Page 14 - Landslide

Indonesia's Natuna islands' landslide death toll hits 32, 22 still missing

Rescue workers recovered more bodies buried under tons of mud following a landslide that crashed onto a hilly village on Indonesia's remote Natuna islands, bringing the death toll to 32, officials said Thursday. The landslide, triggered by torrential downpours, plunged down surrounding hills on Monday, burying 30 houses in Genting village on a tiny remote island in the Natuna archipelago at the edge of the South China Sea, the National Search and Rescue Agency said in a statement. Authorities have deployed nearly 700 rescuers, including police and military, with heavy equipment to search for 22 people still missing who were apparently trapped in houses that were buried under the landslide, which was 4 meters (13 feet) deep, said Abdul Rahman, who heads Natuna's search and rescue agency. Improved weather allowed us to recover more bodies, Rahman said in a video statement. Eight people were pulled out alive with injuries, three of whom are in critical condition, National Disaster ...

Rudraprayag, Tehri in Uttarakhand record highest landslide density in India

Rudraprayag and Tehri districts in Uttarakhand have the highest landslide density and landslide risk exposure in the country. The two hilly districts of the Himalayan state figure at the top of a table published as part of the Landslide Atlas of India by Hyderabad-based National Remote Sensing Centre on the basis of satellite data inputs provided by the Indian Space Research Organisation. The list includes all 13 districts of Uttarakhand that vary from each other in terms of vulnerability to landslides. While Rudraprayag and Tehri districts are ranked first and second in a list of 147 districts, Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar figure at the bottom at 146th and 147th, respectively. The famous Kedarnath temple is located in Rudraprayag. It was the epicentre of a massive natural disaster that killed thousands in June 2013. Chamoli district, where Joshimath is grappling with a land-subsidence crisis, has been ranked at 19th, Uttarkashi 21st, Pauri 23rd, Dehradun 29th, Bageshwar 50th, .

Landslide in Indonesia's Natuna regency kills at least 11; dozens missing

A landslide caused by torrential rain killed at least 11 people and left dozens of others missing on an island in Indonesia's remote Natuna regency on Monday, disaster officials said. Tons of mud fell from surrounding hills onto houses in Serasan village in Natuna. Rescuers recovered at least 11 bodies and authorities fear that the death toll will rise, National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesperson Abdul Muhari said. Many people who need help have not been reached because we still have difficulty accessing the affected areas, Muhari said, adding that authorities estimated that about 50 people were still missing. Dozens of soldiers, police and volunteers joined the search in the village, on a remote island surrounded by choppy waters and high waves in the Natuna group at the edge of the South China Sea, said Junainah, who heads emergency relief operations at the local disaster agency. Downed communications lines and bad weather were hampering the rescue efforts, said Junainah, wh

U'khand govt announces compensation for damaged buildings in Joshimath

The Uttarakhand government has fixed the rate of compensation to be given to owners of damaged buildings in land subsidence-hit Joshimath. The compensation rate for damaged residential buildings has been fixed between Rs 31,201 and Rs 36,527 per square metre, an official order said. For damaged commercial buildings in the town, the compensation rate has been fixed between Rs 39,182 and Rs 46,099 per square metre, it said. The rates were announced in the government order issued by Disaster Management Secretary Ranjit Kumar Sinha after Governor Lt Gen (retd) Gurmit Singh's consent.

Landslide halts efforts to find 53 missing after China mine collapse

A massive landslide has halted search and rescue efforts at a collapsed coal mine which left 53 people missing in China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, local authorities said Thursday

Jammu-Srinagar highway reopens after 38-hour closure due to landslide

The one-way traffic resumed on the 270-km Jammu-Srinagar national highway on Wednesday after remaining suspended for about 38-hours following a landslide in Ramban district, officials said. Deputy Superintendent of Police, Traffic (national highway), Banihal, Asghar Malik said the road clearance operation at the landslide-hit Sher Bibi near Banihal was still going on. Hundreds of vehicles were left stranded on the highway after a massive landslide blocked the arterial road at Sher Bibi around 2 am Tuesday. The road clearance operation was hampered by continuous shooting of stones from the hillock throughout the day. Despite intermittent shooting of stones, the road clearance agencies worked hard since this morning to ensure that the road is opened for one-way traffic which was allowed at around 4 pm (Wednesday), Malik said. No fresh traffic was allowed either from Srinagar or Jammu for the second day in the morning as authorities focused on road clearance operation and to clear the

Residents of 'unsafe' buildings in subsidence-hit Karnaprayag to be shifted

Chamoli's District Magistrate Himanshu Khurana has ordered the evacuation of people living in "unsafe" houses in subsidence-hit areas of Karnaprayag to safer locations. Khurana, who visited the affected parts of the town, including Bahuguna Nagar, Subhash Nagar and Upper Bazar on Sunday, said some of the buildings have become quite uninhabitable. Around 30 buildings in Karnaprayag have developed cracks and eight of them are absolutely unsafe, he said. Like Joshimath, Karnaprayag has also been in the grip of a land subsidence problem for more than a year Officials have been asked to shift the people living in such houses to safer locations, Khurana said. Those who choose to live in houses on rent will be paid the rent amount for six months, the DM said. Crack metres have been installed in the houses to find out whether the existing cracks are widening and new ones developing, he said. "It was a preliminary first-hand examination carried out on Sunday during which I visited the ..

Landslide damages 9 houses, cowshed on Srinagar-Leh highway, says official

Landslide damaged nine houses and a cowshed on the Srinagar-Leh highway, said officials on Monday, adding that there was no loss of life

Landslide damages five houses in Jammu and Kashmir's Ramban district

At least five residential houses were damaged due to a landslide in a remote hilly village in Jammu and Kashmir's Ramban district, officials said on Sunday. The affected families were shifted to safer locations, they said. The incident that took place in Duksar Dal village of Sangaldan in Gool Subdivision, 45 km from Ramban district headquarters, comes barely a fortnight after 19 residential houses, a mosque, and a religious school for girls developed cracks due to land sinking at Nai Basti village of Doda district. "A total of five houses were damaged and rendered uninhabitable due to a landslide at Duksar Dal. The affected families were shifted and provided tents, ration, utensils and blankets as an immediate relief," Sub-Divisional Magistrate Gool Tanveer-ul-Majeed Wani told PTI. He said the land started sliding on Friday, also affecting a local graveyard following which the mortal remains of a local were exhumed and later buried at another place. "Five more houses are likely t

NDMA asks experts to coordinate and resubmit survey report on Joshimath

Various representatives from technical institutions participated via video conferencing. Sources reported that there was a variation in the findings of different representatives

Houses develop cracks in J&K's Doda, 19 families to shift temporarily

Nineteen families were evacuated after their homes developed cracks at a village in Jammu and Kashmir's Doda district, officials said on Friday. The authorities also declared unsafe a mosque and a religious school for girls at Nai Basti village in Thathri, 35 kilometres from Doda town along the Kishtwar-Batote National Highway. A few structures in the village started developing cracks a couple of days ago but the situation was exacerbated by a landslide on Thursday with the number of buildings damaged reaching 21. "We have shifted 19 affected families to a safer location after their houses were rendered unsafe. We are observing the situation and taking steps as per need to ensure their safety," Sub-Divisional Magistrate (Thathri) Athar Amin Zargar told PTI. The deputy commissioner and the senior superintendent of police visited the spot and assured all help to the affected families, he said. Zargar, however, refused to compare the situation to that in Uttarakhand's Joshimath -- th

J-K highway closed for 2nd consecutive day due to landslide in Ramban

The Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was closed for traffic for the second consecutive on Tuesday due to a landslide in Ramban district, leaving more than 600 vehicles stranded on the road. The 270-kilometre-long highway, the only all-weather road linking Kashmir with the rest of the country, was blocked by mudslides and shooting stones between Chanderkote and Banihal in the district in Monday. Traffic officials issued an advisory asking people not to travel on the highway. According to them, more than 600 vehicles are stranded at different points of the highway. Men and machines have been deployed to clear the highway, they said. The mughal road, which connects Shopian district of Kashmir with Poonch district of Jammu, was also blocked for traffic due to heavy snowfall, they said. Efforts are on to clear the road of the snow and restore traffic on it, they said.

Uttarakhand: Chamoli DM Khurana submits settlement plan for Joshimath

Chamoli District Magistrate Himanshu Khurana on Monday suggested three options for the settlement of the displaced people in land subsidence-hit Joshimath, officials said. Khurana who heads a committee working on a settlement plan for Joshimath submitted his recommendations to a high powered panel chaired by Additional Chief Secretary Anand Vardhan here. The first option offers one time settlement by providing financial assistance to the affected land/building owners, Disaster Management Secretary Ranjit Kumar Sinha said at a press conference here. They will be paid compensation as one time settlement for their damaged land or buildings as per the prescribed norms, he said. However, before they are paid fully, the land/building of the affected person will have to be registered in favour of the state government, he said. Under the second option, land up to a maximum area of 100 square metres will be provided to the affected land/building owners for house construction and a compensa

Joshimath crisis: Profiles of water samples, NTPC project site different

Profiles of water samples from Uttarakhand's Joshimath, which is facing a major challenge due land subsidence, and the NTPC project site are not the same, says NIH, Roorkee

Joshimath-Rishikesh highway stretch may face more landslides: Study

Scientists have found that vulnerability of the highway stretch in Uttarakhand between Joshimath and Rishikesh to landslides is likely to increase

Himachal CM orders detailed report of landslides, sinking zones in state

The chief minister also issued instructions to identify the major causes of road accidents in the state

Caught between a rock and a hard place: Joshimath faces an uncertain future

Educators need a plan ambitious enough to remedy enormous learning losses

Joshimath crisis: NTPC faces opposition as locals demand their exit

The locals consider the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) responsible for the the constant threat of landslides being faced by them

Geophysical scientists from Hyderabad to study land subsidence in Joshimath

A team of experts from CSIR-National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) will be leaving for Joshimath in Uttarakhand, which witnessed land subsidence recently, to conduct subsurface physical mapping of the affected town, a senior scientist has said. The 10-member team headed by Anand K Pandey is expected to reach the site on January 13 and start their work from the following day. The tests are expected to continue for two weeks, and the collated data would then be analysed to ascertain the reason for the sinking of the ground there. Joshimath, the gateway to famous pilgrimage sites like Badrinath and Hemkund Sahib and international skiing destination Auli, is facing a major challenge due to land subsidence. "Our equipment is already on the way. On 13th January, the whole team will move to this site. And from 14th onwards, we will be there for at least two weeks to do the survey of that area. We are planning to do shallow subsurface physical mapping for water saturation and soil .

Demolition drive halted in Joshimath, locals angry over poor compensation

While the cracks that have appeared in the buildings of Joshimath are widening, the administration has been facing the opposition of the affected people in the demolition drive