Page 15 - Death Toll

Rise in UK knife attacks leads to crackdown and stokes public anxiety

A familiar horror reached Pooja Kanda first on social media: There had been a sword attack in London. And then Kanda, who was home alone at the time, saw a detail she dreaded and knew all too well. A man with a sword had killed a 14-year-old boy who was walking to school. Two years ago, her 16-year-old son, Ronan, was killed by two sword-wielding schoolmates while walking to a neighbour's to borrow a PlayStation controller. It took me back, Kanda, who lives near Birmingham, said about Daniel Anjorin's April 30 killing in an attack in London's Hainault district that also wounded four people. It's painful to see that this has happened all over again. In parts of the world that ban or strictly regulate gun ownership, including Britain and much of the rest of Europe, knives and other types of blades are often the weapons of choice used in crimes. Many end up in the hands of children, as they can be cheap and easy to get. Although the number of fatal stabbings has mostly held steady in

Hope fading for 44 workers missing days after S Africa building collapse

Hope was fading Friday for 44 construction workers buried for days in the rubble of a building that collapsed in South Africa, with authorities saying rescuers are now faced with the challenge of moving thousands of tons of concrete with heavy machinery to see if there are any more survivors. The death toll rose to nine after a worker who was in critical condition died in the hospital, authorities said. Of the 28 workers rescued from the site, 21 were in critical condition or had life-threatening injuries following Monday's collapse of the five-story apartment complex that was under construction. With fears that the final death toll could exceed 50, authorities in the city of George on South Africa's south coast said large earth-moving equipment had arrived and rescue teams were removing huge slabs of concrete and rubble to reach deeper into the wreckage. City authorities said it was still a rescue rather than a recovery operation, but no survivors have been located or brought out

Six die as heavy rain, thunderstorms lash southern districts of West Bengal

Six people died in thunderstorms in south Bengal on Monday, as heavy rain drenched Kolkata and other districts in the region, parched under the scorching sun for several days, officials said. A Disaster Management Department official said six people, including a married couple, died in different districts of south Bengal, including in Nadia, Purulia and Purba Bardhaman district. Suburban train services on the Sealdah-Canning line of Eastern Railway's Sealdah division were affected for over an hour, as plantain leaves fell on an overhead electric traction wire during a thunderstorm, an official said. Train services were affected from 8 pm to 9.15 pm, he said. A few Kolkata-bound flights from other destinations had to be diverted due to bad weather, Airports Authority of India (AAI) sources said Inclement weather forced three incoming flights to Kolkata two from Delhi and one from Bagdogra to be diverted to other airports, they said. A Kolkata to Ranchi flight had to return to th

S Korea's parliament approves independent probe of 2022 Halloween crush

South Korea's parliament on Thursday approved legislation mandating a new, independent investigation into the 2022 Halloween crush in Seoul that killed 159 people. The single-chamber National Assembly passed the bill by a 256-0 vote. It will become law after it is signed by President Yoon Suk Yeol and promulgated by his government agency steps that are considered formalities because the president and his ruling party already agreed on the legislation. The bill is meant to delve into the root cause of the crush, details about how authorities handled the disaster and who should be blamed for it. It also envisages the creation of a fact-finding committee with nine members that would independently examine the disaster for up to 15 months. Once the committee determines who is responsible and who should face charges, it would report them to the government's investigation agencies. The agencies would then conclude investigations of the suspects within three months, according to the ...

14 killed in Israel's operation in West Bank: Palestinian health ministry

According to residents, Israeli forces have left the immediate area. However, they continue to remain present in the nearby city of Tulkarm

Death toll from 4 days of rains rises to 63 in Pak, more rain likely

Lightning and heavy rains led to 14 deaths in Pakistan, officials said on Wednesday, bringing the death toll from four days of extreme weather to at least 63. Most of the deaths were reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, in Pakistan's northwest. Collapsing buildings have killed 32 people, including 15 children and five women, said Khursheed Anwar, a spokesman for the Disaster Management Authority. Dozens more were also injured in the northwest, where 1,370 houses were damaged, Anwar said. The eastern province of Punjab has reported 21 lighting- and collapse-related deaths, while Baluchistan, in the country's southwest, reported 10 dead as authorities declared a state of emergency following flash floods. On Wednesday, Baluchistan was bracing for more rains amid ongoing rescue and relief operations. Heavy rains also came down on the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir. Pakistan is seeing heavier rain in April due to climate change, said Zaheer Ahmed Babar, a senior official at th

Hundreds of houses, plots flooded in Russia's Kurgan: Emergency ministry

In the city of Kurgan, the region's administrative centre, power was cut off, affecting about 1,500 residents, local officials said late on Monday

6 security personnel, 12 militants killed in separate incidents in Pakistan

Six security personnel, including a senior police officer, died while 12 militants were killed in separate terror incidents and security operations in Pakistan's restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces in the past two days, officials said on Sunday. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the Pakistan armed forces, said in the Balochistan province, four militants were killed in two separate incidents. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), eight militants were killed in the Kot Sultan area of Kulachi tehsil in Dera Ismail Khan district when security forces carried out an operation against them, the ISPR said. The security forces recovered weapons, ammunition and explosives from the slain militants, it added. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Lakki Marwat, a DSP and two cops were killed and a constable was injured by armed miscreants in two separate incidents on Friday night, officials said. The officials said DSP Gul Muhammad, along with other policemen, had set up a

Russia launches drone attack on Ukraine's Kharkiv, 4 dead, 12 wounded

Russian troops launched waves of Shahed drones against the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv overnight, killing four people and wounding 12, regional Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said Thursday. Russia attacked Ukraine's second-biggest city with at least 15 drones, some of which were shot down by air defense. Three rescuers were killed when Russia struck a multistory building damaged in an earlier strike. Six people were wounded at that location. Another 14-story building was hit by a drone, killing a 69-year-old woman. Kharkiv has become a frequent target for Russian troops in recent weeks. The eastern city is close to the border with Russia and has been hit with both ballistic missiles and drones. A recent massive missile attack that aimed to significantly damage Ukraine's energy infrastructure plunged most of Kharkiv into darkness, and the situation there is still being stabilized. Each manifestation of Russian terror once again proves that the country-terrorist deserves only one thing a tribu

8 gunmen and 5 security force members die in clashes in Iran's southeast

Eight gunmen and five members of Iranian security forces were killed in clashes at two separate points in southeastern Iran, state media said Thursday. The official IRNA news agency said 10 other security force members were injured. It said the fighting erupted overnight in Sistan and Baluchistan province when gunmen opened fire on a Revolutionary Guard post in Rask town and a coast guard station in Chahbahar city, some 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) southeast of the capital, Tehran. IRNA said six assailants were under siege and holding hostages at the two sites. It did not elaborate on the hostages, but it blamed the attacks on the militant group Jaish al-Adl, which allegedly seeks greater rights for the ethnic Baluch minority. The restive area, bordering Afghanistan and Pakistan, has been the site of occasional deadly clashes involving the militant group, armed drug smugglers and Iranian security forces. In December, militants killed nearly a dozen police officers in an attack on a

More than 1,000 injured in Taiwan earthquake, missing hotel workers found

Buildings also shook violently in capital Taipei, but damage and disruption there was minimal

Israeli airstrikes near northern city of Aleppo inflicts casualties: Syria

The Syrian army says Israeli airstrikes early Friday near the northern city of Aleppo have killed and wounded several people and caused material damage. Syrian state media quoted an unnamed military official as saying that the Israeli strikes coincided with drone attacks by Syrian insurgent groups on civilians targets in Aleppo and its suburbs. It did not give an exact numbers for the casualties. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said Israeli strikes hit missile depots for Lebanon's militant Hezbollah group in Aleppo's southern suburb of Jibreen near the Aleppo International Airport. It added that dozens of soldiers were killed or wounded in the strikes. The Observatory said explosions were still heard two hours after the strikes. There was no immediate statement from Israeli officials on the strikes. Israel frequently launches strikes on Iran-linked targets in Syria but rarely acknowledges them. On Thursday, Syrian state media reported .

Bus plunges off bridge in South Africa, killing 45 people, say authorities

A bus carrying worshippers headed to an Easter festival plunged off a bridge on a mountain pass and burst into flames in South Africa Thursday, killing at least 45 people, authorities said. The only survivor of the crash was an eight-year-old child, who was receiving medical attention, according to authorities in the northern province of Limpopo. The Limpopo provincial government said the bus veered off the Mmamatlakala bridge and plunged 164 feet into a ravine before busting into flames. Search operations were ongoing, the provincial government said, but many bodies were burned beyond recognition and still trapped inside the vehicle. Authorities said they believe the bus was travelling from the neighbouring country of Botswana to the town of Moria, which hosts a popular Easter pilgrimage.

Baltimore bridge collapse: Divers to search harbour for those presumed dead

The disaster also forced the indefinite closure of the Port of Baltimore, one of the busiest on the US Eastern Seaboard, and created a traffic quagmire for Baltimore and the surrounding regio

Baltimore bridge collapse: 6 dead, port disruptions hit cars to coal

The toll could have been worse except for a mayday call from the Singaporean-flagged vessel as it lost power

Suicide bomber attacks bank in Afghanistan, 3 killed and 12 other injured

A suicide bomber carried out an attack on Thursday at a private bank in Kandahar city in southern Afghanistan, killing at least three people and injuring 12 others, officials said. All of the victims were people who had gathered at the branch of New Kabul Bank to collect their monthly salaries, said Inamullah Samangani, head of the government's Kandahar Information and Culture Department. Abdul Mateen Qani, spokesman for the Taliban Interior Ministry, also confirmed the attack but couldn't provide more details. He said it was being investigated. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing. The Islamic State group's affiliate, a major Taliban rival, has conducted previous attacks on schools, hospitals, mosques and Shiite areas throughout the country. Kandahar city is a spiritual and political centre for Afghanistan's rulers because the Taliban's supreme leader, Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, is based there and his decisions on major issues are implemented by authorities

Houthis in Yemen blow up resident's house, killing 9 from same family

Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen blew up a house on Tuesday in a town southeast of the capital, Sanaa, killing at least nine people from the same family, officials and residents said. This came a day after two Houthi fighters were killed in an ambush allegedly set up by the house's owner, Ibrahim al-Zalei. The deceased a set of parents and their seven children were killed in the explosion, according to residents Ahmed Baydawy and Arman Mahmoud. Rescuers and civilians were trying to pull out others buried under the rubble, they said. Baydawy and Mahmoud said the Houthis besieged the house and its surroundings in the district Radea, in the Bayda province early Tuesday, before booby-trapping the house and blowing it up, causing severe damage to neighboring buildings. In a statement, the Houthi-run Interior Ministry said detonating the house was an irresponsible reaction by security forces who used excessive force in an illegal way while pursuing suspects behind Monday's ambush.

Israeli airstrikes kill 20 in Gaza, Rafah, say Palestinian officials

Six more people died in another air strike on a house in Al-Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza Strip, they added.

8 including 3 kids killed as jeep collides with tractor in Bihar's Khagaria

Eight people, including three children, were killed as their jeep collided head-on with a tractor in Bihar's Khagaria district on Monday morning, police said. Three people were also injured in the accident that took place around 5.15 am near a petrol pump on National Highway 31 in the Pasraha area, they said in a statement. Earlier, a senior police officer had said that nine people were killed and six persons were injured. "While seven people died on the spot, one more succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment at a hospital. The three injured persons have been admitted to the Bhagalpur district hospital for better treatment," the statement said. Those who were travelling in the jeep were returning from a wedding when the accident happened, police said. The tractor was overloaded, they added. The deceased were identified as Gautam Kumar (10), Prakash Singh (60), Monu Kumar (11), Aman Kumar (19), Bunty Kumar (22), Anshu Kumar (22), Villo Kumar (5) and Paltu Thakur (65).

Four coaches of Sabarmati-Agra superfast train derail in Ajmer, no casualty

Four coaches of the Sabarmati-Agra superfast train derailed near the Ajmer station on Monday morning, officials said. No loss of life was reported in the incident that occurred at around 1 am, they said, adding that the express train was on its way to Agra. "The incident took place when the train crossed Ajmer station and it was about to reach Madar station. The reason for the derailment is not known yet," Shashi Kiran, Chief Public Relations Officer, North Western Railway (NWR) Zone, told PTI. "No injury or casualty has been reported. The train movement in the up/down direction towards the Delhi side has already started. We are about to start the services in the Uttar Pradesh direction too," he added. The NWR has set up a helpdesk at the Ajmer station and also released a helpline number -- 0145-2429642 -- for relatives of the passengers travelling on the train, the official said. "Six trains have been cancelled and two trains have been diverted to other routes," Kiran said.