Page 916 - Disaster Accident
Train carrying GOP lawmakers hits truck, 1 on truck killed
A chartered train carrying dozens of GOP lawmakers to a Republican policy retreat in West Virginia struck a garbage truck in a rural Virginia town. The White House said one person was killed, and local officials said others were injured in yesterday's incident. Lawmakers said the fatality appeared to be someone in the truck. One lawmaker aboard the train, Tom Cole, a Republican from Oklahoma, said the vehicle had been ripped in half. He said he saw a person wrapped in a tarp and said emergency workers appeared to be "putting a body away." Cole said he felt "a tremendous jolt" when the accident occurred, nearly two hours after the train left Washington headed to the Greenbrier resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. Amtrak spokeswoman Beth Toll said two crew members and two passengers were taken to a local hospital with minor injuries after the incident, which happened about 11:20 a.m. in Crozet, Virginia, about 25 kilometers west of Charlottesville. Alex Prevost,
Factory gutted in fire
An ink factory was today gutted in fire in industrial area in the city, officials said. Nobody was injured in the incident. Two other establishments located in the industrial area on Sanwer Road were partially affected in the fire. The factory was involved in manufacturing ink for offset printing machines. Around ten water tankers were used to put out the blaze.
Engine failure forces emergency landing for Iranian flight
An aircraft of Iranian carrier Mahan Air on Wednesday made an emergency landing at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport after the pilot declared a full emergency.The Tehran-bound flight W5-070, aircraft type A340-300, had departed from Delhi to Tehran at 4.27 p.m. and returned after a full emergency was declared.The flight landed safely on runway no. 28 at 5.13 p.m.
5 killed in road accident in J'khand
Five people, including a woman, were killed and seven others critically injured in a head-on collision today between a truck and SUV near the Siskaria More in Latehar district, police said. The incident occurred this evening when the SUV rammed into a coal-laden truck on Kudu-Chandwa road on National Highway 75, Officer-in-charge of Chandwa police station, Kamleshwar Pandey said. The injured were referred to the Rajendra Institute of Medical Science (RIMS) in Ranchi by the Kudu Primary Health Centre. The victims were returning home in adjoining Palamu district in the SUV after attending a marriage in Hasnapani village. Local residents claimed that the driver of the SUV was in an inebriated state and lost control over the vehicle at a turn and rammed into the truck.
Mahan Air plane makes emergency landing post engine failure
A Tehran-bound aircraft of Iranian carrier Mahan Air today landed at the international airport here in emergency conditions following an engine failure, according to an airport official. The aircraft -- A340-300 -- took off from the Indira Gandhi International Airport here at around 1627 hours but was forced to return soon. "At 1650 hours, ATC declared full emergency for Mahan Air flight W5-070, aircraft type A340-300, due to one engine failure," the official said. The flight departed from the national capital for Tehran at 1627 hours and returned on full emergency. Flight landed safely on runway 28 at 1713 hours, the official added. Details about the number of passengers onboard could not be immediately ascertained, while the airline could not be contacted. Mahan Air is a private carrier based in Tehran, Iran.
Avalanche warning in J-K districts
The Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment (SASE) has issued an avalanche warning in several districts of Jammu and Kashmir for next 24 hours.The SASE has issued a medium-danger avalanche warning of level-3 in higher reaches of Baramulla district and low danger warning of level-2 in Kupwara, Bandipore, Shopian and Kargil districts.The agency has also issued a low-danger warning of level-1 in Poonch, Rajouri, Reasi, Ramban, Doda, Kishtwar, Udhampur, Anantnag, Kulgam, Budgam, Ganderbal and Leh districts.It has asked people in the higher reaches of these districts to avoid movement in the avalanche-prone areas for the next 24 hours.
'Leakages' hampering progress in Clean Ganga project: Tharoor
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor today said "leakages" in the Clean Ganga project are hampering the progress in cleaning up the river. The Ganga has a certain place in our country and its cleaning requires serious efforts, Tharoor said at the launch of the book "River of Life, River of Death" by Victor Mallet. "If you really want to clean up the Ganga, you need a massive sewage system. But there are leakages in the Clean Ganga project which is stalling its progress," he added. Mallet agreed. He said that corruption is a big problem, especially in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, which are on the banks of the river. He said the book throws light on an environmental crisis of international significance, with revelations about extreme levels of pollution, antibiotic resistance, droughts, and floods.
1 fishermen killed, 1 missing, 6 injured as ship hits boat
One fishermen was killed and another reported missing after their mechanised boat was hit by an unidentified ship in the Indian Ocean, a fisheries department official said. Six others in the boat were injured and have been admitted to a hospital in Tuticorin, Joint Director of Fisheries Department - Thoothukudi Amala Xavier said. The mishap occurred early morning yesterday, he said. The eight fishermen from Tharavaikulam in Thoothukudi district had put out to sea on January 25. The rescued fishermen were brought ashore late last night. One of them, Murugan (60), succumbed to injuries on the way, Xavier said.
City specific fire safety blueprint launched
'Beyond Carlton,' claimed to be the first citizen led initiative on fire safety, today launched a city specific fire safety blueprint. Uday Vijayan said he started the initiative after his 23-year-old son perished in 2010 in a fire at Carlton Tower here, which killed nine people. Now the organisation has come up with the five-year Blueprint, which focuses on efficient execution of known solutions, he said, adding it has set a goalof zero deaths due to fire accidents by year 2023. "It takes a four-pronged strategy: Quantified five-year goals that arepractical and achievable; an actionable roadmap with quarterlymilestones, a single owner responsible for execution; and transparent,quarterly performance data against milestones,"he told reporters. The Blueprint has been prepared in consultation with the Karnataka State Fire and Emergency Services and Janaagraha and is supported by Bain Consulting, Vijayan said. He said the plan takes a collaborative approach between the ...
JK minister assesses situation after earthquake
In the aftermath of a moderate- intensity earthquake that shook several parts of north India, Jammu and Kashmir minister Javaid Mustafa Mir today assessed the situation and called for a campaign to educate people about measures to be taken in such a situation. "The director of disaster management (Aamir Ali) should circulate do's and don'ts on the precautions to be taken by the general public during and after an earthquake," he said. The minister for disaster management, relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction held a teleconference with divisional commissioners of Jammu and Kashmir and Ali after the tremors were felt in the state, an official spokesperson said. The minister was informed that there were no reports of loss of lives in the state, he said. The 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck northern Afghanistan today, with the tremors felt as far away as India and Pakistan, where one girl was killed and several others injured.
Delhi fire: Factory owner in judicial custody
A court here on Wednesday sent, to 14 days judicial custody, the owner of a plastics factory, where a major fire killed 17 persons earlier this month.
All NHAI toll plazas to have toilets
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) on Wednesday said it had provided toilet facilities at 192 toll plazas across the country and the remaining 180 will be covered by the end of March.
6.1 magnitude quake rattles Af-Pak; 1 dead, 22 inured
A powerful 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck northern Afghanistan today, with the tremors felt as far away as India and Pakistan, where one girl was killed and several others injured. The quake hit at 12:37 IST near Afghanistan's northern border with Tajikistan in the Hindu Kush mountains at a depth of 191 kilometres, the US Geological Survey said. The epicentre was in Jurm district of Afghanistan's Badakhshan Province, Tolo News reported. In Kabul, at least two heavy tremors were felt which sent people running out on the streets. Three persons were injured in Afghanistan's Jurm district, an official said. Jurm is the same area which was the centre a devastating 7.5 magnitude quake in October 2015 that triggered landslides and flattened buildings, killing more than 380 people across the region, AFP news agency said. Across the border in Pakistan, homes, offices and schools were quickly evacuated in Islamabad, Peshawar and Lahore. Mild tremors were also felt in New Delhi. In
Two killed, six injured as Bolero falls into gorge
An SUV veered off the road and fell into a deep gorge near Barambah in Narkandah area of Shimla district today killing two persons while six others were injured, police said. It was possible that the vehicle skidded due to frozen snow on the road, they said adding investigations were on. The police rushed the spot and recovered the bodies of the victims. The injured were rushed to a hospital. Shanti Swaroop (25) and Mamta (16) died on the spot while the injured persons were identified as Vikrant (31) Jishan (25), Jabana and Meera (18), Poonam (17) and Anju(17), they said.
Tremors jolt north India but no damage due to quake's high depth
Tremors across north India on Wednesday, following an earthquake in the Hindu Kush region, created panic among people but its high depth averted any damage, said Met Department officials.
Remaining 180 toll plazas to have toilet facilities by Mar
The government today said the remaining 180 toll plazas across the country will be provided with toilet facilities by the NHAI by March-end of next year. "The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has provided toilet facilities at 192 toll plazas across the country, while the remaining 180 toll plazas will be covered by the end of March 2019," the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said in a statement. Under the Centre's flagship programmes Swachh Bharat Mission, the NHAI is providing separate ladies and gents toilets on both upside and down side of each of its 372 toll plazas and also placing litter-bins and hoardings carrying the Swachhta message along with message discouraging littering at these sites. The NHAI observed both the current Swachhta Pakhwada from January 16 to 31 as well as the earlier one from July 16-31, 2017, and proposes to achieve the target of providing toilet facilities at every toll plaza during the final year of the Swachh Bharat ...
NGT directs sealing of illegal borewells in Delhi in 3 months
The National Green Tribunal today directed the Delhi government to seal all unauthorised borewells in the national capital within three months. Expressing concern over illegal extraction of water through borewells in the city, a bench headed by acting NGT Chairperson Justice U D Salvi passed the direction after perusing a report filed by the Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) saying there were many borewells which were running without consent from the authorities. The tribunal directed the Deputy Commissioner from the Department of Revenue to enforce the directions and asked the police to provide necessary assistance in this regard. The green panel also directed the authorities to mark the borewells, which are discharging contaminated water containing high levels of fluoride and arsenic, in red colour to apprise the public that the water was unfit for consumption. The matter is listed for next hearing on March 20. The NGT had earlier rapped the civic bodies for not ...
National Town and Country Planners Congress in Hyd from Feb 2
The 66th National Town and Country Planners Congress would be held here from February 2 to 4. The conference, organised by the Institute of Town Planners, India (ITPI), would deliberate on issues of urban environmental planning and urban flooding, D S Meshram, President, Emeritus ITPI, told reporters today. "In India, more than half the population is expected to live in urban areas by 2050. Urbanisation is expected to increase from 31 per cent in 2011 to over 50 per cent by 2050. It will open opportunities as well as challenges for the country," Meshram said. The consequences of the absence of environmental approach to urban planning can be seen in the intense rainfall in Chennai and Mumbai, he said. Air quality issues in Delhi, drought in Maharashtra, floods in Bihar and Orissa are also examples to the absence of such an approach, he said.
Singrauli pollution: Plea in NGT alleging inaction by authos.
A plea alleging inaction by the authorities to curb pollution in Singrauli and Sonebhadra districts of Uttar Pradesh due to industrial and mining activities has been filed in the National Green Tribunal. The petition filed by an advocate has claimed that despite December 6, 2017 order of the NGT, neither the industries, nor the concerned authorities have taken any step to improve the environment in the area and people were made to suffer due to pollution. The tribunal had earlier directed the Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh governments to install online air quality monitoring systems in Singrauli and Sonebhadra districts and ordered installation of reverse osmosis (RO) water purification plants so that the residents get potable water. It had last year formed two supervisory committees in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh comprising secretary of the Environment department of the respective states, Member Secretaries of state pollution control boards, District Magistrates
Child killed as 6.2-magnitude earthquake hits Pakistan
At least one child was killed and nine others injured as a powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 6.2 jolted parts of Pakistan on Wednesday, Pakistan's National Seismic Monitoring Centre said.