Page 874 - Disaster Accident
Record highs in Nigeria Lassa fever outbreak: WHO
Nigeria is suffering its worst outbreak of Lassa fever, the World Health Organization (WHO) said today, as local health officials said 72 people had died since the start of this year. "Nigeria's Lassa fever outbreak has reached record highs, with 317 laboratory confirmed cases," the WHO said in a statement, quoting figures from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). Lassa fever, named after the town in northern Nigeria where it was first identified in 1969, is endemic but the number of confirmed cases "has never reached" this level before, it added. On February 6, 31 people were reported to have died from the disease, which is caused by a virus of the same family as Marburg and Ebola. But in an update, the NCDC said: "Since the onset of the 2018, 325 cases have been classified as: 317 confirmed cases, eight probable cases with 72 deaths." Fourteen health workers have been affected by the virus in six states. The WHO said a total of 2,845 people who have come into contact with .
Parts pulled from Japan bullet trains over crack fears
The Japanese company behind the country's iconic bullet trains said today it had supplied nearly 150 faulty wheel parts that could crack and potentially cause a derailment. Kawasaki Heavy Industries launched an investigation after a crack was found in its parts under one carriage of a "Shinkansen" in December. Kawasaki found that the likely cause of the crack was that steel frames connecting the wheels to the chassis were thinner than regulations stipulate. It said similar problems were found in a total of 146 parts on bullet trains owned by two operators, which were reportedly exchanging them even though there were no immediate fears of cracks. "I apologise for causing great trouble and worries," Kawasaki Heavy Industries president Yoshinori Kanehana told a news conference. On December 11, 2017, the crew aboard a bullet train reported a burning smell and strange noises when it pulled out of a station in southern Japan. The train stopped for checks at Nagoya station in central Japan ..
10 dead in Egypt train accident
At least 10 people were killed and 15 injured on Wednesday in a collision between two trains in Beheira province, north of the capital Cairo, the Egyptian Health Ministry said in a statement.
10 killed after trains collide in Egypt
At least ten people were killed today and 15 others injured when a passenger train collided with a freight train in Egypt, officials said, the latest deadly accident on the North African country's railways. The passenger train collided with the goods train near Kom Hamada station in northern Behira governorate. At least 15 people were injured during the incident and 10 were killed, Khaled Megahed, Health ministry spokesperson said. The injured were taken to the hospitals. The cause of the accident was not immediately clear. In August, 41 people died in train collision near the coastal city of Alexandria.
Nitish assures justice in Muzaffarpur hit-run case
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday stressed on the need to create awareness among the people on the traffic rules and assured that the guilty in the Muzaffarpur hit and run case would be brought to justice.Speaking at the Bihar Assembly, the Chief Minister said, "Awareness needs to be created about traffic rules. There is need of legal provisions in the issuance of driving licenses. Protest, agitation and statements over an accident are natural, but accused will finally be caught, how much will someone escape?"The Bihar Government has also planned to constitute a high-level committee constitutes under Development Council to look into actions that needed to be taken in such matters, said the Chief Minister."We have constituted a high-level committee under Development Council and have given it the responsibility to study what else is needed to be done in road accidents and monitor implementation of work already instructed for the end of such incidents," he added.Earlier in ..
Joe Jonas sued for car crash
Singer Joe Jonas has been sued by a woman who claimed that his assistant crashed his motor into her car.
14 missing after boats sink in River Congo: minister
At least 14 people are feared drowned after two overcrowded, rickety boats sank in the River Congo, the interior minister of DR Congo told AFP today, though local sources fear the toll could be much higher. "Fourteen missing, 108 survived," the Democratic Republic of Congo's interior minister, Henri Mova, said in an email, after the two vessels sank in the river in the southwestern province of Mai-Ndombe. Local official Didace Pembe said many more people may have died. "The crowded vessels were sailing at night, and they were suddenly hit by strong winds. Many more went missing in this accident than those who survived," Pembe said. Local fisherman Leon Bateko told AFP by phone that weather conditions on the powerful river "were extremely bad", hampering the rescue efforts. "The truth about the toll will never been known because there are no lists that can tell us how many people were actually on board," Claude Bononge, who manages several privately-owned ports in DR Congo, told ...
Indonesia calls off deadly landslide search, 18 believed dead
The search for six people still missing after a deadly landslide in Indonesia has been called off, officials said today, bringing the presumed death toll to 18. An avalanche of mud and rock cascaded down a steep slope in central Java last week, burying victims as they worked their rice fields. Hundreds of rescuers, including members of the army, police and local community, have spent the past seven days digging through the debris to find victims buried in the deadly slide. Twelve people are confirmed to have died while another six remain missing, officials said, adding that another 18 survived the disaster. "The search operation is officially closed, but if there are further developments then we will return," said Zulhawary Agustianto, a spokesman for Indonesia's National Search and Rescue Agency. The slip followed several days of heavy rain in the mountainous area, about seven hours east of the capital Jakarta. Flooding triggered by the deluge also killed three people in the nearby ..
Fresh earthquake rocks Papua New Guinea
A magnitude-6 earthquake shook the interior of Papua New Guinea on Wednesday, two days after another magnitude-7.5 earthquake in the same region caused landslides that left at least 31 people dead and another 300 injured.
Taiwan detains developer of building where quake killed 14
Prosecutors in eastern Taiwan have detained the developer of a building complex that collapsed in an earthquake earlier this month, killing 14 people. The office of the Hualien district prosecutor said in a statement yesterday that Liu Ying-lin was ordered held over concerns he was seeking to duck responsibility and could collude with others or tamper with evidence and witnesses. It said Liu was unqualified to undertake such a project and that the 12-story Yun Men Tsui Ti mixed commercial-residential complex was built far below basic standards for withstanding an earthquake. The building's architect and the operators of a hot pot restaurant and hotel in the building were released on bail. A total of 17 people were killed in buildings that partially collapsed in the February 6 magnitude 6.4 earthquake.
6.4 magnitude earthquake hits Papua New Guinea
An earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale hit Papua New Guinea on Wednesday.Anadolu Agency quoted the National Disaster Management Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho as saying that the earthquake struck at the depth of 100 kilometers in the Papua islands, 239 kilometers southeast of Boven Digoel Regency in Papua Province.Despite the huge magnitude, Nugroho said there was no tsunami risk.This is the second strong quake in the past three days to hit Boven Digoel.Earlier on Sunday, an earthquake measuring 7.5 on the Richter scale struck off the coast of eastern Indonesia.
New video to groom child daycare providers to prepare for disaster
A new video tutorial has been released to guide child daycare providers about norms to be followed during disasters.Experts from Save the Children Fund, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, a free standing level one pediatric trauma center, and the Los Angeles Children in Disasters Working Group collaborated to provide daycare providers a rubric for creating their own disaster plans.Considering the physical, psychological and legal needs of children during and after a disaster, a group of stakeholders devised the outline for an educational pre-disaster video for child daycare providers in Los Angeles County using the Delphi technique.The ultimate goal of the Delphi technique is to achieve an unbiased consensus among experts.The end result was the development of a 20-minute video containing key points in disaster planning for the daycare provider.Save the Children-Children First English from Save the Children, U.S. Programs on Vimeo.According to the corresponding author Dr. Rita Burke, ...
7 soldiers injured in J&K road accident
Seven army soldiers, including an officer, were injured on Wednesday when their vehicle met with an accident in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district.
Hawaii suspends missile siren tests after mistaken alert
Hawaii authorities won't sounds sirens warning of a nuclear missile attack during a monthly test this week. The decision comes after an agency employee last month mistakenly sent cellphone and broadcast alerts warning of an incoming ballistic missile. Instead Hawaii Emergency Management Agency officials only plan to test a separate siren that warns of tsunamis and other natural disasters. The test is scheduled for tomorrow. Brigadier General Kenneth Hara last week recommended that the agency suspend its missile attack outreach until it prepares a report on how the state should respond to a chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear attack or accident. Hara didn't recommended suspending the missile siren tests. But Hawaii state Department of Defense spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Charles Anthony says the agency decided to stop them as well.
Muzaffarpur hit-and-run: Accused Baitha cries foul
Suspended Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Manoj Baitha an accused in the Muzaffarpur hit-and-run case, on Wednesday denied driving the vehicle involved in the accident which claimed nine lives.Baitha told ANI, "I am very sad to hear about the death of children. I surrendered on my own."One of his relative Rajiv Kumar said, "The allegations on him are false. He never drinks alcohol."Baitha earlier in the day was shifted from Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital to Patna Medical College and Hospital, for treatment of the injuries he suffered in the accident.He was suspended from BJP party's membership for six years for his involvement in the accident.He is the owner of the SUV that ran over nine children and injured around 20 outside a government school at Dharampur village in Bihar's Muzaffarpur district on February 24.
Muzaffarpur hit-and-run case: Manoj Baitha surrenders
Suspended Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Manoj Baitha who is accused in the Muzaffarpur hit-and-run case, surrendered before the police, on Wednesday.Meanwhile, Baitha was shifted from Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital to Patna Medical College and Hospital, for treatment of the injuries he suffered in the accident.Baitha was suspended from BJP party's membership for six years for his involvement in the accident.He is the owner of the SUV that ran over nine children and injured around 20 outside their government school at Dharampur village in Bihar's Muzaffarpur district on February 24.Soon after the accident, the Opposition started cornering Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and the BJP.RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav was the first to allege that the vehicle involved in the Muzaffarpur accident belonged to a BJP General Secretary and the driver was intoxicated.
Quake-hit PNG struggles to assess damage
Communication blackouts and blocked roads were hampering rescue efforts today as Papua New Guinea worked to get a better grasp of the damage wrought by a massive earthquake amid fears of its economic impact. The 7.5-magnitude tremor struck 90 kms south of Porgera in the Pacific nation's mountainous Enga province early on Monday, with sporadic aftershocks continuing to rumble through the rugged region. Local media reported that aerial surveys of the worst-hit areas showed countless roads, bridges and infrastructure destroyed, along with private homes. Access, however, was difficult with roads blocked by landslides and sinkholes. The PNG Post-Courier newspaper had yesterday said more than 30 people may have died, although on Wednesday it reported that only 14 had been confirmed, in the Southern Highlands and Hela province. All were killed when their houses collapsed as they slept, it said. No official death toll has been provided. Government assessment teams were at work, with the ...
11 fall ill after hazmat scare at US base
Eleven persons have fallen ill after a suspicious envelope containing an unknown substance was opened at a US military base in Virginia, authorities said.
Fire breaks out in Bhiwandi's Narayana Compound loom factory
A fire broke out here in Narayana Compound loom factory in the wee hours of Wednesday.Soon after reports of the fire spread, four fire engines were rushed to the spot, along with one water tank to douse the fire, which was reportedly available from a kilometer's distance.A fire official stated that although the reason for the fire is yet to be ascertained, the situation is under control.While no causalities have been reported, millions of raw cloths including dozens of power loom machines, warping machines, and cloth threads were destroyed in the flame.As part of rescue operations, nearly 50 people from a neighbouring building were evacuated after they felt uneasiness in breathing due to the fumes.Nearly 17 such incidents of blaze have been reported in Maharashtra alone, within months after a major fire in Mumbai's Kamala Mills that killed 14 people.On Monday, a major fire broke out at the Gokul shopping center in Mumbai's Borivali West.Meanwhile, fire tenders are attempting to ...
Over two dozen injured as truck overturns in UP
Over two dozen daily wagers were injured on Tuesday when their truck overturned in Kannauj district of Uttar Pradesh, police said.