'Neither are Baloch insurgents capable of breaking up Pakistan, nor has Pakistan learned any lessons from the 1971 debacle that led to the country's dismemberment.'
Two days after one of India's worst train accidents at Bahanaga Bazar in Odisha's Balasore district, two railway tracks have been made fit to carry trains after bulldozers and cranes removed capsized coaches on the main trunk line connecting eastern and southern India.
As Cyclone Dana barrels toward the coasts of Odisha, threatening to impact nearly half of the state's population, the government is racing against time to execute a massive evacuation plan aimed at relocating about 10 lakh people in several coastal districts to safety. In West Bengal, the cyclone is set to bring heavy rainfall in several southern West Bengal districts, including Kolkata, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has said.
Due to heavy rains and waterlogging over the tracks at several locations on South Central Railway network, as many as 99 trains were cancelled and four trains were partially cancelled while 54 trains were diverted, an SCR official said.
Air India Boeing 787-8 crash in Ahmedabad has brought back all traumatic memories.
'It was a sight that I will never forget. God help the families. My condolences'
Chief Public Relations Officer of Northern Railway, Himanshu Shekhar Upadhyay on Sunday said that a passenger coming towards platforms 14-15 slipped and fell on the stairs, and many passengers standing behind him were hit, leading to the stampede at New Delhi Railway Station.
At least 17 people were injured after a low-intensity blast on the Sealdah-Krishnanagar local train in Kolkata on Tuesday.
Modi will start his visit on June 6 by dedicating to public the Chenab rail bridge, which is a key part of the 272-km Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla railway link (USBRL) that will provide direct train connectivity to the valley.
The operations are being carried out in coordination with the railway authorities on the ground, he said.
Nine National Disaster Response Force teams were deployed for rescue operations following one of the worst railway disasters in India that killed at least 278 people and injured more than 900. According to official data, the force rescued 44 victims and retrieved 121 bodies from the spot.
The train crash happened near the Bahanaga Baazar station in Balasore district, about 250 km south of Kolkata and 170 km north of Bhubaneswar, around 7 pm on Friday, prompting the Railway Ministry to order a probe.
A stampede-like situation at New Delhi Railway Station on Saturday evening left at least 15 people injured, and fatalities are feared. The incident occurred due to overcrowding on platforms 14 and 15, triggered by a rush of passengers heading to Prayagraj for the Maha Kumbh. Eyewitnesses described a chaotic scene with passengers fainting from suffocation and a scramble for space. Authorities are investigating the incident, with initial reports suggesting overcrowding due to the influx of passengers for the religious festival. Rescue teams and fire tenders were dispatched to the scene, and the injured were taken to hospitals for treatment.
'Suddenly I felt a jolt and got thrown off my berth. It took a while before I could understand what had happened,'
National Disaster Response Force teams rescued more than 50 passengers including 16 badly trapped from the mangled bogies of Patna-Indore Express which derailed in Kanpur during the wee hours on Sunday.
Ranajit Giri, Biprada Bag, Asha Behera and Ashok Bera, all residents of Bahanaga Bazaar station area in Balasore district where the crash took place, were among the first to rescue the injured.
The incident occurred on the Alappuzha-Kannur Executive Express train in which two months ago a man had set fire to his co-passengers, which resulted in three deaths including a toddler, leading to speculation that it might be a case of sabotage and connected to the earlier one.
According to Chief Secretary P K Jena, some bodies were counted twice.
The labourers, who are said to be of Nepali origin, were engaged in the construction of a hotel.
Chairperson of the Railway Board Jaya Varma Sinha said that Kavach, an automatic anti-collision train protection system, is being planned for the route.
Over 250 passengers have been rescued, a railway official said.
North Zone IG Neeraj Kumar Gupta said the man, who was a beggar, is suspected to have done the act "due to mental trauma", as he could not get any money from begging in the state.
Both were rescued from the Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express that derailed near Bahanaga Bazar Station on June 2 that had claimed 275 lives and left around 1,200 injured.
Wing Commander Raveendran and flight steward Sargeant Iyer, though shaken and injured, managed to open the rear door of the aircraft and shouted for Prime Minister Morarji Desai and the passengers in the forward cabin to exit in haste since they suspected that fire would engulf the aircraft.
The probe report has estimated the cost of damage due to the accident at more than Rs 52 crore.
With strike by Air India executive pilots leading to cancellation of several flights, the railways are arranging special trains for stranded passengers.
Preliminary investigations have revealed that a signal was given to Coromandel Express to enter the main line but it was taken off and the train entered the loop line, where it crashed into a goods train parked there.
An ultra-violent film about violence, Kill's greatest accomplishment isn't its death count alone but to challenge our perception of violence, observes Sukanya Verma.
India conducted nationwide civil defence mock drills simulating multiple hostile scenarios like air raids, fire emergencies, and rescue operations across several states and union territories. The drills, dubbed 'Operation Abhyaas,' aimed to enhance emergency preparedness in light of recent terror attacks. The exercises involved coordinated efforts by various agencies, including civil defence personnel, police, fire and emergency services, and the military. Mock drills were conducted at various locations, including railway stations, malls, and high-rise buildings, showcasing the response capabilities of authorities in different emergency scenarios. The drills highlighted the importance of public awareness and cooperation in dealing with real-time emergencies.
The accident took place in the Lumding-Bardarpur Hill section under Lumding division.
Two passengers were killed and 34 injured when eight coaches of the Chandigarh-Dibrugarh Express derailed near Gonda in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday, an official said.
Nearly 6,000 passengers were stranded as train services on the Konkan Railway route in Maharashtra's Ratnagiri district were suspended on Thursday after a river overflowed following heavy rains, while incessant downpour badly hit road and rail traffic in several parts of the state, including around Mumbai, as authorities called in NDRF to help the administration in rescue efforts.
East Coast Railway officials said that the accident took place around 6.44 am when some people were waiting at the platform and the waiting hall for a passenger train.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee questioned the death figures, stating that 61 people from her state were dead and 182 were still missing.
A thorough probe is underway, none of the authorities has so far talked about any possibility of a sabotage.
Talking to reporters at the accident site, he said the issue is of electric point machine, a vital device for railway signalling, and electronic interlocking.
After the mid-air collision over the Potomac river in Washington, DC, authorities said that they no longer expect to find any survivors, and efforts have shifted to a recovery mission, according to DC Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly, according to a report by CNN.
Railway officials also indicated that possible 'sabotage' and tampering with the electronic interlocking system, which detects the presence of trains, led to the Friday accident.
'Women and children were crying desperately for help.' 'We had to save them first.'
NSG 'Sky Marshals' travel alone or in pairs on-board Indian airlines aircraft like normal passengers but they have a concealed weapon and some specialised gadgets to combat hijackers and rescue passengers in case such an incident takes place.
