Page 872 - Disaster Accident
J-K highway shut due to landslides in Ramban
The 300-km-long Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was closed due to landslide and falling of stones from hill tops in Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir, a police official said today. "Traffic has been suspended on the highway due to falling of rocks and landslide triggered due to rains in Digdol belt in Ramsoo tehsil of the district today," the police officer said. The men and machines of Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has been pressed into service to clear the landslides.
At least 30 dead in Azerbaijan drug rehab centre fire: media
At least 30 people died as a fire tore through a drug rehabilitation clinic in the Azerbaijani capital Baku early today, the local APA news agency reported. Firefighters and rescuers of Azerbaijan's emergencies ministry had extinguished the blaze and were investigating its causes, the news agency added.
Himachal: 8 killed after car plunges off cliff
At least eight people were killed after a car skidded from NH 21 and fell off a cliff at Swarghat in Bilaspur district.One person also suffered injuries in the accident.The injure has been taken to the hospital for medical treatment.More details are awaited.
8 devotees killed in Himachal accident
Eight devotees from Punjab were killed when a private vehicle skidded off the road and fell into a gorge on the Chandigarh-Manali national highway in Bilaspur district of Himachal Pradesh on early Friday, police said.
Incessant rain closes Jammu-Srinagar highway
Widespread rain along the Jammu-Srinagar national highway on Friday triggered the shooting stones at some places, forcing the closure of the road.
J-K highway closed due to heavy rainfall
The Jammu-Srinagar National Highway NH44 remained closed on Friday due to landslide in Ramsu of Ramban district.The incessant rainfall at various places in Ramban triggered the landslide.The cloudy weather had earlier alerted authorities to regulate traffic on the Highway.The India Meteorological Department has also predicted heavy rainfall and snowfall along the Highwa.
Cell phone catches fire onboard Canada flight
A passenger was burned when her cell phone caught fire onboard a Canadian domestic flight today morning, officials said. The incident occurred at 7 am (1200 GMT) as Air Canada flight 101 was preparing to depart the Toronto airport for Vancouver. "The fire was immediately extinguished by crews and there was no damage to the aircraft, however, the owner of the phone suffered injuries and was treated by emergency services who attended the aircraft," Air Canada spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick said. He said the woman was able to walk off the plane in order to be treated for minor burns, but her condition was not immediately known. The Boeing 787 jetliner with 266 passengers, meanwhile, took off after a two-hour delay. The make and model of the phone was not made public.
Bodies of 3 hunters missing in J&K avalanche recovered
The Indian Army on Thursday said that it has recovered the bodies of three hunters missing after an avalanche hit them six days ago in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district."#IndianArmy #AvalancheRescueTeam recovers bodies of three hunters buried under snow since 24 Feb 18 in #Lashkut forest area of #Lolab in #Kupwara district (sic)," tweeted the Northern Commando of the Indian Army.Reportedly, the trio, identified as Ghulam Mohammad, Mohammad Altaf, and Bashir Ahmad, hailed from Jammu and Kashmir and got stuck in the avalanche that hit Guchibal Behak on February 24.
IndiGo flight returns after takeoff from Mumbai
An IndiGo flight operating between Mumbai and Kolkata on Thursday returned after takeoff from Mumbai airport due to an engine failure.IndiGo confirmed it in a statement, and said, "IndiGo flight 6E-395 enroute Mumbai-Kolkata had to return to Mumbai earlier today due to a technical glitch (oil chip in one engine) in the aircraft. All operating procedures were diligently followed by the cockpit and in-flight crew."The pilots returned the aircraft after detecting vibration in engine-1.The airlines said that it has reported the incident to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and has also initiated an internal enquiry over the incident."All passengers were safely deboarded and the flight took off with an alternate aircraft at 1945 hours with a total delay of 1 hour 50 minutes," said IndiGo.The airlines said safety of the passengers, crew and the aircraft is of utmost importance for it as at no time is it compromised.IndiGo regretted the inconvenience caused to the passengers.
WCD Ministry announces three proposals under Nirbhaya Fund
The Ministry of Women and Child Development on Thursday announced three more proposals for women's safety and security, with a major focus on the safe city project, Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) and a Central Forensic Science Laboratory under the Nirbhaya Fund.
Coal India output rises marginally to 54.4MT in Feb; misses target
Coal India production edged up to 54.46 million tonnes in February 2018 compared to the same month last year but missed the target of 61.43 million tonnes. Coal offtake also improved by 4 per cent to 49.97 million tonnes (MT) in the month under review but lagged the targeted volume of 52.14 MT, according to a filing by Coal India (CIL). The PSU produced 56.6 MT coal in January while the output was 54.3 MT in February 2017. Coal offtake was 53.7 MT in January. The production of state-run miner during the April-February period rose by 1.4 per cent to 495.09 million tonnes but was lower than the production target of 531.32 MT for the period. Offtake rose by 7 per cent on yearly basis to 525.09 MT in the 11-month period of FY 2017-18 -- lower than the target of 541 MT. Coal India has been given a production target of 600 MT for FY 2017-18, an annual growth of 8.3 per cent over FY2017-18. A recent Central Electricity Authority (CEA) report had flagged coal shortage by power plants with as
BJP leader sent to 14 days judicial custody
A day after BJP leader Manoj Baitha surrendered, a local court here sent him to judicial custody for 14 days on Thursday.
30 people injured after bus falls into gorge in Himachal
Over 30 people were injured after a private bus fell into a gorge near Bhaloon Kainchi, about 10 km from Rohru here today, police said. The passengers had a miraculous escape as the bus did not roll down further into a deep ditch while it was on its way from Rampur to Rohru. All the injured people are safe, the police said, adding fifteen people were discharged after treatment while others were out of danger and recovering. A case has been registered against driver Pradeep Negi for rash and negligent driving and further investigations are in progress, the police said.
N Korean workers found dead in Russian shipping container
Five North Korean workers were found dead on Wednesday in a shipping container at a construction site in Russia's southern city of Ufa.An official of Russia's Ministry of Emergency Situations confirmed the news, Yonhap agency reported.The Russian media reported that the workers were presumed to have been killed by toxic gas from a coal fire, adding that they lit the coal fire due to a failure of the heating system in the shipping container where they lived.The North Korean workers were working for Salviya, a Russian construction firm.It is estimated that between 35,000 and 37,000 North Koreans work in Russia and are employed in various fields such as construction, logging, farming and fishing, making them a key source of hard currency for the communist country.
5.7-magnitude earthquake strikes off Japan's island
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.7 struck off Iriomote Island, southwestern Japan on Thursday, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said.
Odisha CM not to celebrate Holi tomorrow
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today said he would not celebrate Holi tomorrow. "I will not be playing Holi as I have a cold," Patnaik told reporters here. "I wish everyone a very happy Holi tomorrow," the CM said. Patnaik had not celebrated Holi in 2016 due to the drought situation in the state, and in 2014 due to the cyclone 'Phailin' which had claimed 21 lives.
Vietnam suspends steel firms after pollution protests
Two steel plants in central Vietnam were ordered to suspend production, according to an official statement today, following reports of protests by residents complaining of polluted air and water from the factories. The temporary suspensions come amid mounting anxiety over the environment in Vietnam where a massive toxic dump by a separate steel plant in 2016 killed masses of fish along the central coast in one of the country's worst-ever environmental disasters. Residents near the steel firms on the outskirts of the bustling city of Danang said local officials promised in 2016 that they would be relocated, according to state media. Photos on state-run media earlier this week showed large crowds gathered near the plants, reportedly protesting the delayed relocation process and ongoing pollution woes. Danang city officials said the Vietnamese-owned Dana Y and Dana Uc Steel corporations were "asked to stop all production activities that cause environmental pollution", according to a ...
Switzerland's Geneva airport closed due to adverse weather, snowfall
A persistent blizzard on Thursday saw Geneva waking up to snowed-in streets, stranded buses, delays in the transport system and the closure of the city's airport, according to Switzerland's federal weather office.
Egypt's president: More funds needed to overhaul railway
Egypt's president says his cash-strapped government lacks about 250 billion Egyptian pounds, or $14.1 billion, to overhaul the country's run-down railway system. Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi's remarks Thursday came a day after a passenger train collided with a cargo train north of Cairo, killing at least 12 people, including a child, and injuring 39. El-Sissi spoke during the inauguration of the New el-Alamein project, a city meant to house 3 million people on the Mediterranean coast. Yesterday's crash was the latest tragedy on Egypt's poorly maintained railway tracks where deadly accidents due to negligence have killed scores over the years. Figures by Egypt's official statistics agency show that 1,249 train accidents took place in 2016. Last August, two passenger trains collided just outside Egypt's Mediterranean port city of Alexandria, killing 43 people.
Coalition of road safety orgs urges govt to pass motor vehicle bill
A coalition of road safety organisations has urged the government to get the proposed motor vehicles amendment bill passed in the upcoming session of Parliament, saying its provision will go a long way in checking accidents which claim nearly 1.5 lakh lives on roads in the country every year. Road Safety Network, a voluntary organisation working for ensuring safe road and travel, said in a statement that road safety experts have called the passage of the bill, which seeks to make key amendments to the Motor Vehicles Act of 1988, as being critical to improve the dismal road safety record in the country. "Despite being monitored closely by the Supreme Court, road fatalities have decreased only by 3 per cent in 2017, far from the target of 50 per cent reduction by 2020, set by the government in accordance with the Brasilia Declaration on Road Safety," it said. Even with this slight reduction, there are still 1.46 lakh people dying on India's roads every year, each one of which is an ..