pilot was killed after .

32 killed as Russian plane crashes in Syria due to technical fault

the plane had not come under fire and the reason for crash is speculated to be a technical fault

BSMC appoints mjunction to implement coal e-distribution in state

E-commerce firm mjunction today said it has been appointed by Bihar State Mining Corporation (BSMC) to implement coal e-distribution in the state. "BSMC, the designated state-nominated agency (SNA) for Bihar, has appointed mjunction, Indias largest B2B ecommerce company, for implementation of coal e-distribution in the state, which will enable MSME consumers to buy coal from BSMC in a fair and convenient manner without middlemen or agents," mjunction said in a statement. mjunction is a joint venture between Tata Steel and SAIL. Distribution of coal to MSMEs in Bihar will be reinstated after nearly seven years, and Coal Indias allocated quantity of the dry fuel to the state for this purpose is 3.85 lakh tonnes per annum. "Digitisation of coal distribution will benefit MSMEs significantly, making the process transparent and efficient. The e-platform will make it easy for the SNAs to manage coal distribution and help eliminate dependency on handling agents," mjunction CEO Vinaya Varma .

AI to operate all-women crew flights on Mar 8

Air India will operate flights with all-women crew to New York, Frankfurt, Singapore and various other destinations to commemorate International Women's Day on March 8. The national carrier today said it has planned several flights, domestic and international, operated only by its women employees. "Air India will fly these all-women crew flights to all the USA cities it operates to -- San Francisco, New York, Newark, Chicago and Washington DC -- besides destinations like Milan, Frankfurt and Singapore. A few destinations in the domestic sector will also see the airline operating with an all-women crew," it said in a release. Air India group has a fleet of more than 150 aircraft, as per its website.

AI to ply all-women crew flights on International Women's Day

Air India will operate flights with all-women crew as part of its celebrations to commemorate the International Women's Day on March 8, the airline announced on Tuesday.

Four killed as car catches fire

Four of a family, including a seven-month-old girl, were burnt to death as their car caught fire after colliding with a truck on Tuesday in Haryana's Karnal district, police said.

Contaminated food in South Africa kills 180 in last year

Several southern African countries have recalled some processed meats from South Africa after the deaths of 180 people there from contaminated food since early last year. The African News Agency reported today that Swaziland, Zambia and Mozambique are among nations that have ordered the removal of meat products believed to be contaminated. South Africa's health minister, Aaron Motsoaledi, says there have been a total of 950 cases of listeriosis since January 2017 and that 180 people have died. The South African government is advising people to avoid processed meat products that are sold as "ready-to-eat" and identified a food factory in the northeast city of Polokwane as the source of the outbreak.

Japanese volcano erupts, dozens of flights grounded

A volcano in southern Japan that appeared in a James Bond film has erupted, shooting smoke and ash thousands of metres into the sky and grounding dozens of flights to and from a nearby airport. The Meteorological Agency says the Shinmoedake volcano erupted violently several times today, shooting up ash and smoke up to 2,300 metres in its biggest explosion since 2011. It said some lava was rising from inside a crater at the volcano. The volcano, seen in the 1967 James Bond film "You Only Live Twice," has had smaller eruptions since last week. Entry to the 1,421-kilometre-high volcano was restricted. About 80 flights in and out of the nearby Kagoshima airport were cancelled. Japan has 110 active volcanoes.

Commercial coal mining may cut import bill by Rs 30,000 cr

The decision to allow commercial coal mining will not just boost production but also help save Rs 30,000 crore of imports, through the substitution of imported non-coking coal with domestic production, says Crisil. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) recently approved the methodology for auction of mines for sale of coal, under which the highest bidder will be given mining rights and there are no restrictions on end use. "The move to allow the private sector to commercially mine coal will boost both production and mining efficiency. Moreover, the substitution of imported non-coking coal with domestic production could save roughly Rs 30,000 crore of coal imports," the rating agency said in a statement here. Currently, about 94 per cent of the mining is being done by government-owned entities Coal India and Singareni Collieries Company. Despite the recent increase in domestic coal production, India still meets a fifth of its annual requirement through ...

EgyptAir passenger on Muscat-Cairo flight assaults crew

Egyptian aviation officials say a passenger on an EgyptAir flight from the Gulf state of Oman to Cairo assaulted crew members but was quickly overpowered. The officials say the Boeing 737-800 with 78 passengers returned to Muscat, Oman's capital, 30 minutes after it took off from there and the crew handed over the passenger to the police. The plane later left for Cairo, arriving four hours behind schedule. The officials say the passenger, who is Egyptian, was not armed. They say Egyptian authorities have questioned the crew and the other passengers about the incident. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. It wasn't immediately clear whether the incident was terrorism-related. EgyptAir issued a brief statement confirming the incident.

30 of wedding party killed as truck falls from bridge in Gujarat

At least 30 members of a wedding party were killed and as many injured when their truck fell from a bridge near a village in Gujarat's Bhavnagar district while trying to overtake a vehicle this morning, the state government said. Among the injured, eight were reported to be in a critical condition, Minister of State for Home Pradipsinh Jadeja said, adding the deceased included four children and eight women. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the incident, while Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani ordered an inquiry and announced an ex gratia of Rs 4 lakh to the kin of each deceased. Bhavnagar's in-charge Superintendent of Police I M Sayed said the truck was carrying around 60 people from Anida village, who were going to attend a wedding ceremony in Totam village of Botad district. The death toll in the accident has gone up to 30, Jadeja informed the state Assembly in Gandhinagar, adding that while 26 people died on the spot, four succumbed to their injuries at a ...

Bhavnagar accident: Gujarat CM announces compensation

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Tuesday announced a compensation of Rs. 4 lakh for the kin of the 26 people who lost their lives in Bhavnagar accident.The Chief Minister also assured medical treatment for the injured.Addressing the media, Chief Minister Rupani said, "Compensation of Rs. 4 lakh for next of kin of those who died in the accident and full medical treatment will be given to the injured. A thorough investigation will be done."Earlier in the day, at least 26 people were killed and 12 were injured after a truck, they were travelling in, fell into a drain in Bhavnagar.The incident took place near Ranghola on Rajkot-Bhavnagar state highway.The injured were immediately rushed to a local hospital.The vehicle was reportedly carrying 60 people.

Wreath laying ceremony of Sapper Amardeep Singh

The Wreath laying ceremony of Sapper Amardeep Singh took place on Tuesday.Amardeep Singh, who had passed away after he was caught in a snow slide on Mar 4, 2018, was a part of the Snow Clearing Team at Pharkian Gali.However, he was later rescued from Kupwara's Keran village, after being washed away in an avalanche at Pharkian Top.

Rabi crops sowing in Chhattisgarh: 84 per cent of target met

Sowing of Rabicropshas been nearly completed in Chhattisgarh, covering around 15.61 lakh hectares, an agriculture department official said today. "Farmers have completedsowingofRabicropson 15,61,390 hectares of land against the target of 18.51 lakh hectares," the official said. "So 84 per cent of the target has been achieved," he added. Foodgrains, pulses, oil seeds and vegetables have been sown during the ongoing season, he said. Wheat has been sown on 1,80,380 hectares, paddy on 46,000 hectares, maize on 71,000 hectares and other grain crops on 6,000 hectares, he said. Pulses including gram, peas, masoor dal (red lentils) have been sown on 7.50 lakh hectares. An area of around 2.56 lakh hectares is under oilseed crops including alsi, mustard, toriya, til (sesame) and sunflower. Vegetables have been cultivated on 1.83 lakh hectares while sugarcane is growing on 23,000 hectares, he added.

Petroleum Employees Union labels Pawan Hans as 'flying coffins'

The Petroleum Employees Union (PEU) on Tuesday wrote to Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), after five ONGC employees died in a Pawan Hans chopper crash on January 13, seeking enhanced safety measures and referred Pawan Hans helicopters as 'flying coffins'.They have expressed their fears about flying to and from offshore sites on board the state-owned helicopter service.PEU wrote a letter to ONGC Chairman requesting to appoint high level internal committee and get first-hand information on working conditions and suggest ways to improve the same.The letter was written to ONGC Chairman and Managing Director, Shashi Shanker on February 17, more than a month after five senior ONGC officials and two Pawan Hans pilots died after a Dauphin N3 helicopter crashed off the Mumbai coast.The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has initiated an inquiry to ascertain the cause of the accident."After occurrence of the tragedy, every crew member performing offshore duty and their family .

Lassa fever deaths rise to 110 in Nigeria: official

Lassa fever has claimed 110 lives in Nigeria since the beginning of the year, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control said today, in one of the worst outbreaks since 2016. The World Heath Organisation last week said the epidemic had reached record highs with 317 laboratory confirmed cases and 72 people dead. "Since the onset of the 2018 outbreak, there have been 110 deaths: 78 in positive-confirmed cases, 8 in probable cases and 24 in negative cases," the NCDC said in its latest report. A total of 1,121 suspected cases were reported, "353 are confirmed positive, 8 are probable, 723 are negative (not a case) and 37 are awaiting laboratory results." The NCDC said cases have been reported in 18 of Nigeria's 36 states while 16 health workers had been affected in six states. Health Minister Isaac Adewole told local media on Tuesday that the government would soon take delivery of vaccines to tame the virus. "We are doing everything possible to fight and address the outbreak of lassa fever on

Be servants of public, TN CM tells district collectors

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami today advised district collectors to be "servants" of the public, ready to extend a helping hand in times of crises. Chairing a meeting of district collectors here on the second day of his consultations with officials, he also had a word of praise for their handling of the drought situation in many parts of the state last year. "You should be forever thinking about public welfare and ready to extend them a helping hand in times of law and order problems and natural disasters... you should be their servants and provide succour to their problems," he said. In times of problems and crises, they should be with the people, he said. Palaniswami said it was his 'desire' to see that the officials met people's expectations in all fronts and expressed confidence that they will live up to them. The Chief Minister had met collectors and district police heads yesterday on the inaugural day of the three-day annual exercise where he is apprised ..

3 killed, 10 injured in collision between 2 trucks in Rajasthan

Three persons were killed and 10 injured in a collision between two trucks in Bhilwara district of Rajasthan today, the police said. The incident occurred in Gulabpura area. All the victims were travelling in a mini-truck, they said. Mini-truck driver Mahboob (23) and another person, Allabaksh, died on the spot while Mohammad Shahadat died during treatment, the police said, adding the bodies have been sent for post-mortem.

Fire in godown in Mumbai's Kalachowki area

A fire broke out at a godown in the residential-cum-commercial area of Mumbai on Tuesday morning. However, no casualties were reported till the filing of this report.Eight fire tenders and six water tankers reached the spot to douse the flames at the warehouse of Eastel Metal Company in the Kalachowki area. The fire-fighting operation is underway.Thick black smoke could be seen from far even as police cordoned off the area leading to the fire site.Fire safety rules in the city are under a scanner ever since 14 people perished in a massive inferno at roof-top pubs in the Kamala Mills Compound in Lower Parel on 28 December.According to the official data of the Brihan Mumbai Municipal Corporation released on Monday, nearly 300 fires have erupted in the city after the devastating blaze of the Kamala Mills Compound.