Page 878 - Disaster Accident
5 dead after tornado, flooding from central US storms
The death toll rose to at least five today after severe thunderstorms swept through the central US, spawning a tornado that flattened homes, gale force winds and widespread flooding from the Upper Midwest to Appalachia. The system that stretched from Texas to the Canadian Maritime provinces had prompted several emergency declarations even before the dangerous storms arrived. In southwestern Michigan, the body of a 48-year-old man was found floating in floodwaters today in Kalamazoo, city Public Safety Lt. David Thomas said. Police were withholding the release of his name until notifying relatives. Thomas said the death didn't appear suspicious but the cause wasn't known. An autopsy was planned as early as Monday. Kalamazoo has hard hit by flooding from last week's heavy rains and melting snow. In Kentucky, authorities said three people died. Two bodies were recovered from submerged vehicles in separate incidents yesterday. A body was recovered from a vehicle that was in a ditch in in
UK police respond to 'major incident' in Leicester
British police are responding to a "major incident" in Leicester, a city in central England, after reports of an explosion, police and fire services said today. "There has been a major incident..." Leicestershire police wrote on Twitter. "All emergency services are currently dealing with this." It advised people to "please avoid the area" and added that local roads had been closed. Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service received calls at around 7:00 pm from the public reporting an explosion and a fire, a spokeswoman said. It immediately dispatched six fire engines, she added. "We were en route when the police called to say a building had collapsed," the spokeswoman said. Additional specialist search and rescue units were then dispatched, including a search and rescue dog from neighbouring Lincolnshire county, she added. "We've got no indication of what the cause is at this moment," the spokeswoman said. Pictures and videos posted on social media showed a property engulfed in flames ...
7.5 magnitude earthquake hits Papua New Guinea
An earthquake measuring 7.5 on the Richter scale hit Papua New Guinea on Sunday.The quake, 14 km from Komo, struck around 11.14 p.m., the United States Geological Survey reported.It is currently unclear if the huge quake in the "Ring of Fire" -- a hotbed of seismic activity surrounding a tectonic plate that spans the Pacific - caused any damage or injuries.Despite the huge magnitude, officials said there was no tsunami risk.A statement from the US Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said: "An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.6 occurred in New Guinea.
Alpine avalanches kill three skiers: Swiss police
Three cross-country skiers were killed and four others were injured in three separate avalanches in the Swiss Alps this weekend, police said Sunday. Two Swiss skiers were swept away on a massive sheet of snow this afternoon in the Chateau d'Oex area, and slammed into a rocky area below, police in the central Vaud canton said. One of the skiers, a 55-year-old woman, died on the spot, while her 61-year-old companion was injured. He was flown by helicopter to hospital, and police said his life was not in danger. In another incident Saturday, an avalanche on the Tsa mountain, above the village of Arolla in the southern Swiss canton of Wallis, swept away four skiers on Saturday afternoon. Rescue workers arrived by helicopter and were able to dig out the buried skiers, who were all Swiss nationals, and flew them to hospital. Wallis police initially said all four were injured, but Sunday morning they announced one of the skiers, a 40-year-old woman, had succumbed to her injuries. ...
3 dead after tornado, flooding from central US storms
Severe thunderstorms spawned a tornado that flattened homes in Tennessee and triggered widespread flooding, leaving at least three people dead in Kentucky and Arkansas. The system that stretched from Texas to the Canadian maritime provinces on Sunday had prompted emergency declarations a day earlier in Missouri, Indiana and Illinois. In south central Kentucky, the body of a male was recovered from a vehicle submerged in floodwaters in a creek near the community of Franklin on Saturday, the Simpson County Sheriff's Office said in a statement. The victim's identify was being withheld pending notification of relatives. About 20 miles (32 kilometers) away, Dallas Jane Combs, 79, died after a suspected tornado destroyed her Adairville home earlier Saturday, the Logan County Sheriff's Office told media outlets. Sheriff officials said Combs was inside the home when it collapsed on her. Combs was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities said Combs' husband was outside putting up plastic .
Israel: 'Professional error' cited in air force crash
The Israeli military says a "professional error" by a flight crew caused an air force jet to be struck and crash during an attack on a target in Syria earlier this month. Announcing the results of an investigation, the military said Sunday that the crew did not follow "standard procedure while under enemy fire." It says the crew chose to complete the mission and did not adequately defend themselves. The incident occurred on February 10 after an Iranian drone infiltrated Israeli airspace from Syria. Israel shot down the drone and then attacked what it said was an Iranian command center. Israeli planes came under anti-aircraft fire, and one was struck. Israel responded by destroying Syrian anti-aircraft positions. The Israeli flight crew ejected from the aircraft and landed in Israeli territory.
Major 7.5-magnitude earthquake strikes Papua New Guinea
A 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck Papua New Guinea today, US seismologists said, but no tsunami warning was issued. The quake's epicentre was around 90 kilometres (55 miles) south of Porgera in Enga province, according to USGS, and hit at a depth of 35 kilometres. USGS said some casualties and damage were possible and recent earthquakes in the area had caused tsunamis and landslides. It said homes in the region were "a mix of vulnerable and earthquake resistant construction". The impact should be relatively localised, it added. Earthquakes are common in PNG, which sits on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, a hotspot for seismic activity due to friction between tectonic plates.
Two killed, four injured as car rolls down deep gorge in Himachal
Two people were killed and four others injured severely when their car rolled down a deep gorge this evening near the Parashar lake, 45 km from the district headquarter in Mandi, police said. The deceased were yet to be identified, they said, adding that the injured were initially admitted at a hospital in Kataula and later shifted to a zonal hospital in Mandi.
5 killed in truck-car collision
Five persons were killed and three others injured when a car they were travelling in collided head-on with a truck in North 24 Parganas district today, police said. The incident took place this evening at Deganga, when the vehicle, carrying eight people, was travelling to Haroa from Baduria, the police said. The occupants of the vehicle were going there to visit a fair, they said. While three persons died on the spot, two other passengers succumbed to their injuries at a hospital, Superintendent of Police of North 24 Parganas P Sudhakar said. The injured were admitted to a hospital in Barasat, he said. The truck was seized but the driver fled, he added.
Alpine avalanche kills skier, injures three others: Swiss police
A cross-country skier was killed and three others were injured in an avalanche in the Swiss Alps, police said today. The avalanche on the Tsa mountain, above the village of Arolla in the southern Swiss canton of Wallis, swept away the skiers shortly after 2:00 pm (1300 GMT) on Saturday, cantonal police said. The four skiers, all Swiss nationals, had left the Tsa mountain refuge in two separate groups and had been moving through a narrow passage when the avalanche hit. Rescue workers arrived by helicopter and were able to dig out the buried skiers, who were flown to hospital. Wallis police initially said all four were injured, but Sunday morning they announced one of the skiers, a 40-year-old woman, had died of her injuries.
Switzerland: 1 dead, 3 injured after being hit by avalanche
Swiss police say a woman has died after being hit by an avalanche in the Alps near the Italian border. Police in Switzerland's Valais canton (state) said four skiers were carried away by the avalanche yesterday after leaving a mountain hut in the Arolla area. Rescuers were able to recover them and take them to the hospital by helicopter. But police said today that one of them, a 40-year-old local woman, died overnight at a hospital in Sion.
6 civilians killed, 13 injured in Pak shelling during last 10 months in J-K
Six civilians were killed and 13 others were injured in heavy Pakistani shelling along the LoC in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir during the last 10 months, an official said today. Nowshera and Manjakote sectors were worst hit and accounted for majority of the damage in the shelling from across the border, District Development Commissioner, Rajouri, Shahid Iqbal Choudhary told PTI. As many as 169 residential houses and 12 government buildings were damaged in the shelling from May 1, 2017 to February 25, 2018, Choudahry said. He said 4,600 people migrated from the affected villages along the LoC during the past 10 months even as the local administration constructed 86 underground bunkers at various places in the twin sectors for the safety of the people. Over 80 schools, which were near the border, were closed to ensure safety of the students, he said. Choudhary said the administration is making all efforts to reach out to the affected populace to mitigate their problems and has .
Five killed in two separate incidents in Rajasthan
Five people were killed today in two separate accidents in Rajasthan's Sirohi and Jaipur districts, police said. Three people were killed in a head-on collision between a tempo and a tractor-trolley in Brahmpuri police station area in Jaipur. The diseased were identified as Salim (32), Asfash (23) and Anaan (18), police said. In another accident, a car hit a two-wheeler in Sirohi district's Swaroopganj police station area killing two persons. Baburam (50) and Laduram (48) were riding the two-wheeler. SHO, Swaroopganj, Bhagwat Singh, said the bodies were handed over to family members after post-mortem and a case was registered against the car driver.
Ensuring women's participation in every walk of life our duty: PM
Ensuring the participation of women in all fields of life is every Indian's fundamental duty, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said today and noted that the dream of a New India envisages women who are strong, empowered and equal partners in development. Addressing his monthly 'Mann ki Baat' radio broadcast, the prime minister said a woman's power today underlined inner fortitude and self-confidence, which made her self-reliant. "Not only has she herself advanced but has carried forward the country and society to newer heights...Today the country is moving forward from the path of women development to women-led development," he said. Modi said it was "our fundamental duty" to ensure the participation of women in every field of life, be it social or economic. Referring to International Women's Day observed every year on March 8, he recalled the words of Swami Vivekananda, who had said the idea of "perfect womanhood" was "perfect independence". "We are part of a tradition where men were ...
Modi stresses on public safety in 'Mann Ki Baat'
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday urged the people to become conscious and aware of their own safety and said if they start taking daily precautions seriously, a lot more casualties and risks could be evaded.
2 dead as severe weather moves eastward through central US
At least two people are dead as a strong storm system that included possible tornadoes pushed its way eastward through the central United States, leaving demolished homes, damaged vehicles and uprooted trees in its wake. A man in northeast Arkansas and a woman in south central Kentucky both were killed as the storm that also included heavy winds, rain and hail muscled its way through the area, according to authorities. In northeast Arkansas, an 83-year-old man was killed after high winds toppled a trailer home. Clay County Sheriff Terry Miller told KAIT-TV that Albert Foster died Saturday night after the home was blown into a pond. About 50 miles away, the weather service said the roof was blown off a hotel in Osceola, about 160 miles (257 kilometers) north of Memphis, Tennessee. In rural, south central Kentucky, 79-year-old Dallas Jane Combs died after a suspected tornado hit her Adairville home Saturday evening, Logan County Sheriff's Department told television station WKRN. Sheriff
Important to understand values of safety: PM Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday stressed the importance to understand the values of safety in day-to-day lives and pitched to become more safety conscious.In his 41st edition of Mann Ki Baat, the Prime Minister said that safety at the time of disaster can only be ensured when people will become safety conscious."We have to become a risk-conscious society. We talk about the safety of values in the culture. But we have to understand the values of safety as well. We have to make it a part of our life. Safety of the society is ensured if we are conscious of our own safety," the Prime Minister said.Further emphasising on the same, Prime Minister Modi said that the safety rules are often ignored at a number of places, which leads to some-or-the other kind of accidents.He urged the people to be more vigilant and following necessary rules to ensure the safety of all."We often see common safety message on the roads but ignore them. If we set aside natural calamities, our own ...
Balloon seller, 8 others hurt in gas cylinder explosion
A 55-year-old balloon seller was critically injured today when the gas cylinder he was using to inflate balloons exploded at a village near Amritsar, police said. Police Commissioner S S Srivastava said this evening that Satnam Singh has been admitted to a hospital in Ghanupur Kala village after the accident and his condition is stated to be critical. Earlier today, station house officer of Chehertha police station, Harish Behal, had said Singh died in the blast. Eight other people, including six children, were also injured in the accident. The reason behind the explosion is yet to be ascertained, police said, adding that the damaged cylinder has been sent for forensic examination.
Boat carrying MLA capsizes; all passengers safe
A boat carrying 15 persons including a local MLA and a police official capsized near Madh Island here late today evening, police said. All persons onboard, including MLA Aslam Shaikh, are safe, an official said. The boat was carrying devotees returning from a Dargah on Madh Island, an official of the Disaster Management Cell of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation told PTI. The boat capsized close to the shore, in shallow waters, which averted a tragedy, he said.
Three injured in Mumbai building collapse
Three people including two kids got injured as a building collapsed on Saturday at Wadala in Mumbai.The building was undergoing repair work and a wall, which was unsupported by a roof, collapsed.A labourer, whose two kids got injured in the incident, informed that the entire wall collapsed when they were doing the repair work on the adjacent wall.He told ANI, "The incident took place at around 4 p.m. My kids were sleeping downstairs while I and my wife were working upstairs. My kids have been badly injured. We have admitted them to a nearby hospital".According to an eyewitness, the building was in a dilapidated condition and hence the incident took place.Harish told ANI, "It was an old building which was undergoing the repair work. The roof supporting the wall was in a dilapidated condition that caused the wall to collapse. Four people were inside the building when the incident took place."At the time of filing this report, rescue operations were underway.