Page 897 - Disaster Accident
Workers find both data recorders at Russian plane crash site
Tramping through snowy fields outside Moscow, emergency workers found both flight data recorders from a crashed Russian airliner as they searched today for debris and the remains of the 71 passengers and crew who died. The An-148 twin-engine regional jet bound for Orsk in the southern Urals went down minutes after taking off from Moscow's Domodedovo airport yesterday. All 65 passengers and 6 crew on board were killed. Russian investigators quickly ruled out a terror attack but will not speculate on possible reasons for the crash. Still the crash has re-ignited questions about the An- 148, since the model's safety record is spotty, with one previous crash and a series of major incidents in which pilots struggled to land safely. Saratov Airlines has grounded several other An-148s in its fleet pending the crash probe. The Investigative Committee, Russia's premier state investigative agency, said the plane was intact and there had been no fire on board before it hit the ...
2 fire incidents reported in Narela, Mongolpuri; no casualty
Two incidents of fire were reported in footwear factories in Narela and Mongolpuri industrial areas this morning, but there were no casualty, officials said. A call about the fire at a shoe factory in Mongolpuri was received around 10.34 am. Twenty-five fire tenders were rushed to the spot which brought the blaze under control, they said. The fire at the footwear unit in Narela industrial area was reported at 9.10 am. Storage of plastic, fabric and adhesives caused a dense plume of smoke, the officials said. A senior official of Delhi Fire Services said, "It took the fire fighters a lot of effort to control the blaze as fire safety measures were non-existent at both the factories." In both the incidents, the employees managed to escape unhurt, he said. Last month, a major fire at a private factory in Bawana industrial area claimed 17 lives, while two sustained serious injuries.
Army jawan dies in ammo explosion in Pokhran, 4 injured
An Army jawan died and four others were severely injured today in Rajasthan's Pokhran firing range when some ammunition exploded, an Army official said. The jawans were trying to destroy the ammunition which did not explode when fired from a few rocket launchers, the official said. He said the incident happened during a "demolition" firing in Pokharan by the jawans of 14 engineering regiment. The exercise to destroy faulty ammunition is referred to as "demolition firing". All the injured have been evacuated by air to a military hospital in Jodhpur. An inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of accident, the official said.
Three killed as rains, hailstorm lash Maharashtra
Three persons were killed and crops spanning over large tracts of agriculture land damaged due to unseasonal heavy rains and hailstorm which lashed several parts of Maharashtra, Agriculture Minister Pandurang Fundkar said on Monday.
2 killed, 4 injured in bus-jeep collision in HP
A private tourist bus early morning today collided with a jeep on Mandi-Pathankot National Highway, killing two people on the spot, police said today. The Amritsar-bound bus collided with the jeep on a sharp turn near Bhali, 30 km from here, while overtaking it, SP Kangra Santosh Patial said. Two passengers, including a male and a female, died on the spot, whereas the four injured were rushed to Tanda medical college, he said. All the jeep passengers are yet to be identified, he said, adding the police is investigating the matter.
NHAI to launch ranking system for toll plazas
In an effort to address issues at toll plazas, state-run NHAI has decided to bring in a system of ranking the toll plazas on the basis of cleanliness, staff behaviour, availability of ambulance and cranes in case of any emergency on highways. NHAI has launched a countrywide drive to address issues that affect highway users, such as ease of tolling, electronic tolling/FASTag lane, cleanliness at toll plazas, behavior of the toll plaza staff, deployment of marshals, cleanliness of toilets, functioning of Highway Nest (Mini), wayside amenities and availability of ambulance and cranes, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said in a statement. National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) Chairman Deepak Kumar has directed all field Highway Operation Unit officers to visit at least two toll plazas each across the country and check the above facilities personally to improve the users convenience, the ministry said. "A massive drive was launched on more than 300 toll ...
Gopal Rai holds review meeting on fire safety measures at all
Days after a blaze at a private factory in Bawana industrial area here claimed 17 lives, Delhi Labour Minister Gopal Rai today reviewed fire safety measures at all industrial areas of the national capital, an official said today. Rai held a meeting with secretary-cum-commissioner, labour, senior officers of the department and representatives of employers from several industrial areas such as Naraina, Mayapuri, Okhla, Udyog Nagar and Bawana. The minister emphasised on the importance of training in case of fire, keeping the passages of buildings clear for free movement and, role and responsibility of various stakeholders such as fire department, civic bodies, labour, DSIIDC, DDA and disaster management. The official said in the meeting, representatives of employers from several industrial areas said there are 16,300 establishments in Bawana and suggested the minister that a separate meeting on the issue may be convened specifically for them. "The minister told the ...
Recite Hanuman Chalisa to save crops, BJP leader says
BJP leader and former MLA Ramesh Saxena has asked farmers in Madhya Pradesh to recite the Hanuman Chalisa for five consecutive days to prevent crop loss caused by rains and hailstorm.
1 killed, at least 15 injured as trains collide in Austria
Austrian police say at least one person has been killed and at least 15 injured when two passenger trains crashed in the central town of Niklasdorf. Police spokesman Leo Josefus said today that one train hit the side of the other train about 12:25 pm (local time) near the station in the town 60 kilometres (40 miles) north of the city of Graz. He says one person was killed in the crash and some 15 to 20 people were injured. Rescue crews are on the scene. He says the cause of the crash is not yet clear.
Sunday's hailstorm in Maha damages 1.25 lakh hectare of crops
The hailstorm that hit several parts of the state yesterday damaged crops over an area of 1.25 lakh hectare across 11 districts, Maharashtra Agriculture Minister Pandurang Fundkar said today. "A primary damage assessment report has stated that over 1.25 lakh hectare of crops were damaged in 1,086 villages of 11 districts. Buldana, Amravati and Jalna are the three districts which have reported maximum damage," Fundkar said. "Wheat, green gram (chana), sweet sorghum (jowar) and onion are the rabi crops, and grapes, that have been damaged," the minister informed, adding that banana plantations and vegetables were destroyed in Jalgaon district. The 11 affected districts were identified as Beed, Jalna, Parbhani, Jalgaon, Buldana, Amravati, Akola, Washim, Latur, Osmanabad and Hingoli. He said that the assessment of the damage would continue for another two days after which farmers would be awarded compensation depending on the surveyors' report. Meanwhile, Ravikant Tupkar, a ...
2 killed in helicopter crash in Siberia
The Russian Emergencies Ministry says a helicopter has crash-landed in Siberia, killing two of its crew and injuring four other people, the second deadly crash in Russia in as many days. The ministry said the Mi-8 helicopter went down Monday near the village of Alexandrovka in the Tomsk region, about 3,000 kms east of Moscow. It was carrying a patient to a local hospital when it crashed. Officials wouldn't identify the cause of the crash pending official probe. A day earlier, an An-148 passenger plane operated by a Russian regional carrier went down minutes after takeoff from Moscow, killing all 71 people on board.
Air traffic to and fro Kashmir suspended due to snowfall
Air traffic to and fro Kashmir was suspended today as bad weather forced cancellation of all flights at the Srinagar airport here. All flights for today were cancelled, Director, Airports Authority of India (AAI), Srinagar, Sharad Kumar told PTI. "Visibility was low and continuous bad weather made flight operations impossible," he added. Kashmir valley received the season's first major snowfall this morning. The snowfall also led to the closure of Srinagar-Jammu national highway.
Two militants die in road accident, civilian killed
Two Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militants were killed on Monday in a road accident in Jammu and Kashmir's Sopore town while a civilian was shot dead by militants in Badgam district.
Asian Games committee to ensure smooth transportation of athletes
The Committee of the Asian Games, INASGOC, says it will take measures to accelerate the movement of athletes from dormitories to sport venues during the continental sporting event to be held here in August-September.
Six of a marriage party killed as jeep falls into river
Six members of a marriage party, including two brothers, were killed and four others injured when their vehicle fell into a river in Uttarkashi district, an official said. The jeep was taking back a marriage party from Kharva village in Uttarkashi district to Lambgaon Abki village in Tehri district late last night, he added. The driver lost control near Chulikhet and the vehicle fell into the river Jalkur village killing five persons on the spot and leaving as many injured. One person succumbed to injuries while undergoing treatment at Uttarkashi district hospital, District Magistrate Ashish Chauhan said. The condition of two of the injured was said to be serious and they were referred to a higher centre, he said. The deceased included two brothers - Bir Singh (53) and Balbir Singh (42), he said. Operations continued late in the night to recover the bodies and rescue the injured, he added.
BJP leader asks farmers to chant Hanuman Chalisa to tackle natural disaster
A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader on Monday asked farmers to recite Hanuman Chaalisa to tackle natural disaster.Unseasonal rains and hailstorms have damaged crops in Madhya Pradesh's Sehore over the last few days.BJP leader Ramesh Saxena requested farmers to daily chant Hanuman Chalisa for one hour for saving themselves from wrath of natural disaster."Scientists have predicted that natural disaster will be continued for next 4-5 days wherein hailstorm and rains are expected. Only one way to tackle this is to chant Hanuman Chalisa," Saxena said.He claimed that if Hanuman Chalisa is recited in every village for one hour then natural disaster can be dealt with."This is my claim that if people would recite Hanuman Chalisa for one hour in every village then this natural disaster can be dealt with. I am requesting the youth to chant Hanuman Chalisa for one hour everyday, for the next five days," the BJP leader asserted.Saxena is the former MLA from Sehore.
Hong Kong cancels New Year fireworks to mourn bus crash
A spectacular fireworks display staged annually over Hong Kong's Victoria Harbour to mark Lunar New Year will be cancelled this year as the city mourns victims of a deadly bus crash, it was announced today. A speeding double-decker overturned in northern Hong Kong on Saturday evening, killing 19 and leaving more than 60 injured, some critically. It was the second deadliest bus accident in recent years in the semi-autonomous southern Chinese city, which prides itself on one of the world's best public transport systems. As Hong Kong went into mourning, the government responded to mounting pressure from lawmakers to call off the fireworks scheduled for the second day of Chinese New Year on Saturday. Chinese tradition says the seventh day after a death is when the spirit of the deceased returns to bid farewell for the last time. "Residents are grieving and want to express their sombre mood, and their respect and care for the dead and injured," said Chief Executive Carrie ...
Mata Amritanandamayi Math donates Rs 2 Crore to Ockhi fund
The Mata Amritanandamayi Mutt has donated Rs two crore to Cyclone Ockhi relief fund. A cheque for the amount was handed over by Swami Amritaswarupananda Puri, Vice-Chairman of the Mutt, to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at his office here today, a mutt press release said. Immediately following the disaster, volunteers of the Mutt had set up food relief camps for widows and hundreds of affected families, at times working in collaboration with local churches. Free treatment for the injured was also offered at Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences in Kochi, the release said. The Mutt and its worldwide counterpart 'Embracing the World,' has contributed over Rs 475 crore in disaster relief since 2005, coming to the aid of victims of such tragedies as the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, the Chennai floods of 2015, the Uttarakhand flash-flooding of 2013, the Japan earthquake/ Tsunami of 2011, and the US hurricanes of 2005. Cyclone Ockhi hit the Kerala coast in November 29-30 last ...
Search continues for bodies after Russian plane crash
Russian search teams continue to recover bodies and fragments of the AN-148 passenger plane which crashed with 71 people on board on the outskirts of the Russian capital, leaving no survivors.
Moderate quake jolts Beijing
A 4.3-magnitude earthquake today hit Beijing, causing high-rise buildings to sway and people to flee into the street in panic. The tremor lasted for few seconds around 1840 hrs (local time). The state-run Xinhua news agency flashed saying that 4.3- magnitude earthquake hit the areas near Beijing. There were no immediate reports of damage. High rise buildings all over the city shook causing panic among people. "The quake hit Yongqing County, Langfang City in north China's Hebei Province, which borders south of Beijing," the China Earthquake Networks Center said. Further details are awaited.