Page 994 - Disaster Accident
Fire in beauty parlour in city
A fire broke out at a beauty parlour in the central part of the city this morning, Fire Brigade sources said. Three fire tenders fought for around half-an-hour to douse the blaze. There was no report of any casualty as the fire broke out at around 7.30 am when the parlour was closed, the sources said. The parlour is located on Camac Street, near Park Street crossing. Passers-by spotted the flames and informed the police and fire brigade who broke open the shutters to put out the fire. The sources said traffic had been diverted along that stretch for some time because of the fire suspected to be caused by short circuit.
US: 'Multiple' fatalities as train derails in Washington state
"Multiple" people were killed early today when an Amtrak passenger train derailed in Washington state near the city of Tacoma, sending cars flying off a bridge and onto a busy interstate, officials said. Pictures from the scene showed one train car overturned and crushed on the interstate highway and another dangling down from the overpass above. The train, which was carrying 78 passengers and five crew, was part of a newly expanded faster rail service along the route linking Seattle and Portland, Oregon -- featuring new locomotives. It derailed during the morning rush hour at about 7:40 am (1540 GMT), about halfway between Tacoma and Olympia, the capital of Washington state. "There's multiple fatalities," said Ed Troyer, spokesman for the Pierce County Sheriff's Department. "It's pretty horrific," he said. Troyer put no number on the fatalities, but local media said at least three people were killed. None of the people in vehicles travelling on the highway below the ...
J-K: Bodies of 3 soldiers missing after snowfall recovered
Search and rescue teams today recovered the bodies of three of the five soldiers who went missing along the Line of Control in the Gurez and Naugam sectors of Kashmir, following heavy snowfall in the valley last week,defence sources said. Bodies of two soldiers were recovered in the Gurez sector while the body of a jawan was recovered in Naugam sector by the search and rescue teams,the sources said. Two soldiers had slipped down a slope in Naugam sector of Kupwaradistrict while three others went missing from a forward post in Kanzalwan sub-sector of Gurez of Bandipora district after heavy snowfall on December 12. The search for the two missing soldiers -- one each in the Gurez and Naugam sectors -- is still going on,the sources said.
Rs 800 cr released in 2016 for water purification plants: Govt
The Centre released Rs 800 crore in 2016 for commissioning community water purification plants for providing safe drinking water, the Rajya Sabha was informed today. In a written reply, S S Ahluwalia, Minister of State in the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, informed the parliament that acting on the recommendations of NITI Ayog, the central government had released Rs 800 crore in March, 2016, for commissioning community water purification plants. "In addition, funds to the tune of Rs 100 crore each is being provided for tackling arsenic and fluoride problems in West Bengal and Rajasthan, respectively for the last-mile connectivity in commissioning surface water based piped water supply schemes," he said. The minister also provided a state-wise list of arsenic-affected habitations, reported by states in the Integrated Management Information System this month. According to the list, 17 districts of Assam, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab with 4,520, 748 and 728 ...
Govt expects to achieve 1.5 bn tn of coal output by 2022
The country is expected to achieve the coal production of 1.5 billion tonne by 2022, Coal Secretary Susheel Kumar said today. Of the 1.5 billion tonne, 1 billion tonne would be contributed by Coal India and the rest by private producers and Singareni Collieries, the official said. Earlier, the government had announced to achieve a coal output of 1.5 billion tonne by 2019-20. The coal ministry had set the target of 1 billion tonne by 2019-20 for state-run miner Coal India to cut imports and increase availability of the dry fuel to bolster growth. "We hope that by 2022 the domestic coal production should be around 1.5 billion tonnes of which about a billion tonne will be (produced by) Coal India (CIL), 0.4 billion tonnes would be (produced by) private producers...and a small portion will be done by Singareni Collieries," the secretary said. The world's largest coal miner Coal India accounts for over 80 per cent of the domestic coal production. "This may further increase till
Atlanta airport, world's busiest, struggles after power cut
The world's busiest airport in the US city of Atlanta was slowly resuming normal operations today after a power cut stranded thousands of passengers and unleashed a storm of criticism. With electricity out for about 11 hours, some passengers were unable to disembark from their planes after landing, while those already inside the terminal crowded the darkened concourses where even some water fountains had reportedly stopped working. "We all understand that Snafus happen and most of the folks down here are doing their jobs to the best of their ability," tweeted Anthony Foxx, a former transportation secretary under president Barack Obama who was stranded for several hours in his plane. "But, whatever the cause, it feels like this one was compounded by confusion and poor communication." US carrier Delta, whose largest hub is in the southern city, said it expected 300 more flight cancellations today, mostly morning arrivals, "to give the operation there an opportunity to ...
Farmer suicide cases: DCs asked to expedite relief to families
Punjab Financial Commissioner Revenue Vinni Mahajan today took strict note of pendency in forwarding the cases of providing indebtedness relief to the families of farmers and farm labourers who committed suicides. Mahajan, who is also chairperson of the state-level committee on indebtedness relief issued directions to the Deputy Commissioners to clear the backlog and forward all the cases for sanction by January,2018, according to an official release. The monthly review of approving sanctions for the eligible cases revealed that the Deputy Commissioners were sending indebtedness relief cases dating back to 2014 which was not in consonance with the directions of the government pertaining to 'rendering quick relief to the affected families', informed the chairperson. Moreover, the state level committee observed that the reports of district level committees formed under the Chairmanship of Deputy Commissioners, to verify the cases, lacked requisite details, it said. The ...
PM to visit Cyclone Ockhi-hit states tomorrow
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Lakshadweep, Tamil Nadu and Kerala tomorrow to review the situation arising in the aftermath of Cyclone Ockhi. During the visit, the prime minister will also update himself as regards the status of the relief operations at Kavaratti, Kanyakumari and Thiruvananthapuram. He would meet officials and public representatives as also the cyclone victims, including the fishermen, and farmers' delegations, a statement issued by the prime minister's office said here. Parts of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Lakshadweep were severely affected by the cyclone late last month and early this month. Modi has constantly been monitoring the situation arising out of the natural calamity in the southern parts of the country. The statement also pointed out that the Centre had released the second instalment from the State Disaster Relief Fund (SDRF) for Kerala and Tamil Nadu to supplement the efforts of these states in dealing with the situation. "During ...
Nepal reopens school damaged in 2015 quake
Nepal today reopened a newly- built primary school damaged in the devastating 2015 quake in the country's Kavre district with the assistance of multilateral lender Asian Development Bank (ADB). The 7.8 magnitude quake in April 2015 had devastated the country, killing more than 8,000 people and displacing lakhs of others. Thousands of schools including over 25,000 classrooms were reduced to rubble in the devastating earthquake. Shree Kali Devi Primary School was handed over by the government to the local community during a ceremony. The earthquake had completely damaged a portion of the school building, destroying five classrooms and other school facilities. "The reconstruction of the school was an opportunity to build back better and now the school is not only rebuilt to earthquake-resistant standards but also provides an improved learning environment for children," ADB's country director for Nepal Mukhtor Khamudkhanov said. "We hope this new building will inspire ...
At least eight killed in Indonesia landslide
Eight miners were killed and at least three more were missing following a landslide today on the slopes of a volcano on the Indonesian island of Java, officials said. An avalanche of sand and rock cascaded down the slopes of Mount Merapi in Central Java about 10:00 am, burying a group of miners digging through the rocks and sand. "The landslide happened suddenly and immediately buried the miners," disaster mitigation agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said in a statement. It was not raining when the incident occurred, but the almost vertical incline of the slope made it slip-prone, Nugroho said. Another eight miners were injured in the accident and have been taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. Rescuers were using heavy machinary to search for survivors, the local disaster mitigation agency said. Mount Merapi, an active volcano near the city of Jogjakarta, is the site of widespread illegal sand mining. The high-quality volcanic sand is used to make ...
Fire: visually impaired woman raises alarm, saves a few lives
A visually impaired woman ended up saving a few lives when she alerted her son in the nick of time as a major fire broke out at a farsan shop in suburban Saki Naka-Kurla area in the wee hours of morning today. Twelve others, mostly workers sleeping in the shop located at Makaria Compound on the Khairani road, died in the blaze. "We live in a room in the front side of the building (which also houses the farsan shop-cum-factory). My mother, who cannot see, heard loud noise between 3 and 4 am. She woke me up, thinking that some thieves have broken into the building," said Tushar Pawar (27). "We then rushed out and heard loud explosions. Realising that there was a fire, we raised alarm, and five or six people who live in the front side came out," he said. "We tried to douse the flames by pouring water. But we soon realised it was beyond our control, so we immediately called fire brigade," he said. According to Pawar, since the fire broke out in the mid-section of the ...
Soldier killed in north Kashmir avalanche cremated
Army jawan Koushal Singh, 19, who died in an avalanche along the LoC in north Kashmir, was cremated with full military honours at his native village in Samba district of Jammu and Kashmir today. Hundreds of people poured in from different villages of the district to give a tearful adieu to the slain soldier, who belonged to the 33 Rashtriya Rifles. Singh was one of the five soldiers who had gone missing during the two avalanches on December 13. Two soldiers slipped down a mountain slope in Naugam sector of Kupwara district while three others went missing from a forward post in Kanzalwan sub-sector of Gurez in Bandipora district during heavy snowfall on December 13. While Singh's body was traced, rescue operations are underway to find the remaining jawans. At least 22 Army soldiers died due to snow furry in Gurez and Sonmarg areas of north Kashmir in January alone. Singh's coffin draped in tricolour was brought to his hometown in the presence of senior Army officials, who ..
10 killed in stampede in Bangladesh
At least 10 persons were killed and 15 others injured today in a stampede in Bangladesh during a funeral procession of a former Chittagong mayor, according to a media report. Officials fear the toll might rise as several others have been injured in the incident at a convention centre in the port city's Jamal Khan area, Dhaka Tribune reported. Ten people have been killed and 15 others injured in a stampede at the funeral procession of former Chittagong mayor Mohiuddin Chowdhury, the report quoted officials as saying. Chowdhury, the Chittagong Metropolitan Awami League chief, had served the city corporation for 16 years. He died on Friday at the age of 73.
Vector-borne disease season ends: 45 fresh dengue cases
The season for vector-borne diseases has come to an end, with a municipal report today saying that only 45 dengue cases were reported last week, taking the total number of people affected by the disease this year in the national capital to 9,214. The numbers of malaria and chikungunya cases recorded this year, till December 16, stood at 1,140 and 933 respectively, the report said. The total number of people affected by dengue in Delhi this year, till December 9, was 9,169. Of the 9,214 dengue cases this year, 4,704 patients were from Delhi, while 4,510 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 the Sir .
Four boys drown in pond near Mettur Dam
Four boys allegedly drowned in a pond in nearby Salem district today, police said. All the four, aged between 7 and 17, were reported missing since yesterday. While the family members of the victims were frantically searching for them, information reached the village this morning that their bodies were floating in the pond near Mettur dam in that district, they said. Investigation is on, they added.
Dog survives US plane crash that kills 3 persons, 2nd canine
In a lucky escape, a dog survived a plane crash that killed three persons and another pooch in the US state of Indiana, authorities have said. The single-engine small plane went down and caught fire behind a home in a heavily-wooded area of the Midwestern state at about 9:10 pm local time on Saturday, the Indiana State Police said in a statement. Authorities believe the plane caught fire after it crashed. Three persons and a dog were pronounced dead at the scene. Their names have not been released pending family notification, Fox News reported. Another dog survived the crash and was found at a nearby residence. The dog was taken to the veterinarian and treated for its injuries, authorities said.
12 workers charred to death in Mumbai shop fire
At least 12 people were killed when a massive fire broke out at a snack shop in Saki Naka-Kurla area in the early hours today, an official said. The blaze erupted in the 'Bhanu' farsan (snack) shop in Makaria Compound on the Khairani Road at around 4.25 am following which the structure collapsed, the official from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)'s Disaster Management Cell said. Twelve people working inside the shop were trapped due to intense heat and smoke, he said. The fire spread quickly due to the presence of electric wiring and electrical goods, huge stock of eatables and furniture inside the shop. It led to the collapse of the loft, trapping the workers under the debris, the civic official said. Three fire engines, four jumbo water tankers, rescuers and ambulances reached the spot and launched a rescue operation, he said. All the 12 workers were pulled out of the debris and taken to the civic-run Rajawadi Hospital in suburban Ghatkopar where they were
Sixteen injured after mini-bus plunges into gorge
At least 16 passengers were injured today when a mini-bus skidded off the road and fell into a gorge in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir, a police official said. The accident took place near Pattian when the driver lost control over the vehicle which rolled down 50 feet into the gorge, the official said. He said the private passenger vehicle was on way to Dharmari from Challad village. Rescuers immediately swung into action and evacuated the injured to a nearby hospital, the official said. Four of the seriously injured were referred to district hospital Reasi.
Atlanta airport says power back after major flight delays
The world's busiest airport, in the US city of Atlanta, said early today that power had been restored after an outage left passengers in the dark and affected hundreds of flights. "Power has been restored on all concourses," the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport said on its Twitter account, about 11 hours after first reporting a power disruption. Giving an idea of how many people were affected, the airport added: "5,000+ meals are being delivered to passengers. Trains will be operational soon.
Flames threaten coastal communities as firefighters mourn
Thousands of firefighters tried to shield coastal communities from one of the biggest wildfires in California history while a funeral procession rolled past burn-scarred hillsides in honour of one of their colleagues who was killed battling the flames. Crews cleared brush and dug containment lines above hillside neighbourhoods in Santa Barbara County yesterday, taking advantage of slightly calmer winds a day after gusts fanned a flare-up that prompted more evacuations. "Everything's holding really well," fire information officer Lisa Cox said. "Thousands of homes have been saved." While gusts had eased somewhat, even lower intensity winds were still dangerous, she warned. The fire northwest of Los Angeles was 45 per cent contained. Television news footage showed at least one structure burned on property in the wealthy enclave of Montecito, and authorities said damage assessments could take days. Mourners stood on freeway overpasses to pay respects to firefighter Cory ...