Page 903 - Disaster Accident
China protests to Japan over Taiwan quake condolences
China today lodged a protest with Japan after Japanese officials sent condolences to Taiwanese authorities following the recent earthquake, and accused Tokyo of violating the 'one-China' principle under the pretext of disaster relief. "The Japanese side openly attempted to create 'one China, one Taiwan' under the pretext of disaster relief and condolences," Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang was quoted as saying by state-run Xinhua news agency. Responding to a question, he said some senior Japanese officials sent condolences to Taiwan politicians addressing them by their "so-called official titles". He said such a move went against the 'one-China' principle as well as Japan's commitment on the Taiwan issue, adding that China was strongly dissatisfied and had lodged representations to Japan. "We urge the Japanese side to abide by the principles set in the four China-Japan political documents, immediately correct its wrong practice, and not make new ...
To ensure road safety for all, Honda takes unique initiatives
Honda 2 wheeler India's road safety initiative is drawing a lot of attention from people across age groups, including children.This year's Auto Expo 2018 features a special safety zone by Honda to impart safety knowledge. It is equipped with a Smart Trainer, a Sign Identification Game and mini bikes, on which children can learn how to ride safely.Part of the company's safe riding campaign under which more than 16 lakh riders have been trained at 12 training parks across the country, the SMART Riding Trainer (SMART being the acronym for Safe Motorcyclist Awareness and Recognition Trainer) is computerized traffic simulator that allows beginners an opportunity to operate a motorcycle in real-life situations without the inherent real-world risks and consequences.It is a training tool so realistic that you can test your street-riding savvy-or, if you're new to motorcycling or scooters, your readiness to ride-without riding on the road.State-of-the-art software, allows beginners to learn ...
Taiwan rescue workers pull more bodies from quake rubble
After hours of painstaking search efforts, Taiwanese rescue workers pulled two more bodies from the flattened remains of a hotel today, bringing the death toll from a deadly 6.4-magnitude quake to 12. Scores of emergency responders combed the rubble of the lower floors of the 12-storey Yun Tsui apartment block, which housed the Beauty Stay Hotel and had pancaked during the quake, leaving the building leaning at a 50-degree angle which complicated the rescue effort due to fears of an imminent collapse. "The rescue mission was difficult as the space is narrow but rescuers continued to work hard and finally found the Canadian couple," a government statement said. "A doctor evaluated that there is no sign of life and their bodies have been sent to a funeral parlour," it added. The couple, who were Hong Kong-Canadian, were identified as Freda and Peter So. The new discovery means that nine of the 12 people killed when the quake hit the eastern tourist city of Hualien Tuesday .
Fire breaks out at medicine factory; 1 injured
A fire broke out at a medicine factory in Kundanpura locality here, injuring a man , polcie said. According to inspector of fire service N K Singh, Mohanlal, who works at the factory, sustained burn injuries in the fire which broke out yesterday. The fire service reached the spot to douse the flames, he said, adding that the man has been admitted to a hospital. The cause of the fire was a gas cylinder leakage, where medicine was being prepared, Singh said.
20 new two-wheelers gutted in fire
At least 20 brand new two-wheelers were gutted today in a fire that broke out in a truck carrying the vehicles at Dimna Road here, police said. The incident took place under the jurisdiction of Mango police station. The truck was supposed to deliver the two-wheelers to a dealer, but en route, its roof came in contact with a high tension wire and caught fire, Deputy Superintendent of Police (HQ1) K N Mishra said. The truck was also damaged in the fire, he said. Fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the flames, he said, adding the extent of damage was yet to be ascertained.
Fire at cotton mill in Fuleshwar
A fire broke out at an operational cotton mill today in Fuleshwar in Howrah district, police said. There were no information of any casualty or injuries till last reports came in, they said, adding, the extent of damage to property caused by the fire was yet to be ascertained. The incident took place at around 7 pm and four fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the blaze, fire brigade officials said. The strength of the cotton mill is about 200, police said.
HC orders all shops inside Meenakshi temple to vacate tomorrow
The Madras High Court today ordered all 115 shops inside the Sri Meenakshi temple here to vacate before noon tomorrow in view of a recent fire in one of the mandapams in the premises. Justice Bharathidasan, who heard a writ petition filed by Meenakshi Temple Shopkeepers Welfare Association president Rajunagulu, said the shops should be vacated before noon, and added that they should leave their articles at the place mentioned by the authorities. The petitioner submitted there were 115 members in the association and they were selling various items, including turmeric powder, puja articles, artificial jewellery, books and flowers. Stating that they were paying Rs 2 lakh as rent, the petititioner contended that the temple administration, which was collecting an exorbitant rent, did not provide any safety facility or security. The fire occurred at 10.20pm on February 2 due to an electrical short-circuit in one of the shops and spread to other shops, the petitioner ...
UK schoolboy hides in IKEA store; triggers police search
An 11-year-old British-Asian schoolboy triggered a missing persons investigation after he hid in an IKEA store overnight in England as part of an online craze. Kaden Mirza, believed to be of Pakistani-origin, was reported missing on Tuesday after failing to return from school and was found only the next day after a night in IKEA's Sheffield store. His father Abid Mirza is now using the incident to raise awareness against the "Stay in Ikea overnight and not get caught challenge". "We've been through a very hard time," he said. In a post on social media, he warned other parents to check their children's browsing history to see if they have been viewing such videos. He is also calling on shoppers to report lone children in stores, particularly after school. South Yorkshire Police said the craze was dangerous and could even be "catastrophic". Detective Inspector Anna Sedgwick from South Yorkshire Police said youngsters saw the internet craze which involves hiding in large ...
Israeli returns to India to shoot survival documentary
An Israeli adventurer who survived after being critically injured in an avalanche in the Himalayan mountains three years ago has returned for a documentary "Back to Life".
199 SpiceJet passengers have narrow escape
The 199 passengers of a Delhi-bound SpiceJet flight had a narrow escape on Thursday as their plane suffered two tyre bursts -- one while taking off and then while making an emergency landing here, said a top airport official.
PMAY (Urban): Govt approves construction of over 1.86 lakh
The Centre has given nod for the construction of over 1.86 lakh more affordable houses for urban poor under its urban housing scheme, taking the total number of houses to over 39.25 lakh, the government said today. The latest approvals under under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, PMAY (Urban), entailed an investment of Rs 11,169 crore with central assistance of Rs 2,797 crore, the Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry said in a release. Haryana has been sanctioned the maximum number of 53,290 houses in this round of approval, followed by Tamil Nadu 40,623 houses, Karnataka 32,656 houses and Gujarat 15,584 houses. Maharashtra got 12,123 houses, Kerala 9,461, Uttarakhand 6,226 and Orissa 5,133 houses. After subsuming projects of previous government's housing scheme 'Rajiv Awas Yojana (RAY)', the total number of houses being funded under PMAY (Urban) has reached over 39.25 lakh, the release said.
UP HIV scare: Dy CM assures action against accused
Deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Keshav Prasad Maurya on Thursday assured stringent action against the quack who infected over 40 people with HIV in Uttar Pradesh's Unnao.Maurya told ANI that, "We had never heard of such an incident before. We condemn this and will definitely take action".The Uttar Pradesh police on Wednesday arrested the quack.
HC asks ITC to ensure norms on public safety followed by
The Delhi High Court has directed ITC Ltd to ensure that statutory provisions relating to public safety were complied with at its hotel in Dwarka from where Indian cricketer M S Dhoni and others were rescued after a blaze at a mall in the same complex last year. It said fire safety measures are required to be put in place for protection and safety of hotel users and a building, which needed fire clearance, cannot be used without the requisite certificate. A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar said that existence of a petrol pump in close proximity of Dwarka's five-star WelcomHotel made it more essential that all fire safety norms and requirements were strictly adhered to by these buildings. The court was hearing a PIL which alleged that the hotel, being operated by ITC in Sector-10 in Dwarka, did not have the requisite fire safety certificate and the earlier certificate was suspended on account of gross violations by the hotel. The ...
Mother dies,son injured after house collapses due to landslide
A 58-year-old woman was killed and her son injured after their house collapsed due to landslide in Doda district, a police official said today. The woman, identified as Premkore (58), died and her 39- year-old son, Jarnail Singh, got seriously injured when their house collapsed at Guraka village in Tehsil Bhalla of Bhadarwah last night, the official said. The police started the rescue operation and retrieved the body of the woman and rescued her son, Incharge Police Post Bhalla, sub-inspector Sunil Parihar said. The injured was admitted to a district hospital in Doda, Parihar said, adding that six sheep also got buried in the landslide. There is no possibility of any other person being trapped in the debris when reports last came in, but rescue operation were still underway.
Spicejet flight tire burst during take-off at Chennai
The passengers and the crew of a Spicejet Chennai-Delhi flight were saved in the nick of time as the flight suffered a tyre burst on Thursday, after it took off from the Chennai airport.The airplane crew decided to turn back the flight immediately and managed to land safely at the Chennai airport.A statement by the Spicejet said, "The passengers were deplaned in a normal manner and were taken to the terminal building".The Chennai airport has been closed down until 6:00 pm today due to the presence of dysfunctional aircraft.In a later incident, an Ethiopian airlines cargo flight had an emergency landing at the Chennai airport due to the lack of fuel in the aircraft.
Dalai Lama saddened by quake deaths in Taiwan
Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, has expressed sadness over the earthquake in Taiwan and wrote to its President Tsai Ing-wen, expressing grief over the loss of life.
Plane makes emergency landing after tyre burst, all safe
Passengers of budget carrier SpiceJet today had a narrow escape after rear tyres of its Delhi bound plane burst soon after taking off, forcing the aircraft to make an emergency landing at the airport here. There were no casualties or any injuries to the 199 passengers due to the incident, the SpiceJet said. The flight scheduled for New Delhi suffered a suspected tyre burst at the time of take off, the airlines said. "The crew decided to turn back and landed safely at the Chennai airport. Passengers were deplaned safely in a normal manner and taken to terminal building", it said. The Chennai Airport said on the micro blogging site Twitter, that around 1425 hours today the tyres burst and hydraulic problem caused the SpiceJet SG106 bound for New Delhi to make an "emergency landing". "Aircraft landed safely but with another tyre burst on starboard side. All 199 passengers on-board safely deplaned and returned to terminal", it said. Following the incident, the main runway was .
Home ministry moves proposal to bring BCAS under it: Sinha
The home ministry has moved a proposal for inter-ministerial consultations to bring aviation security regulator BCAS under its purview. Currently, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) is under the civil aviation ministry. "Ministry of Home Affairs has circulated a proposal for transfer of BCAS for inter-ministerial consultation," Ministry of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. He was replying to a query on whether the government proposes to transfer BCAS from civil aviation ministry to the home ministry. The agency's main responsibilities include laying down standards and measures with respect to security of civil flights at airports in the country. In December last year, Minister of State for Home Affairs Hansraj Gangaram Ahir had told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply that the ministry has proposed transfer of BCAS to it for "better coordination of all the security agencies engaged in civil aviation ...
Guj: Four die as car hits electric pole
Four persons were killed and three others injured today when a car in which they were travelling rammed into an electric pole on Barwala-Botad state highway in Botad district, around 150 kms away from here, police said. The accident occurred when the driver of the car lost control due to a tyre burst, they said. "The seven occupants of the Maruti Alto car, all hailing from Limbdi village, were on their way to Salangpur to visit a temple after attending a wedding last night," a Barwala police station official said. He said while three persons died on the spot another succumbed to his injuries during treatment at a hospital in Botad town. The deceased, all in their twenties, are identified as Mayur Solanki, Vipul Makwana, Ghanshyam Talsania, and Sachin Baraiya.
Goods train engine derails
The engine of a 13-wagon goods train derailed near Chidambaram today, police said. The wagons were laden with coal from Karaikal Port and the goods train was proceeding to Kaikuppam private thermal power station when the engine derailed at the Puduchatram station in the early hours, they said. Railway Officials and technicians from the Tiruchirappalli division arrived at the spot and re-railed the engine. Rail traffic on the Chennai-Thanjavur section was not affected.