Page 893 - Disaster Accident
Untimely rains in Maharashtra damage crops in 1 lakh ha
Untimely rains and hailstorm have caused damage to the rabi (winter) crops in over 1 lakh hectare in Maharashtra, especially in Vidarbha and Marathwada regions, a senior Union Agriculture Ministry official said today. "We have received a report from Maharashtra. About 1.08 lakh hectare has been damaged due to unseasonal rains and hailstorm," the official told PTI. Much of the damage has been reported in parts of Marathwada and Vidarbha, he said, adding that the rabi crops - chana and wheat - have been hit. This is just a preliminary assessment of the damage, the full report is yet to be received from the state government, he said Besides Maharashtra, the official said, there were reports of some damage to rabi crops in Madhya Pradesh. The rabi crops will be ready for harvest from next month. In some states like Gujarat, wheat harvesting has begun.
Scary landing after United flight loses engine cover over Pacific Ocean
A United Airlines flight with 373 people on board had to make an emergency landing in Honolulu after the cover of the plane's right engine came off over the Pacific Ocean, triggering panic among the passengers. The incident occurred less than an hour before United Airlines flight 1175 from San Francisco was set to land in Honolulu yesterday. The Boeing 777 plane was flying over the Pacific Ocean, the airline said. There were 363 passengers and 10 crew members aboard the plane, CNN affiliate KHNL reported. The plane landed safely as emergency responders and fire engines waited close to the runway. "Scariest flight of my life," passenger Maria Falaschi tweeted. Passenger Erik Haddad recorded video of the engine without its cover as the plane flew over the Pacific. "That looks bad, plane and simple," he wrote on Twitter describing the sight of pieces of metal missing from the front of the engine cowling. Another passenger, Jeff Carter, posted a video showing the shaking in the cabin as ..
Centre seeks report from CSL on blast on under repair ONGC
The Centre today sought a report from the Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) on the explosion and fire on an under repair ONGC drill ship, which claimed five lives. Minister of State for Shipping Pon Radhakrishnan visited the shipyard this morning and tookstock of the situation on board "SagarBhushan," a day after the ONGC ship was hit by the explosion while it was undergoing repair. "The Hon'ble Minister instructed CSL to conduct a thorough investigation and ascertain the root cause and report the details to Ministry of Shipping," a CSL statement said here. Talking to reporters, the Minister said there was an explosion but there was no sign of fire inside the ship. He said the CSL has begun a high level internal inquiry into the incident. Technical investigations are being carried out by DG Shipping and Factories and Boilers Department. "Police is also taking all steps.. after the enquiry only we can find out the reasons for the explosion," the Minister said, after visiting ..
Shipping Min orders 'thorough probe' into CSL fire
Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan today asked Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL) to conduct a thorough probe into the fire incident in which five people were killed yesterday on board an under-repair ONGC ship at the shipyard. The instruction by the Minister of State for Shipping was given after he took stock of the situation at the shipyard today. "The minister instructed CSL to conduct a thorough investigation and find out the root cause and report the details to Ministry of Shipping," CSL said in a statement. The statement said the minister took stock of the situation on board 'Sagar Bhushan', the ONGC Rig where the fire claimed 5 lives. "He also enquired about the condition of other affected people undergoing treatment and promised full support from the Ministry of Shipping in the companys endeavours to help them and their families," the statement said. During the interaction with the unions and associations, Radhakrishnan as well as CSL CMD Madhu S Nair promised adequate support to all ...
40 dead in Bolivian carnival festivities
At least 40 people died and over 100 were injured in Bolivia during the carnival weekend due to car accidents, homicides and flooding.
New book by nephew 'lays to rest' debate over Netaji's death
Questions over the death of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose continue to perplex, the controversy acquiring the aura of a mystique over the decades. Author and Netaji's nephew Ashis Ray hopes to end the debate with his book "Laid to Rest", which collates the findings of 11 different investigations and concludes that he died on August 18, 1945 in a plane crash in Taipei. Ray says his book is the white paper on the enduring mystery of when the freedom fighter died. The book, with a foreword by Netaji's daughter Anita Bose Pfaff, claims to end the controversy once and for all by putting across 11 investigations official and unofficial that come to the same conclusion. The crucial element as to why this matter festered for 72 years is the fact that his brother and mentor, the person who was the real arbiter of this situation, Sarat Bose, died in 1950 leaving this matter inconclusive. My book brings together 11 different investigations four Indian, three Japanese, three British and ..
Canal breach floods cultivated land in Mathura
A breach in the Mat branch of the Ganga canal flooded vast tracts of cultivated land in the city, a senior official said today. The breach occurred near Kapoorwali Bagichi in the Mant tehsil last night, SDM Mant Varun Pandey said. The flooding affected potato crop in around 5 acres of land according to a team of the administration. Roughly 30 farmers have been hit by the waterlogging, hesaid. The breach has been plugged. The affected farmers would be compensated by the government, the SDM added.
Srinagar-Jammu highway closed due to landslides
Fresh landslides in Udhampur and Ramban districts forced the closure of the Srinagar-Jammu highway for the third consecutive day on Wednesday.
Woman gets Rs 7.87 lakh claim for husband's death in accident
A consumer court here has ordered an insurance company to pay Rs 7.87 lakh to a widow for the death of her husband in a road accident in 2009. Thane District Consumer Rederessal Forum president Sneha Mhatre and member Madhuri Vishwarupe said the insurance firm was deficient in services as it rejected the claim citing wrong reasons, due to which the claimant had to undergo mental torture. The claimant, Achala Marde, told the forum that her husband Rudranivas Marde used to work with a company at Boisar in the neighbouring Palghar district. On December 24, 2009, he was on his motorcycle when another two-wheeler, coming from the opposite direction, collided with his vehicle on the Tarapur-Boisar road. The man sustained severe injuries and died the next day while undergoing treatment at a hospital. Following the man's death, his wife filed a claim of Rs 7.5 lakh with the United India Insurance Company Ltd, since her husband had taken the policy with it. The insurance company ..
4 security personnel killed in Pak
Four security personnel were killed when unknown assailants opened fire at a vehicle carrying them here on Wednesday.According to The Dawn, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Quetta, Razzaq Cheema said the security personnel was on a routine patrol when they were attacked by miscreants in Dukkani Baba area of Sariab Road in the city.Police and law enforcement personnel reached the spot as an investigation was launched. It has termed the incident as another act of targeted killing in the city.Security has been tightened in the area to capture the assailants, while the bodies have been shifted to Quetta Civil Hospital.Sariab Road is considered to be one of the most sensitive parts of the city. The assailants have repeatedly targeted security personnel and government officials in the area.
10 US students hospitalised after ingesting 'unknown substance'
At least 10 students from a high school here in the US has been hospitalised after they ingested an unknown substance, an official said.
Mercedes Benz recalls 20,779 cars in China
Mercedes-Benz China and Beijing Benz Automotive will recall 20,779 vehicles in the country from March 9, due to defective seat belts, a quality control body statement said.
Pilots blamed for Russian passenger jet crash
The pilots of the Russian airliner, which crashed on February 11, have been blamed for the accident. According to the investigators, the pilots failed to switch on a heating unit, which led the speed sensors to ice up and provide wrong information."A factor in the development of a special situation in the flight could be the wrong data about flight speed on pilots' indicators which was likely due to iced pitot tubes (speed probes) while their heating systems were shut off," The New York Post quoted the Russian Interstate Aviation Committee as saying."A special situation began to develop about two minutes and 30 seconds after the takeoff at an altitude of around 1,300 meters and the indicator speed of 465-470 km/h," the committee added.The flight recorders captured varying data from the plane's two airspeed sensors, which is a result of the pilots' failure to turn on the heating unit for the pressure measurement equipment prior to takeoff.Before the plane slammed into the ground, one ..
Climber killed on Oregon mount: official
A climber was killed on Mount Hood in the Pacific Northwestern state of Oregon, US authorities said today, as dozens scrambled to rescue at least another eight who were either injured or trapped. A climber who plunged some 700-1,000 feet was declared dead on arrival at a local hospital, according to the Clackamas County Sheriff Office. His identity was not immediately released pending notification of family. "The other group of climbers are still up on Hogsback -- we estimate 7-8 climbers at this time. One is injured but the injuries to not appear to be life threatening," the sheriff's office posted on Twitter. Rescuers made their way up the mountain, and were helping three climbers in one group come down. Additional rescue crews were trying to help a separate group of four, at least two of whom were injured, the sheriff's office said. At least 46 people have perished on the summit -- a popular hiking destination east of Portland -- just since 2002.
22 school pupils die in Nigeria road crash: official
Twenty-two students and their driver were killed when their bus collided with a truck in northern Nigeria, a road safety official told AFP. The students from a public secondary school in Bauchi state were on their way to the city of Kano for an excursion when their driver lost control while trying to dodge a pothole, Kabiru Daura, spokesman for the federal road safety corps (FRSC) in Kano said yesterday. "Twenty-two students died in the crash along with their driver while three others were seriously injured," Daura said on the accident which occurred in Gaya town, 50 kilometres outside Kano. "The driver lost control and had a head-on collision with a truck," Daura said. Crashes are common on Nigeria's poorly maintained roads due largely to speeding, reckless driving and overloading.
9 dead in Odisha road mishap
At least nine people, including four women, died and six others were injured after a brick-laden truck skidded off the road and fell into a 50-feet deep gorge in Odisha's Gajapati district.The incident took place on Tuesday near Luhajhar Ghat of Gumma block, located about 308 km southwest of Bhubaneswar.As per the initial information, the driver lost control of the vehicle and it rolled down into the deep gorge.Fifteen people, including the driver, were on board when the incident took place.Five people died on the spot, while the rest took their last breath at the hospital during treatment.The injured are being treated in the hospital.
'Continuously monitoring' A320neos powered by PW1100G-JM engines: DGCA
India's civil aviation regulator DGCA on Tuesday said that it is "continuously monitoring" the operations of Airbus A320neos (new engine option) aircraft powered by "PW1100G-JM" engines.
Diarrhoea outbreak spreads in Kolkata, over 1,100 affected
With reports of more symptoms of diarrhoea from adjoining areas of affected wards of Kolkata Mucipal Corporation, over 1,100 people were so far affected due to the outbreak, official said on Tuesday.
NHRC notice to Karnataka govt over deaths due to water
The NHRC has sent a notice to the Karnataka government over reports that three people have died and 35 others have been hospitalised due to gastroenteritis after allegedly consuming contaminated water at Maidolalu village of Shivamogga district. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued the notice to the chief secretary of the state, seeking a detailed report in four weeks. "The NHRC has taken suo motu cognisance of a media report that as many as three persons have died and 35 others have been hospitalised owing to acute gastroenteritis at Maidolalu village in Bhadravati taluk of Shivamogga district of Karnataka," the rights panel said in a statement. Reportedly, the district health officer has said that the consumption of contaminated piped drinking water is suspected to be the reason behind the outbreak of gastroenteritis. The piped drinking water is supplied by the gram panchayat. "It has observed that the contents of the news report, if true, raise ...
9 killed, 7 injured in road accident in Odisha
Nine labourers were killed and seven others injured when a tipper carrying them met with an accident at Luhajhar Ghat in Odisha's Gajapati district on Tuesday, police said.