Page 985 - Disaster Accident

Father, daughters among 5 dead in US plane crash

An American family's holiday reunion ended in tragedy today when their light plane crashed in Florida, killing all five people aboard, the local sheriff's office said. The crash killed the pilot John Shannon, 70, his two adult daughters, his son-in-law and a family friend, the Polk County Sheriff said. "This is a tragedy any time, but it is so much worse because it happened on Christmas Eve," Sheriff Grady Judge said in a news release. Investigators said the twin-engine Cessna 340 took off from Bartow Airbase, near Tampa, about 7:15 am bound for Key West, but it went down near the end of the Bartow runway. While the cause of the incident is under investigation, "it was very foggy at the time," the sheriff's office said, adding that a fire followed the crash. "All of the victims perished upon or immediately after impact," it said. In addition to Shannon, the statement said the victims are believed to be Olivia Shannon, 24, a university student; Victoria Shannon ...

Several killed in plane crash in Florida

Several people were killed when a twin-engine private plane crashed during takeoff on Sunday at a small airport in US state of Florida, authorities said.

Hyd man dies in New Zealand, family appeals to Swaraj for help

The family of a 29-year-old man from Hyderabad, who died in a road accident in New Zealand, has requested External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to help bring his body back. Syed Abdul Raheem Fahad, who was studying in Auckland, New Zealand, also worked as a part-time taxi driver there, his family members said. A relative living in Australia informed them yesterday morning that a drunk driver jumped a traffic signal at a high speed and rammed into Fahad's car, killing the latter on the spot, the deceased's cousin, Faizal, told PTI. The family, which lives in the Chanchalguda area here, has appealed to Swaraj to help bring Fahad's body to Hyderabad at the earliest and also for financial assistance, he said. "We have contacted the officials at the Indian embassy (in New Zealand) also," Faizal added. Telangana BJP president K Laxman also requested Swaraj for help in this regard. "Madam @SushmaSwaraj Ji, Syed Abdul Raheem Fahad aged 29 years R/o Hyderabad died in a road ...

Speeding BEST bus hits dumper-truck, 15 injured

At least 13 passengers were injured after a civic-run BEST bus collided with a dumper-truck in suburban Andheri today, police said. The incident occurred near Marol bus depot around 12.40 pm. The speeding bus was heading for Andheri from Airoli in Navi Mumbai. Driver of the bus lost control near the Marol bus depot and hit the dumper-truck, said a police official. All injured persons, including the conductor and the driver of the bus, were sent to a BMC-run hospital in Jogeshwari. None of them suffered serious injuries, police said.

London Zoo reopens after fire

The London Zoo reopened to visitors today after the firefighters managed to douse the fire out that had engulfed a popular cafe.According to the Guardian, eight firefighters sustained minor injuries while putting out the fire.Authorities confirmed that an aardvark reportedly died of asphyxiation. Four meerkats who remained unaccounted for were also presumed dead.The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.David George, a London Fire Brigade station manager, said, "Our specialist fire investigation teams will be searching for the debris and see if they can establish a likely cause for the fire."The LFB was called in yesterday in the early morning hours after the Adventure Cafe and Shop, in the zoo premises, near the Meerkat enclosure in north-west London caught fire.Over 70 firefighters and ten fire engines were present to douse the flames.

Dozens feared dead in Philippine mall inferno

At least 37 people, including call centre staff from an American firm, are believed to have perished in a fire that tore through a shopping mall in the southern Philippine city of Davao, local authorities said today. President Rodrigo Duterte, himself a Davao native, visited distraught relatives outside the burning building overnight but told them there was "zero" chance their loved ones had survived, witnesses told AFP. Firemen found one body as the blaze was finally extinguished today, Davao Mayor Sara Duterte -- the president's daughter -- told reporters. Firemen have concluded that all those trapped in the building are dead, she said, adding: "They assessed that no one would survive in that heat and with that thick, black smoke." The deadly fire adds fresh misery for the mainly Catholic Philippines at Christmas as the death toll from a tropical storm that hit the south of the country Friday crossed 200 and with tens of thousands displaced by severe flooding and ...

Blast kills 7, injures 3 in Afghanistan's Helmand

At least seven people were killed and three others were injured in a blast in southern Helmand province of Afghanistan on Sunday.According to the Tolo News, the blast took place in Marjeh district of the province after a civilian vehicle hit a roadside mine.Women and children were among the dead, a source said.A spokesman for the provincial governor, Omar Zwak, confirming the incident, said, "There are no exact details about the number of the casualties yet".The injured were rushed to the hospital for medical assistance.

10 killed in road accident in Pak

At least 10 members of a family were killed and several others were injured, when two passenger buses coming from opposite directions collided with a Suzuki van, here.The incident occurred on Sunday morning on the Indus Highway near Sann in Sindh province, Dawn reported.According to Senior Superintendent Police (SSP) Irfan Bahadur, two buses were coming from Sehwan and Jamshoro towns respectively. Both the buses were travelling at a very high speed and collided with the oncoming van.Two men, four children and four women of a family were killed at the spot. Their bodies have been shifted to the Sann Hospital.Some passengers in the bus were also injured in the accident. The drivers of both the buses fled after the accident.

This festive season, Santa Clauses to teach road safety in Gurugram

Amid the Christmas celebrations, don't be surprised to see very many Santa Clauses handing out road safety tips to commuters on Gurugram roads on Sunday and a day after.

1 dead, six injured in accident due to dense fog

One person died while half-a-dozen people were seriously injured when a UP Roadways bus collided with a vehicle carrying cattle this morning due to heavy fog, police said. Due to heavy fog, the visibility was considerably low in the area today, said Rajiv Kumar Sharma, in-charge of Ujhani Police Station. The vehicle carrying cattle was badly damaged in the accident, killing its driver on the spot. The deceased was identified as Sattar, 27, Sharma said, adding that the six injured were rushed to a nearby hospital. A case was registered in this regard, he said.

Six troopers injured in Jammu-Srinagar highway accident

Six paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) troopers were injured in a road accident on the Jammu-Srinagar highway on Sunday.

Bali volcano spews thick smoke, ashes

Mount Agung in Indonesia's Bali island spewed thick smoke and ashes high into the air on Sunday, authorities said.

10 killed in Pakistan road accident

At least 10 people were killed and 15 others injured in a road crash in Pakistan's Sindh province on Sunday.

Two killed as truck falls into ditch

A brick-laden truck today fell into a 150-feet deep ditch after the driver lost control over it, leaving two persons dead. According to police, the accident took place in Chopan police station area of the district. Both the driver and cleaner died in the accident. The deceased have been identified as Ashfaq (26) and Mohit Pandey (28). Both bodies have been sent for post-mortem.

Govt forms panel to identify mines for CIL allocation

The government has set up a panel to identify additional mines for allocation to state-owned Coal India as the PSU mining giant is eyeing an output of one billion tonnes, says an official. The 10-member panel under the chairmanship of Additional Secretary Coal has members from Coal India (CIL) and its consultancy arm Central Mine Planning and Design Institute (CMPDI), among others. The terms of reference (ToR) of the panel include intensifying "additional coal blocks for allocation...to CIL/its subsidiaries, keeping in view their long-term production commitments," according to the official. The panel will also find additional mines from areas explored in recent years as per standard technical parameters. The Committee would "identify the coal/lignite blocks for allocation under the provisions of MMDR Act, 1957 and CBA Rules, 2017 through auction as well as allotment". The panel would also review the recommendations of the earlier committee in respect of 117 coal blocks ...

NDMA is functional: Centre to Delhi HC

The Centre has refuted the claim made in a PIL that due to lack of vacant posts in the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), its members are working on their own without any direction and coordination. "It is not true, NDMA is headed by the prime minister," the Ministry of Home Affairs said in its response to a public interest litigation which alleged that the posts in the NDMA and the National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) have not been filled up in the last two years. The ministry further informed a bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar that the rules provide that the chairperson may designate one of the members to be the vice chairman of the authority. "At present there are four members in NDMA," the reply filed by the Centre said, adding that "weekly meetings are held regularly, where all the members and joint secretaries discuss the implementation of various schemes, programmes and other issues related to disaster ...

Small plane crash in Turks and Caicos Islands kills 2

An aviation official in the Turks and Caicos Islands says a small plane crash has killed two people. Airport authority CEO John Smith says the plane crashed shortly after taking off today from the island of Providenciales. Photos from the scene show the aircraft was engulfed in flames and thick smoke following the crash along a road near the airport. Smith declined to identify the operator of the plane or the nationalities of the two people on board, and said the cause was under investigation. The plane was leaving the British territory southeast of the Bahamas at the time of the crash.

14 killed in road accident in Cairo

At least 14 people were killed and seven others wounded in a car accident in Beni Sweif province, the Egyptian Health Ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

Over 180 killed in Philippines landslides

Over 180 people have been killed and scores of others have been missing in southern Philippines after Tropical Storm Tembin triggered mud slides and flash floods on the country's second largest island, Mindanao.Blaming years of logging in the mountains near Anungan for the tragedy, the Guardian quoted, mayor of Sibuco in Zamboanga del Norte province, Bong Edding as saying, "It's really sad because Christmas is just a few days away, but these things happen beyond our control."Rescue operations were hampered since all power and communication lines in the affected area had been cut.A local weather bureau said that the storm had gathered strength over the Sulu Sea.Ryan Cabus, a local official, said: "We're still trying to confirm reports of a farming village, buried by a mudslide due to heavy rains by the typhoon."Cabus also added that emergency workers, soldiers, police and volunteers were being mobilised to search for survivors.The debris will be cleared and power and communications' ...

At least 13 killed in Tanzania boat accident

At least 13 people died and nine were reported missing after a boating accident in the Tanzanian waters of Lake Tanganyika, a local official told AFP today. "The accident happened at dawn on Friday... a boat carrying 135 passengers collided with another carrying 63 people," said Amaniel Sekulu, a regional maritime official. Some were rescued from the water but nine people were still missing, he said, adding that the 13 bodies that were recovered came from the boat carrying more passengers. Lake Tanganyika is the world's second largest freshwater lake by volume, and borders four countries, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi and Zambia.