Page 88 - Disaster Accident
Patient killed in Jaipur hospital blaze: Family
A patient was killed after a massive blaze broke out at the Sawai Man Singh Hospital here on Friday, her family said.
Jammu-Srinagar highway closed for second day
The Jammu-Srinagar highway remained closed for a second consecutive day on Friday due to landslides in Digdol area of Jammu and Kashmir's Ramban district.
Packaging industry should focus on safety, envt protection, reusabilty of material: Commerce Secy
The fast-growing Indian packaging industry needs to focus on key areas such as safety, environment protection, reusabilty and re-cyclability of material with a view to promote the growth of the sector in a sustainable way, a senior government official said Friday. Commerce Secretary Anup Wadhawan said that packaging should be done in a manner by which products or goods inside should be safe and not get damaged. In the packaging of food material, consumers' health and safety should be key, he said here at the national conference on innovative packaging techniques for food products and its safety aspects, organised by Indian Institute of Packaging, Delhi chapter. He added that protection of materials that need to be preserved is a must, there should be an ease in handling of products, and the goods used for making packaging material should be environment-friendly. We must build reusabilty and re-cyclability when we make choice for materials used in packaging, he added. The secretary ...
Twin quakes jolts Japan, no tsunami warning issued
Two earthquakes measuring 5.6 and 6.3 on the Richter Scale hit off the coast of southern Japan on Friday, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said.The first quake of magnitude 5.6 took place at 10:43 pm (UTC) or 7:43 am (JST) and hit a depth of 35 km, according to USGS.The epicentre of the temblor was situated 44 km east southeast of Miyazaki-shi.About an hour later, another earthquake of magnitude 6.3 was recorded at the same place.The temblor was recorded at 11:48 pm (UTC) or 8:48 am (JST) and hit a depth of 24 km, the USGS said.The epicentre of the quake was situated 37 km east southeast of Miyazaki-shi.There were no reports of any casualties, injuries or damage to property. No tsunami warning has been issued.Japan is prone to frequent earthquakes and lies in the "Ring of Fire", an area in the basin of the Pacific Ocean, which is vulnerable to frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.In 2011, Japan was hit by a 9.0 magnitude earthquake triggering powerful tsunami waves ...
6.3-magnitude quake strikes off Japan
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.3 struck off the coast of Japan's Miyazaki Prefecture, the weather agency here said Friday.
Magnitude 6.3 earthquake hits city in southwest Japan
The US Geological Survey says a magnitude 6.3 earthquake hit near Miyazaki in southwestern Japan. The agency says the earthquake struck at 8:48 a.m. local time Friday and had an epicenter 39 kilometers (24 miles) southeast of Miyazaki, a city of about 400,000. The earthquake had a depth of 23 kilometers (14 miles.) The Japan Times reports that Kyushu Electric Power Co. says no abnormalities were reported at the nearby Sendai nuclear power plant in Kagoshima Prefecture. The Times also reports that nation's weather agency did not issue a tsunami warning.
Odisha: Chief Secretary visits Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur to review relief, restoration operations
The Chief Secretary AP Padhi on Thursday reviewed the relief and restoration operations in Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur districts in the aftermath of severe cyclone 'Fani'."There has been substantial progress in the restoration of power supply in Kendrapara district. Chief Secretary directed the CESU authorities to resume power supply to all block headquarters in Jagatsinghpur district by 12th May," a release of Office of Chief Secretary Odisha read.Padhi said that drinking water supply has been restored in these districts with the use of gensets.The Chief Secretary has directed to expedite relief distribution work and make the process easy for people to avail the relief assistance."Padhi has further directed to do an accurate assessment of the house and crop damage without any bias or influence." the release read.On Wednesday, the National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) also reviewed the "rescue and relief measures" in the cyclone 'Fani' affected areas of Odisha with the senior .
Pradhan advises Railways to accommodate Fani-affected people at stations
Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Thursday advised officials of East Coast Railway zone to accommodate Fani affected people at railway stations."Immediate steps on war footing should be initiated to provide platform shelters at Bhubaneswar, Puri and Khurda Road railway stations which have been badly affected," Pradhan was quoted as saying in a press note on a meeting held to review the resumption of train services.It further read: "Shri Pradhan also advised that the station areas should serve as a shelter for people of nearby areas who have been badly affected by the cyclone and accordingly facilities of drinking water, charging points, neat and clean washrooms should be ready and empty places may be utilised to provide shelter."The minister also expressed his satisfaction over the speed of restoration work of train services and Railways' target to resume all services to Puri by May 12, it said.He asked the officials to prepare for the upcoming Rath Yatra at Puri and to make proper
Naveen urges Centre to assess Jagannath Temple damage caused
Following reports that cyclone Fani has caused some damage to the Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri, Odisha government Thursday urged the Centre to ask the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) to inspect the damage caused to the 12th century shrine. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik requested Union Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma to depute a team of experts from the ASI to assess the damage caused to the temple. "It is reported that significant damage has been caused to the infrastructure of Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri. Even the Sun Temple is reportedly closed for tourists," Patnaik wrote to Sharma. He said the assessment is urgently required so that appropriate remedial measures can be undertaken keeping in view the Rath Yatra festival scheduled for July 4. The ASI is the custodian of the temples which reportedly suffered some damage by the cyclone that ripped apart the holy town on May 3. P K Mohapatra, the chief administrator of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA),
30 fall sick after drinking contaminated water
Thirty people were hospitalised after they fell sick, apparently after drinking contaminated water in Rajasthan's Ajmer district on Thursday, police said. The labourers of a plastic sack manufacturing factory in Beawar were admitted to a hospital after they complained of stomach ache and vomiting, the police said. They were discharged after treatment, deputy chief medical and health officer Ramswaroop Kiradia said. Water is supplied to the factory through a tanker, which apparently deteriorated their health. Samples of the water has been sent for investigation, the officer added.
10 pilgrims killed as jeep carrying them dashes into tree in Punjab
Ten pilgrims were killed and 13 injured when the jeep they were travelling in dashed into a tree here Thursday, police said. The deceased included two children and three women, they said. They were returning their homes in the vehicle from a holy shrine in Himachal Pradesh when the accident occurred near Dhobi Ghat here. Police said as per preliminary investigations, cause of the accident appears to be driver losing control over the vehicle after which it hit the tree. The injured, who belonged to Usmaan Shaheed village of Dasuya sub-division here, were hospitalised. Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh expressed deep shock and grief over the accident. Singh announced an ex-gratia of Rs 1 lakh each to the next of the kin of the deceased and Rs 25,000 each to the injured, an official statement said. The chief minister also asked the Hoshiarpur district administration to extend all possible assistance to the victim families besides ensuring best possible free treatment to the injured.
1.52 lakh ha affected by cyclone Fani in Odisha
A 1,52,985-hectare area covering 88 blocks in 14 districts was affected due to cyclone Fani which hit Odisha, an official said on Thursday.
Many bank branches, ATMs start functioning in cyclone-hit Odisha
After being crippled for about a week due to Cyclone Fani, banking services partially resumed in coastal Odisha on Thursday even as work for restoration of power and telecom infrastructure severely ravaged in the disaster moved at a slow pace, officials said. The banking service has been made operational in certain urban pockets of Puri, Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Jagtsinghpur and Kendrapara. Some bank branches and ATMs started functioning due to restoration of power and internet service, Information and Public Relations secretary Sanjay Singh told reporters while briefing them about post-cyclone restoration work. Singh said human casualty in the calamity remained unchanged at 41 across the state. The official said the government has achieved its goal of providing drinking water to all the affected places, including the worst hit Puri, where the cyclone had made a landfall on May 3. Normal water supply in all the cyclone affected urban local bodies has been fully restored, Special Relief
NHRC notice to Odisha over relief material 'not reaching' parts of 2 cyclone-hit districts
The National Human Rights Commission has issued a notice to the Odisha government over reports that relief material is "not reaching" the affected people in some parts of Puri and Khurdha districts, worst hit by cyclone 'Fani'. The NHRC observed that it understands the state administration, in collaboration with central agencies and NGOs, is trying to cope with the situation, but there seems to be a necessity to identify areas which require immediate relief and rehabilitation. In a statement issued on Wednesday, the rights panel said it has taken "suo motu cognisance of a media report that people are facing hardship, and are agitated that relief material is not reaching to cyclone-hit people in some parts of Puri and Khurdha districts of Odisha". Reportedly, thousands of cyclone-affected people, struggling to get food and water, came out in the streets on May 7. The police reportedly resorted to lathi-charge to disperse the protesters, it said. The commission said it understands the ..
Drought relief funds:K'TKA accuses Centre of being "anti-poor"
The Karnataka government Thursday accused the Centre of being "anti-poor", saying it did not release dues of Rs 1,697 crore under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme to the State government. The Centre had not released the dues as mandated under the Act (MNREGA), which gives rise to doubts whether it was concerned about the poor, State Minister for rural development Krishna Byre Gowda said. "This scheme is meant for the economically weaker section in the rural areas," Gowda told reporters after a cabinet meeting. Gowda lamented that the Centre was not supporting the state government in relief works. Of the Rs 1,697 crore, which is yet to come from the Centre, Rs 856 crore is pending for the past three years. He said the amount was not a grant but related to works mandated under the Act, which comprises check-dams, Anganwadi and school compound walls. The Centre's 'indifference' forced the state government to make payments in the form of loans, ..
Forest fires blaze in eastern Russia, forcing evacuations
Wildfires are blazing on about 58,000 hectares (145,000 acres) throughout the eastern reaches of Russia, threatening small villages and forcing the evacuation of children and senior citizens from at least one village. Avialesookhrana, the Russian government agency for aerial protection of forests, said Thursday that the hardest-hit area was the Irkutsk region, where about 16,900 hectares (41,700 acres) of forests were burning. Some of the fires were coming close to the village of Bolshoe Goloustnoe along Lake Baikal, from which 28 people were evacuated. No casualties have been reported. Forest fires are a major annual problem for Russia as the world's weather warms. Last year, Russian officials recorded some 10,000 fires encompassing 3.2 million hectares (7.9 million acres).
Fire at Yavatmal co-op bank head office; documents gutted
Documents, computers and furniture were gutted in a fire at the head office of Yavatmal District Central Cooperative Bank Ltd (YDCCB) in the wee hours of Thursday, a bank officer said. The fire broke out on the first floor of the main building of YDCCB at around 2 am and the on-duty watchman, who noticed the flames, immediately contacted the fire brigade and also senior bank officials. Over 40 computers, old documents and furniture were gutted in the blaze, YDCCB Chief Officer Aravind Deshpande said. A process is on to ascertain the exact damage, he said. Two sections, dealing with agriculture and banking, suffered most of the damage, Deshpande said, adding documents dating back over 10 years ago were gutted. Fire tenders reached the spot and doused the flames, he said. Deshpande claimed a short-circuit caused the blaze. However, this could not be verified from fire brigade officials. "Our data centre is safe and hence the functioning of the bank won't be affected," ...
UP: Fire breaks out in Kamakhya Express
Fire broke out in the engine and generator room of Kamakhya Express on Thursday in Kailhat village in Mirzapur district.No casualties have been reported yet.As soon as the fire broke out, the driver separated the generator room and the parcel coach from the train, thus preventing further damage.Due to the fire, the Delhi-Howrah route has been affected.Further details are awaited.
Heroics of hospital staff save 22 newborns in cyclone-hit Odisha
A heartwarming story has come out of cyclone-battered Odisha which is certain to make one smile with relief. The heroics of staff at a hospital in Bhubaneswar saved 22 newborns from the onslaught of severe cyclonic storm Fani, which caused massive destruction in coastal areas of the state after it made landfall on May 3.A statement by the state's Health Department detailed how those present on duty at the Capital Hospital shielded the babies and shifted them to safety as the ceiling over them crackled, unable to take thy cyclone's impact."At about 12.30 noon on May 3, the SNCU (Sick and New Born Care Unit) of Capital Hospital was ravaged badly due to the very strong winds. The ceiling and the electric fittings and gadgets started cracking and falling down. At that time, a total of 22 babies were admitted in the SNCU. 7 staff nurses, 2 attendants along with 2 medical officers were present on duty at that time", read the release.The newborns were shifted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU)
Italian ferry with 250 on board has problems in Adriatic
An Italian ferry carrying 250 passengers and 92 crew members has experienced technical problems while on its way to the Croatian port of Split on the Adriatic coast. The SNAV company's office in Split said Thursday that mechanics on board the Aurelia are doing everything to fix the problem and bring the passengers to shore. The company gave no other details, but Croatian media reported that one of the ferry's engines has malfunctioned and that the vessel has been drifting in the northern Adriatic. The reports said two tugboats have been sent toward the stranded ferry, which is about 10 nautical miles offshore from a cluster of islands in Croatia's Kornati archipelago. Strong winds are hampering the operation, the reports said. The reports quoted passengers as saying there was no panic among them. The ferry was traveling from the Italian port of Ancona. Croatia's public broadcaster HRT says no damage or casualties have been reported. It says the ferry was due in Split around 0500 GMT ..