Page 949 - Disaster Accident

2 bodies recovered from burning oil tanker in East China Sea

Chinese state media say rescuers have recovered the bodies of two crew members of an Iranian oil tanker that's been burning after it collided with a freighter last week in the East China Sea. State broadcaster CCTV says the bodies were found on the lifeboat deck of the Sanchi this morning. It says rescuers stayed aboard less than 30 minutes but were able to recover the ship's data and video recordings. The network says rescuers were prevented from entering the crew living quarters by temperatures as high as 89 degrees Celsius. Footage of the rescue showed parts of the Sanchi still aflame. The cause of the collision remains unclear. One body was recovered from the sea earlier this week, leaving 29 crew members still unaccounted for.

Five wrestlers among six killed in Maharashtra road accident

Five wrestlers, who were returning from a local competition, were among six persons killed when a tractor rammed into their SUV at Sangli district in western Maharashtra early today, police said. Seven persons were injured in the accident, they said. The mishap occurred on the Kadegaon-Sangli road, when the wrestlers were returning from Aundh village after participating in the wrestling competition there. They were heading to Kundal in Sangli, a senior police official said. A speeding tractor, which was coming from the opposite direction, rammed into their SUV, killing six persons including five wrestlers, he said. The injured are being treated at a state-run hospital in Sangli, the officer said. A case under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Motor Vehicles Act was registered at the Chinchni-Vangi police station, he said, adding efforts were on to nab the tractor driver who fled from the accident spot.

Drunken driving kills one in Hyderabad

A youth was killed and two others injured when their car hit a tree here early Saturday, police said it was yet another case of drunken driving.

Visit work sites twice in 15 days, Rlys tells senior officials

Senior officials of the Indian Railways will now have to camp for two days in a fortnight in areas where safety works are underway to ensure proper execution of such work. The Railway Board in a letter last month directed that Senior Administrative Grade (SAG) officers in the civil engineering department be nominated and allotted a division each where they will oversee safety-related works which include track renewal, bridge rehabilitation, elimination of unmanned level crossings, raising platforms and other track maintenance work. "The nominated officers should regularly visit the division to provide necessary guidance in planning and execution of the works... These officers may be directed to camp in their allotted division for one week in the beginning and thereafter should visit the allotted division for at least two days every fortnight till the end of March 2018", the letter said. SAG are usually at least joint secretary-level officers, who have completed an ...

Largest wildfire on record in California finally contained

The largest wildfire on record in California has been declared contained, days after mud on the coastal mountain slopes it scorched crashed down on homes during a storm, killing at least 18 people. The Thomas fire was declared 100 per cent surrounded after ravaging Ventura and Santa Barbara counties northwest of Los Angeles for more than a month. A cause has not yet been determined. Some areas of Los Padres National Forest remain closed to the public until authorities determine it is safe to enter. The blaze began on December 4 and fierce winds drove the flames through tinder-dry brush, chaparral and trees. The fire blackened 1,140.76 square kms -- an area nearly as large as Los Angeles. Flames whipped through foothill communities and forest wilderness. More than 1,000 buildings, including many homes, were incinerated and thousands of people were forced to flee. Evacuations were called for Montecito as flames topped ridges above the wealthy enclave that was hit by waves .

Fire at home kills five family members

Five members of a family were killed in a fire at their residence in Vidyanagar area of Jaipur.The bursting of a cylinder is speculated to be the reason behind the fire.Three other family members who had been on a visit to Agra rushed back to Jaipur on receiving the information.

5 wrestlers, among 6 killed in Maharashtra road accident

Five wrestlers and a driver were killed in a major road accident in Sangli district of Maharahstra early on Saturday, police said.

K'taka: 7 die in bus accident

At least seight people died after a bus, carrying 43 passengers, fell into a nearby pond in Hassan's Karekere in Karnataka on Saturday.Five, including the driver and the conductor, died on the spot, two passengers died while being shifted to the hospital, and one died in the hospital.The accident took place at 3:30 a.m. near College of Agriculture, Hassan, when the volvo bus was travelling from Bangalore to Dharamshala.

Three dead in Rajkot fire

Three girls died and few others were injured after a fire broke out at a Rashtriya Shivir in Rajkot's Pransla village on Saturday.The reason for the fire is yet to be known.Meanwhile, the flames have been doused and the situation is under control.The injured have been rushed to a nearby hospital.The District Collector and the Superintended of Police have reached the spot to take a stock of the situation.

3 rescued after Mumbai building staircase collapses

A section of a staircase of a building in Mumbai's Vidya Vihar collapsed on Friday.Three people were safely rescued by the firemen, using an extension ladder, yesterday evening.The rescue operation is underway.No details of casualties or injuries have emerged yet.

UP CM takes stock of Gorakhpur night shelter

As cold wave continues to grip Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath visited a shelter for homeless, 'RainBasera', near Gorakhpur railway station to check the arrangements.The Chief Minister said that his government is trying to provide essential winter necessities in the night shelter."Keeping winter season in mind, the Uttar Pradesh government is providing Rainbasera, shelter home near Gorakhpur Railway Station to the needy in sufficient quantity. More than 950 shelter homes are being operated in the state. The Uttar Pradesh is also providing blankets to poor and needy people", the Chief Minister told ANI.Earlier on January 3, Adityanath had conducted an inspection at a night shelter near Balrampur hospital in Lucknow.Adityanath has asked the district magistrates to make proper arrangements for the poor and needy people in every district. The arrangements include night shelters, lighting up bonfires, distributing free blankets and so on.

Three dead, 45 injured in Czech bus crash: police

At least three people died and 45 others were injured, some seriously, in a collision between a public transport bus and a car in a Prague suburb on Friday, police said. "The collision between a bus and a car killed three people, the driver of a Skoda and two people who were in the bus," police spokeswoman Monika Schindlova told AFP. Police also said that 45 other people were injured, including five in a serious condition, 10 moderately and the remainder only lightly. Rescue workers managed to remove several injured passengers trapped inside the bus, which struck a tree after veering off the road. An investigation was launched to establish the cause of the accident, Schindlova said. "Two children sustained serious head injuries and were put on artificial ventilation and into artificial comas," said rescue service spokeswoman Jana Postova. The damaged bus belongs to the private Arriva company and was the link between the 6th district of Prague and the village of Holubice,

Low Narmada Dam water level forces Gujarat to curtail rabi season sowing

With last monsoon's scanty rainfall in Madhya Pradesh reducing the Narmada dam reservoir's water storage to its lowest in 15 years, the Gujarat government asked the state's farmers to skip the summer sowing, which starts around March.

Four injured as petrol tankers catch fire in Hyderabad

Four persons were injured as two petrol tankers caught fire on the outskirts of Hyderabad on Friday, police said.

Accidents happen during training: Army chief

Maintaining that soldiers accept that accidents happen during training, Army chief General Bipin Rawat on Friday said the accident during a drill ahead of Army Day parade, in which three soldiers were injured, will not affect the morale of the troops.

IndiGo ladder rams into Mumbai airport building, none injured

An aircraft ladder being used by IndiGo rammed into Mumbai Airport's terminal building while it was being moved on Friday morning, the airline said.

Mumbai pub blaze: 913 illegal structures razed in 14 days

Continuing its single-biggest drive against illegal constructions after the December 29 Mumbai pub blaze that claimed 14 lives, the BMC has razed a whopping 913 unauthorised structures which could be hazardous in case of a fire, an official said here on Friday.

New explosion hinders rescue efforts in Iranian tanker fire

Iran said today that a fresh explosion on a stricken oil tanker was complicating rescue efforts as Japan reported the vessel had drifted into its exclusive economic zone. "If it had not been for an explosion this morning, maybe the fire would have been extinguished by now," said Hadi Haghshenas, deputy director for Iran's Ports and Maritime Organisation, in an interview with state broadcaster IRIB. The Sanchi, carrying 136,000 tonnes of light crude oil from Iran, has been in flames since colliding with the CF Crystal, a Hong Kong-registered bulk freighter, 160 nautical miles east of Shanghai on Saturday. One body has been found but 31 sailors -- mainly Iranians -- remain missing with officials in Iran hoping they have found sanctuary on an unaffected part of the vessel. Haghshenas said a 12-member elite rescue team had been dispatched from Iran but was waiting in Shanghai for conditions that would allow them to land on the vessel. "The tanker is moving from the site of ...

Police post attacked in J&K, no casualties

Militants attacked a police post in Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian district on Friday evening but no casualties were reported, police said.

ECoR commissions new line at Paralakhemundi railway station

East Coast Railways has commissioned a new line at Paralakhemundi railway section in Odisha besides installing advanced signalling system, an official said today. This apart, the railways also introduced modern token less block system between Nuapada and Paralakhemundi stations. This new line would enable trains which were delayed at Nupada, will now run on time, the official said. "To facilitate hassle free traffic management in the Gunupur-Naupada section (90.20 km), railway has initiated several safety related modernisation work including electronic interlocking system at Parlakhemundi railway station," the official said adding that the electronic interlocking system was commissioned from January 10, 2018. As Parlakhemundi Station was earlier having single line, there was facility for one train only system and was giving problems to train management resulting in inconvenience to passengers. Now this block station, after safety related modernisation work, will ...