Page 939 - Disaster Accident
Pawan Hans chopper crash: AAIB wants BCAS to probe sabotage
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has written to aviation security regulator BCAS to look into a sabotage angle in the Pawan Hans chopper crash that killed all the seven on board last Saturday. The Eurocopter Dauphin N3 chopper with seven on board, including five senior ONGC officials and two pilots, crashed off the Mumbai coast minutes after it took off from the Juhu aerodrome for the state-owned oil and gas major's installations in the Bombay High fields on January 13. "We don't want any angle in the crash to be left uncovered. While we are investigating the technical aspects of the crash, we also want the sabotage angle to be probed," a top AAIB official told PTI on condition of anonymity today. "Therefore, we've written to the BCAS (Bureau of Civil Aviation Security) director general seeking a separate probe whether there is any sabotage, along with our ongoing investigation," the official said. The AAIB, the apex accident probe body under the civil ..
52 killed in Kazakhstan bus fire
At least 52 people were killed on Thursday after a passenger bus travelling on a country road in western Kazakhstan caught fire, officials said.
China spots four oil slicks from sunken tanker
The spill from a sunken Iranian tanker off China's east coast has spawned four oil slicks as authorities prepared to send robots to the wreckage to assess the environmental damage. The Sanchi, which was carrying 136,000 tonnes of light crude oil from Iran, sank in a ball of flames in the East China Sea on Sunday, a week after colliding with Hong Kong- registered bulk freighter the CF Crystal. The bodies of only three of 30 Iranian and two Bangladeshi crew members have been found. The State Oceanic Administration of China said late Wednesday that it was monitoring four slicks with a total area of almost 101 square kilometres (39 square miles), roughly the same size as Paris. The office is attempting to "control the spread of the oil spill and is carrying out work to estimate its impact on the marine ecological environment", it said on its website. On Tuesday, the agency had reported two slicks measuring about 69 square kilometres and an additional 40-square- kilometre ...
ONGC brass visits Mumbai Offshore, boosts confidence of employees
As a part of a confidence-building measure, V P Mahawar, Director (Onshore) visited NQ Production Platform and Rig. Mr. Mahawar was accompanied by Mr. Rajesh Kakkar, Director (Offshore) designate, Mr. G R Ganyatayat, OSD (T&FS) and Mr. Badal Roy, Head Offshore Safety.The visit as desired by Mr. Shashi Shanker, CMD, ONGC, and was aimed at boosting the morale of the Offshore Employees and also to review all safety related issues of Offshore.The team has also interacted with all unions regarding offshore safety issues.Mr. Mahawar said that the entire Executive Committee Members led by CMD is thoroughly looking into safety and maintenance aspects of both installations and logistics.Shanker has reiterated that any compromise with safety will be viewed very seriously and necessary actions will be taken.He pointed out that ONGC has always shown restraint and courage whenever it is faced with a crisis. This time too ONGCians working in the Offshore has displayed exemplary courage and ...
52 people killed in Kazakhstan bus accident: ministry
Fifty-two people were killed today when the bus they were travelling on caught fire in northwestern Kazakhstan, the emergency services ministry said in a statement. "On January 18 at 10:30 am (0430 GMT), a bus caught fire ... 55 passengers and two drivers were on board. Five passengers received medical assistance. The remainder were killed," the ministry said, without elaborating on the cause of the fire.
LED-fitted uniforms to ensure safety of traffic cops
The Kolkata Police has introduced uniforms with LED lights attached to them for traffic police officers, who toil after sunset, especially during the winters. The "body lights" will help the commuters and the drivers spot the officers from a reasonable distance and cut the risk of fog-related road crashes. According to a senior official of the Kolkata Traffic Police, the LED-studded uniforms will ensure the safety of traffic police personnel on stretches that are dimly lit, accident-prone or remain shrouded in fog. "The LED lights were introduced almost a year ago to ensure safety of our traffic police officers. These lights will also help drivers spot our officers during the winters when fog and smog make visibility difficult," the officer told PTI. The officer said around 1,000 red-and blue LED shoulder lights have been distributed among sergeants deployed on thoroughfares and 3,000 more will be doled out to traffic constables soon. Explaining the functioning of the ..
Two police officers killed in Quetta
Two police officers were killed and another injured after unidentified armed men opened fire in Quetta on Thursday.According to the Dawn, the incident took place in the area of Civil Lines Police Station.The injured policeman was rushed to a nearby hospital for medical assistance.Meanwhile, Balochistan Governor Mohammad Khan Achakzai condemned the attack.Earlier on January 9, at least 10 people were injured after an explosion occurred at the Zarghoon Road in Quetta.
5 killed in road accident in UP due to heavy fog
Five people, including two women, were killed when the driver of a car lost control over the vehicle and it fell into a pond, police said today. The incident took place in the Pihani area last night due to heavy fog, they said. Those killed were identified as Munne (50), Gulez (30), Ashiq Ali (55), Rukhsana (50) and Darkashan (26).
MT Genessa oil tanker: India Coast Guard fire fight on
Three Indian Coast Guard (ICG) vessels, nine Tugs from KPT, Reliance, Essar, Adani and ICG Dornier continues to douse the flames on the MT Genessa oil tanker, which broke out yesterday, off the coast of Kandla.However, water sampling of the ocean shows no sign of oil spilling, informed the Gujarat Defence Ministry.ICG control vessel is at the site and ICGS Samudra Pavak is overseeing the entire operations.Earlier on Wednesday, the ICG evacuated 26 crew members of an oil tanker after a major fire broke out on it.The MT Genessa oil tanker, which was anchored about 15 nautical miles off Deendayal Port in Kandla, was reportedly carrying at least 30,000 tonnes of high-speed Diesel.
Bus catches fire in Thane; none hurt
A Thane Municipal Transport (TMT) bus caught fire near the Mumbra township here, an official said today. There was no passenger in the vehicle at the time of the mishap, he said. As the bus was moving from Mumbra to Anand Nagar in the city, its lights suddenly went off near Retibunder around 8.30 pm yesterday, Thane's regional disaster management cell chief Santosh Kadam said. The driver stopped the vehicle and he along with the conductor got down to check what was the problem. However, suddenly the bus caught fire with a loud sound and got charred within minutes, he said. The personnel from the Mumbra fire station rushed to the spot and managed to douse the flames, Kadam said. An investigation was on into the mishap, he added.
Five of a family killed in UP car accident
Five members of a family were killed around midnight when the car they were travelling in was blinded by fog and fell in a roadside pond in Uttar Pradesh's Hardoi district, police said on Thursday.
Pickup, train collision in Mexico kills 5, injures 10
Authorities in central Mexico say a crash involving a pickup truck and a train has killed five people and injured 10 more, including six children. The Jalisco state Civil Defense Department reports via Twitter that yesterday's accident took place in Lagos de Moreno in the northeastern part of the state. It posted pictures of the truck on the side of a road near a string of railroad tanker cars. The vehicle's bed was crumpled and separated from the cab. Civil Defense said all the dead and wounded were riding in the pickup. It didn't say what caused the accident, but urged drivers not to try to beat trains at crossings and not to transport people in cargo beds.
Chhattisgarh: Fire breaks out in scrap factory
A fire broke out in a scrap factory near Chandra Maurya Lok here on Wednesday evening.After reports of the fire surfaced, two fire tenders and police rushed to the spot to douse the flame.This comes a day after 27 fire tenders were rushed to Delhi's Udyog Nagar area where a fire broke out a plastic commodity-making factory.
Coast guard rescues 26 after fire engulfs oil tanker
The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) evacuated 26 crew members of an oil tanker after a major fire broke out on it, off the coast of Kandla on Wednesday.The MT Genessa oil tanker, which was anchored about 15 nautical miles off Deendayal Port in Kandla, was reportedly carrying at least 30,000 tonnes of high-speed Diesel.Two members have sustained burn injuries and are being treated for.The ICG are using tugs and rigs to fight out the blaze by pooling resources from Reliance, Adani, and Essar companies. Also, they have sent their boats to help in assisting rescue operations.The coast guard is preparing to cordon the vessel to avoid oil spillage.
Moving bus catches fire in Maharashtra, passengers safe
A moving Thane Municipal Transport (TMT) bus caught fire near the Reti-Bunder area of Mumbra on Wednesday.All the passengers and staff members of the bus were said to be safe.The bus was going from Thane (Cidco) to Bharat Gear Company in Mumbra when it caught fire.The staff and the passengers immediately evacuated the bus and called the fire department. The fire tenders have doused the fire.
WB: Bus accident in West Midnapore claims 7 lives
At least seven people died and 22 have been critically injured after a bus turned turtle on National Highway 60 in Sathui of West Midnapore's Kharagpur.The bus was travelling to Kharagpur from Midnapur when it flipped beside NH 6O after hitting a bike that was coming out from a petrol pump.The locals and police managed to rescue injured passengers and admit them to the nearest hospital. Five passengers died on the way to the hospital and the other two died in the hospital.
Fire onboard oil vessel off Gujarat coast, crew rescued
A fire was reported on a merchant navy oil tanker carrying 30,000 tonnes of high-speed diesel off the Gujarat coast but there were not casualties, a defence spokesperson said. He, however, did not say if the oil in the vessel spilt into the sea. The tanker, MT Genessa, is anchored 15 nautical miles off Deendayal Port in Kandla. The fire was reported at around 6 PM today. The Indian Coast Guard swung into action and evacuated all the 26 crew members, two of whom suffered burn injuries. "There was a fire in the crew compartment and efforts are underway to douse it," a Coast Guard official said. Indian Coast Guard Interceptor Boat C-403 is at the scene and the maritime security agency's pollution control team has been activated, the spokesperson said, without clarifying if there was an oil spill or any such possibility. He said a Dornier aircraft has been pressed into service to ascertain the extent of the fire.
LPG cylinder explodes in army train in Puri, 2 injured
Two persons were injured in an LPG cylinder explosion in the pantry car of a stationary military special train at Puri Railway Station on Wednesday.
Man dies of suffocation after fire breaks out in northeast
A 55-year-old man died of suffocation and three members of his family were injured after a fire broke out in a building in northeast Delhi's Brahampuri area, police said today. The fire broke out on the third floor of the building and spread to the fourth floor late last night, they added. According to an official from the Delhi Fire Services, a call was received at 2.27 am about the blaze. Three fire-tenders rushed to the spot and the fire was doused by 3.30 am, the official said. The man, identified as Satpal, who was a property dealer, was staying on rent with his family on the fourth floor of the building. The residents of the other floors fled the building but it is suspected that Satpal's family did not realise that a fire had erupted on the third floor and kept on sleeping, the police said. After the fire was doused, the firemen found Satpal, his wife Jaishree (48), Himanshi (17) and Pooja (16) lying in their home in an unconscious condition, they added. They were .
Avalanche warning for 7 districts in Kashmir
Authorities here today issued an avalanche warning for seven districts of Kashmir till tomorrow evening. The warning has been issued in view of forecast of rain or snow over the next 24 hours in the Valley. "According to the additional commissioner, Kashmir, avalanche warning exists for avalanche prone areas in Anantnag, Kulgam, Budgam, Baramulla, Kupwara, Bandipora and Ganderbal districts of Kashmir division," an official spokesman said here. He said the warning would be valid from 5.00 PM today to 5.00 PM tomorrow. "While all deputy commissioners concerned have been asked to take all precautionary measures to avert any untoward incident, the general public has been appealed not to venture in these areas during the warning period," the spokesman added.