Page 951 - Disaster Accident
Labourer dies in slab collapse
A labourer was crushed to death while another was injured when part of a slab collapsed in Gaondevi area this afternoon, said an official from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. Renovation work of a car-parking shed at the Sea Side building near Kemps Corner was going on when the accident took place. Part of the shed came down during demolition, said the official. Yogendra Ram (50) was declared dead on arrival at the JJ Hospital, while another labourer, Kishor Ramade (35) was admitted. His condition was said to be stable.
Study: Warming puts millions more at risk from river floods
Scientists say millions more people around the world are threatened by river floods in coming decades due to climate change. Researchers in Germany say greater flood defenses are particularly needed in the United States, parts of India and Africa, Indonesia and Central Europe. River floods are already one of the most widespread and damaging forms of natural disasters around the world. Using computer simulations, scientists at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research say the number of people affected by the worst 10 percent of river flooding will increase by up to 156 million in Asia alone by 2040. The study published today in the journal Science Advances concludes that flood risks will rise regardless of efforts to curb climate change because of greenhouse gases already emitted in past decades.
Thick fog continues to hit train services in North India
As heavy fog engulfs parts of northern India, the train services have taken a major hit with 49 trains running behind schedule on Thursday.Moreover, 23 trains were rescheduled, while 24 trains were cancelled due to low visibility and operational reasons.Yesterday, hundreds of passengers were left stranded for hours as 65 trains got delayed, cancelled and rescheduled due to similar weather condition in several parts of northern India.Also, the air quality in the national capital has been keeping under 'hazardous' category as particulate matters remain suspended in air due to lack of wind.Earlier in the day, in a major digital initiative to help plan the traffic flows and optimize freight operations, the Ministry of Railways launched Smart Freight Operation Optimisation and Real Time Information (SFOORTI) App for freight managers that provides features for monitoring and managing freight business using Geographic Information System (GIS) Views and Dashboard.
Fire breaks out at Jaipur multiplex marriage lawn
A huge fire broke out at one of the marriage lawns at Entertainment Paradise Multiplex Cinema in Jaipur today. However, no loss of life was reported in the accident, police said, adding nearly 20 fire tenders were rushed to douse the fire. According to Assistant Fire Officer Usha Sharma, the marriage decoration sets were completely gutted in the incident. The fire apparently broke due to sparks of iron welding machine, which soon engulfed the entire lawn, the police said. No case has been registered in the matter, Munshi Lal, the investigating officer in the case, said.
Fresh air scare for Fadnavis; chopper takes off while landing
In the latest in a series of incidents involving him, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra today survived another air scare while his helicopter was about to land at Bhayander near Mumbai. The pilot, on noticing that there was a cable wire in the vicinity of the school ground where the helicopter carrying Fadnavis was to land, took it up again, police said. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari was also in the helicopter, police said, adding nobody was hurt in the incident. Last month, a helicopter ferrying Fadnavis to Aurangabad was forced to land soon after taking off from Nashik apparently due to overloading. The private chopper had taken off again successfully for its scheduled journey after offloading one of the passengers and some luggage. As the helicopter was unable to get the required altitude to fly, some luggage was also off-loaded, an official had said. On July 7, before take-off in a helicopter from Alibaug near Mumbai, Fadnavis narrowly missed being struck by the ...
SC no to foreign safety assessment of Mullaperiyar Dam
The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed a plea for direction to the Centre to engage an international agency to assess the safety of the 120-year-old Mullaperiyar Dam in Kerala that is maintained by Tamil Nadu.
Roads accident deaths have come down in 2017 in TN: Official
Various steps taken by the Tamil Nadu government has brought down the number of deaths and road accidents in 2017 as compared to 2016, a top official today said. There were 1,061 lesser deaths and 5,869 lesser accidents in the the state in 2017 when compared to 2016 due to various measures, Transport and Road Safety Commissioner Dayanand Kattaria said without elaborating at a review meeting on road safety with senior officials of departments including Transport and police here. However, steps should be taken to bring down the accident rate to nil in due course as there were increased incidents of drunk driving, driving while speaking over cell phone, rash driving and riding without helmets, which lead to mishaps and deaths, he said. Asking departments such as Transport, police and road to coordinate with the ambulance services, which were doing a good job, Kattaria said the government had set up panel safety corners in 571 two-wheeler showrooms, to create ...
BMC seals 12 eateries, razes illegal construction at 135
The civic body today announced that over the past two days it had sealed 12 eateries for flouting fire safety norms and demolished unauthorised construction carried out in 135 establishments. A senior Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation official today said that the action was carried out by 52 squads that surveyed 795 eateries across Mumbai. "We have seized 319 cylinders as well and action is being taken under provisions of the Maharashtra Fire Prevention and Life Safety Act and the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act," he informed. The official added that 438 owners have also been asked to rectify irregularities at their establishments. The action is part of an ongoing drive the BMC started after a devastating fire swept through a pub in the Kamala Mills area of central Mumbai ih the early hours of December 29 killing 14 people.
Labourer dead in slab collapse
A labourer was crushed to death while another was injured when part of a slab collapsed in Gaondevi area this afternoon, said an official from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. Renovation work of a car-parking shed at the Sea Side building near Kemps Corner was going on when the accident took place. Part of the shed came down during demolition, said the official. Yogendra Ram (50) was declared dead on arrival at the JJ Hospital, while another labourer, Kishor Ramade (35) was admitted. His condition was said to be stable.
Three soldiers injured in accident during Army Day parade rehearsal
Three army personnel were injured in a freak accident in a practice drill ahead of Army Day parade, when soldiers displaying slithering operations fell from a helicopter following a malfunction in the craft's boom, to which the ropes were attached, officials said.
A California affluent community reels from deadly mudslides
The streets of Montecito in Santa Barbara country in California resemble a battlefield, choked with mud, downed trees, snapped utility poles, crumpled cars and crushed houses.
Mangaluru: Mishap averted as plane aborts takeoff at last minute
An accident was averted at the Mangaluru Airport on Thursday after the Air Traffic Control (ATC) spotted an empty tractor on the runway when a Jet Airways flight was about to take off.According to Air Traffic Control sources, "an empty tractor was parked for cutting grass at the end of the runway when the Mumbai-bound Jet Airways flight was about to take off. Following, which the take-off was suspended".After spotting the tractor, which was deployed for cutting grass, the ATC officials immediately suspended the flight's take-off.Meanwhile, all the passengers and crew were reported to be safe.
Asian Games bronze medalist wrestler dies in road accident
Famous wrestler and double bronze medalist in 1974 Tehran Asian Games Sukhchain Singh Cheema was killed in a road accident near Patiala bypass yesterday evening. The 67-year old wrestler was returning home from his farm in Bhanri village yesterday evening when the accident occurred, police said. The accident took place near Shermajra chowk here. A car coming from Rajpura side rammed into Cheema's vehicle, which turned turtle. He succumbed to his injuries in the local hospital. Cheema, a Dronacharya awardee, is survived by his wife and two sons. Cheema was the son of 'Rustum-e-Hind' wrestler Kesar Singh Cheema. Sukhchain, who was running a Rustem-e-Hind Akhara in Patiala, had bagged double bronze medals during Tehran Asian Games in 1974. He won medals in both freestyle and Greco-Roman style category. Cheema's son Palwinder Singh Cheema who is a DSP in Punjab police, was also 'Rustum-e-Hind'. Meanwhile, the local government, cultural affairs & tourism minister, Punjab
Cab driver killed in road accident in Noida
A cab driver was killed in a road accident near the NIB chowki here when a speeding truck hit his vehicle, police said today. The deceased was identified as Davinder, a resident of Ghaziabad, Sector 58 police station incharge Anil Kumar Singh said, adding that the accident occurred last night when Davinder was returning from Sector 62. The body was sent for postmortem and a manhunt launched to nab the unidentified truck driver, he said.
Fire in Kolkata building
A fire broke out in a multi-storey under-construction building here on Thursday. No one was injured, a fire official said.
NF Railway introduces new technology to tackle fog
The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has introduced a new GPS-based system in all locomotives for auto warning to train drivers during the foggy season, an official said on Thursday.
Ellen DeGeneres, Oprah Winfrey talks about deadly mudslides
TV host Ellen DeGeneres and Oprah Winfrey talked about the devastation caused by mudslides in their Montecito neighbourhood in Southern California. The mudslides were caused by heavy rain which sent mud and boulders sliding down the hills stripped of vegetation by the recent wildfires in the area. During an episode of her daytime talk show, Ellen shared how the deadly wildfires had forced her and wife Portia de Rossi to evacuate their home in Montecito, a wealthy coastal enclave north-west of Los Angeles. "One of the things that I want to talk about is you know, we've had these terrible fires all over California and one of the hardest hit areas is where I live in Montecito. We have had mandatory evacuations," DeGeneres said. "We were expecting rain this week and usually we're grateful for rain, especially in California, but not after the largest fire in the history of California. Sunday night, Portia and I got a call that we're under mandatory evacuation again with most .
NF Railway uses GPS-based technology to tackle visibility
A new GPS-based system has been installed in all the locomotives of Northeast Frontier Railway to alert loco pilots about approaching signals and help in the timely running of trains during heavy fog. The equipment called FogPASS (Fog Pilot Assistance system for Safety), consisting of an inbuilt battery and GPS antenna with magnetic base, has been installed in all the locomotives in NF Railway, Chief Public Relations Officer Pranav Jyoti Sharma said. As the train moves, the new equipment will display on the LCD screen, a short description and the remaining distance of the next two landmarks in geographical order. The landmarks include signals of various types and level crossing gates, he said. When a train approaches a station, the device will flash the distance left for the home signal of that station. Even if the pilot is unable to physically see the signal, he would be aware of how far the train is from the signal and act accordingly. There is also a provision of voice
Iranian media: 5.1 magnitude earthquake rocks southern Iran
Iranian media are reporting that a magnitude 5.1 earthquake has jolted the country's southern province of Kerman. The official IRNA news agency says the temblor rocked the village of Hojedk, located about 700 kilometers, or 400 miles, south of Tehran early on Thursday. It says the quake's depth was 10 kilometers, or 6.2 miles. There was no immediate report on damages or casualties. The media say residents rushed out to the streets after the quake. Kerman has recently seen several quakes, ranging in magnitude from 4 to 6.2. In November, a 7.2 magnitude quake hit western Iran, killing more than 600 people. Iran sits on major fault lines and is prone to near-daily earthquakes. In 2003, a 6.6 magnitude quake flattened the historic city of Bam, killing 26,000 people.
Mullaperiyar dam: SC asks Centre, TN, Kerala to set up panels
The Supreme Court today directed the Centre and the Tamil Nadu and Kerala governments to set up three separate committees to exclusively deal with any "unpredictable" disaster that may occur at the site of the over 180-year-old Mullaperiyar dam. A bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud, however, clarified that the proposed panels would only deal with the disaster aspect of the dam situated in Kerala. It made clear that the issues relating to safety and life span of the historic dam would continue to be dealt with by an existing panel, which was set up following the five-judge Constitution bench verdict in 2014. The bench was hearing a petition filed by Kerala-based Russel Joy, seeking a direction to authorities concerned that a study be conducted by international experts on the issue of safety and life span of the dam. He has also sought decommissioning of the dam on the ground that it has become too old and the right ..