Page 896 - Disaster Accident
Jammu-Srinagar highway shut for second day due to snowfall
The Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was shut for the second day today due to snowfall, even as air traffic to and fro Kashmir resumed this morning, officials said. "The Jammu-Srinagar National Highway is closed for traffic as landslides have occurred at few places due to rains and snowfall yesterday," an official of the Traffic Control Room here said. He said road maintenance agencies are on the job along with snow clearing machines to clear the highway. "The decision regarding allowing the movement of traffic on the highway will be taken only after the road is cleared off by the concerned road maintenance agency and after assessing weather as well as road condition," the official said. Meanwhile, air traffic to and fro the Srinagar airport resumed this morning. "The flight operations have resumed this morning and the air traffic is going on normally," an official of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) said. He said the runway was cleared off the snowfall and the ...
Sound of bees to ward off elephants from rly tracks in Bengal
The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) is trying to check elephant fatalities on its tracks by installing devices that would play the recorded sound of buzzing bees, a natural bete noire of the behemoths, a railway official said here The NFR has decided to implement the idea for its Alipurduar division in West Bengal after the plan turned out to be successful in Rangiya division of Assam, he said, adding that the locals have also confirmed that swarming bees drive the elephants away. "A test is being conducted by playing a similar buzzing sound through an amplifier at a few spots to keep the animals at bay and prevent trains from hitting them," the official said. The humming of bees is downloaded from the Internet and played over an amplifier, which can scare elephants upto 600 metres away, he said. The devices are being installed at level crossings and other strategic points along the tracks. There are 27 elephant corridors under the NFR which covers north Bengal, parts .
Global thermal coal market to grow 5 percent in 2018 - Noble analyst
GOA, India (Reuters) - The global thermal coal market will grow by about 48 million tonnes this year, 5 percent more than last year, the chief coal analyst at Noble Resources said on Tuesday, adding that imports to India will rise after falling in the last two years.
Earthquake jolts the Andaman Islands
An earthquake of 5.6 magnitude hit the Andaman Islands on Tuesday morning.As per the meteorological department, the earthquake occurred at around 8: 09 AM in the morning.As of now, no casualties or damage have been reported.Earlier on January 14, an earthquake measuring 4.8 on the Richter scale hit the Andaman Islands.
Blackouts, flooding as cyclone batters Tongan capital
Nuku'alofa awoke to scenes of devastation today after the most powerful cyclone ever recorded in the Tongan capital tore roofs off buildings, downed powerlines and caused extensive flooding, prompting a state of emergency in the tiny Pacific nation. Veteran disaster management officials were shocked at the fury of Severe Cyclone Gita as it unleashed 230 kmh winds on Tonga's most populous island Tongatapu. Historic wooden buildings in the heart of Nuku'alofa, including parts of Tonga's parliament, were reduced to matchsticks as the tempest hit overnight. Broken power poles and trees blocked the roads and sheets of corrugated iron stripped from homes littered the capital. "It was a particularly bad night," Graham Kenna, from the National Emergency Office, told Radio New Zealand. "I've been involved in disaster response for 30-plus years and it was the worst situation I've been in." Even the Tongan Meteorological Service lost its roof, forcing it to hand over the job of ...
US climber killed in Mexico volcano tragedy
An American citizen died and another was airlifted to hospital after an excursion to reach Mexico's highest summit -- the inactive Citlaltepetl volcano -- turned to disaster, authorities said today. Mexican officials initially said the pair were US diplomats, but an American source referred to them as embassy employees. One of the climbers suffered a fall, forcing the other to seek help from the US embassy, according to the civil protection authority for the state of Puebla. The rescue operation began Sunday, but had to be called off because gusts of wind made it too dangerous for helicopters. A helicopter finally managed yesterday to reach 26-year- old Nathan Cahill, who was airlifted to a Mexico City hospital, Mexican officials said. Rescue workers recovered the other climber's body on foot. "The strong gusts of wind and the area where (the body) was recovered, close to the summit, made it too difficult by helicopter," a civil protection authority official said. Best ..
One dead, 22 injured in Austrian train collision
One person was killed and 22 others were hurt in a train collision in the central Austrian state of Styria on Monday, media reported.
Fire breaks out at Sydney's Circular Quay
A massive fire broke out in a ten-storey building at Sydney's Circular Quay on Tuesday, sending plumes of black smoke across the city.According to news.com.au, a sheet of scaffolding in the building caught alight and collapsed onto Pitt Street and Alfred Street near Circular Quay at about 8.40am (local time).Everyone in the building, which was under construction, have been evacuated. There are seven crews at present on scene to fight the fire."I saw black smoke everywhere when I got off my train at Circular Quay. It was a really strange thing to see first thing in the morning," news.com.au quoted an eye-witness as saying.No trains are stopping at Circular Quay, St James and Museum, Transport New South Wales has tweeted.
Trump offers Putin condolences over plane crash: White House
US President Donald Trump called his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin today to offer his condolences after a deadly plane crash near Moscow, a White House official told AFP. The call between the two leaders -- who are at the centre of an FBI investigation into Moscow's alleged meddling in the 2016 US election -- took place after a plane crashed minutes after take-off from Domodedovo airport, killing all 71 people on board. Russian officials said the pair also discussed the Middle East peace process.
Ukraine's aircraft manufacturer to join Russia's plane crash probe
Ukraine's state-run aircraft manufacturing company Antonov is ready to participate in the investigation of An-148 plane crash in Russia's Moscow region.
Fire breaks out in Mumbai's godown
Fire broke out in a godown at Khan Compound in Mumbai's Mumbra area on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday.Three fire tenders rushed to the spot to douse the flames.A team of Mumbai Police and the Regional Disaster Management Cell (RDMC) has also reached the spot to take a stock of the situation.No causality has been reported till now.
Thai Airways flight suffers tyre burst while landing
The tyre of a Thai Airways flight travelling from Bangkok to Mumbai suffered tyre burst while landing at Mumbai Airport late on Monday night.The flight was carrying 292 passengers onboard when the incident took place at around 10.50 pm.No casualties were reported due to the incident.All the runways of the airport were made operational after an initial checking.
Six ran over by truck in Gujarat
Six persons of a group standing along a road were killed today and two others were seriously injured when a speeding truck ploughed into them in Palanpur in Banaskanth district, police said. "Around 10 persons were standing near RTO Circle on a national highway when a truck coming from Abu Road in Rajasthan ran over them, killing six persons on the spot and injuring two others," a Palanpur West police station official said. The driver fled after the incident leaving the truck behind, he said. The deceased are identified as Rahul Joshi (22), Suresh Patel (42), Prakash Vakil (32), Vitthal Patel (42) Dilip Patel (42), and Bharat Patel (40). Theinjured persons were taken to Palanpur civil hospital, he added.
CM Naidu reviews plans for 'Happy Cities Summit'
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu on Monday reviewed themes, designs and plans for the Happy Cities Summit.The Happy Cities Summit will be held from April 10 to 12, at A-1 Convention Center.The theme of the summit is 'Urban Transformation to Global Living'.Chief Minister Naidu also reviewed the status of the construction of roads around the capital region and directed officials to complete all the work by monsoon.Officials from Dassault Systems, whom the Chief Minister met during the World Economic Forum in Davos also presented their Virtual 3D city proposal.Chief Minister Naidu was informed that the implementation of the Virtual 3D system would help in providing live data of all the happenings in the city to the Government database and can be used to show real-time visuals.This system would be helpful for monitoring and surveillance purposes. The Virtual 3D system would also help in planning and preparation for any impending natural disasters and can provide the ...
Care destroyed in fire at tourist spot, no one injured
A car parked at the tourist spot of Atholi in the district was destoyed in a fire tonight, but nobody was injured, police said. They said that four men, all in their 20s, had parked the car there and gone to a waterfall at Eliyottumala, about 4 km from Atholi . The car suddenly caught fire at around 7.00 pm, they said. Two fire units from nearby Narikuni reached the spot on being informed and doused the flames. The reason for the fire could not be immediately ascertained, police said.
Woman dies in hailstorm in Maharashtra's Parbhani district
A woman was today killed, and nine others injured, in a hailstorm that hit Purna tehsil of Parbhani district. "Bhagirathibai Kamble, a resident of Chudawa village in Purna tehsil of Parbhani district, died today after a part of a cattle shed fell on her. She had taken refuge there during the hailstorm but strong winds brought down the cattle shed killing her," P Shiv Shankar, district collector of Parbhani told PTI. "Selu, Manvat and Jintur tehsils had experienced hailstorms yesterday. Today it hit Purna tehsil, injuring at least nine persons including six men and three women. They were treated at a local hospital. None of the injuries are serious," he said. The damage assessment was already in progress in the district and staff would be visiting the places which had been hit by hailstorms today to photograph damaged property and record injuries to cattle, officials said. With the death of Kamble in Parbhani, the death toll in the hailstorms in the state since yesterday
1 soldier killed in a training incident
One soldier was killed, while four others were injured after a shaped charge exploded accidentally during the demolition firing in Pokharan by an Engineer Regiment of Indian Army, on Monday."Today, during the demolition firing, being conducted in Pokharan by an Engineer Regiment of Indian Army, as part of its Annual Training Firing Practice, a shaped charge exploded accidentally, resulting in an unfortunate fatal casualty of one soldier and injuring four others," informed Defence spokesperson Lt Col Manish Ojha today.According to defence spokesperson Ojha, all injured have been evacuated by air to Military Hospital Jodhpur, while an inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident.
Central team in Arunachal to assess losses from natural disasters
A seven-member inter-ministerial Central government team on disaster management headed by Joint Secretary, Home, Shri Prakash arrived in Arunachal Pradesh to assess the losses caused by natural disasters.
Villagers begin indefinite fast to shut down Sterlite Plant
: Residents of a village near the Sterlite Copper plant here today commenced an indefinite stir to close down the plant, which they alleged was polluting ground water. The people of Kumararediyapuram village commenced their stir near the corporation park, which is maintained by the plant and near a traffic signal. The agitators demanded that the district administration take steps to immediately close down the plant, which, they alleged had completely contaminated ground water, making it unsafe for drinking.
Norovirus cases rise to nearly 200 at Winter Olympics
Norovirus cases at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics have risen to nearly 200, organisers said today, despite an intense battle to contain the outbreak. Seventeen new cases have taken the total to 194, although 147 of those affected have already been released from quarantine, they said. About 1,200 security guards were quarantined and replaced by hundreds of soldiers when the highly contagious bug first came to light last week. Officials say they are doing everything they can to stop more people getting the virus, which causes diarrhoea and vomiting and can be spread by contaminated food and water. Any illness spreading to the competitors would be a major embarrassment to hosts South Korea.