Page 955 - Disaster Accident
Man burns down flat in California in bid to kill giant spider
A man may have accidentally set an apartment on fire in California while trying to burn a huge wolf spider with a blowtorch, US media reported. The fire occurred on Sunday in a block of flats in the city of Redding in northern California. A witness living in the flat where the fire occurred told a local newspaper that the burning spider may have spread the fire across the apartment itself. It is not clear whether the spider survived the fire. No injuries were reported but the block was evacuated. The local fire department chief, Gerry Gray, confirmed to the BBC that a fire had taken place in an apartment block, but that the cause of the fire was still "undetermined". "The information regarding the 'spider' was presented by civilian witnesses, at the scene of the fire, and is certainly part of our investigation," Gray said. The spider was a "huge wolf spider", according to a witness quoted by the local Redding Record Searchlight newspaper. The fire department told the paper
Schools closed in Zambia as cholera toll rises to 61
The start of Zambia's school year has been postponed and all public gatherings banned to contain a cholera outbreak that has killed 61 people, officials said today. Church services were cancelled on Sunday and a night-time curfew has been imposed to limit movement in Lusaka's densely-populated slum district of Kanyama, one of the worst affected areas. Street vending has also been outlawed and nightclub hours reduced, while the army has been patrolling the streets for the last 10 days to ensure compliance with the tightening restrictions. "The country has recorded 114 new cases in the last 24 hours bringing the total to 2,672 since the disease broke out. The cumulative death toll is 61," Health Minister Chitalu Chilufya told journalists today. The current outbreak began in late September. The school year was due to start on Monday and no date has been set for term to begin. Cholera is a water-borne diarrhoeal disease that can kill within hours if left untreated, but is ...
Jet fires pilots for on-board physical altercation
Airline major Jet Airways has terminated the services of two pilots who indulged in physical altercation on-board a London-Mumbai flight.
Centre to provide communication equipment to deep-sea fishers
The Centre was mulling a scheme to provide communication gadgets to fishermen involved in deep sea fishing so that they could seek help during natural disasters, Union Minister of State for Shipping Pon Radhakrishnan today said. The Centre was considering using technology to help the fishermen during disasters and consultations were being held with officials and concerned ministry on the scheme which would be launched in Tamil Nadu, he told reporters here. It was aimed at helping the fishermen who go on deep sea fishing to communicate about their location and other information, he said. The necessity for such communication equipment was felt during cyclone "Ochki" which hit the district and neighbouring Kerala and union territory of Lakshadweep in November-December last year. Several fishermen were either stranded mid-sea or reported missing in the cyclone that wrecked havoc in Kanyakumari. Fishermen had blamed lack of advance information about the cyclone as a reason ...
BMC cracks down on hoteliers over implementation of fire safety norms
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Tuesday issued warning to all hoteliers to carry out self audit of fire safety measures in their restaurants, failing which the defaulters would have to face dire consequences.This comes days after a fire gutted two rooftop restaurants in Kamala Mills in Mumbai.BMC commissioner Ajoy Mehta has averred there would be zero tolerance against violations of fire safety norms.A meeting of Indian Hotel and Resturant Association (AHAR) and Mehta was convened yesterday where AHAR assured the BMC commissioner that the restaurants would engage private auditors and would conduct auditing of safety measures at their premises.AHAR has issued a circular on fire safety norms to 8,000 of its members across the city.The association of hoteliers has circulated a 14-point circular to restaurateurs educating them about necessary fire safety measures to avoid untoward incidents.On a related note, the Bhoiwada court has sent managers of pub '1 Above' Kevin Bawa
Kedarnath tragedy rehabilitation:SC stays Uttarakhand HC order
The Supreme Court today stayed an order of Uttarakhand High Court directing the completion of construction of roads and bridges destroyed in the 2013 Kedarnath tragedy in a time-bound manner. A bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud stayed the November 19, 2016, order and issued notice to petitioners who were before the high court. Uttarakhand government had filed the appeal through advocate Farukh Rasheed saying the high court had erred in passing several mandatory directions which were not harmonious with the guidelines of National Disaster Management Authority (NDRF) and SDRF, for rehabilitation of the affected people. He said that out of damaged 2072 roads and 258 bridges in the state, 2068 roads were opened to traffic within a short period and the remaining four roads which were completely washed away are proposed to be reconstructed. Rasheed said that out of 258 damaged bridges, 136 have been repaired and made available ..
South African train crash leaves 200 injured
At least 200 persons were injured on Tuesday morning in a train crash on the outskirts of Johannesburg, according to country's emergency response group.Two Metrorail passenger trains collided at the Geldenhuys Station in Germiston, the local media reported.A statement from ER24 says there are no fatalities in the crash.Paramedics are present at the scene.The details around the crash are not yet clear. However, an investigation is underway.The incident is second in a week. On January 4 passenger train crash took place near Kroonstad in South Africa's Free State province, claiming 18 lives and injuring around 254 lives.The Shosholoza Meyl train was heading to Johannesburg from the coastal city of Port Elizabeth, according to the reports.
Fire in city hospital, none injured
A minor fire broke out at a private hospital in the city's Ekbalpore area this evening but none was injured, Kolkata Police said. The fire broke out in the ophthalmology department of the hospital at around 6.15 p m and the handful of patients present rushed out to safety, the police said. Three fire tenders were pressed into service and the blaze was doused, the police said adding investigation into the incident is on.
HC seeks Centre's response on crash guards ban on vehicles
The Delhi High Court on Tuesday sought the Central government's response on a petition challenging its decision of directing action against fitment of metal crash guards or bull bars in vehicles.
US man burns down flat in bid to kill spider
A man in the US state of California set his apartment on fire while trying to kill a spider using a torch lighter.
Snow traps 13,000 tourists at Swiss Alpine resort Zermatt
Heavy snowfall has trapped some 13,000 tourists at Zermatt, one of Switzerland's most popular ski stations, the Alpine resort said today. The snow has blocked all roads and the train leading to the resort in the southern Swiss canton of Valais, which was also hit by some power outages, head of the station Janine Imesch told AFP. There are currently "around 13,000 tourists at Zermatt," she said, while the station website warned that "arrivals and departures are not possible at the moment." The main access road has been closed since yesterday, while the train was halted late last night, she said. Zermatt is home to some 5,500 inhabitants and has the capacity to accommodate 13,400 tourists spread across hotels and rental apartments. But the stranded tourists will not be able to take advantage of the abundant snow for the time being, due to the high risk of avalanches in the area. "It is not possible to do downhill or cross country, but that's ok. It's a bit romantic," Imesch
MP: 4 dead, over 40 injured in Ujjain accident
Four labourers died and at least 40 others were injured on Tuesday when the tyre of a pick-up van they were travelling in burst and the vehicle overturned near here, police said.
Centre's direction on crash guards challenged in Delhi HC
A plea challenging the Centre's direction to all states to take stern action against unauthorised fitting of crash guards or bull bars on vehicles today led the Delhi High Court to seek the government's stand. A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar, which asked the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways to respond, was of the view that "human life is more important than installation of bull bars". The court's observation came after it was informed by the Centre's lawyer that in case of a crash involving vehicles with bull bars, the impact is disproportionately distributed and thus, airbags may not open to save the occupants. The ministry in December last year had issued a direction to all the state governments to take action, saying the crash guards posed danger to both pedestrians and vehicle occupants and were in violation of the Motor Vehicles Act. Mohammed Arif, who claims to be a manufacturer and dealer of crash guards or bull bars, ..
Overcrowded jeep overturns in MP: four killed, 37 injured
Four persons were killed and 37 others injured when an overcrowded jeep toppled after a tyre burst near here today, police said. A woman and a minor boy were among those killed in the mishap which took place near a petrol station at Runija village, about 60km from the district headquarters, they said. Initial investigation suggests the jeep driver lost control over the vehicle after its front right side tyre got punctured. Thereafter, the vehicle overturned, Bhat Pachlana police station sub-inspector Shanker Singh Mujalda said. Four persons were killed and 37 others, including the driver, injured, six of them seriously, in the mishap, he said. The seriously injured passengers were rushed to Indore, while the others were admitted to different hospitals in the district, Mujalda said. The ill-fated jeep had the capacity to accommodate 14 passengers, but it was carrying 41 people, including the driver, the police official said. Passengers travelling on rooftops or clinging on
Hyderabad University student killed in car crash
A female student of Hyderabad Central University was killed and two techies were injured in a car crash on Outer Ring Road on the city outskirts early on Tuesday, police said.
China warns of possible explosion in Iranian oil tanker
China warned on Tuesday that an Iranian oil tanker, which collided with a freighter in the East China Sea, could explode, while rescuers were still searching for 31 missing people after an incident which could unleash an environmental disaster.
NTPC engages DuPont for safe operations at its plants
State-run power giant NTPC has roped in DuPont to upscale safety standards at its power plants and installations to prevent accidents. The move comes after the November accident at NTPC's Unchahar plant that killed 43 people in one of the nation's worst industrial disasters in recent years. "The accident prompted us to have a relook at the entire operation - right from design to final supply. We have had robust operations and standard operating procedures (SOPs) in place. But now, we want to see what we can do more to inculcate safety as a culture in the organisation," a senior company official said. He further said:"Safety has been brought in as one of the parameters of judging performance of employees and officers. The NTPC management has set no limits for expenditure on safety. Budget would not be a constraint." Earlier, DuPont was working with NTPC at some plants. But after the Unchahar accident, the company decided to increase the scope of DuPont to all its ...
200 injured in commuter train crash outside Johannesburg
A South African emergency response group says around 200 people have been injured in a train crash on the outskirts of Johannesburg. A statement from ER24 says there are no fatalities in the crash Tuesday morning at a commuter train station in Germiston. The statement says one train carriage derailed. It says the details around the crash are not clear but authorities are on the scene and investigating. A passenger train crash last week south of Johannesburg killed at least 18 people and injured about 260.
Follow norms when giving nod to commercial outlets: HC on PIL
Authorities must ensure norms are followed when giving clearance for commercial establishments, the Bombay High Court said today while hearing a PIL on the fire incident at the Kamala Mills Compound here which claimed 14 lives. Former Mumbai police commissioner Julio Ribeiro filed the Public Interest Litigation today seeking a judicial inquiry into the December 29 incident and also a direction to the government and the civic body to carry out fire safety audit of all eateries and restaurants in the metropolis. Ribeiro's lawyer Sujoy Kantawala mentioned the petition before a division bench of justices R M Borde and R G Ketkar which posted it for hearing on January 15. "When authorities permit commercial establishments then there have to be some regulations. There has to be sufficient passage and access for fire engines to come and go in the case of emergencies," Justice Borde said. Ribeiro, in his PIL, claimed that the incident has exposed gross negligence and omission of
Fire at UP CM's office
A fire broke out at the fifth floor of the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister's office building here on Tuesday, police said.