Death toll reaches 524 in Andhra Pradesh heat wave

The death toll in the heat wave that continues to grip Andhra Pradesh mounted to 524, officials said on Sunday.

The commissioner disaster management, who had on Saturday put the toll at 294 since April 1, revised it to 524.The highest maximum temperature of 47 degrees Celsius was recorded onSunday at Tuni and Visakhpatnam. Kakinada and Vijayawada recorded 46 degrees Celsius.

The mercury touched 45 degrees Celsius in Bapatla, Machilipatnam, Rentachintala, Hanamkonda and Ramagundam. According to a statement released by the commissioner, Guntur district bore the brunt with 95 deaths. Prakasam district accounted for 75 deaths, East Godavari 60, Nalgonda 47, Adilabad and Karimnagar 43 each, Khammam 26, Warangal 20, West Godavari and Nizamabad district 16 each.

India Meteorological Department has warned that severe heat wave conditions would prevail in coastal Andhra and heat wave conditions in parts of Telangana during the next 48 hours.

The government has already announced a compensation of Rs 50,000 each to the kin of each of those who have died of sun-stroke.

Monday 27 May 2013

http://post.jagran.com/death-toll-reaches-524-as-heat-wave-continues-to-grip-andhra-pradesh-1369640436

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Mexico bus accident: 16 dead, 19 injured

Mexican authorities say a bus apparently went out of control after a blowout and turned over, killing 16 people in central Hidalgo state.

State attorney general’s spokesman Fernando Hidalgo says the accident happened Sunday afternoon as a group of tourists was returning to Mexico City from a weekend trip to the thermal baths in the town of Santa Maria Amajac.

Hidalgo says witnesses reported that the bus driver lost control when the vehicle blew a tire. The bus hit a guard rail and flipped. The official says the bus was an old model from the 1970s and in poor condition.

The attorney general’s Twitter account says seven men, seven women and two children died. Nineteen people were injured.

Monday 27 May 2013

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/415917/bus-flips-over-in-mexico-16-dead-19-injured

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Etah bus mishap: 19 bodies found, compensation announced

[Update]Nineteen people were confirmed dead after a bus from Farukkhabad to New Delhi fell into a canal in Etah late Sunday, police said Monday. The accident took place 265 km from Lucknow.

While eight bodies were fished out till early Monday, by noon 11 more bodies were recovered from the canal, taking the toll to 19.

Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh State Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) has announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs.50,000 to those killed in the accident and Rs.5,000 each to those injured.

Due to the strong current in the the Hazara canal, many passengers are feared to have been washed away.

Twenty-two passengers have been rescued by divers of the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) from canal waters, police said.

"We are told that more than 58 passengers were travelling in the bus," a senior official overseeing the rescue operations told IANS, adding that those injured said that the driver appeared drunk.

District Magistrate Lokesh M. told IANS that the condition of some passengers rescued from the Hazara canal continues to be critical.

"Search operations are on as we have not been able to locate missing passengers," Lokesh said.

The injured passengers told police that the the bus driver was trying to overtake a truck near Pilua police station when he lost control of the vehicle, and it fell into the canal.

Home department officials said divers were trying to locate passengers who may be trapped in the canal. An official said identification of bodies would only be possible later in the day.

Their exact number could not be ascertained yet, Etah District Magistrate Lokesh M said, adding relief and rescue operation was on at the spot

Monday 27 May 2013

http://newindianexpress.com/nation/UP-bus-mishap-19-bodies-found-compensation-announced/2013/05/27/article1607962.ece

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Bus dives into canal in Etah, more than 24 feared dead

Over two dozen people are believed to have lost their lives as the bus in which they were travelling from Farukkhabad to New Delhi fell into a canal in Etah late on Sunday, the police said on Monday.

The incident took place 265 km away from Lucknow. While eight bodies have been fished out of Hazara canal and 22 passengers have been saved from the canal waters, the police said they fear more than two dozen people have been washed away.

"The bus was jam-packed and we are told that more than 58 passengers were travelling in it," a senior official overseeing the rescue operations said. District Magistrate Lokesh M said that the condition of some of the passengers rescued from Hazara canal continues to be critical.

"Rescue operations are on as we have not been able to locate the missing passengers," he said. The injured passengers told police that the bus driver was trying to overtake a truck near Pilua police station when he lost control of the vehicle and it fell into the canal.

Home department officials said divers have been put into service to trace out more passengers who might be trapped in the canal. An official said it would only be later in the day that identification of those dead would be possible.

Monday 27 May 2013

http://post.jagran.com/over-24-feared-dead-in-etah-bus-accident-1369627836

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India: betting on the dead is a tradition

Bizarre though it may sound, people are making a quick buck by betting on the dead.

Betting and fixing, apparently, is not restricted to cricket alone and in Varanasi’s famous Manikarnika Ghat, the bookies make fast money by betting on the dead.

The Manikarnika Ghat in Varanasi is considered the most pious cremation ground for Hindus and it is believed that the fire in the pyre never dies down here.

Bookies have turned something as solemn as cremation of bodies into big business.

According to an insider, heavy bets are placed on the gender of the body being brought for cremation — whether it is male or female — then on the direction from which the body is being brought in, the type of vehicle the body is being brought in and even the quality of wood that will be purchased by the relatives to burn the body.

The bookies, mostly the local people, come to the Manikarnika Ghat before sunrise and betting begins from around 4 am.

“Each bet is around `1000 and at the end of the day, each one of us makes around `4,000 to `6,000. Those who lay bets on the gender of the body, direction from which it is being brought in, kind of wood and even the time taken for the body to get fully consumed by fire obviously end up winning or losing more than `10,000 per day,” says Rajan, a bookie.

He explains that they can easily decide the financial status of the deceased from the kind of people accompanying his body. “We can tell if the relatives will buy sandalwood and desi ghee for the cremation or use ordinary ingredients.

The kind of vehicle is another tell-tale sign. A person from an affluent family will be brought in an ambulance or hearse car while the poor will bring in the body in a tempo or a jeep. We place our bets after studying these factors,’ he says.

Betting at Manikarnika Ghat is done through cell phones, without uttering a word. The dozen odd bookies sit around the ghats without interacting with each other and send signals when they sight a dead body.

“Even the local people like shopkeepers and priests do not know that we indulge in betting. They think we are simply loitering around doing nothing. If our ‘business’ is disclosed, we may have to leave because of the religious sentiments involved in this,” says Rajan.

Sources at the ghat say that the local police are fully aware of the bookie business and even take a “cut” regularly.

Monday 27 May 2013

http://www.asianage.com/india/betting-dead-tradition-here-899

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