Thunderstorm in Mumbai: Billboard crash toll mounts to 14; 75 injured |
Rescue operations continued on Tuesday morning. The wreckage could not be lifted as it was too heavy for cranes and electric cutters could not be used as it was a petrol pump. Hydraulic cutters were being brought to cut and remove the 120x120 feet metallic structure to pull out people still trapped underneath. The toll will be higher.
Flight operations at the airport were suspended for an hour because of poor visibility in the dust storm. Falling trees blocked rail and road traffic at many places in the city and the suburbs.
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MUMBAI, May 14: Fourteen people were killed and 75 others injured when a huge
metallic billboard crashed onto cars and two-wheelers and people at a petrol
pump in Ghatkopar during a powerful thunderstorm in Mumbai on Monday evening.
Those who were trapped under the 120x120 feet structure were either sitting
inside their cars or on two-wheelers or standing at the fuel station. There
were also people who took shelter from the sudden rain and storm. The incident
took place at Police Ground petrol pump along the Eastern Express Highway.
The NDRF said in the morning that the wreckage could not be lifted as it was
too heavy for cranes and electric cutters could not be used as it was a petrol
pump. Hydraulic cutters were being brought to cut and remove the frame to pull
out people still trapped underneath. The toll will be higher.
The BMC said 75 people were injured. Of them 44 are still admitted in hospitals
and 31 have been discharged. The search and rescue operations were continuing
on Tuesday morning and was expected to be called off by evening. Officials said
the billboard was set up illegally.
Flights were suspended at the airport because of poor visibility in the dust
storm. Several incoming flights were diverted. Local train services were delayed.
There were traffic snarls on the roads.
The IMD predicted possibility of hailstorm and the residents were advised to
take precaution.
Rains and gusty winds lashed the suburbs of Dadar, Kurla, Mahim, Ghatkopar,
Mulund and Vikhroli. Several people were injured when a lift of a car parking
collapsed in Barkat Ali Naka in Wadala. Thane, Mulund and Harbour rail lines
were blocked by uprooted trees. Aarey and Andheri East Metro stations were affected.
Power outages were reported from many places. The satellite towns of Thane,
Ambernath, Badlapur, Kalyan and Ulhasnagar received moderate rain.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said, "Rs 5 lakh will be given to
the families of those who have lost their lives. I have directed the authorities
concerned to check all such hoardings in Mumbai."
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SELECTIONS FROM OUR ARCHIVES |
Two shot dead inside salon in south-west Delhi's Najafgarh
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One of them is seen in CCTV being shot at close range. The motive is suspected to be personal enmity.
TAILPIECE: Almost every other day we hear of shootings in one place or other in the country. India will very soon replace the US as the world's No 1 in the incidence of mass shooting. It will eclipse terrorism as a source of concern. Who can help? At least, has it occurred to anyone's mind?
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India shines at Grammys with Best Global for 'Shakti' fusion
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'This Moment' of Shakti fusion won the Best Global Music Album at the Grammys. Zakir Hussain has won two other awards too. In a great victory for Indians, five of them have won the Grammys this time. In other sections, Taylor Swift got her fourth Album of the Year award and Miley Cyrus got an award for the first time.
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Climate protesters attack Mona Lisa in Louvre, spray pumpkin soup
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“Two activists from the environmental movement ‘Riposte Alimentaire’ sprayed pumpkin soup on the armoured glass protecting the Mona Lisa, this Sunday, January 28, 2024, around 10 am (4aET),” a statement from the museum said.
It is not understood how undesirable elements are allowed to get so close to her
and play havoc with the artwork. Several times over this has happened in the
past, deranged minds masquerading as tourists and cultists venting their frustration.
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TRAVEL ALERT: Dog attacks on the rise in Delhi-NCR; woman mauled by three strays
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Two days earlier, in a similar incident in the area, a domestic help was bitten by a pet dog in the lift when she was going for work.
Tailpiece: Sometimes appearing to outnumnber men and women on the streets, the stray dogs are turning more and more daring with sections of anti-social elements out there to feed and protect them in order to find a window for their unfulfilled love! There is an all-pervading feeling of lack of authority.
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Tamil Nadu police arrest ED official for accepting Rs 50 lakh bribe
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Ankit Tiwari had told the employee that “instructions had been received
from the Prime Minister’s Office to conduct an enquiry” and reopen the
“already disposed of” case and asked him to appear before the ED office
at Madurai on October 30, DVAC said. The doctor was allegedly
threatened with arrest and told to pay a bribe of Rs 3 cr to avoid the ED
probe, which was later negotiated down to Rs 50 lakh.
Tailpiece: We are made to believe RBI, CBI, ED, Judiciary as sacrosanct
and all others like railways, transport, revenue, education, PWD
departments are composed of us the mortals, absolutely corrupt! As if in
the sacrosanct places the angels descend from the heavens to work in the
night and fly away before day-break! Let's be true to ourselves, we are all
cut from the same cloth. |
Centre blocks Mahadev Book, 21 other online betting apps
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Betting through Dubai-based Mahadev Book in India is conducted through a countrywide network. Probes reveal that the online gambling is worth several millions and top politicians, officials and celebs have been beneficiaries.
TAILPIECE: Polling dates for some States are round the corner. Top
politicians have begun their acrimonious debate who looted more, even as
Mahadev is washing their dirty laundry in the open ghat. Come what may,
one needs to seize power to amass "thy wretched pelf!" One simple
question is, why else one should spend lakhs or crores to get elected! A
question every Indian should ask to oneself at least once a day!
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State Govt-Guv ding-dong reaches Supreme Court's door: Kerala joins
TN... |
His inaction amounts to defeating the rights of the people of the State to
welfare measures sought to be implemented through the Bills, the Kerala
Government's petition submitted, while the State of Tamil Nadu remarked
that its "Governor is acting as a political rival."
Tailpiece: Coming up back to back, the petitions in their totality seem to question the provision of Raj Bhavan, and not motives of a Governor as a
person.
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10, including kids, die of heart failure at Garba dance performances in
Gujarat
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Doctors reasoned how the incidence of heart attacks is spiking over time and
advise the simple way to play safely is to take a break and rehydrate
yourself.
But how come ten people, including children, die of cardiac arrest at
Garba in 24 hours, and that at different places of Gujarat? Garba had been going on
for six days, and every year it is celebrated.
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Retailers ask UK Govt to act against surging cases of shoplifting, assaults
on workers |
Shocking news from the UK: Leading grocers have started bribing policemen with free food and drinks to persuade them to take action against shoplifters.
Shoplifting has risen by about 27 per cent in 10 major cities across the UK
this year. The cost of retail crime last year was $2.15 billion. Besides, “We
are seeing organised gangs threatening staff with weapons and emptying
stores," Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium,
said. Data shows that the police failed to respond to 73 per cent of serious
retail crimes that included assault and abuse of workers, apart from
shoplifting.
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Kamala bopping to rap in pink marks hip-hop anniversary on VP's lawn |
Harris said hip-hop is “the ultimate American art form” that “shapes every
aspect of American popular culture.” “Hip-hop culture is American
culture,” she said in a talk at her official residence at the US Naval
Observatory in Washington, D.C.
The social media had mixed reaction. There was much appreciation that
she dances better than any VP in American history. But some called her
"moves" as “cringe” while others did not like her pink pants - "pink pants
don’t look good.” In fact, her ensembles have always been incongruous.
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ARCHIVES
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Visit Indian Travel Sites
Goa,
Kerala,
Tamil Nadu,
Andhra Pradesh,
Delhi,
Rajasthan,
Uttar Pradesh,
Himachal Pradesh,
Assam,
Sikkim,
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Neighbours Calling
Bhutan
Nepal
Malaysia
Dubai
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Visit Indian Travel Sites
Goa,
Kerala,
Tamil Nadu,
Andhra Pradesh,
Delhi,
Rajasthan,
Uttar Pradesh,
Himachal Pradesh,
Assam,
Sikkim,
Karnataka,
Madhya Pradesh,
Jammu & Kashmir
Gujarat
Puducherry
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