Page 894 - Disaster Accident
Minor fire at shrine
A minor fire broke out at the Sri Athi Kumbeswarar temple here today, police said. It was immediately put out by the temple staff, they said. There was no damage to property and no one was injured. The fire was caused by an LPG gas cylinder leak in the temple premises, police said. The mishap has occurred days after a fire on the premises of the famous Meenakshi temple in Madurai destroyed 40 shops. A preliminary probe has revealed that the February 2 fire broke out due to an electrical short-circuit in one of the shops situated near the 1,000-pillar hall. Following the blaze, the state government has directed holding of safety audits of big temples in the state.
Five dead in Cochin Shipyard tanker blast, probe ordered
Five persons died and several others were injured in a blast inside the water ballast of the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) tanker ship Sagar Bhushan at the Cochin Shipyard here in Kerala on Tuesday.
6 killed in van-bus collision in Pakistan
At least six people were killed and 20 others injured when a passenger van hit a bus in Pakistan's east Wazirabad district on Tuesday, the media reported.
Monitoring P&W engine glitches to ensure safety, says DGCA
Aviation regulator DGCA today said it is monitoring engine glitches in Pratt & Whitney- powered Airbus A320 Neo aircraft to ensure that safety is not compromised at any time. IndiGo has grounded three A320 neo aircraft due to engine problems. The DGCA move follows a directive from European aviation safety regulator EASA after instances of the engine's in- flight shutdowns and rejected take-offs involving A320 neo family planes. "It is to reiterate that DGCA is continuously monitoring these operations to ensure that safety is not compromised at any stage and A320neo aircraft in the fleet of Indian operators are being operated safely," according to a statement from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation. The latest problem in Pratt & Whitney engines pertains to a knife edge seal on the high pressure compressor (HPC) aft hub on a limited subpopulation of the PW1100G-JM engines. The new issue follows a series of performance issues in the last two years relating to
Moscow plane crash may have been caused by iced speed probes
Russian experts probing the weekend plane crash outside Moscow which killed 71 people said the accident may have been caused by ice on speed probes which led to faulty information on the crafts airspeed. "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," said the Russian Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC) which investigates aircraft incidents. The Antonov An-148 plane took off from Moscow's Domodedovo airport on Sunday and went down in a field around 70 kilometres southeast of Moscow shortly after. Sixty-five passengers and six crew members on board all died. The IAC said it has completed analysis of the on-board recorder and would still need to analyse the black box which recorded conversations in the cockpit. It would also look at whether the speed probes could have malfunctioned. Iced-over pitot tube ...
Ice on speed sensors may have caused Russian plane crash
Speed sensors that were iced over may have caused a Russian passenger jet to crash near Moscow, killing all 71 people on board, the Interstate Aviation Committee said on Tuesday.
MP CM demands pending amount of relief fund from Centre
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday met Finance Minister Arun Jaitley here and demanded Rs. 2,800 crores of the drought relief amount pending with the Centre.Chouhan also discussed National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) refinance with Jaitley.This comes after Chouhan on Sunday announced that farmers will be given compensation for the losses incurred by them in wake of the hail storm, which recently hit many parts of the state."Hailstorm has affected many districts in the state. I have instructed all collectors to take information by sending teams for evaluation of crop damage. The Farmer brothers do not have to worry, their losses will be compensated," he had tweeted.There has been a sudden change in weather, in few states of the country including Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
Gadkari calls for stringent sanctioning of driving license
Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday called for a more stringent corruption-free system for issuing of driving licenses."Around 30 percent of the driving licenses issued by the RTO are bogus. We are working to provide 2000 driving training centres across India where one shall give a computerised test. If the computer let's you pass, you get a license within three days," he said at the Asian News International's (ANI) India Infracon 2018 here.Highlighting the need for the eradication of corruption, Gadkari said a more robust system should be in place to curb unruly traffic and grant immediate penalties for traffic defaulters."I want to bring in a system wherein even if I am seen riding a two-wheeler without a helmet, a challan should be immediately issued with my photograph and sent home," he said.Gadkari also shed light on the need for an intelligent traffic system to decrease the number of fatal road accidents in the country."We have seen nearly 1.5
Pakistani boat, 7 fishermen held off Gujarat coast
At least one Pakistani fishing boat and seven of its crew members were held by the Indian Coast Guard in Gujarat on Tuesday.The boat Al-Hilal, 16 nautical miles off Jakhau, is being brought ashore for investigation, a statement said.India and Pakistan share the Arabian Sea coastline along Gujarat and the Pakistani province of Sindh.The Indian Coast Guard and the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) often apprehend boats and fishermen from each other's countries for crossing the international maritime border.
ATMA Tyre Safety Pavilion comes alive at Auto Expo
The Tyre Safety Pavilion set up by Automotive Tyre Manufacturers' Association (ATMA) in Hall 8 at the ongoing Auto Expo 2018 has emerged as a centre of attraction amongst visitors.Auto Expo visitors turned out in large numbers to play a tyre safety quiz at the ATMA pavilion.Besides distribution of safety booklets and one-on-one interaction with visitors on ways to improve safety, what has grabbed attention were interesting animation films that presented sequences from day-to-day life and underlined the message of tyre safety.Auto Expo visitors were being encouraged to play the creatively designed short quiz "How Tyre Smart You Are" on a specially launched app on tyre safety.The participants are being given prizes and a certificate of recognition lands in their inboxes appreciating their contribution to tyre safety."Sensitizing road users about safety is not an easy task. ATMA has designed an engaging way of spreading awareness on Tyre Safety through the launch of an app. Participation
Hold safety audits of big temples: TN govt to officials
Days after the massive fire at the famous Meenakshi temple in Madurai, Tamil Nadu government has directed holding of safety audits of big temples in the state. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami gave the directions to officials at a review meeting held in this connection with senior cabinet colleagues and officials yesterday, an official release said today. There should be an immediate safety audit in big "senior grade temples," where existing safety measures, including fire prevention activities must be reviewed, Palaniswami said. He directed that a report be filed with a proposed Chief Secretary-led panel of Secretaries, listing out the required manpower, including technical experts, to take up various works in this regard and the financial requirements, it said. That panel will further submit its recommendations to the Chief Minister, it added. Removal of shops abutting temple walls as well as located in temple premises and their possible relocation, two-three ...
Moscow plane crash may have been caused by iced speed instruments: probe
Russian experts probing the weekend plane crash outside Moscow which killed 71 people said the accident may have been caused by ice on speed probes which led to faulty information on the craft's airspeed. "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," said the Russian Interstate Aviation Committee which investigates aircraft incidents.
Haiti's President condemns Oxfam over sex scandal
Haiti's President Jovenel Moise has strongly condemned British charity Oxfam, after it emerged that its staff hired prostitutes while delivering aid in 2011.
Putin thanks Trump for offering assistance in plane crash probe
Russian President Vladimir Putin has thanked his US counterpart Donald Trump for offering assistance in investigating the Antonov An-148 plane crash case."In this case, the president did indeed thank his US counterpart for conveying condolences over the recent aircraft crash. As for the offer of assistance in the investigation, the president thanked him for it as well," Russian news agency TASS reported, Kremlin Spokesman Dmintry Peskov, as saying.The Kremlin spokesman branded the telephonic conversation between the two leaders as "constructive."On February 11, Russian plane Antonov An-148 operated by Saratov Airlines crashed several minutes after taking off, killing all 71 people aboard.Fragments of the aircraft were recovered near the Stepanovskoye settlement in the Ramensky District, Moscow region.The aircraft was heading towards Orsk from Moscow's Domodedovo airport.
IRF urges govt to replace diesel engine vehicles with E-
Global road safety body IRF today urged the government to replace single and double cylinder diesel engine vehicles with E-vehicles in the country. Contrary to single and double cylinder diesel engine vehicles used globally for water pumping from ground or for boat rides, in India they are used in 3-wheelers for carrying passengers and goods, International Road Federation (IRF) said today. "It is high time, the government pushes its agenda for E-mobility in this segment, as the first alternative since the technology, has already matured," IRF said in a statement. IRF Chairman K K Kapila said that single cylinder engines used in three wheelers for carrying goods and passengers has got extended to four wheelers in the shape of two cylinders for a bit higher capacity around 1,500 kg. "The one and double cylinder technology application has also got extended to personal vehicles e.g. quadracycles. At the same time these category of vehicles are so designed that they can be .
5 killed in blast on ONGC ship under repair at Cochin Shipyard
An explosion and fire on an ONGC drill ship while it was undergoing repair at the Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) left five people dead and seven injured today, the CSL said. The explosion occurred in a front tank of the ONGC vessel Sagar Bhushan at 9.15 am. It could have been due to "gas consolidation (inside the tank)",CSL chairman and Managing Director Madhu S Nair said, citing immediate reason for the blast. He, however, said that the exact reasons would be known only after adetailed investigation. Firefighters were called in and 12persons were immediately evacuated from the ship following the blast and admitted to various hospitals. In a statement, the CSL said that five people died and seven were injured in the fire incident. The condition of one person who suffered 45 per cent burns was serious. Others are out of danger, Nair said. The CSL said that "at around 0915 today, a phone call was received at CSL informing that there is a gas leakage near the AC compartment .
S.Africa declares drought a 'national disaster'
South Africa today declared a "national disaster" over a drought that has ravaged parts of the country and threatened to leave the city of Cape Town without domestic tap water. In a notice published in the government gazette, the department of cooperative governance said it had elevated the drought to a "national disaster" after reassessing its "magnitude and severity". Cape Town is in the grip of a catastrophic three-year-long drought as sparse winter rains have failed to bring relief, and dam levels have dropped to dangerously low levels. South Africa's second city is now facing the prospect of having to turn its taps off under a so-called "Day Zero" scenario to conserve the city's remaining water supplies. Today, the predicted date for Day Zero was pushed back to June 11 after consumption cuts. But widespread drought has gripped large parts of the south and west of South Africa. The statement said that declaring a national disaster would mean that the national government was ...
Chavan ridicules net placed at Mantralaya to prevent suicides
The Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president Ashok Chavan today ridiculed the state government for placing a safety net over the open space across the first floor of Mantralaya. The PWD department installed the net to prevent suicides after two individuals tried to jump off the corridors of the seven-storeyed building. Chavan, who is touring the areas in Marathwada which were affected by hailstorms, told reporters that the situation was such today that safety nets would have to be set up not just at Mantralaya but everywhere. "Instead of doing this, the government should give jobs to educated unemployed and a good price for farm produce," he said. He alleged that despite over 24 hours having passed since the hailstorms in different parts of the state, no government official had visited the affected areas to conduct panchnamas or provide relief. "About seven to eight people have reportedly died. It was expected that the government would take quick decisions
5 killed in separate road accidents in Mathura
In two separate road accidents here, five people, including three members of a family, were killed and over a dozen injured, police said today. In an accident near Baad village on the National Highway (NH)-2, three people were killed this afternoon after their motorcycle was hit by a vehicle, they said. Jagdish (50) and his wife Bhudevi (48), both residents of Jamalpur village, died on the spot while his sister Savitri (58) succumbed to injuries at a hospital, police said. In the other accident, two people, including a 15-year- old girl, were killed and over a dozen others injured yesterday after a private bus collided with a stationary vehicle in Baldeo. The bus coming from Bhind rammed into the vehicle on the Yamuna Expressway. The deceased are yet to be identified, police said.
4 pilgrims among 5 killed in AP road mishap
Five persons, including four pilgrims, were killed and four others seriously injured when a share autorickshaw and a truck collided near here today, police said. The driver of the 10-seater autorickshaw was the other deceased in the mishap that occurred at GN Kandrika village, about 45 km from here. The victims were travelling in the vehicle after offering prayers at the famous Lord Shiva temple at Sri Kalahasti on the occasion of "Maha Shivaratri". All the five persons, including two women, were killed on the spot in the head-on collision, police said. The injured persons had been admitted to SVRR Government Hospital here and their condition was stated to stable, they said. The truck driver had been arrested, police added.