A speeding bus carrying dozens of pilgrims has overturned in the southwestern Pakistani province of Balochistan, killing at least 18 people and injuring 42 others, officials say. The accident took place near the town of Khuzdar, about 260km south of the provincial capital Quetta, early on Friday morning, security official Bilal Ahmed said. “The driver lost control of the vehicle due to overspeeding [near the town of Khuzdar], and the bus fell into a ditch off the road,” he told Al Jazeera. Those seriously injured in the crash are being moved to Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city, Ahmed said. The journey … Continue reading Not Again: Several pilgrims killed after bus overturns in southwest Pakistan

At least 11 people have been killed after a residential building collapsed in the western Indian city of Mumbai. Rescue efforts are underway as more people are feared trapped in the debris in Malad area, officials say. An investigation has been ordered but a minister said heavy rains could have caused the collapse on Wednesday night. Building collapses are not uncommon in India, especially during the monsoon season. Officials said they have evacuated other dilapidated buildings in the area as heavy rains are likely to continue in the coming days. The city has been put on high alert because the … Continue reading 11 dead in Mumbai building collapse

At least 18 people have died in a fire that broke out at a chemical plant on the outskirts of the western Indian city of Pune. Some 37 workers were trapped inside the building when the blaze started around 15:45 local time (10:15 GMT) on Monday. Fire engines rushed to the spot as smoke billowed from the compound – firemen had to break walls on either side to rescue people. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, officials told reporters. The factory belonged to SV Aqua Technologies, a company that makes chlorine dioxide products, which is typically … Continue reading Eighteen dead in India chemical plant fire

Two express trains collided in southern Pakistan early on Monday, killing at least 35 passengers, authorities said, as rescuers and villagers worked to pull injured people and more bodies from the wreckage.People gathering at the site of a train collision in Ghotki, Pakistan Monday, June 7, 2021. Between 15 to 20 passengers are still trapped in the wreckage of the Millat Express train and authorities were trying to arrange heavy machinery to rescue those people who are crying for help, said Umar Tufail, a police chief in Ghotki district in Sindh province, where the collision occurred before dawn. The Millat … Continue reading Update: 2 trains collide in southern Pakistan, killing 35

At least 30 passengers killed and dozens injured after Millat Express derailed and Sir Syed Express train hit it soon afterward in Sindh province. Two express trains have collided in southern Pakistan, killing at least 30 passengers, authorities said, as rescuers and villagers worked to pull injured people and more bodies from the wreckage. Between 15 to 20 passengers are still trapped in the wreckage of the Millat Express train and authorities were trying to arrange heavy machinery for the rescue, said Umar Tufail, a police chief in Ghotki district in Sindh province, where the collision occurred before dawn on … Continue reading Breaking News: Many killed as two trains collide in southern Pakistan

Germany has recognised for the first time that it committed genocide in Namibia during its colonial rule more than a century ago and promised financial support worth more than one billion euros ($1.2bn) to fund infrastructure projects in the African nation. German settlers killed thousands of Herero and Nama people between 1904 and 1908, after the tribes rebelled against Berlin’s rule in the colony, then called German South West Africa. Survivors were driven into the desert, where many ended up in concentration camps to be used as slave labour and many died from cold, malnutrition and exhaustion. “We will now … Continue reading Genocide: Germany recognises colonial-era massacres in Namibia as genocide

Twenty-one runners have died after extreme weather struck a long-distance race in north-western China. High winds and freezing rain hit participants in the 100km (60-mile) ultramarathon in the Yellow River Stone Forest, a tourist site in Gansu province, on Saturday. The race was halted when some of the 172 runners went missing, and a rescue operation was launched. Many of the stranded runners reportedly suffered from hypothermia. Liang Jing, an ultramarathon champion, and Huang Guanjun, who won the men’s hearing-impaired marathon at China’s 2019 National Paralympic Games, were among the victims, state-run media reported. Officials said 151 runners were now … Continue reading Severe weather kills 21 runners in ultramarathon in China

Authorities said Friday they feared for the lives of five people who leapt from their fishing boat near Fiji earlier this week after alleged violence on board. A sixth crew member who abandoned the vessel was found alive Thursday on an overturned life raft, while two more people who had remained aboard the fishing boat were due to be picked up by a military patrol boat. The Fiji navy said it was working with police to sort through the series of events that had occurred aboard the Tiro II, a longline tuna boat. The New Zealand military, which helped with … Continue reading 5 feared dead in Fiji after reports of violence on tuna boat

Twenty-six bodies have been recovered off the coast of India’s Mumbai city where a barge with 261 people on board sank on Monday during a severe cyclone. The death toll is expected to rise as rescue operations continue. At least 53 people are still missing. A navy warship returned to the city’s harbour on Wednesday with some of the 186 survivors rescued so far. Thirty-five people have also been rescued from another of the three other barges stranded due to cyclone Tauktae. The cyclone weakened after it made landfall on Monday, but at least 19 people are confirmed as having … Continue reading Cyclone Tauktae leaves twenty-six dead after barge sinks due to cyclone

A surfer has died after being bitten by a shark at a beach north of Sydney, Australian authorities said Tuesday.Australia was the deadliest country in the world for shark bites in 2020 Paramedics were called to Tuncurry Beach, about three hours’ drive from Australia’s most populous city following reports of the attack on Tuesday morning. “Despite the best efforts of paramedics and bystanders at the scene, the man could not be resuscitated,” New South Wales Ambulance tweeted. The man, believed to be in his 50s, went into cardiac arrest after being bitten on his thigh, a spokesman told AFP. Police … Continue reading Surfer dies after shark attack in Australia

Helmut Jahn, a renowned German architect who designed several major projects around the world, was killed over the weekend after two cars struck the bicycle he was riding in a Chicago suburb. The 81-year-old was biking Saturday afternoon in Campton Hill, about an hour west of Chicago, when he failed to stop at a stop sign and was hit by two vehicles going in opposite directions, police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The two occupants of the first vehicle, a Chevrolet Trailblazer SUV, were not hurt, and the driver of the Hyundai Sonata that was also involved … Continue reading World-famous architect Helmut Jahn killed in bike crash

Five people have died after an 18-year-old man launched a machete attack at a nursery school in southern Brazil, police say. The victims include three children all reported to be under two years old and two staff members. The attacker then turned the weapon on himself and is in critical condition in hospital, a police statement said. It is not clear what was behind the attack in the small town of Saudades, in Santa Catarina state. Several dozen children were in the building at the time of the incident and staff tried to hide them, officials said. A fourth child … Continue reading Five killed in machete attack at Brazil nursery