7 dead, 85 injured in train collision near Chennai

At least seven persons were killed and 85 others injured when a passenger train from Chennai rammed into a stationary train near Arakkonam, about 75 km from here, late Tuesday night.
IG North Zone Syleendra Babu said seven persons were killed in the collision that saw both the trains coming on the same track. The toll may go up.
Additional Division railway manager in Chennai Usha Venugopal said seven bodies have been recovered from the three mangled bogies which were thrown off the track following the incident at around 9.40 pm.
Four other bogies of the two trains were also affected.
The staionary Arakkonam-Vellore passenger train was waiting for the green signal near Sitheri Station when the Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) running between Chennai Beach and Vellore rammed into it from behind.
A railway spokesman said 85 injured people have been admitted to various government hospitals in Arakkonam and Vellore.
He said the injured have been rushed to local hospitals.
Several passengers have been trapped inside two bogies which derailed following the collision, railway police said.
Rescue workers used gas cutters to help pull out the trapped passengers from inside the derailed bogies.
Relief trains and two teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been rushed to the accident site.
However, rescue and relief efforts were hit by heavy rains and darkness in the area.
Train traffic on the busy Chennai-Katpadi section has been disrupted and several trains leaving Chennai Central affected.
Several trains, including Coimbatore-bound Cheran Express, have been cancelled, railway sources said.

Rains lash Delhi: girl killed in collapse; roads waterlogged

Heavy showers drenched Delhiites on Friday, leaving many of them on the roads as traffic went haywire due to water logging while a minor girl lost her life when the boundary wall of a hospital collapsed.
It was raining heavily since early morning and the rain gauges measured 91.1 mm of showers between 4 am and 12 noon, leading to chaos on roads as improper drainage and uprooted trees led to traffic disruption.
The sun was nowhere to be seen as rains continued without a stop across the city.
The rain gauges measured 36.6 mm between 4 am to 8:30 am while another 55.1 mm was recorded in the next three and half hours, the MeT department said. September last year received the highest rainfall (332.9 mm) in ten years.
The minimum temperature was recorded at 25.1 degree celsius, normal for this time of the year, as against Thursday’s 26.1 degrees. The maximum was recorded at 34.2 degree celsius on Thursday.
The heavy showers led to the death of a minor girl when a boundary wall of an MCD hospital in Gautam Colony of Narela collapsed at around 7:30 am. Some children on their way to school were trapped inside, they said.
One of the girls was found dead inside the debris while two or three girls are feared to be trapped inside the debris.
Exposing the claims of civic bodies’ better preparedness this time to tackle rains, water logging and traffic problems were reported from across the city.
Vehicles were seen wading through water in almost all parts of the city.
As traffic went haywire, some commuters parked their vehicles at nearby Metro stations and boarded trains to their destinations.
“I generally take 25 minutes to reach my office in Gole Market from Jangpura but today it took more than an hour. There was water logging all around. Auto drivers were not ready to take passengers due to heavy water logging,” said Anindita Dasgupta, an official working in a government department.
“The water was waist-high from Ashram to Lajpat Nagar,” said a commuter Sonam Goel.
Traffic was affected due to water logging at Rail Bhavan near Parliament, Rafi Marg, Vikas Marg, Africa Avenue, GGR-PDR Road, Adhchini, Mayapuri chowk, Naraina road, IP flyover, Kalindi Kunj, Malviya Nagar and Yusuf Sarai.
Water logging was also reported near Patparganj flyover, Defence Colony flyover, Lala Lajpat Rai road, GTB road, Patel Chest to Daulat Ram College, Prahladpur, Keshav Chowk Railway bridge, DND flyover, Maharani Bagh and Govindpuri.
Ashram Chowk, Niti Bagh, MB road, Air Force Station, Pamposh Enclave, Nehru Place, Saket Court, Lado Sarai and Shivaji Stadium metro station were other places where water logging and traffic problems were reported.
A senior police official said traffic movement was also slow due to water logging from OP Marg to IIT as well as Loni road, Durga Puri chowk, Khajuri to Brijpuri, Kishan Ganj railway bridge, Azad Nagar to Shahadra, Sanjay Gandhi Transport Nagar, Shanti Van, Janakpuri, Sagarpur and PHQ.

“Traffic movement is slow on Akbar road due to an uprooted tree. At CGO Complex on Lodhi Road, the entire approach road to Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium metro station is water logged,” the official said.
Tilak Bridge, Mathura Road, Purana Qila, Laxmi Nagar metro station, Vikaspuri and Shahdra under pass are the other areas where water logging has been reported.
In east Delhi’s Laxmi Nagar area, water has entered many houses and pumps are being used to clear the water.

Minor earthquake in Delhi, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana

An earthquake of 4.6 magnitude on Richter scale today shook most parts of Uttarakhand including state capital Dehradun, triggering panic among people.

Tremors were also felt in Delhi, Punjab and Haryana.

However, no loss of life or property has been reported from any part of the state, official sources said.

Met director Anand Sharma said the epicentre of the earthquake, that was felt at 1157 hrs, was at 30.5 N latitude and 79.4 E longitude.

Residents rushed out of their houses when they felt the tremor.

September 07 2011 was definitely a black Wednesday for Delhi. There were terrorist attack at the Delhi High Court followed by a earthquake in the capital. Btown celebrities too reacted to the bad news. Here is what they had to say.

Amitabh Bachchan: Hearts and prayers for those that lost loved ones earlier today in the blast .. and I do hope there have been no causalities on quake

Koena Mitra: Delhi We are all with you in spirit and heart .." Keep the Faith !!!

Dia Mirza: The atrocities of man and nature remind me that everyday n everyone is precious. Love. And let the one's you love know that you do.

Vijay Mallya: An earthquake following a terrorist attack. Deadly co-incidence but one could have been controlled and the other not.Be strong Delhi.

Sandhya Mridul: Horrible day for Dehi..Think i'll just go home #Miserable

Mahaakshay: “Blasts. Earthquake. Today is a particularly tough day. Sigh. Be safe, Delhi.” all in Delhi please take care

Mahadevan: All well after the Earthquake in Delhi it seems.. What a day for them. Phew.

Pooja Bedi: How awful! Delhi rocked by bomb blast in the morning and earthquake by night! A prayer for all the dead and injured!

Bhagyashree: Innocent lives sacrificed....anger rising...lets not sit back saying we will get over it.. we cant take things lying down.