Page 983 - Disaster Accident
China launches remote sensing satellites
China successfully launched remote sensing satellites from Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest Sichuan Province on Tuesday.According to the Xinhua news, the satellites, which were launched on a Long March-2C carrier rocket, have successfully entered its preset orbit.The satellites will be conducting electromagnetic environmental probes and other experiments.It was the third batch of the Yaogan-30 project.
Researchers use Twitter, AI to develop flood warning system
Researchers are combining Twitter, citizen science and artificial intelligence (AI) techniques to develop an early-warning system for flood-prone communities in urban areas.
4 killed in accident
Four persons were killed while five others sustained serious injuries as a car rammed into a mini truck on the Patiala-Cheeka Road today amid dense fog, police said. The four were on their way to Patiala when the accident occurred. The deceased have been identified as Sukhpal Singh (55), Harbhajan Singh (55), Gurmeet Singh (55) and Ranjit Singh (25). They hailed from village Habbadi in district Kaithal, Haryana. The injured were admitted to a local hospital.
Tsunami victims remembered
The tsunami victims of 2004 in Tamil Nadu were today remembered on the 13th anniversary of the killer phenomenon that caused widespread destruction. Emotional relatives remembered their near and dear ones, 13 years after the waves swallowed them on a Sunday morning in coastal districts like Chennai, Cuddalore and Nagapattinam. Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar and Handloom Minister O S Manian paid tributes to the departed souls here and at Nagapattinam, respectively. Mourners held special prayers, took out candle light processions and paid floral tributes, besides pouring milk into the sea in these districts to remember their loved ones who were swept away by the giant tidal waves. Prayers and tributes were held in Chennai and Nagapattinam, with the latter bearing the brunt of the tsunami. At Nagapattinam, when the clock struck 9:17 AM, people rose to observe a minute's silence to pay homage to the 6065 persons who lost their lives. Floral tributes were paid at the Tsunami .
Sri Lanka observes two-minute silence for 2004 tsunami victims
A two-minute silence was observed across Sri Lanka on Tuesday to remember the victims of the massive tsunami that struck the island nation in 2004, the Disaster Management Centre said.
Will maintain communication with Indian over rivers: China
China on Tuesday said it will maintain communication with India over the transboundary rivers in the wake of lakes and dams being formed on the Yarlung Tsangpo due to earthquakes in Tibet and which pose a danger to Arunachal Pradesh and Assam.
Philippines' Duterte vows to get to truth of deadly mall blaze
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte vowed today to get to the truth about a blaze in his home city that killed 37 call centre workers. He said he made the promise during a meeting last night with the families of those killed in a shopping mall fire in the southern city of Davao. "I assured them... that the truth will - let the truth come out," Duterte said. "That is what they are asking for. Just the truth of what happened." The justice and labour departments have ordered separate investigations into Saturday's blaze. Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre has said his office would investigate the fire with a view to bringing criminal charges. The fire broke out in the four-storey NCCC Mall shortly before it opened to shoppers. But it killed 37 people working in a 24-hour call centre for US-based market research firm SSI on the top floor. At a Davao hospital today families of the dead waited in a silence broken only by occasional sobs as government workers tried to ...
Just 18 fresh dengue cases at year end
With the season for vector-borne diseases having ended, a municipal report today said only 18 dengue cases were reported over the last week. The total number of people affected by the disease this year in the national capital till December 23 stands at 9,232. The total number of people affected by the disease in Delhi till December 16 was 9,214. The numbers of malaria and chikungunya cases recorded this year in the same period stood at 1,140 and 934 respectively, the report said. Of the 9,232 dengue cases this year, 4,711 patients were from Delhi, while 4,521 had come to the city from other states for treatment, the report said. Cases of vector-borne diseases are usually reported between mid-July and November-end but this period may stretch up to mid-December. This year, however, the disease had spread much earlier. The mosquito-borne tropical disease had claimed its first victim in the city this year on August 1, when a 12-year-old boy died of dengue shock syndromes at ..
3 killed, 2 injured in road accident in UP's Bijnor
Three people were killed in an head-on collision between a motorcycle and a three-wheeler auto here, police said today. The accident took place yesterday on Ganj road here, when a speeding motorcycle crashed into a passenger laden three- wheeler auto, the police said. The bikers-- Dinesh (22) and Raisu (35)--died on the spot , they said, adding the injured auto passengers were rushed to a nearby hospital where one passenger, Bunty (27), succumbed to injuries. The bodies were handed over to family members after post-mortem, the police added.
Japan to repatriate eight N.Korean fishermen
Japanese authorities on Tuesday will repatriate eight North Korean fishermen whose vessel washed ashore on the country's northern coast.
3 killed in accidents in UP
Three people were killed and a woman was injured in separate accidents in the city, police said today. Yesterday, Mukesh Bind (48) was killed and his mother was injured when their bike was hit by a truck near Ghazipur Ghat railway station, they said. In other incident, Mulayam Yadav (22) was killed when his tractor was hit by a truck in Nandganj area. Devanyi Devi (48) died after being hit by a train while she was crossing a railway line in Dildar Nagar area, they said.
JetBlue plane slides off taxiway at Boston's Logan Airport
Airline officials say a JetBlue Airways plane slid off of the taxiway at Boston's Logan Airport. Officials say JetBlue Flight 50 from Savannah, Georgia, briefly skidded when it landed around 7:15 PM yesterday. Firefighters helped passengers off of the plane and they were bused to the terminal. Authorities say no one was injured. The Massachusetts Port Authority tells WHDH-TV that snow forced the airport to close its runways for a short period yesterday. Massport officials say runways were cleared by 11:30 AM.
Thirty-seven confirmed dead in Philippines mall fire
The fire authorities in Philippines have confirmed that around 37 charred bodies were found after a deadly blaze occurred at a shopping mall in southern Philippines.According to ChannelNewsAsia, the regional chief of the Bureau of Fire Protection, Wilberto Rico, had announced that he personally counted "around 37" bodies in an office lobby at the shopping mall in Davao.The casualties were mostly, call centre staff, who were working in an American-based call centre organisation. The fire was finally controlled by the firefighters late on Monday night, which started on Saturday morning.The cause of the fire is under investigation. The local authorities have ordered a criminal investigation into the incident.Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre said, in a statement: "By punishing those responsible, we can set an example to others so that, hopefully, there will be no repetition of such tragedies."Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte had made an unannounced visit to the mall on Saturday ...
Central team in Kerala to assess Cyclone Ockhi damages
A central team landed here on Tuesday to assess damages caused by Cyclone Ockhi, which struck the southern districts of Kerala and Tamil Nadu on November 30.
Man, 76, dies in New York high-rise apartment building fire
A 76-year-old man was killed in a wind-whipped fire at a New York high-rise apartment building. Two firefighters also were injured in the fire on the 35th floor of a 36-story building in midtown Manhattan, authorities said. Fire Department spokesman Michael Parrella said firefighters were hampered by high winds and malfunctioning elevators as they tried to get to the top of the building. He said the injured firefighters, treated at hospitals, had non-life-threatening injuries. The fire, reported shortly after 7:30 AM, drew over 100 firefighters before it was under control at 9 a.m. Parrella said the fire was contained to one apartment. The cause is under investigation. Police said the victim was found unconscious and unresponsive in a bedroom. He was identified as John Doktor, the resident of the apartment. "It was a heavy, wind-driven fire," Assistant Chief Joe Woznica said of the two-alarm blaze that sent smoke billowing toward a blue sky. He added that the conditions ..
22 injured due to fireworks at Cuban carnival
A fireworks explosion has injured 22 people, including six children, during a Cuban carnival on Christmas Eve, on Monday."An unfortunate accident with fireworks occurred last night in Remedios," the government's Cubadebate internet news service reported.The centuries-old Parrandas festival in the central town of Remedios takes place every December 24 and draws local as well as international attention.The cause of the explosion was under investigation.More details awaited.
Vietnam evacuates 650,000 ahead of typhoon
Vietnamese authorities on Monday evacuated some 650,000 people ahead of the arrival of Tembin, the storm that left 200 dead and missing in the Philippines and that has intensified to typhoon on its path through the South China Sea.
Two dead in blast at Ecuador restaurant
A Christmas Eve explosion at a restaurant in Ecuador's capital killed two people including a child, and injured 12, authorities said today. The incident left a seven-year-old boy and an 82-year-old woman dead, according to the mayor's office in Quito, updating an earlier toll of one fatality. The blast occurred at 11:11 pm on Sunday when leaking gas ignited, the mayor's office said. Authorities added that the victims were dining in the restaurant at the time of the explosion. It also left about a dozen cars with windshield and body damage, and caused windows to vibrate within two blocks of the area.
Five die in Moscow after bus drives into pedestrian underpass
At least five people died and 15 others were injured on Monday after a bus carrying passengers drove into a pedestrian underpass in the centre of Moscow, near Slaviansky Boulevard metro station.According to the driver of the bus, the vehicle suddenly started moving as the brakes have failed, reported Sputnik, quoting the local police.The mayor of Moscow, who took a stock of the accident site, two people among the injured are in critical condition.The police said that "two versions are being examined: the driver failed to manage the vehicle or a malfunction of the vehicle.
Ukrainian woman among 2 killed in road accident in UP
Two persons, including a Ukrainian woman, were killed and two others injured today when their car ploughed into a road divider and overturned, police said. Ukrainian nationals BK Dana (22) and Maria (24) were travelling with Ankit and Vaibhav (30) from Kanpur to Delhi. The accident occured in the Mahaban police station area. All four people were rushed to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared Dana and Vaibhav dead, SP (Rural) Aditya Kumar Shukla said. Dana and Maria had come to India on a tourist visa. The Ukrainian Embassy in New Delhi has been informed about the accident, the SP said.