Page 16 - Death Toll

Ukrainian shelling killed 2 in border city while thwarted incursion: Russia

Ukrainian shelling of the Russian city of Belgorod killed two people, officials said on Saturday, while Russia claimed to have thwarted a new attempt by saboteurs to cross the border. Saturday's attacks occurred as Russians entered the second day of voting in a presidential election that is all but certain to extend Vladimir Putin's rule by another six years after he crushed dissent. A man and a woman died in the attack and three other people were wounded, regional Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov said on the Telegram messaging app. It was the latest in exchanges of long-range missile and rocket fire in Russia's war on Ukraine. Five people were also wounded when a Ukrainian drone hit a car in the village of Glotovo, some 2 kilometers (1.25 miles) from the Ukrainian border, Gladkov said. Russia's Defence Ministry also said Saturday that it had thwarted attempts by Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups to enter the country from Ukraine's Sumy region. That followed an armed incursion ..

Ukraine launches drone attacks on Russia for second night in row: Officials

"No one was injured," Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of the Belgorod region that borders Ukraine said on the Telegram messaging app.

At least 26 dead, 11 missing after flash floods hit Indonesia's Sumatra

Rescuers recovered more bodies as waters began to recede after flash floods and landslides caused by torrential rains on Indonesia's Sumatra island, which have killed at least 26 people and left 11 missing, officials said Monday. Monsoon rains and rising rivers have submerged nine districts and cities in West Sumatra province since Thursday. Late Friday, a major mudslide caused a river to breach its banks and tear through mountainside villages in Pesisir Selatan district. Relief efforts for have been hampered by power outages, damaged bridges and roads blocked by thick mud and debris, the National Disaster Management Agency said. Agency spokesperson Abdul Muhari said rescuers recovered more bodies, mostly in the worst-hit villages in Pesisir Selatan and its neighboring Padang Pariaman district, bringing the death toll rose to 26. Landslides buried at least 14 houses, he said. At least two villagers were injured and rescuers were still searching for 11 people reportedly ...

At least 19 dead, 7 missing as landslides hit Indonesia's Sumatra island

Torrential rains have triggered flash floods and a landslide on Indonesia's Sumatra island, killing at least 19 people and leaving seven others missing, officials said Sunday. Tons of mud, rocks and uprooted trees rolled down a mountain late Friday, reaching a river that burst its banks and tore through mountainside villages in Pesisir Selatan district of West Sumatra province, said Doni Yusrizal, who heads the local disaster management agency. Rescuers by Saturday pulled out seven bodies in the worst-hit village of Koto XI Tarusan, and recovered three others in two neighboring villages, Yusrizal said. Rescuers retrieved six bodies in Pesisir Selatan and three more in the neighboring district of Padang Pariaman, bringing the death toll to 19, the National Disaster Management Agency said on Sunday. The agency in a statement said at least two villagers were injured by the flash flood and rescuers are searching for seven people who are reportedly still missing. It said more than 80,0

14 killed, 20 injured as pick-up vehicle overturns in MP's Dindori district

Fourteen people were killed and 20 others injured when a pick-up vehicle overturned in Madhya Pradesh's Dindori district in the wee hours of Thursday, a police official said. The accident took place near Badjhar Ghat at around 1.30 am when the vehicle's driver lost control over the wheels. As a result, the vehicle overturned, killing 14 people and injuring 20 others, the official said. The victims had gone to Amhai Devri village to take part in a programme in the district's Shahpura block and were returning when the accident took place. Soon after getting information about the incident, Dindori collector and superintendent of police rushed to help the victims. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav expressed grief over the incident and announced an assistance of Rs 4 lakh each to the kin of the deceased.

Building collapse in Beirut suburb kills 4, search underway for survivors

A building collapsed in a southern suburb of Beirut late Monday, killing four people and injuring three others as search operations continued for more people under the rubble, a paramedic official said. The building that collapsed in the suburb of Choueifat Monday night crumbled after days of heavy rain in Lebanon. Local officials said the building was not considered safe and the municipality had ordered the four-story building evacuated two years ago out of concerns its foundations were weak. Despite the order, the owner of the building rented apartments to Syrian families. Most of the people living in the building are Syrian citizens, according to Raja Zreik of the Islamic Health Society that was taking part in rescue operations in the area. He said four people were killed. State-run National News Agency also reported that four people, two women, a man and a child were killed. Zreik told The Associated Press that two women and a boy were pulled out from under the rubble and rushe

Israeli strikes killed 10 Lebanese civilians, Hezbollah vows to retaliate

The civilian death toll from two Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon has risen to 10, Lebanese media reported Thursday, making the previous day the deadliest one in more than four months of cross-border exchanges. The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has vowed to retaliate for the strikes, which hit in the city of Nabatiyeh and a village in southern Lebanon, just hours after projectiles from Lebanon killed an Israeli soldier. In Nabatiyeh, the strike knocked down part of a building, killing seven members of the same family, including a child, the state-run National News Agency said. A boy initially reported missing was found alive under the rubble. Initial reports had said four people were killed. In the village of Souaneh, a woman and her two young children were killed. The Lebanese civilian death toll included six women and three children. Three Hezbollah fighters were also killed on Wednesday. The fire from Lebanon earlier Wednesday struck the northern Israeli town of Safed, killing

Death risk from chikungunya continues for up to 3 months: Lancet study

People infected with the chikungunya virus continue to have an increased risk of death for up to three months post-infection, according to a study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal. Chikungunya is a viral disease transmitted by mosquitoes to humans. Most commonly, the virus is transmitted by Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, more commonly known as yellow fever and tiger mosquitoes, respectively. While most patients recover fully, chikungunya disease can prove fatal. Despite infections going largely unreported, approximately five lakh cases and over 400 deaths were recorded worldwide in 2023, the researchers said. "With chikungunya infections expected to increase, it's important that health services consider the risks that persist even after the acute phase of infection has ended," said Enny Da Paixao Cruz, Associate Professor at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), UK, and senior author of the study. The researchers analysed ...

Blast outside independent candidate's office in Pak's Balochistan kills 12

At least 12 people were killed and several others injured in a powerful bomb blast outside the election office of an independent candidate in Pakistan's Balochistan province, a day before the general elections. The blast happened outside the office of independent candidate Asfandyar Khan Kakar located in Khanozai area of Pishin district in Balochistan. "There was a powerful bomb blast today outside the office of independent candidate Asfandyar Khan Kakar. In the incident, at least 12 people were killed and several others were injured," Abdullah Zehri, a senior police official in Pangur, said. Police said that the bomb was apparently left in a bag outside the election office of the candidate and was later detonated by a remote timer. Police did not divulge more information as the matter was being probed. Violence has been at its peak in Balochistan in the lead-up to the 8th February General Elections in Pakistan. On Tuesday also ten grenade attacks were carried out at security pos

NDRF, SDRF continue to remove debris in MP's Harda after massive fire

Visuals showed that teams of NDRF, SDRF, and police continuing the cooling operation and clearing the debris from the incident site

2 owners of firecrackers unit in MP's Harda arrested; another man detained

Two owners of the firecrackers factory in Madhya Pradesh's Harda town, where an explosion and subsequent blaze killed 11 people and injured 174 others, have been arrested by the police, officials said. They were booked for culpable homicide not amounting to murder, among other charges, after an FIR was filed against them on Tuesday evening, they said. Another person was detained in connection with the incident that took place on Tuesday in the Bairagarh locality on Magardha Road on the outskirts of Harda town, approximately 150km from the state capital Bhopal. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav will meet the injured persons and families of the deceased in Harda on Wednesday, an official said. The two factory owners -- identified as Rajesh Agrawal and Somesh Agrawal -- were arrested on Tuesday evening from Sarangpur in Rajgarh district, while one more person named Rafiq Khan was detained, Harda Superintendent of Police Sanjeev Kanchan told reporters. These accused were booked under Indian

Death toll from Chile's wildfires reaches 131, more than 300 people missing

The death toll from wildfires that ravaged central Chile for several days increased to 131 on Tuesday, and more than 300 people were still missing as the blazes appeared to be burning themselves out. The fires in Valparaiso are said to be Chile's deadliest disaster since an earthquake in 2010. Officials have suggested that some could have been intentionally set. President Gabriel Boric during a visit to the region announced that furniture used for the 2023 Pan American Games will be donated to victims. He said the government also will forgive the water bills for 9,200 affected homes. The fires began Friday on the mountainous eastern edge of Vina del Mar, a beach resort known for a festival that attracts the best in Latin music. Two other towns, Quilpe and Villa Alemana, also were hit hard as the fires spread quickly in dry weather and strong winds. The Vina del Mar Festival cancelled its opening gala as a sign of mourning. Many participating singers including Alejandro Sanz, Pablo

India reports 124 new Covid-19 infections, active caseload at 1,508

India saw a single-day rise of 124 cases of COVID-19, while the number of active cases of the infection was recorded at 1,508, the health ministry said on Tuesday. One new death has been reported from Karnataka in a span of 24 hours, according to the ministry's data updated at 8 am. The number of daily cases had dropped to double-digits till December 5, but cases had begun to increase after emergence of a new variant and cold weather conditions. After December 5 last year, a maximum of a single day rise of 841 new cases were reported on December 31, 2023, which is 0.2 per cent of the peak cases reported in May 2021, official sources said. Of the total active cases, a large majority of these (around 92 per cent) are recovering under home isolation. "The currently available data suggests that the JN.1 variant is neither leading to an exponential rise in the new cases nor a surge in the hospitalisation and mortality," an official source said. India has witnessed three waves of Covid

Death toll rises to 112 as wildfires continue to wreak havoc in Chile

President Gabriel Boric announced on Sunday, following his visit to the affected districts, that Monday and Tuesday would be designated as national mourning days in honour of the fire victims

Russian missiles target Ukraine's Kyiv and Kharkiv, at least 3 killed

A complex Russian missile attack targeted Ukrainian cities of Kyiv and Kharkiv on Tuesday morning, killing at least three people, wounding several others and damaging residential buildings, officials said. In the capital of Kyiv, city administration chief Roman Popko said at least one person was killed. Mayor Vitalii Klitschko said nine people were wounded, including a 13-year-old boy. In Kharkiv, the country's second-largest city, two people were killed and at least 11 were wounded, according to the regional governor, Oleh Syniehubov. An entire section of a multi-story residential building was destroyed, trapping an unknown number of people there, Kharkiv mayor Ihor Terekhov said. Recent Russian attacks have tried to find gaps in Ukraine's defences by using large numbers of missiles and drones in an apparent effort to saturate air defence systems. The massive barrages more than 500 drones and missiles were fired between December 29 and January 2, according to officials in Kyiv a

Six die, 1 injured as fire breaks out in multi-storey building in Delhi

Six people were charred to death and one was injured when a fire broke out in a multi-storey building in northwest Delhi's Pitampura area on Thursday evening, officials said. The cause of the fire, which broke out on the first floor of the building, is yet to be ascertained, they said. A call was received at 8 pm about the blaze at plot no. 37, ZP block, Pitampura and eight fire tenders were pressed into service, the fire officials said. Seven people were rescued with the help of local police and rushed to Babu Jagjivan Ram Hospital. Six of them, including four women, were declared dead at the hospital, a Delhi Fire Services (DFS) official said. Another DFS officer said the fire was doused in an hour and the cooling operation was underway. A police officer said the fire broke out on the first floor of the building and the smoke engulfed the three floors above it. According to preliminary information, those killed in the incident were from two different families. The deceased were

India logs 1,226 cases of JN.1 sub-variant, highest from K'taka, Andhra

A total of 1,226 cases of COVID-19 sub-variant JN.1 have been reported in the country so far with Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh recording the highest number of cases till now, according to INSACOG on Thursday. Data compiled by the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) showed that 17 states and UTs have detected the presence of the variant. Karnataka has detected 234 cases of JN.1 sub-variant followed by Andhra Pradesh (189), Maharashtra (170), Kerala (156), West Bengal (96), Goa (90), Tamil Nadu (88) and Gujarat (76). Rajasthan recorded 37 JN.1 cases, Telangana 32, Chhattisgarh 25, Delhi 16, Uttar Pradesh 7, Haryana five, Odisha three, and Uttarakhand and Nagaland one each, according to the data accessed by PTI. The Centre has asked the states and Union Territories to maintain a constant vigil amid an uptick in the number of Covid cases and the detection of the JN.1 sub-variant in the country. The states have been urged to ensure effective compliance with the detailed ...

China's population drops for a second straight year as deaths jump

China's population dropped by 2 million people in 2023 in the second straight annual drop as births fell and deaths jumped after the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions, the government's statistics bureau said on Wednesday. The number of deaths more than doubled to 690,000. Demographers were expecting a sharp rise in deaths because of COVID-19 outbreaks that started at the end of the previous year and continued through February of last year. The total population stood at 1.4 billion, the statistics bureau said. The drop in births reflected a fall in the birth rate that is a long-running economic and societal challenge for China. The population is aging steadily, which could slow economic growth over time and challenge the nation's ability to provide for a larger elderly population with fewer workers. The number of births fell for the seventh year, though by less than in previous years. About 9 million babies were born last year, half of the total in 2016. China, which once sought to .

Death toll in Manipur gunfight rises to 2, women block road to airport

The death toll in the gunfight between state security forces and militants at Moreh in Manipur's Tengnoupal district rose to two after another security personnel was shot dead on Wednesday evening, officials said. The deceased has been identified as Takhellambam Saileshwore from Lamshang in Imphal West district, they said. Earlier in the day during an ambush near Ima Kondong Lairembi Devi temple, 32-year-old Wangkhem Somorjit, a Manipur Police personnel, died after being hit by bullets. He succumbed to injuries during treatment at Key Location Point (KLP) of Assam Rifles. Two more Manipur Police personnel were injured in the exchange of fire between security forces and militants, officials added. The militants had also fired RPG shells at the temporary commando post damaging several vehicles parked in the vicinity. Meanwhile, large number of women from Malom in Imphal West district blocked the road to the airport in protest against the killing of the policemen in Moreh. Spokesper

100K Afghan children in dire need of support after earthquakes, says UNICEF

Almost 100,000 children in Afghanistan are in dire need of support, three months after earthquakes devastated the country's west, the UN children's agency said Monday. A 6.3-magnitude earthquake shook Herat province on Oct. 7 and a second strong quake struck the same province days later, on Oct. 11, killing more than 1,000 people. The majority of those dead in the quakes in Zinda Jan and Injil districts were women and children, and 21,000 homes were destroyed, UNICEF said in a statement. The atmosphere in these villages is thick with suffering even 100 days after the earthquakes in western Afghanistan when families lost absolutely everything," said Fran Equiza, UNICEF representative in Afghanistan. "Children are still trying to cope with the loss and trauma. Schools and health centers, which children depend upon, are damaged beyond repair, or destroyed completely, he added. As if this was not enough, winter has taken hold and temperatures hover below freezing," Equiza said. "Childr