UK Earthquakes 2011

2012-05-16 05:47:11 – Explosion – USA

Early Tuesday morning, an explosion at LSB Industries‘ (NYSE:LXU) El Dorado, Arkansas chemical facility damaged the facility.The explosion was in the DSN concentrated nitric acid plant, and damaged both the plant and surrounding equipment. No employees or anyone in the community was injured, and management believes that there was no environmental release. The entire El Dorado facility was shut down pending an assessment and repair of the damage, but management was not able to provide any timeline.

Posted:2012-05-16 05:47:11 [UTC]

2012-05-15 04:13:25 – Nuclear Event – United Kingdom

A NUCLEAR reactor at Torness power station in East Lothian activated its safety system to close itself down at the weekend – nearly a week ahead of a scheduled “MOT”.But last night power company EDF Energy said that while one of its two reactors going offline at the plant near Dunbar was unplanned, there was no cause for public concern.A company spokeswoman said she was not yet able to release details of why the reactor went offline on Sunday.Planned maintenance involving a team of up to 500 staff will now be brought forward and take place this week.A spokeswoman for the company, which owns and operates eight power stations in the UK, including Hunterston in Ayrshire, said: “Torness R2 came offline yesterday (13 May). It was unplanned, however we may take the opportunity to begin the planned statutory outage, which was due to begin on 19 May, a few days early.”The National Grid is responsible for “balancing” the electricity going out from power plants across the country and there is not believed to be any threat to supplies.Torness began generating electricity in 1988 but is due to be decommissioned in 2023.Dr Richard Dixon, green group WWF Scotland director, said: “Nuclear power has once again proven itself to be unreliable. We should all be thankful that Scotland has grown its renewable energy capacity enough to be able to deal with Torness nuclear power station going offline without warning.“As we tap into ever more of our huge renewable resource we look forward to the day Scotland can switch off nuclear power for good.”Last June, both reactors at the plant were shut down after “high volumes” of jellyfish were found on seawater filter screens.

Posted:2012-05-15 04:13:25 [UTC]

2012-05-14 05:58:25 – Fire – Spain

Seven Formula One personnel were taken to hospital, and 31 tended to by circuit doctors, after a fire gutted the Williams garage while the team were celebrating winning Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix.The former champions had earlier gathered outside the Circuit de Catalunya garage for a team photograph to mark Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado’s first career victory and their first in nearly eight years.Team founder and principal Frank Williams, who is in a wheelchair, had been in the garage when it filled with smoke and flames but was quickly wheeled to safety, his daughter Claire told Reuters.The blaze was fought by staff from Williams, Caterham and Force India from the pit lane side before circuit fire services arrived.The governing International Automobile Federation (FIA) said in a statement that all but seven of the 31 team members who went to the Circuit Medical Centre had been released.The seven were transferred to local hospitals for treatment.Williams said the fire had “originated from the fuel area” and three of their staff were in hospital.”The team, the fire services and the police are working together to determine the root cause of the fire and an update statement will be released in due course,” Williams added.Caterham, who have an adjacent garage to Williams, said four of their staff had been taken to the medical centre for examination – one with a minor hand injury and three with respiratory issues.Force India deputy team principal Bob Fernley said one of his staff had suffered smoke inhalation.The fire, with thick, acrid black smoke billowing out of the garage and across the paddock, started about 90 minutes after the end of the race.Maldonado was photographed carrying his 12-year-old cousin piggyback through the smoke, with the youngster clutching the winner’s trophy.Photographs also showed Brazilian Bruno Senna’s car in the middle of a gutted and charred garage. Maldonado’s had been parked elsewhere under post-race parc ferme rules.Team officials and guests were ushered to safety and the area cordoned off. A medical helicopter was seen to take off after a while.The fire was the second in the Formula One paddock in five races this season, with one breaking out in the Lotus hospitality area at the Malaysian circuit in March.

Posted:2012-05-14 05:58:25 [UTC]

2012-05-14 11:09:15 – Fire – United Kingdom

A 13-year-old boy has died in hospital days after five of his siblings were killed in a house fire in Derby.Duwayne Philpott and his brothers and sisters were asleep upstairs at their Allenton home when the blaze began.Their father Mick Philpott, who is believed to have 17 children, made “valiant attempts” to save them.Police are treating the fire on Friday as suspicious. A man, 38, and woman, 28, have been bailed after being held on suspicion of murder.Jade Philpott, 10, and her brothers John, nine, Jack, seven, Jessie, six, and Jayden, five, all died when the fire started on Victory Road in the early hours.Duwayne had received treatment at Birmingham Children’s hospital, before his life support machine was switched off overnight.Assistant Chief Constable Steve Cotterill said: “I am sad to confirm the news that Duwayne has died as a result of the injuries he suffered in the fire.”My deepest sympathies go out to Mr and Mrs Philpott at this distressing time.”A spokesman from Birmingham Children’s Hospital said: “Despite the intensive care team’s greatest efforts, the injuries that Duwayne received in the fire were too great for him to survive.”Our thoughts are with his family at this difficult time.”Mr Cotterill said on Sunday that police had not had the opportunity to speak to Mr and Mrs Philpott because they had been caring for their son.He said police would like to speak to anyone who was in or around Victory Road between 03:00 BST and 04:00 BST on Friday.”I want to thank the local community who have already come forward but I would urge anyone with any information, regardless of how insignificant you think it may be, to contact us,” he said.Mr Cotterill also asked people to let police know if they spotted anything on social media sites that might aid the investigation.”Please tell us what is being said. We don’t necessarily get to know all of that,” he said.”If you’ve got access to Facebook and you see something there that you think is going to be important to us, please come forward.”The family were the subject of media scrutiny in 2006 when Mr Philpott asked the council for a larger house to accommodate his wife, girlfriend and 14 children.In 2007, ex-Conservative MP Ann Widdecombe spent a week living with the family as part of an ITV documentary and Mr Philpott also appeared as a guest on the channel’s Jeremy Kyle Show.On Saturday, prayers were said for the children at a special service in Derby and a candlelit vigil was held.People on the estate where the family lived said they had set up an online charity to help with funeral costs and anything else the family may need.

Posted:2012-05-14 11:09:15 [UTC]

2012-05-12 16:36:52 – Biological Hazard – Chile

Several news outlets are reporting that some 2,300 dead sea birds have been found along four miles of beach in Chile. The mass avian die-off has left corpses from Cartagena to Playa de Santo Domingo, and is a no doubt unnerving sight. We really need to stop these mass animal die-offs, they’re creeping me out.According to reports, most of the birds were gray petrels, with some pelicans, gannets and Guanay cormorants as well. Many of the birds were found with broken wings and bruising, suggesting that the birds were caught in fisherman’s nets and drowned before being dumped back into the water.Though fishing nets do kill a certain number of birds per year, it is usually much lower. Jose Luis Britos, the director of the Museum of Natural History of San Antonio, Chile, is quoted as putting the number at around 15 to 20 annually.While the cause of death seems understood, how so many birds came to die in this manner is still a mystery. One theory blames nearby oil exploration. However, recent bird and dolphin die-offs in Peru have suggested that warming ocean waters could have played a role. Unseasonably warm waters along the Peruvian coast seem to be causing schools of anchovy to seek out the cooler, deeper waters around Chile.The influx of anchovy may be causing migratory birds to linger around Chile, feasting on the fish. With more birds there are presumably more accidental drownings in nets, which resulted in beaches filled with dead birds. Meanwhile, seabirds in Peru are apparently dying of starvation.Though the exact chain of events that has lead to the enormous number of bird deaths is still unclear, Britos’ staff and local officials are trying to prevent further deaths by working with local fisherman. The hope is that they can be persuaded them to save the birds before the nets are closed. With any luck it might keep some birds alive, though the changing marine ecosystem in the region will remain in flux.

The name of Hazard: Unknow or unidentifed hazard
Species: Animal
Status: Suspected

Posted:2012-05-12 16:36:52 [UTC]

2012-05-12 09:56:21 – Ship Incident – India

One woman drowned and six others, including a two year-old are reported missing after a country boat capsized today in Hooghly river near a ghat on Konnagar, about 14.5 km from Kolkata.Police said the boat with about 19 pilgrims and oarsmen were on way from Sukhchar in North 24 Parganas district to Konnager when it capsized near the Baro Madirtala ghat.The pilgrims were bound for Shakuntala Kalibari at Konnagar in Hooghly district.Locals immediately jumped into the river and rescued 12 pilgrims, the police said.Efforts are on by the district administration and the police to trace the missing, the police added.

Posted:2012-05-12 09:56:21 [UTC]

2012-05-07 10:27:25 – Vehicle Accident – Taiwan

A collision between two buses in the 12.9-kilometer Hsuehshan Tunnel in northeastern Taiwan on Monday caused two deaths and injured more than 20 others, two of whom seriously.The accident occurred at 1:27 p.m. when a passenger bus caught fire after being hit from behind by another bus at the 26 kilometer mark on the south-bound No. 5 National Highway in the Hsuehshan Tunnel, which links New Taipei and Yilan counties, police said.The Directorate General of Highways confirmed that the collision happened right after a car’s tire suddenly blew out, which forced the first bus, run by Kamalan Bus Inc., to clap on the brakes, catching the bus driver behind by surprise.The second bus, owned by Capital Bus, caught fire after the collision, according to the agency, which said the driver died in the fire.Firefighters said they launched rescue efforts immediately upon hearing of the accident and extinguished the flames at 2:08 p.m., adding all the injured, mostly suffering from smoke inhalation, had been rushed to nearby hospitals.The tunnel has been closed to traffic to facilitate rescue work, police said.The accident is the most serious to have happened in the tunnel, which was opened to the public in June 2006.Considered a marvel of civil engineering and human perseverance, the tunnel took 15 years to complete.rn

Posted:2012-05-07 10:27:25 [UTC]

2012-05-07 05:20:49 – Vehicle Accident – USA

On Sunday morning, an ECISD school bus collided with a fire truck, sending several students and a firefighter to area hospitals.Horticulture students from Permian High School and Odessa High School were on their way home from their annual spring trip.At approximately 9 a.m., the school bus collided with a Leona Volunteer Fire Department truck in Centerville, Texas which is about a seven hour drive southeast of Midland-Odessa. That fire truck was on the way to a fire.rnIt happened as the bus was directed by police to change lanes due to a large grass fire in the area. Trooper Jimmy Morgan with DPS in Bryan, TX tells says a Leona Volunteer Fire Department truck was responding to a fire that two other fire trucks were already at. The driver of the third truck tried to make a U-turn on the highway to join the other two trucks, but the driver didn’t notice the ECISD school bus coming up alongside it. The truck was then struck by the school bus.42 students along with their class sponsors and the bus driver were onboard. One firefighter and 12 students were sent to area hospitals. Fortunately, none of their injuries were serious.All the uninjured kids were taken to a high school in Centerville. Centerville ISD Superintendent Cathy Nicols tells us, “When I heard it, it really scared me. I didn’t know what I was facing when I came up to the school grounds.” Centerville ISD says several of the kids were still in fear over what happened.”They were scared and we had people come in and our counselor came in and visited with them and we tried our best to put them at ease and I think we were successful,” Nicols said.All students taken to the hospital have since been discharged.On Sunday night, an Ector County ISD bus met the whole group in the Metroplex area and started driving them back home. They are scheduled to arrive in Odessa at approximately 1 a.m. on Monday.

2012-05-04 12:44:49 – Terror Attack – Nigeria

Gunmen set off explosives and fired on a cattle market in remote northeastern Nigeria overnight, killing at least 56 people, a nurse who received bodies in the local hospital said on Thursday.The police commissioner put the number of dead at 34.It was not clear who was behind the attack on Wednesday night in the town of Potiskum, in Yobe state, which has been an occasional target for militant Islamist sect Boko Haram.”I have counted 56 bodies at the morgue and I am sure that the death toll could rise in view of the serious nature of injuries sustained,” the nurse at Potiskum hospital, who gave his name as Babangida, said.”The Potiskum mortuary is made up of a room and a parlor and I counted the 56 in the parlor only. I didn’t go into the inner room.”Police Commissioner Moses Namiri said security forces had confirmed 34 killed and that Islamist sect Boko Haram was suspected to be behind the attack.”Everybody knows the modus operandi of BH (Boko Haram): they threw explosives and used guns,” he said. “The gunfire lasted for almost an hour.”Witness Mama Yusuf, a retired civil servant, said there were dead bodies on the ground, though he could not say how many.”I saw dead bodies all around the place and the emergency services taking people to hospitals,” he said.Boko Haram has been fighting a low-level insurgency for more than two years and has become the main security threat facing Africa’s top oil producer, although it is far from any oil producing facilities.It usually targets police or authority figures, and although civilians have increasingly borne the brunt of its attacks, they are normally targeted for being a perceived enemy of the group, such as Christians, rather than being randomly killed.Sometimes violence in Nigeria, especially in parts of the north or the volatile Middle Belt – where the largely Christian south and Muslim north meet – is driven by ethnic rivalry over land and resources that has little to do with the Boko Haram attacks.Boko Haram, which wants to impose an Islamic state on Nigeria’s mixed population of Muslims and Christians, has been blamed for hundreds of killings since its uprising against the government began in 2009.A spate of attacks in the past few days, including one against Christians in the north that killed 19 people on Sunday, have dampened hopes that tighter security had significantly reduced the sect’s capability.Nigerian forces killed the suspected mastermind of Sunday’s attack on Christian worshippers, in a raid in the main northern city of Kano on Tuesday that resulted in a gun battle lasting several hours.rn

Posted:2012-05-04 12:44:49 [UTC]