Page 989 - Disaster Accident

Three dead, six missing as storm hits southern Philippines

At least three people were killed and six others were missing after a tropical storm struck the southern Philippines today, unleashing floods and landslides across a region of 20 million people, officials said. Tropical Storm Tembin hit the east coast of Mindanao, the archipelago nation's second-largest island, before dawn with gusts of 125 kilometres an hour bringing torrential rain, the state weather office said. "We forced hundreds of people to evacuate some villages, but the water rose swiftly and our rescuers cannot reach other areas," civil defence officer Saripada Pacasum of Lanao del Sur province, one of the hardest-hit areas, told AFP. The Philippines lies on the Pacific typhoon belt and endures an average of 20 typhoons and storms each year, but Mindanao is rarely hit by these cyclones. A small landslide buried several houses in the town of Tugaya and killed two children, with five other people missing and believed trapped beneath the rubble, Pacasum ...

10,000 hectare of paddy crop affected due to unseasonal rains

Odisha Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Maheswar Mohanty today said paddy crop over 10,000 hectare of land been affected due to unseasonal rains in the second week of December this year Mohanty said unseasonal rain hit five coastal districts. But three districts - Puri, Jajpur and Jagatsinghpur have reported crop loss of 33 per cent or above. The minister said compensation will be disbursed among the affected farmers within a month. Collectors of five districts yesterday submitted reports on crop damage due to unseasonal rains. Collector of Cuttack and Kendrapara have reported that there was no crop damage in their districts on account of unseasonal rains. According to official sources, five districts of Cuttack, Kendrapara, Jajpur, Jagatsinghour and Puri had received heavy rainfall on December 9 and 10 due to a depression over the Bay of Bengal. Earlier, unseasonal rain during third week of November had caused crops damage over 3.84 lakh hectares of paddy field .

Union Minister Geete hurt in Maharashtra road accident

Union Minister for Heavy Industries Anant Geete sustained minor injuries in a road accident while on a tour of his home district here on Friday, a police officer said.

Flight returns due to technical snag

A Kuala Lumpur-bound private airline returned to the airport here following a 'technical snag' and all the passengers were given accommodation, airport officials said. Pilots of the flight with 166 passengers noticed the snag after taking off from the airport here and subsequently returned. The flight made a safe landing, they said, adding, all the passengers were provided accommodation in the city. The flight was expected to fly later in the evening, they added.

173 stranded tourists rescued from Thai island

Some 173 tourists were rescued from a storm-ravaged island in eastern Thailand by a navy patrol boat, the media reported on Friday.

S Korea blaze evokes Grenfell Tower fire: experts

Flammable materials on the outside of a South Korean building fuelled a major blaze that killed 29 people, experts said today, evoking comparisons with the Grenfell Tower disaster in London. The fire engulfed an eight-storey tower in the southern city of Jecheon, killing 29 people and injuring 29 more. 20 of the dead were found at a female sauna and others elsewhere in the building, which also houses a fitness centre and restaurants. Experts said the structure was a fire trap waiting to happen, with insufficient emergency exits, flammable finishing materials and illegally parked cars blocking access to fire trucks. Street surveillance video footage showed orange flames and black smoke billowing from the ceiling of a ground floor parking lot underneath the stilted building, which stood on pillars. The fire spread quickly upwards along the outside walls of the tower, which contained cheap but highly flammable finishing materials. "There were three or four exploding sounds

Passengers on Saudi Arabia airlines allowed to bring electronics on flights to UK

RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia announced on Friday that passengers traveling on its airlines to the United Kingdom would once again be allowed to carry on electronic devices, reversing a ban put in place earlier this year for security reasons.

South Korean building fire claims 29 lives

At least 29 persons have been killed and several others got injured in a major blaze at an eight-story building in the central South Korean city of Jecheon.The death toll is likely to increase as rescue operation is underway.The building houses a fitness center, restaurants and a public sauna, reported South Korean news agency Yonhap. Most of the victims were trapped in a sauna on the second floor.The fire, which is majorly extinguished now, is believed to have started in the building's parking garage.Some 20 persons have been rescued from the rooftop.About 49 fire engines and trucks as well as 60 firefighters were sent to the scene, in addition with two firefighter helicopters, the news agency reported.

J-K govt approves creation of Commissioner of Food Safety

The Jammu and Kashmir government has approved the creation of Commissioner of Food Safety and supporting staff in the state, an official spokesperson said. The Cabinet, which met here today under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, approved the creation of one post of Commissioner of Food Safety along with supporting staff for proper implementation of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and Regulations, 2011, he said.

School bus driver charged in deadly French train collision

French authorities have filed preliminary charges against the driver of a school bus that collided with a regional train in southern France, killing six children. The investigation is focusing on whether the crossing barriers onto the tracks were raised or lowered in last week's accident in the village of Millas in the eastern Pyrenees. The bus driver, a 46-year-old woman who was also injured, said they were raised. But the local prosecutor said initial evidence and witness statements suggest they weren't. A judicial official said today that the driver is accused of manslaughter and involuntary injury. The driver's lawyer Jean Codognes told broadcaster BFM that she was hospitalised and in deep distress after being questioned by police yesterday. Funeral ceremonies are being held throughout the week for those killed, all middle school or high school students in the region. At a memorial today, the region's top government official read a message from President Emmanuel ...

Delhi govt gives ex-gratia to kin of deceased health worker

An ex-gratia amount worth Rs 5 lakh has been given to the widow of a worker in the Delhi State Health Mission, who had died after meeting with a road accident last year, the city government said today. Health Minister Satyendar Jain handed a cheque worth the compensation amount to her given under the LG/CM Relief Fund. Md Azeem worked as a DOT provider on contractual basis at the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Program (RNTCP) under the DSHM, they said. He had died after meeting with an accident on September 12, 2016.

Philippines: 3 dead, scores missing as ferry capsizes

At least three people have died and dozens went missing after a ferry, carrying 251 persons, capsized off the coast of Manila in Philippines on Thursday afternoon.The accident happened when the ferry was sailing to Polillo Island in a stormy weather, the local radio reported.The vessel capsized off the coastal town of Real, which is about 70 km east of Manila, the capital of Philippines.Media reports quoted coastguard spokesman Armand Balilo, as saying, "We have heard (there were) casualties. Three bodies have been found, but we're still validating."Balilo also said that the ferry, which had the capacity to carry 280 people, was not overloaded when it ran into rough waters.Rescue helicopters and sea vessels were already at the site.However, rescue operations have been hampered by bad weather conditions as of now.Tropical storms and typhoons often lash the Philippines, an archipelago of more than 7,000 islands in South-East Asia.Ferry and boat accidents occur frequently in the island ..

Australian tourist killed in road accident on Yamuna Expressway

An Australian tourist was killed and four others injured on the Yamuna Expressway on Thursday when a series of vehicles collided owing to poor visibility due to dense fog, police said.

At least 29 dead in fitness centre blaze in South Korea: Fire service

Jecheon is in central South Korea, about 120 km southeast of the capital Seoul

Woman dies in Marine Drive locality fire

A woman was burnt to death and three suffered injuries in a fire that broke out near Marine Drive locality under Kadma police station here today, police said. Around 40 thatched houses were reduced to ashes in the incident. Preliminary investigation suggested that the fire broke out after a couple began quarrelling over a petty issue and the enraged wife poured kerosene and set herself ablaze in her house made of straw, said Officer-in-charge of the police station, Vinod Kumar Paswan. The fire caught in the house and spread rapidly to the vicinity, reducing 40 thatched houses to ashes. Three fire-fighters were engaged to douse the flame, which was brought under control after two hours. An old woman, who was unable to move, was burnt to death. Three others sustained injuries including the woman who attempted self-immolation, he said.

Six killed in boiler explosion at sugar mill, owner arrested

At least six persons were today killed and several others injured, some of them seriously, when a boiler exploded at a sugar mill in Gopalganj district of Bihar, a top police official said here. Additional Director General of Police (Headquarters) S K Singhal said that among the injured, the condition of three has deteriorated. Two of them have been referred to Gorakhpur and one to Kushinagar in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh for treatment, he said. "The number of persons killed in the boiler explosion at Sasa Musa sugar mill in Gopalganj has reached six. Five workers had died on the spot and another succumbed to burn injuries while being taken to a hospital," Singhal told reporters. Three persons, with minor injuries, are being treated at a hospital in Gopalganj. Singhal also said that Mehboob Ali, owner of the sugar mill where angry workers set fire to vehicles after the explosion, has been arrested along with his two sons and the situation there has been brought under ...

Gurugram falters during exercise to deal with quake

A mega mock drill conducted by security agencies in Gurugram on Thursday to deal with an earthquake-like disaster threw up several lapses.

18 killed in South Korea building fire

Eighteen people died and dozens were injured in a fire that engulfed a commercial building in South Korea's Jecheon city on Thursday, firefighters said.

Mock drills on earthquake preparedness conducted across Hry

Mock drills on earthquake were conducted at 122 locations across Haryana today to sensitise people about measures to be taken during the natural calamity. The exercise was conducted in collaboration with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and all state districts, Haryana Civil Secretariat and New Secretariat participated, Haryana Revenue and Disaster Management minister Capt Abhimanyu said. He said the state falls in high seismic zone and the region was highly vulnerable to earthquakes. The exercise simulated an earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale with MSK intensity 8 having its epicentre at west of Gurugram along the Jaipur ridge and the Sohna Fault line, said an official release. Abhimanyu said the mock drills were conducted in 122 locations across 22 districts, simultaneously. It is for the first time in Haryana's history when the government had exercised the mock drill to such a big level, he said. A total 136 teams were deployed in the ...

80% of Yemenis need urgent humanitarian aid: FAO

Almost 80 per cent of Yemeni people need urgent humanitarian aid, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the UN said in a report on Thursday.