Page 941 - Disaster Accident
Japanese broadcaster apologizes for false N. Korea missile alert
The Japanese state broadcaster NHK apologized for mistakenly issuing a news alert claiming that North Korea had launched a missile and citizens should seek refuge, only a few days after a similar incident in Hawaii.
Copter crash kills 7 in Colombia
At least seven people were dead on Tuesday after a Colombian Army helicopter crashed in the northwestern department of Antioquia, according to military.
Bridge collapse kills 10 in Colombia
At least ten workers have died and five others injured after an under-construction bridge collapsed near Colombia's capital city Bogota, the local media reports.The official authorities said that the workers were fixing drainage on the partially-built structure before it fell apart into the canyon below.Some workers are feared to be missing.The injured were rushed to a nearby hospital for medical assistance.Nine died on the spot, while one worker succumbed to injuries in the hospital.Transportation Minister German Cardona visited the site for the inspection of rescue work.An investigation has been launched to find out the reason for the bridge collapse.
Blaze at Delhi factory: Situation stabilised, assures Fire Officer
In the wake of a fire that broke out at a factory here in Udyog Nagar area, the Deputy Chief Fire Officer Dharam Pal Bharadwaj on Wednesday assured that the situation was under control."We got to know of the fire at 7:20 p.m. on Tuesday evening. Around 27 fire tenders were sent to the spot. However, no casualties have been reported, and the situation is under control," Bharadwaj told ANI.However, he further stated that the officers would need another three hours to clear out the factory, as many drums filled with thinner and other substances have to be moved out.Earlier on Tuesday evening, a fire broke out at a plastic commodity-making factory here in Udyog Nagar, following which nearly 27 fire tenders were rushed to the spot.The officers managed to douse the flame, and no casualties were reported.The reason for the fire, however, remains uncertain.
Shimla: Six houses gutted in fire
At least six houses and one village temple were gutted in a fire in Shimla district's Gahan village on Tuesday.No casualty has been reported so far."Eleven families have been affected and Rs. 5,000 has also been given to each family. Naib Tehsildar Nankhari is on the spot along with officials and supervising the relief operation," Rampur Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Nipun Jindal said.The reason behind the fire has not been ascertained yet.
At least seven dead in Colombia military helicopter crash
At least seven people were killed when a military helicopter crashed in a remote area of northwestern Colombia today, the military said. The Russian-made MI-17 aircraft was carrying 10 people, including four crew when it came down, according to a military statement. "Unfortunately seven of the occupants have died, and the search for the other three continues," it said. The authorities gave no cause for the crash. Military accident investigators had arrived at the scene, according to the army. It said two of the passengers were part of a military aviation fuel maintenance team. In June 2016, another military helicopter crash killed 17 soldiers in an accident attributed to bad weather.
IAAF announces USD 500k solidarity fund to assist NACAC federations rebuild
The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), on Tuesday, announced a USD 500,000 solidarity fund to help member federations in the North American, Central American and Caribbean (NACAC) area recover from the devastating damage caused last year by the four hurricanes.Lord Sebastian Coe, President of the IAAF said, "I hope these funds will go some way to rebuilding the sport in the countries most affected by the hurricanes.""We know this is not enough but hope it will at least get the member federations affected back up and running. We will continue to seek further funds and work with the region to ensure athletes' training is as uninterrupted as possible.""I would like to put on record my sincere thanks to NACAC Area President, Victor Lopez and his team for their unflinching and tireless work over the last five months keeping the member federations and me informed of what was happening and conducting a thorough audit of the damage that has occurred across the sport in
Fire in factory in west Delhi
A fire broke out tonight at a factory in west Delhi's Udyog Nagar area, following which 25 fire tenders were pressed into service, officials said. "We received a call at 07:27 pm after which firefighting teams were rushed," a Delhi Fire Department official said. "Twenty-five fire tenders have been sent, so the blaze is presumably big. The cause of the fire is not immediately known," he said. Further details are awaited.
Indian pilgrim killed in Nepal road mishap
A group of 14 Indian pilgrims met with a road accident wherein one died and others suffered injuries, in Nawalparasi district of Nepal on Tuesday afternoon.According to police, the tractor they were travelling in met with an accident on the Binayi Triveni Village Municipality-6 near the Tatiya River.The tractor was coming from Gorakhpur, in Uttar Pradesh, India. It was hosting a group of Indian pilgrims to Tribeni Dham of Nepal for the "Maghe Aunsi".District Traffic Police Inspector Lakshman Bahadur Shahi told ANI, "The deceased was driving the tractor. He has been identified as Sadhu Kebat, a resident of Gorakhpur.""Out of the injured, the condition of two people is critical. All the injured are residents of Gorakhpur," he informed over the phone.Thousands of Indian pilgrims come to Nepal's Tribeni Dham on the day of Maghe Aunsi every year.
Japan Coast Guard delegation visits Coast Guard Region (West) headquarter
A delegation from Japan Coast Guard, headed by Superintendent (3rd Grade) Katsuhiko Sugiyama, Commanding Officer, Somalia Dispatch Investigation Team visited Headquarters, Coast Guard Region (West) at Mumbai on 16 Jan 18. The delegation is part of crew onboard Japanese Self Defence Ship Amagiri visiting Mumbai after an Anti-Piracy patrol in Gulf of Aden.The delegation met Inspector General KR Nautiyal, PTM, TM, Commander, Coast Guard Region (W) and interacted with other officers from Western Region of ICG. The delegation is part of crew onboard Japanese Self Defence Ship Amagiri visiting Mumbai after an Anti-Piracy patrol in Gulf of Aden.The visiting delegation from Japan was briefed on notable Search and Rescue operations conducted by Indian Coast Guard in recent past particularly during Very severe Cyclone Ockhi.The Japanese delegation also visited Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre which is the nodal centre for coordinating Search and Rescue of distressed mariners in Indian Search
China dismisses criticism of inadequate efforts to save
China today dismissed as "untrue and irresponsible" the criticism that it made inadequate efforts to save 32 crew members who died after an Iranian oil tanker exploded and sank nearly a week after colliding with a cargo ship off the coast of China. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said at a daily press briefing that China mobilised nine vessels on the day the accident happened and there had been more than 13 rescue vessels at the scene from the second day. Rescue forces from Shanghai and Jiangsu worked with Japan and South Korea in the rescue operations, Lu said. The 274-meter-long Sanchi sunk on Sunday after burning for more than a week following a collision with a Hong Kong- registered tanker. All 32 members of its crew -- 30 Iranians and two Bangladeshis -- are believed dead. Operated by Irans National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC), the vessel was taking 136,000 tonnes of light crude oil condensate to South Korea. Iranian Merchant Mariners Syndicate, an industry ..
ONGC to probe chopper crash, announces support for package for bereaved families
The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) is set to institute a high-level independent investigation into the ill-fated Chopper crash on Saturday, which led to the demise of six passengers on-board and one still missing.Shashi Shanker, CMD ONGC, while expressing his grief over the irreparable loss, said, "No compensation can substitute such a tragic loss. We are trying to provide all support to help the families to tide over this colossal crisis."Laying stress on safety issues, Shanker said that he had already had discussions with the CMD of Pawan Hans to work out various modalities to ensure accident-free future operations.Shanker also pointed out that "all permissible steps will be taken to restore safety and confidence of offshore-going personnel".He also warned that stern action will be taken if any lapses are found on safety front.Stressing on the importance of air logistics, he said, "We will go beyond DGCA compliance procedures for the aircrafts and that a critical review of ..
New video shows car crashing into California dental office
Dramatic new footage has emerged, recording the moment a speeding car with two occupants catapults off a center median and shoots into the side of a second-storey dentist's office in California. The unusual crash, which left one half of the vehicle hanging out of the building, occurred early on Sunday morning in Santa Ana, a city 56km south of Los Angeles. Pictures of the car stuck in the building quickly went viral. The video released from the dashcam of an Orange County Transportation Authority bus shows the white Nissan Altima fly into the air at a 45-degree angle just across the path of the oncoming bus, abc7.com reported. The crash occurred after the car, which had apparently been speeding down French Street, hit the center median and launched into the air, smashing into a dental office at 319 E. 17th St. The car's two occupants both suffered only minor injuries, according to the Orange County Fire Authority. The car caught fire after it crashed into the ...
UP to felicitate people engaging in disaster management
In a bid to encourage people to play active roles in disaster management, the Uttar Pradesh government has decided to felicitate them, an official said. Speaking at a workshop on 'Chemical Industrial disaster Management' organised by Mathura refinery, UP State Disaster Management Authority, and the District Disaster Management Authority on Monday, Secretary and Commissioner, Disaster Management Authority Uttar Pradesh, Sanjai Kumar, said, "People playing important roles in the area of disaster management would be felicitated as 'Aapda Mitra (disaster friend)' during national festivals," Kumar said. Apprising the audience of the steps being taken to counter natural disasters, he said Rs 60 crore was released by the government for 28 flood-prone districts of the state, adding that Rs 65 crore was sanctioned to equip disaster management teams for Kumbh Mela. A drill exhibiting steps to counter a LPG fire was held by the Mathura Refinery and the NDRF.
'Ensure efficacy of existing technologies to forecast
Union Tourism Minister Alphons Kannanthanam today emphasised the need for ensuring the efficacy of existing technologies used for forecasting natural disasters like Cyclone Ockhi. Citing the controversy which erupted over the warning of Cyclone Ockhi, which hit the Kerala coast on November 30, he said an introspection was required to understand what actually happened with the warning. The Kerala government had claimed that a delayed warning had been issued, but the Centre had said that it was given on November 29 itself. "Cyclone Ockhi has taken many lives in the coastal region. What is more disturbing is that we still do not know the accurate number of people who lost their lives owing to the disaster," Kannanthanam said. "An introspection is required to understand what has actually happened with the cyclone warning",the minister said. He was speaking at the second international symposium of the Societal Applications in Fisheries and Aquaculture using Remote Sensing ...
Indian killed, 13 injured in accident in Nepal
A tractor carrying Indian pilgrims today met with an accident in Nepal's Nawalparasi district, killing at least one person and injuring 13 others. The accident in Triveni Village Council took place when the tractor was heading towards Trivenidham on the occasion of Hindu festival Maghe Aunshi for taking holy dip. The driver of the vehicle died on the spot and 13 others sustained injuries as the tractor overturned, according to the police. The injured pilgrims have been taken to a local health centre for treatment. All the people in the tractor were from Gorakhpur, India. Thousands of pilgrims have come to Trivenighat today to worship at the temple.
Ensure efficacy of cyclone forecast technologies: Alphons
In the backdrop of the controversy surrounding forewarning about Cyclone Ockhi that devastated coastal Kerala, Union Minister of State for Tourism K.J. Alphons on Tuesday called for ensuring the efficacy of the existing technologies used for forecasting such disasters.
Japan broadcaster mistakenly flashes missile alert
Japan's public broadcaster today mistakenly flashed that North Korea appeared to have launched a missile, warning people to take cover before apologising for the error only minutes later. A news alert saying: "It appears North Korea launched a missile... 'Evacuate inside buildings or underground': government" was published by the NHK website and app at 6:55 pm local time. But after just five minutes, NHK admitted the alert was sent in error. "We're very sorry," NHK said on its website, without explaining further. It comes just days after a false cellphone alert warning of an incoming ballistic missile terrified residents in Hawaii. Japan and North Korea have a tense relationship, with Pyongyang routinely issuing verbal threats as well as firing missiles near or above Japan. "Don't scare me. It's good that (North Korea) didn't launch a missile," one Japanese Twitter user said. "I was surprised but it was a mistake. Do your work, NHK!" urged another. The mistake also comes
2 killed as explosion destroys Belgium buildings
At least two people died in an explosion that destroyed three apartment buildings in the Belgian city of Antwerp, police reported on Tuesday.
47 injured in school bus crash in Germany
At least 47 people, including children, were injured in a school bus crash involving several vehicles in Germany on Tuesday morning, according to local media.