Miscellaneous

Citation

(2004), "Miscellaneous", Disaster Prevention and Management, Vol. 13 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/dpm.2004.07313bac.004

Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous

4 November 2003 – Premises, Hengyang City, China

Ten fire-fighters were killed and another ten were missing, buried in rubble, after a blaze in central China led to the collapse of an eight-storey structure, state media said today. Another 16 people were injured in the accident, Xinhua news agency said. Local authorities said four of those injured were journalists, according to the report. The fire, in Hunan province's Hengyang city, erupted in a storage room on the first floor of a residential and office building early yesterday and quickly spread, the Xinhua news agency reported on its Web site. More than 160 fire-fighters were called to the scene and managed to rescue all 412 residents in the building without a single person being hurt, according to the agency. However, shortly after the successful rescue operation, the building collapsed, leading to the fatalities, with ten fire-fighters still missing as of today, Xinhua said.

8 October 2003 – Collapse of Building, Jiangmen, China

At least ten people have been killed and five more were missing after a building under construction collapsed in southern China, state media said. Local government officials in Guangdong province said a supermarket being built in Jiangmen city caved in yesterday, the Xinhua news agency reported. At least 20 people were buried under the rubble.

Ten have been confirmed dead, five rushed to hospital and another five remain missing. Xinhua said 500 rescue workers were at the site and the local government had halted all construction projects in the city for safety checks.

22 December 2003 – Collapse Of Gangway, Shipyard, St. Nazaire, France

The world's biggest and most expensive cruise liner, the British-flagged passenger Queen Mary 2, has been officially handed over to her new owners, Cunard. The 150,000- tonne vessel's flag was hoisted above the vessel in a ceremony before the vessel's departure from the shipyard in St Nazaire on France's Atlantic coast.

The $800 million vessel is to be officially named in Southampton by Queen Elizabeth on 8 January. Four days later the vessel will leave on its 14-day maiden passenger voyage to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Micky Arison, the chairman of giant company Carnival which owns Cunard, together with Cunard president Pamela Conover, were at Alstom Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard for today's official handing over ceremony. It was while the vessel was in dry dock at St Nazaire last month that 15 people were killed after a walkway connecting the vessel with the dock collapsed.