Page 93 - Disaster Accident

Toll from Niger tanker truck blast rises to 60: authorities

The death toll from a tanker truck explosion near the international airport in Niger's capital, Niamey, has risen to 60, authorities said Tuesday. The tally is likely to rise further as the prognosis is poor for several people who sustained severe burns, security official Hamani Adamou Abdoul-Aziz told state television. The overturned tanker exploded Sunday night as crowds gathered to collect spilt fuel. Interior Minister Mohamed Bazoum, who inspected the site Monday, said people on foot and motorcycle had rushed to the scene to take fuel. According to witnesses, one biker failed to switch off his engine, causing a spark that ignited the 50,000 litres of fuel. The driver of the tanker truck has told investigators that an electrical failure caused him to lose control of the vehicle and its brakes. The truck overturned as he tried to bring it to a stop, senior police official Boubacar Rabiou Daddy told a TV station. Before the blast, people ignored police trying to keep them away, and ..

4 killed when house collapses in northwest Pakistan

Four persons, including a woman and her two daughters, were killed when roof of their dilapidated house collapsed in the northwest Pakistan on Tuesday, police said. The victims were asleep in their house when its roof collapsed in the wee hours of Tuesday, killing four persons in Charsadda district. However, one child sustained injuries. Rescue teams reached the spot and retrieved four bodies from the rubble. Police said that owner of the house was a labourer and residing in Saudi Arabia.

Met issues 'yellow' weather warning for thunderstorm in Himachal

The Meteorological Department (Met) has issued a fresh yellow weather warning for thunderstorm in Himachal Pradesh on May 10 and 11, an official said Tuesday. The Met centre in Shimla issued the warning of thunderstorm accompanied with hailstorm and gusty winds in the plains, low and the mid hills on Friday and Saturday. The weatherman has also forecast rainfall from May 10 to 13, the official said. The Met office issues colour-coded warnings to alert the public ahead of severe or hazardous weather which has the potential to cause "damage, widespread disruption and/or danger to life." Yellow is the least dangerous out of the weather warnings. It indicates the possibility of severe weather over the next few days that could affect the public. On Tuesday, the highest temperature in the state was recorded in Una at 40.8 degrees Celsius, while the lowest was registered in tribal district Lahaul-Spiti's administrative centre Keylong at 3.2 degrees Celsius.

SAIL supplies electric poles for restoration work in Odisha

State-owned steel maker SAIL Tuesday said it is supplying parallel beam electric poles for restoration works in the cyclone-affected areas of Odisha. The Ministry of Steel has directed Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) to ensure all-out efforts to meet the requirements of cyclone-hit Odisha, SAIL said in a statement. "SAIL is moving special-quality wide parallel beam (WPB-160) electric poles on the top-most priority basis to cyclone Fani-affected areas in Odisha. SAIL moved the first consignment of 500 electric poles to the disaster-affected areas, another 5,000 poles have already moved to the affected areas," the firm said. The company has assured to move a total of 15,000 such poles in a time-bound manner, it added. Restoration of electricity is a priority and for this purpose, SAIL said it is mobilising all resources from various locations of the country to move the electric poles on an urgent basis to the affected areas. Cyclonic storm 'Fani' made a landfall on the Odisha coast .

5 killed, 15 hurt in separate road accidents in J-K

Five people, including a policeman, were killed and 15 others injured when three private passenger vehicles skidded off mountainous roads and rolled down hills in separate incidents in Ramban and Poonch districts of Jammu and Kashmir, police said Tuesday. Two people, identified as policeman Bittu Ram and a youth named Neik Ram, were killed and six others injured when a passenger cab fell into a deep gorge at Kanga near Ramban Tuesday, an official said. The vehicle was on its way from Sumber to Ramban, the busy town along Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, he said, adding that all the injured were rescued and two of them, Darshan Singh and his wife Deepa Devi, were referred to the Government Medical College Hospital in Jammu for specialised treatment. Near Seenbatti area, a vehicle fell into a 200-feet deep gorge on late Monday night, killing three people and injuring five others. The deceased were identified as Milap Singh (55), Keshu Ram (44) and Raju Singh (24), the official said. The

Man, son killed in road accident in Bareilly

A man and his eight-year-old son died, when the motorcycle they were riding collided with a car on the Aonla-Ramanagar road in Bareilly, a senior official said Tuesday. Sub-divisional magistrate Vishuraja said Gyan Chandra, 25, and his son Vivek died in the accident. His wife Mamta and another son Abhishek have sustained serious injuries and have been admitted to a private hospital here. The family, a resident of Badaun district, had come to Aonla to attend a wedding on Monday night, when a speeding car hit the motorcycle. The bodies of the deceased have been sent for post-mortem examination.

Two Indians, among 115 UN personnel, staff honoured for sacrifice in line of duty

An Indian police officer deployed to the UN mission in Congo and a consultant with the UN development programme killed in the Ethiopian Airlines plane crash are among 115 UN peacekeepers and staff honoured by the global organisation for their sacrifice in the line of duty. Police Officer Jitender Kumar serving in the UN Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) and Shikha Garg, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) consultant attached with India's Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, along with 113 UN personnel and staff, lost their lives in the service of peace between January 2018 and March 2019. Garg was among four Indians who died when the Nairobi-bound Ethiopian Airlines plane crashed after taking off from Addis Ababa in March this year. She was on her way to attend a United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) meeting in Nairobi. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, President of the General Assembly Maria Fernanda

Polling officer dies, 24 injured as vehicle overturns in Amethi

A polling officer died while 24 others, including security personnel, were injured when their vehicle overturned in the district, officials said Tuesday. The accident took place when they were on way to deposit EVM machines after polling on Monday. The deceased has been identified as Om Prakash (40) assistant district information officer SD Yadav said.

Japan finds parts of crashed F35 fighter jet

Japan said Tuesday it had recovered some debris from a stealth fighter jet that crashed in April, but was still looking for the "all-important" memory that could offer clues into the accident. Nearly a month after the high-tech F-35A plummeted into the sea off the coast of northeastern Japan, neither the pilot's body, nor the plane's fuselage have been found, said Defence Minister Takeshi Iwaya. Experts say Japan and the US are keen to prevent debris from the plane being recovered by Russia or China, with Iwaya admitting last month there were "a significant amount of secrets that need to be protected" on board. Some debris, including a part of the flight data recorder, were recovered "on or after May 3", Iwaya said, adding: "The Defence Ministry is studying (the parts), but at this point, the all-important memory (of the flight data recorder) has not been recovered." The fighter jet went missing on April 9 while flying 135 kilometres east of Misawa, northeastern Japan, on a training ..

Indonesia volcano erupts, spews ash cloud

A volcano erupted in Indonesia's North Sumatra province on Tuesday, spewing a dark ash cloud about 2,000 metres in height, above the crater.

Report: Blaze engulfs 2 Iranian pipelines, 5 workers injured

Iran's official IRNA news agency says firefighters have brought under control a blaze that engulfed two oil and gas pipelines in southwestern, oil-rich Khuzestan province. The report says five workers were slightly injured when the fire broke out after a bulldozer on Monday crashed into the pipeline that transfers crude to a nearby port for export. Tuesday's report says authorities evacuated a small, nearby village out of fear the blaze could spread. It quotes local oil official Ebrahim Piramoun as saying the fire hasn't fully been put out due to fuel left over at the site. Piramoun says other nearby pipelines continued their regular operations. Iran's aging infrastructure is at a heightened risk of such incidents. In March, a gas pipeline explosion in Khuzestan killed at least five people.

Asian airlines' growth plans, profits take a hit on Boeing 737 Max 8 woes

Nearly 400 Max jets were grounded at airlines worldwide in mid-March after the Ethiopia crash

Insect attack caused Rs 20cr crop loss, Mizoram tells Centre

Mizoram government has informed the Centre about an estimated crop loss of Rs 20 crore caused by an outbreak of the 'Fall Army Worm' (FAW) in the state, a minister said on Tuesday. The outbreak caused by Spodoptera Frugiperda, an insect, has affected maize cultivation in 1,747.9 hectares in 122 villages, state Agriculture minister C Lalrinsanga said. The state government has constituted a Rapid Response Team to monitor the outbreak and take measures to mitigate the loss of crops, he said. Meanwhile, state Agriculture Department Director Rohmingthanga Colney said that chemical pesticides and organic ones were being used to kill the worm in maize fields. "Concerted efforts are being made to contain the outbreak which was first detected in Lunglei district on March 8," Colney said. After receiving warning from the Centre, the state Agriculture department had sent warnings to all the District Agriculture Officers on February 27 last on the possibility of incidence of FAW in

Loudspeakers installed to prevent accidents during 'Char Dham Yatra'

The authorities this year have installed loudspeakers and public address system along the route of Char Dham Yatra in order to prevent road accidents.Ashish Chouhan, DM Uttarkashi told ANI, "The authorities have installed loudspeakers and public address system where continuous announcements will be made to inform people to maintain safety during the Char Dham yatra."Last year, several road accidents took place on the route killing dozens of people and injuring many.The state traffic police now have identified accident spots and have taken all the precautionary steps to curb road accidents. The police department has also installed sign boards at sharp turns in the hills.This year, the Char Dham yatra will commence in Uttarakhand, Kedarnath and Badrinath on May 7, 9 and 10 respectively. As per the latest reports, the closing date for the Yatra is October 29.

One killed, 20 injured in truck-car collision in Muzaffarnagar

A man was killed and 20 others, including women, were injured in a collision between a car and mini-truck near Kamheda village on the Ganga canal road here Monday evening, police said. The deceased has been identified as Madan (50). The injured were shifted to a hospital. The victims were returning from a religious ceremony when the collision took place, police said.

Mexico: 13 killed in private jet crash

Thirteen people were killed on Tuesday in a private jet crash in northern Mexico, authorities said.Al Jazeera reported that the jet with 13 people on board, including a family of five, had taken off from Las Vegas.However, aviation authorities lost contact with the plane two hours after its take off.The wreckage of the crashed jet was later found in a remote mountainous zone of Mexico, the government of Mexico's Coahuila state, said in a statement."There were no survivors seen," it said.The plane was identified as a Challenger 601 jet manufactured by Canada's Bombardier Inc.The reason for the crash is yet to be known.

Three killed, 5 hurt as vehicle falls into gorge in J-K's Ramban

Three persons were killed and five others injured when a private vehicle skidded off a road and fell into a 200 feet gorge in Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said on Tuesday. The accident took place Monday night near Seenbatti along the Pogal-Paristan road, about 25 km from Ramban, a police official said. He said the vehicle was going towards Seenbatti and fell into the gorge after its driver lost control over it while negotiating a blind curve. A rescue operation was immediately launched and three persons--Milap Singh (55), Keshu Ram (44) and Raju Singh (24) -- were found dead. The official said the injured, Reyaz Ahmad (driver), Kalyan Singh, Kartar Singh, Flower Singh and Hari Om were admitted to the Ramban District Hospital after initial treatment at the Public Health Centre in Ukhral.

UN honors 115 peacekeepers and staff who lost their lives

The United Nations has honored 115 U.N. peacekeepers and staff from 43 countries who lost their lives working for the global organization, standing in silent tribute to their sacrifice at a memorial service. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres noted their "often perilous" work and stressed that all who perished "died in the service of humanity keeping the peace, providing humanitarian assistance" and promoting UN development goals. The names of all 115 staffers 103 of them African peacekeepers who died between January 2018 and March 2019 were read at Monday's service attended by families of the fallen and diplomats from many nations. In addition, Guterres paid tribute to 19 civilians from UN agencies and programs who died and 21 U.N. colleagues who perished in the Ethiopian Airlines disaster in March.

All 13 aboard killed in Mexico jet crash

All 13 people aboard an executive jet that went missing en route from the US city of Las Vegas to Monterrey, perished when the plane crashed near the town of Ocampo, authorities in Coahuila state said on Monday.

Strong 7.2 quake rocks Papua New Guinea

A powerful but deep 7.2-magnitude earthquake rocked Papua New Guinea on Tuesday, officials said, cutting power and knocking items off shelves though there were no immediate reports of serious damage. The quake struck at a depth of 127 kilometers (80 miles) about 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the town of Bulolo at 2119 GMT Monday according to the US Geological Survey, and was felt in the capital Port Moresby about 250 kilometres away. Officials said there were no immediate reports of major damage and the depth of the tremor meant there was no tsunami threat. "We have no reports as yet" of serious damage, Inspector Leo Kaikas, Bulolo police station commander, told AFP. "We are still assessing the situation," he said. Staff at Bulolo's Pine Lodge hotel said there was very minor damage from objects falling off tables, but nothing more serious. Residents in Lae, more than 100 kilometres away, said the quake knocked things off shelves and worktops and cut electricity in some areas. "I had ..