Page 988 - Disaster Accident
41 injured in train crash outside of Madrid
Emergency services have confirmed 41 people have been injured, four of them seriously, after a local train collided with the buffers at the station of Alcala de Henares, to the east of Madrid on Friday afternoon.
Quake off Andaman Islands
A moderate quake, measuring 5.0 on the Richter Scale, was recorded off the Andaman and Nicobar Islands on Friday night, the IMD reported.
Cat delays flight in Pakistan
A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight from Karachi to Gwadar on Friday was delayed after a pilot informed the control tower about "possible danger" - which turned out to be a cat in the cockpit, airport officials said.
5.4-magnitude quake hits Russia
An earthquake measuring 5.4 on the Richter scale was recorded in Russia's Kamchatka peninsula early on Saturday (local time), the US Geological Survey said.
TN announces Rs 20 L solatium to family of deceased jawan
The Tamil Nadu government today announced that Rs 20 lakh solatium would be given to the family of a sepoy, who died in an avalanche in Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister K Palaniswami condoled the death of N Moorthy (32) in an avalanche in Jammu and Kashmir on December 19 and said he had issued orders to give Rs 20 lakh to the bereaved family members. "I am grieved to hear the news of the demise of Sepoy N Moorthy and express my deep conoldences to his family members", he said in an official release The Chief Minister said he has issued orders to give Rs 20 lakh to the bereaved family members. A Defence press release said that Moorthy is survived by - wife Thamilarasi and two sons Subiksan and M Merwin. The body of the sepoy would be arriving in Coimbatore from New Delhi tomorrow, the release added.
Zaveri Bazar building collapse contractor booked for culpable
Police today registered an offence of culpable homicide against the contractor and site supervisor of the building which collapsed at Zaveri Bazar last week killing four people. On December 15, four labourers engaged in repair work of a building at Sam Seth lane in the Zaveri Bazar area were killed when the building's slab collapsed. Police said that the contractor repairing the Dhanji Mulji building tried to demolish some part of the building which led to the collapse. Sharad Naik, Senior Inspector of LT Marg police station said investigations had revealed that the contractor and site supervisor did not take steps for the safety of the workers. The official said that an offence under section 304 (2)and section 34 of the Indian Penal Code had been registered and further investigations were underway.
5 injured in LPG cylinder explosion in UP
Five people were injured today when an LPG cylinder exploded in a house in the densely-populated Sabji Mandi locality here, police said. Following the blast, the house, belonging to one Pankaj Shukla, was badly damaged and the roof of the kitchen collapsed, they said. According to Shukla, his wife was cooking food when the blast took place, the police said. City kotwali incharge Ashok Pandey said that the fire brigade was rushed to the spot which doused the flames and took out four other LPG cylinders stored in the house. The injured, including Shukla and his wife and three neighbours, were admitted to a district hospital, he said, adding their condition was reported to be safe. The reason for the blast was reported to be gas leakage, Pandey said.
East Coast Rlys deploys 144 counsellors at unmanned crossings
The East Coast Railway (ECoR) has deployed as many as 144 gate counsellors at sensitive unmanned level crossings to avoid accidents, an official today said. The persons engaged as "Gate Mitras" would alert road users about the approaching trains and ask them to remain vigilant, the official said. Gate Mitras have been appointed for 10 crossings in Khurda Road Division, 68 in Sambalpur Division and 66 in Waltair Railway Division where road traffic is high. This arrangement will be in place until all unmanned level crossings are converted into manned gates, limited height subways or Road Over Bridges (ROB), depending on their feasibility. These gate counsellors will be available at the gates round-the-clock wearing fluorescent safety jackets and will also report any misbehaviour and obstructions, including lodging of FIR against road users who violate rules. The official said that the deployment of Gate Mitras is a temporary measure as all unmanned gates will be ...
Flights halted at British airport after jet leaves runway
A regional airport in England has halted flights after a plane that had just landed left a runway while taxiing. Officials said today there were no injuries from the mishap Friday at Bristol Airport involving a bmi regional flight from Frankfurt, Germany. Airport and airline officials say 25 people were on board the twin-engine Embraer 145 jet during the incident, which happened while the plane was taxiing. The incident caused severe disruption at the airport located 200 km west of London. Bristol Airport is a popular regional facility that handles a number of international flights. Today was one of the busiest travel days of the year in Britain due to the Christmas holidays.
Pulses sowing area up 9%, wheat area down in rabi season
Area under pulses rose by 9 per cent to 146.06 lakh hectares but wheat acreage declined to 262.74 lakh hectares in the ongoing rabi (winter-sown) season so far, according to the official data. Area under pulses was 146.06 lakh hectares so far in this rabi season as against 133.94 lakh hectares in the year- ago period, an official statement said. Wheat acreage fell to 262.74 lakh hectares from 272.62 lakh hectares during the period under review. "As per preliminary reports received from the States, the total area sown under Rabi crops as on December 22, 2017 stands at546.02lakh hectare as compared to544.97lakh hectare this time in 2016," the statement said. Rice acreage is up at 14.78 lakh hectares from 10.31 lakh hectares. However, sowing area of coarse cereals is down marginally at 49.41 lakh hectares from 49.84 lakh hectares. Oilseeds acreage, too, is down at 73.03 lakh hectares from 78.27 lakh hectares. India produced a record 275.68 million tonnes of foodgrain in the
Philippines ferry mishap toll rises to 5
The death toll in the Philippines ferry mishap has risen to five, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said on Friday.
Rabi Crops Sowing Crosses 546 Lakh Hactare
Wheat has been sown/transplanted in 262.74 lakh hectares, rice in 14.78 lakh hectares, pulses in 146.06 lakh hectares, coarse cereals in 49.41 lakh hectares and area sown under oilseeds is 73.03 lakh hectares.
Himachal HC strikes down act regularising illegal constructions
Acting tough against an amended act that sought to regularise illegal constructions across Himachal Pradesh, the state High Court on Friday set aside the legislation enabling legalisation of over 25,000 unauthorised structures -- both commercial and residential.
Cylone Ockhi: 275 fishermen missing, says Rajnath Singh
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday said the total number of missing fishermen, who were trapped in cyclone Ockhi, has decreased to 275 from 433."Initial figure of missing persons was 433, now after return of some of them, the number of missing remains 275," Singh said in the Lok Sabha.He further said that 18 ships of Navy and Coast Guard were still conducting search operation to track the remaining missing fishermen.Prime Minister Narendra Modi, earlier on Tuesday, announced relief measures for Cyclone Ockhi-affected states. He said that the Union Government would support the cyclone-affected states through a package of relief measures.The Centre will dispatch immediate financial assistance worth Rs 325 crore to cater to the requirements of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Lakshadweep. The financial assistance announced by the Prime Minister today, is over and above the assistance of Rs 280 crore to Tamil Nadu, and Rs 76 crore to Kerala, disbursed earlier this month, after Cyclone ...
Union minister Anant Geete hurt in Raigad road accident
Union Minister for Heavy Industries Anant Geete and a security official sustained minor injuries in a road accident while on a tour of his home district here on Friday, a police officer said.
Govt discrimination in helping Ockhi-hit states: Opposition
Congress members today staged a walk-out from the Lok Sabha alleging discrimination in providing central assistance to states hit by cyclone Ockhi, as the government refuted the charges asserting that all possible help has been extended to the affected people. Responding to a short duration discussion on Ockhi, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said the Navy, the Air Force and the Coast Guard were continuing efforts to trace missing fishermen and the government was providing financial and other assistance to the affected states. Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge asked why only four teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were sent to Kerala and three teams to Tamil Nadu, while seven teams of the force were deployed in Gujarat which was not affected. He accused the government of discrimination in providing help to states hit by Ockhi and said though the impact of the cyclone was severe in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, the central assistance to these two states was ...
Over 6,000 officials held accountable for environmental damage
China has detained 6,471 officials for causing environmental damage in eight provincial-level regions of the country, officials said today. Inspectors also detained 424 people and imposed 547.6 million yuan (USD 83.3 million) of fines following the fourth round of environmental inspections, the Chinese Ministry of Environmental Protection said in a statement. The inspected regions were Jilin, Zhejiang, Shandong, Hainan, Sichuan, Tibet, Qinghai and Xinjiang. The ministry criticised a number of local governments for such problems as inadequate attention to environmental protection, poor treatment of air and water pollution, lack of environmental infrastructure and illegal land reclamation from the seas. The eight regions should submit plans to address the problems to the State Council within 30 work days and make them public, the ministry said. The inspections are part of China's campaign to fight pollution and environmental degradation as decades of growth have left the ..
Ockhi: MPs in LS call for stronger coordination, probe
Cutting across party lines, members in the Lok Sabha today sought stronger coordination between various agencies to deal with cyclones and other natural disasters, with some of them alleging that the advance warning for cyclone Ockhi was given to Kerala very late. Congress and Left members, especially from Kerala which bore the brunt, sought a probe into the alleged mismanagement, lack of coordination and other aspects of the disaster while also narrating the ordeal of death and destruction they had witnessed when the cyclone had hit the state. They also demanded that the devastation caused by Ockhi should be declared a national calamity. Initiating a discussion on natural calamities in various parts of the country, especially due to cyclone Ockhi in South India, Congress leader K C Venugopal sought putting in place a "functional" monitoring system and efforts to bring back hundreds of people who are still missing after cyclone Ockhi. The cyclone, which had hit coastal ...
Anant Geete's car meets accident, security officer injured
Union Minister Anant Geete escaped unhurt after his car today met with an accident in which his personal security officer (PSO) sustained injuries in Maharashtra's Raigad district, the police said. According to an official, the incident occurred at 12.30 pm near Pali village when the Union minister for heavy industries and public sector enterprises was travelling from Khopoli to Pali. A speeding motorcycle came in front of the minister's convoy and the pilot vehicle applied brakes. Geete's car which was just behind the pilot vehicle hit it. Another car hit the minister's vehicle from behind, SP of Raigad Anil Paraskar told PTI. The minister's PSO, who was accompanying the minister, sustained injuries and has been admitted to a private hospital, he said, adding, after the incident, the Union minister halted at a nearby state guest house and later departed for his scheduled events. Maharashtra Director General of Police Satish Mathur has taken cognisance of the incident ..
Deterrent punishment is vital in road accident cases: Court
A deterrent punishment is vital in fatal road accident cases so that persons plying vehicles bear in mind that they will face serious consequences, a Delhi court has said while upholding a truck driver's two-year jail term for crushing a man under the wheels. Refusing to sympathise with the convict, Additional Sessions Judge Suresh Kumar Gupta said "a person who plays with fire cannot complain of burnt fingers". The court's observations came while rejecting the appeal of driver Rashid Ali against his conviction and sentence for the offence of causing death by negligence under section 304A of the IPC. "One person has lost his life. The deterrent punishment is more important in road accident cases so that persons who ply vehicles on road must bear in mind that they will have to face serious consequences including conviction and imprisonment in case of fatal accident. "The appellant (driver) cannot claim sympathy because a person who plays with fire cannot complain of burnt