Eiffel Tower evacuated amid fears of a terrorist attack
More than 4,000 tourists were evacuated on Wednesday from the Eiffel Tower after a suspicious package was found, Kazakhstan Today reports.
Almaty. March 24. Kazakhstan Today - More than 4,000 tourists were evacuated on Wednesday from the Eiffel Tower after a suspicious package was found, Kazakhstan Today reports.
More than 4,000 terrified tourists were today evacuated from the Eiffel Tower amid fears of a terrorist attack when a suspicious package was found, Daily Mail reported.
An anonymous caller rang police to warn that the world famous monument was to be blown up at 5pm this afternoon.
An official at the 1,063ft high tower in the French capital said the structure was evacuated after the package was found underneath the iron rafters.
The prominent building has been seen as a prime terrorist target by extremists from Al Qaeda and those who oppose Libyan bombings.
But it is understood that the tower has now re-opened after a check found that there were no explosives.
Tourists were allowed back on the sandy plaza beneath the tower after a little more than two hours, and the ticket office is being reopened.
The scare follows repeated terrorist threats against France from Al Qaeda, and from those who oppose the bombing of Libya.
It is understood that the package was found on the plaza beneath the tower where large groups of tourists were stood.
Police and soldiers could be seen scouring the 1,063ft high tower for suspect devices and the entire area surrounding the tower was cordoned off.
A Paris police official said nearly 4,000 tourists were evacuated from the site after an anonymous caller warned that the Paris monument would be blown up at 1700 GMT.
The site is occasionally evacuated because of threats.
A bomb attack on the tower, which is the same height as an 81-storey building, could cause devastation with thousands of tourists from around the world flocking to the site every day.
Visitors are able to walk up to the first and second levels in the tower before taking a lift to the third and highest level.
If the enormous iron lattice tower was to crash to the ground it could cause widespread damage to the surrounding area.
The tourist destination was evacuated in September last year after a similar bomb threat was made.
The monument and the park surrounding it were cleared by Paris police after someone allegedly phoned police claiming the tower and the Saint Michel RER commuter train station were targets.
Police were concerned about two types of threat by Islamist extremists - an assassination bid on an important figure or an attack on a crowded area like a tourist spot, a metro train or a department store.
Intelligence received from an allied foreign spy agency suggested that Al-Qaeda's North African branch, al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, was planning an imminent attack in France.
The Algerian intelligence agency has passed on warnings about militants heading to French to carry out attacks, and officials say there is also evidence of Jihadi fighters returning from Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Nicolas Sarkozy was at the forefront of action to support rebels fighting Colonel Ghaddafi in Libya, and French jets have spearheaded the attacks on the country, together with the RAF.
This has increased fears that France may be the target of attacks from extreme Islamic groups.
Paris is the most popular tourist destination in the world, with the British being the biggest visitor group.
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Fire brokes out in Kostenko coalmine in Karaganda, 187 evacuated
Images | Ministry of Emergencies of Kazakhstan
187 workers have been evacuated from the Kostenko coalmine in Karaganda due to fire, Kazinform News Agency learned from the press service of the Ministry of Emergencies.
As the Ministry informed, smoke occurred on the 4th conveyor drift of K3 coalbed.
Electrician Aibar Kossanov managed to extinguish the smoke using emergency fire extinguishing equipment.
The cause of the smoke was eliminated at 07:45 pm. Despite that, a decision was taken to evacuate 194 miners who were underground at the moment.
As of 09:47pm, 187 miners were brought to the surface, 7 workers including site managers and supervisors remained underground to control the incident and mine support system.
As per preliminary version, a foreign object blocked the operation of the conveyer band and caused the fire.
Six divisions of professional emergency and rescue services, local emergency personnel were attracted to the evacuation works. The incident is settled. The decision on the resumption of operation of the 4th shift will be adopted after the circumstances are assessed," the Qarmet press service added.
As reported, 46 miners died and 28 were injured as a result of the blast, which occurred in ArcelorMittal Temirtau's Kostenko coal mine in Karaganda region on October 28. 252 people were in the mine at the moment of the blast, of whom 205 were evacuated and taken to safety.
The Prosecutor General's Office launched a criminal investigation into the accident. According to the company, gas-methane explosion occured in the lava. Rescue operations at the scene were carried out in a non-stop regime.
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev visited the accident site and met with the families of the victims. The President expressed his condolences to the families and friends of the deceased miners and tasked to provide them with all-round support.
ArcelorMittal Temirtau was officially renamed as QARMET. The Kazakh company Qazaqstan Steel Group (QSG) became an investor of the enterprises of the former ArcelorMittal Temirtau. The company, represented by Kazakh businessman Andrey Lavrentiev, reached an agreement with the Kazakh Ministry of Industry and Construction on the acquisition of AMT assets.
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Over 110 summer house communities in Uralsk flooded
Images | Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Kazakhstan
116 summer house communities in the floodplain of the River Ural are inundated, Kazinform News Agency reports.
2,073 families or 6,888 people live at those summer houses in Uralsk, deputy governor of West Kazakhstan Kaliyar Aitmukhambetov said.
As earlier reported, 1,920 homes were flooded in six districts and the city of Uralsk. Owners of 902 homes returned.
Of which 276 homes were condemned as unfit for people to live in, 74 are subject to master overhaul.
75,962 pupils in 108 schools shifted to online learning. 161 evacuation centers were opened in the region. Since the beginning of the floods 13,380 people, including 5,748 children, were evacuated to safer places. Currently, 2,363 people are staying at 14 temporary shelters and provided with food and medical assistance.
The risk of flooding remains at 84 settlements in Uralsk city, Akzhaiyk, Borlinskiy, Baiterek, and Terekty districts along the River Ural. A dam 135 km long and 2-4.5 m wide has been built there since April. 1.1 million sandbags were laid. 1,336 pieces of equipment were deployed in dam fortification efforts.
Above 7,000 people and 3,500 military are involved in mitigating flood aftermath.
According to the emergencies department, 13,044 summer cottages are flooded. 10,647 people, 1,919 pieces of equipment, 213 motor pumps, 194 floating crafts, and 5 helicopters are deployed in rescue and flood relief operations.
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8,821, including 3,885 children from flood-hit regions staying at temporary shelters, Kazakh Emergencies Ministry
Images | Akorda
Kazakhstan continues rescue efforts, flood relief operations and mitigation of flood aftermath in flood-stricken and flood-prone regions, the Kazakh Emergencies Ministry’s official spokesperson Dinara Nurgaliyeva told a briefing.
Since the beginning of the floods 118,180 people, including 44,254 children, were rescued and evacuated. 113,852 farm animals were moved to safer places, she added.
Currently, 8,821 people, including 3,885 children, from flood-hit areas are staying at temporary shelters.
Water was pumped out of 4,370 homes and 2,737 household plots. Over 10.5 million cubic meters of meltwater were pumped away, and over 3.4 million sandbags and 1.4 million tons of inert material were laid.
5,989 homes and 1,091 household plots remain flooded in Akmola, Aktobe, Kostanay, Atyrau, North Kazakhstan.
44,137 people, 4,642 pieces of equipment, 858 motor pumps, 341 floating crafts, 18 aircraft, and volunteers are deployed in rescue and flood relief operations.
A local state of emergency was declared in 38 districts in Aktobe, Kostanay, West Kazakhstan, Akmola, Karaganda, Atyrau, North Kazakhstan, and Ulytau regions.
The Emergencies Ministry urges all to keep flood safety rules, not to leave homes and evacuation centers without permission and not to leave children alone.
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Second wave of floods hits N Kazakhstan region
Images | Ministry of Emergencies of Kazakhstan
Water level has increased on the Sergeyev Reservoir in the North Kazakhstan region. Flood situation in the region remains complicated, Deputy Governor of the region Kanat Duzelbayev said it at a briefing today, Kazinform News Agency reports.
He said water overflow on the Sergeyev Reservoir has decreased to 250 centimeters.
Due to the second wave of flooding, water level rose again with the overflow at 278 centimeters having increased by 21 centimeters," Kanat Duzelbayev said.
He emphasized the situation remains complicated in Kyzylzhar district and Petropavlovsk city.
A number of villages in Kyzylzhar district and micro-districts Podgora, Kozhevenny, Zarechny, Kossogor are still under water, with 2,886 residential buildings affected by the flood. A total of 14,388 people have been evacuated in the region, with 1,037 accommodated in temporary shelters. All of them are provided with meals and essential supplies. 149 families have already received lump-sum social payment. 470 tons of humanitarian aid were sent to the region from Astana, Almaty, East Kazakhstan, Kyzylorda, Zhambyl, Pavlodar, and Akmola regions, as well as from Russia’s Omsk," said Duzelbayev.
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