Page 940 - Disaster Accident
Japan forecasting breakthrough could improve weather warnings
A new project harnessing data from a Japanese satellite could improve weather forecasting and allow officials to issue life-saving warnings before natural disasters, researchers say. The project is the first time that "infrared radiation luminance data" has been used to model weather patterns in areas under heavy cloud cover that would usually stymie such modelling. The breakthrough is the result of pairing data collected by Japan's Himawari-8 weather satellite with a programme run on a supercomputer at the country's Riken science institute. "Himawari-8 is sending kinds of big data that were not available before," said Takemasa Miyoshi, the team's leader at Riken. "We are now able to build a system that uses those data to improve the way we predict weather." The modelling system allows meteorologists to gauge the height of the top of clouds, vital information for estimating other factors including wind, temperature, and the volume of moisture in the atmosphere. The team,
7 killed, 22 injured in road accident in West Bengal
At least seven persons were killed and 22 others injured when a bus they were travelling fell into a roadside ditch in West Midnapore district today, police said. One 11-year-old boy, two women and four men died at the spot following the mishap at around 3.15 pm when the bus, travelling from Mohanpur to Sabang, fell into a roadside ditch at Satki on NH 60, West Midnapore Superintendent of Police Alok Rajoria told PTI. The accident took place when the driver tried to save a motorcycle that suddenly came in front of the bus. "Seven persons have died in the accident. And as per our information at least 22 others are being treated at a nearby hospital," Rajoria said adding that two of the injured were released after primary treatment. Among the 22 injured, there were 15 men, six women and one child, the SP elaborated. Meanwhile, the state government announced compensation for those died in the accident as well as those injured.
Philippines volcano erupts forcing 34,000 to flee
More than 34,000 people from a danger zone around Mayon volcano have been evacuated due to the threat of hazardous eruption, Philippine authorities said on Wednesday.
Six dead in Bengal bus accident
Six persons, including two women and a child, were killed while at least 20 others were severely injured in a bus accident in West Bengal on Wednesday, police said.
Avalanche warning in seven Kashmir districts
The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Wednesday issued avalanche warning in seven districts of the Valley, an official said.
Road Maintenance Policy to ensure proper maintenance of roads
Nagaland Chief Minister T R Zeliang today said his government has adopted the Nagaland Road Maintenance Policy 2017 to ensure proper maintenance roads in the state. With the new road maintenance policy in place and earmarked funds available, the government believes that it will be able to ensure better up-keep and maintenance of the roads, Zeliang said while laying the foundation stone for national highway project at Purana bazaar here today. The chief minister thanked the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) for sanctioning these projects fulfilling the long felt need of the people of Dimapur and Nagaland. He hoped that with the completion of these works, it will not only help the connectivity with the state capital for which four laning works are ongoing but will give relief to the city dwellers of Dimapur. The chief minister launched two projects for improvement of Dimapur city roads which is part of National Highway-39 at Dimapur. Two lane of 4.4 ...
Three dead in Turkey military plane crash: army
A Turkish military transport plane today crashed in southern Anatolia, claiming the lives of three army personnel on board, the Turkish army said in a statement. The plane, carrying two pilots and one technician, crashed in the southern Isparta province, the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) said, offering condolences to the families of "our heroic comrades" who were killed "as a result of a tragic accident." The cause of the crash was not immediately known but local governor Sehmus Gunaydin told the state-run TRT television there was dense and thick fog in the region. "We are working to reach the wreck" of the plane, he said. The CASA type plane took off from a base in western Anatolian province of Eskisehir at 0803 GMT and communication had been cut around 0950 GMT, and a search and rescue operation begun, the army said. In December last year, a Turkish fighter jet crashed near an airport in the southeastern city of Diyarbakir but the pilot was able to safely eject from the .
Extreme weather most prominent risk, says World Economic Forum
Extreme weather events have been seen as the single most prominent risk to the global economy by business leaders and policymakers, the World Economic Forum said on Wednesday.
Netanyahu gifts desalination jeep to Modi
Visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented a special gift - the Gal-Mobile water desalination and purification jeep - to his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi today. The mobile water treatment jeep was dedicated to the people of Suigam village in Banaskantha by Modi in the presence of Netanyahu at a function near Bawla town in Ahmedabad district. A live demonstration of desalination of sea water using the vehicle was shown on a screen during the event via video-conferencing from Suigam village on India-Pak border in Banaskantha district. "Last year, I was shown a motorable vehicle (during a visit to Israel), which can purify dirty water. I was driven by the prime minister (Netanyahu). He has brought this vehicle here as a gift," Modi said. "This vehicle, the live demonstration of which you witnessed, is stationed at Suigam in the border region, from where it will be able to give pure water to BSF soldiers guarding our borders and people of the ...
Coast Guards of India, Japan hold joint naval exercise
Ships and aircraft of the Indian Coast Guard and its Japanese counterpart conducted a joint naval drill off the coast here today. As many as nine ships and eight aircraft of the Indian Coast Guard along with Japanese Coast Guard Ship 'Tsugaru' with helo (helicopter pad on the deck of a ship) participated in the biennial Search and Rescue Exercise 2018. The Indian Coast Guard's ICG Sarang, Sagar, Shaurya, Vaibhav, Anagh, Rani Abbakka, Abheek, C-431, C-432 and three Dornier and Chetak helicopters took part in the exercise in the Bay of Bengal. The exercise was witnessed by ICG Director General Rajendra Singh and Japanese CG Commandant Admiral Satoshi Nakajima and was conducted by Coast Guard Eastern Region, Commander and Inspector General Rajan Bargotra. Observers from 17 countries, a delegation from the Coast Guard of Japan, and members of the National Maritime Search and Rescue Board also witnessed the drill. The exercise included a scenario in which a cruise vessel was .
Delhi must not wait for a Kamla Mills type tragedy
Last December's incident of Mumbai's Kamla Mills catching fire, claiming the lives of 14 people, including 11 women, and suffering extensive damage to the property, has once again highlighted the fact that India's main, cramped and increasingly urbanised metros are virtual tinderboxes because of the existing policy governing fire safety measures.National capital New Delhi is as much under the radar as well for not only falling short of meeting acceptable standards of fire safety, but also, found wanting on sanitisation and environment-related issues such and norms such as ventilation, crowd control, waste disposal, health and hygiene.Town planning experts such as Dikshu C Kukreja, an architect by profession, feel that the national capital should not wait for a Kamla Mills like tragedy to happen and result in the snatching of precious lives."He said, "In the 70 years since independence, we have created an environment where local bodies have failed to deliver. The Master Plan of Delhi ..
Train rams against car on unmanned crossing in Bihar,3 injured
A passenger train rammed against an SUV at an unmanned railway crossing in Rohtas district early this morning, leaving three occupants of the vehicle critically injured, police said. The mishap caused disruption of rail traffic, the police said. The incident took place in Nokha police station area of the district in the early hours when dense fog had engulfed the area, SHO Shashi Bhushan Prasad said. The Bolero car was mangled under impact of the collision though the train was moving at a very slow speed, Prasad said. Locals rushed to the spot upon hearing the scrunch and took out the three occupants - identified as driver Mohammed Wasim and passenger Deepak Kumar and Poonam Devi. All the injured persons were initially rushed to a nearby PHC where they were administered first aid before being referred to a hospital in the district headquarters at Sasaram. The badly damaged Bolero car was removed from the railway tracks and movement of trains on the Ara-Sasaram section ..
Coach of empty suburban train catches fire
A fire broke out in a coach of an empty suburban train in the wee hours of today, the Central Railway (CR) said. The CR has instituted an inquiry into the incident in which the coach was gutted. The 12-car train was parked in a stabling point near the Thane station and one of its coaches caught fire at around 1.45 am, the CR said in a statement. Though the Thane Fire Brigade doused the flames at around 2.15 am, the coach (2010B) was gutted, it said. The incident, however, did not have any impact on railway services, informed an official. "It was an empty rake and no injuries were reported in the incident," the statement added.
Jharkhand Assembly adjourned after obituary references
Jharkhand Assembly was today adjourned for the day after obituary references were made to eminent persons who died recently. Making obituary references on the first day of the Budget session, Speaker Dinesh Oraon condoled the deaths of former Union minister Raghunath Jha, former Godda MLA Manohar Tekriwal, former minister in undivided Bihar Shahid Ali Khan and former Uttar Pradesh governor Banwari Lal Joshi. The Speaker also paid tribute to veteran CPI leader and former Rajya Sabha member Jalaluddin Ansari and Bihar BJP MLC Satyendra Kushwaha, who died recently. The House condoled the death of litterateurs Dudhnath Singh and Anwar Jalalpuri, senior journalist Goutam Siddharth and 13 persons who died in a road accident in Gumla district on January 14. Chief Minister Raghubar Das, Leader of the Opposition Hemant Soren and other members of the state assembly also expressed their condolence before the House was adjourned till tomorrow.
Japanese public TV says staffer sent missile alert in error
Japanese public broadcaster NHK said today that an erroneous alert about a North Korean missile fired at Japan was sent by a staff member who meant to transmit a different news flash. NHK denied any mechanical flaw and said it is studying preventive measures, though it did not give further details. The false alarm yesterday came just days after emergency authorities in Hawaii sent a mistaken warning of a missile attack to mobile phones across the state, triggering panic. The erroneous NHK news flash had been prepared for a possible emergency, the broadcaster said, adding that transmission of an alert usually involves checking by multiple staff members. The false alert said North Korea appeared to have fired a missile at Japan and that the government was warning people to take shelter. NHK retracted the mistake in five minutes, first on the internet, and then apologized on air and other formats. NHK said it was not sure how many of the 300,000 followers of its "NHK News ...
World to be riskier place in 2018: WEF Survey
The world will see risks related to environment, economy and international relations intensify this year with a majority of stakeholders expecting political or economic confrontations between major powers to worsen, a new survey showed today. Referring to contentious issues between various nations, the World Economic Forum (WEF) said in its annual Global Risks Report that China's determination to press territorial and maritime claims and its extension of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) have triggered responses among neighbouring powers, with Japan and India exploring more structured forms of strategic cooperation in both economic and military affairs. "This initiative could become more significant if additional partners -- such as Australia, the US, or even European states -- were to take part. However, most of these countries are currently cautious and would be wary of allowing such a hedging policy to cause tensions with China," it said. However, the biggest risks .
Mumbai civic body sets up 34 fire compliance cells
The Mumbai civic body has set up 34 cells to monitor fire compliance norms at commercial establishments and other buildings, and act against them if they violate safety rules, a senior official said today. The setting up of the fire compliance cells by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) comes in the wake of the ghastly blaze at a pub in the Kamala Mills Compound last month that killed 14 people. "Municipal Commissioner Ajoy Mehta gave the direction for setting up fire compliance cells in the city to prevent incidents of fire at commercial establishments and act against them if they violate safety norms," the civic official said. Following Mehta's direction, the Mumbai Fire Brigade yesterday nominated 34 fire officers, one each in 24 administrative wards and 10 in reserved ones, to ensure fire safety compliance by buildings and establishments, he said. "After the Kamala Mills Compound incident and a spate of fire mishaps subsequently, the commissioner issued ...
10 dead in Colombia helicopter crash
Colombia's national army has confirmed that 10 people were killed when a military helicopter crashed in Antioquia.As per a report in Colombia Reports, the MI-17 helicopter, which was carrying eight army personnel and two civilians, crashed on Tuesday morning on route from the town of Caucasia, according to the Air Assault Division of the National Army.The army has also announced an investigation into the matter to see how fatal the accident actually is.While talking to local media, General Juan Carlos Ramirez, commander of the Fourth Brigade of the army, said, "At the moment, troops from the Seventh Division and an Accident Investigation Group of the Air Assault Aviation Division are arriving at the place where the incident occurred."The army was at the site working to recover the bodies of the victims, Trujillo said.The general also noted that the weather conditions were complicated for the aircraft that was carrying out the mission.Defense Minister Luis Carlos Villegas also ...
6 tourists from MP killed in TN accident
Six tourists from Madhya Pradesh were killed and five others seriously injured when a van carrying them rammed into railings of a four-lane highway in Tuticorin district early today, police said. All the six, including two women, died on the spot in the accident which occurred near Kayathaaru, about 140 km from here, when the tourists were on their way to Kanyakumari. Quoting preliminary investigation, police said the driver dozed off and lost control when the van was speeding, resulting in the accident. The tourists had arrived here by train and left for Kanyakumari by van late last evening. Police, on being alerted about the accident by drivers of vehicles which passed by the spot, rushed and rescued five injured persons with the help of employees of a nearby toll plaza. The injured had been admitted to the government hospital in Tirunelveli. The deceased were identified as Rekha, Vindhya, Rameskumar, Kanayalal, Deekam and Lalchand.
2 killed as car crashes into tree in Haryana
Two persons were today killed and one was injured when their car crashed into a tree on the Hisar- Chandigarh road, police said. The incident took place near Litani Mor, about 40 km from here. The driver of the car lost control over the vehicle and it crashed into a roadside tree, killing Surender (26) and Sumit (22), residents of Litani village in Hisar district, they said. Neshi (23) was injured and admitted to a hospital.