Trump issues emergency declaration in Washington DC
Washington: US President Donald Trump has issued an emergency declaration for the national capital here ahead of his successor Joe Biden's inauguration on January 20, amidst threat perception to the event by federal agencies.
In a statement on Monday, the White House said the President's action authorises the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate relief efforts to alleviate the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population.
The emergency in Washington DC will be effective from Monday till January 24.
It comes in the wake of last week's violent protest, in which thousands of pro-Trump supporters stormed the Capitol building and clashed with police, interrupting a constitutional process by Congress to affirm the victory of President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris in the election. Five people, including a Capitol Police officer, died in the protests.
According to the White House, the emergency declaration also provides appropriate assistance for required emergency measures, authorised under Title V of the Stafford Act to save lives and to protect property and public health and safety and to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in the District of Columbia.
Specifically, the FEMA is authorised to identify, mobilise, and provide at its discretion, equipment, and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency.
Emergency protective measures, limited to direct Federal assistance, will be provided at 100 percent Federal funding, the White House said.
Thomas J Fargione from the DHS and Pete Gaynor, Administrator, FEMA, are the Federal Coordinating Officers for operations in the affected area.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has warned of armed protests at all 50 US state capitals, including Washington, in the lead up to next week's 59th Presidential inauguration. Similarly, the US National Guard Bureau has also warned of possible riots next week.
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MP boat tragedy: Death toll climbs to 13; body of last missing person recovered
Jabalpur (PTI): The bodies of a five-year-old boy and his uncle were recovered from Bargi Dam in Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur district on Sunday morning, raising the death toll in the cruise boat tragedy to 13, police said.
The boat, around 20 years old and operated by the state tourism department, capsized during a storm on Thursday evening.
"The bodies of Mayuram (5) and his uncle Kamraj (around 50), an employee of the Ordnance Factory in Khamaria, were found floating and were fished out of the dam," Bargi Sub Divisional Officer of Police Anjul Ayank Mishra told PTI over the phone.
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All 13 missing persons identified have now been accounted for, he said, adding the bodies were sent to a government hospital for postmortem.
Teams comprising around 20 Army divers airlifted from Agra, along with personnel from the National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force and local divers, were involved in the search operation, the police said.
Of the 41 identified passengers on board the vessel, 28 were rescued after the incident, according to the police.
The CCTV footage near the boarding point showed 43 people heading towards the boat, though the identities of 41 passengers have been confirmed so far, they said.
The state government on Friday ordered a probe into the incident and dismissed three crew members. It also banned the operation of similar vessels in the state.
