At least 19 people, including nine children, were killed Sunday in a fire ignited by a malfunctioning portable space heater at a Bronx apartment complex, the city’s deadliest blaze in more than 30 years. New York City Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro said the fire “started in a malfunctioning electric space heater” in a bedroom of a duplex apartment on the second and third floors of the 19-story Twin Parks North West complex in New York City’s West Bronx. The door of the apartment was left open, allowing smoke to quickly spread throughout the building, Nigro said.Firefighters hoisted a tower ladder to rescue people through their windows Thirteen people remained hospitalized … Continue reading 19 people killed in New York fire, city’s deadliest blaze in decades

Twelve people have been killed and several more have been injured after a fire broke out in an apartment building in the US city of Philadelphia. Eight children are among the dead, an official from the Philadelphia Fire Department told reporters. The blaze began at around 06:00 local time (11:00 GMT) in a public housing block in the north of the city. Deputy Fire Commissioner Craig Murphy told reporters it was one of the worst fires he had ever seen. “We plan on making sure that this tremendous loss of life did not happen in vain,” he said on Wednesday. … Continue reading OMG: Eight children among 12 dead in Philadelphia apartment blaze

At least 37 people have been killed and about 100 others injured after a packed ferry caught fire in southern Bangladesh, local officials say. The blaze on the three-decked vessel started mid-river near the town of Jhalakathi as it sailed from the capital Dhaka to the town of Barguna. Some of the victims drowned after jumping into the water. The number of casualties in Friday’s disaster is likely to increase as many of the passengers have severe burns. As many as 500 people were reportedly on board the vessel. The fire is believed to have started in the engine room … Continue reading Just In: Dozens killed in Bangladesh ferry fire

The death toll from powerful tornadoes that devastated towns in Kentucky is likely to pass 100, the governor says, as hope of finding survivors wanes. Andy Beshear said this was the most devastating tornado event in the state’s history, with at least 80 confirmed deaths. “Nothing that was standing in the direct line of [one] tornado is still standing,” he said. Fourteen deaths have been reported in four other states. In Kentucky, rescue workers scoured debris for survivors while teams distributed water and generators to residents. More than 300 members of the National Guard were going door to door and … Continue reading US Tornadoes: Death toll likely to pass 100

A climber who stumbled upon a treasure trove of emeralds, rubies and sapphires that had been buried for decades on France’s Mont Blanc has now been given half of the gems he found in a box. The climber, who has not been named, discovered the precious gems in 2013. It is believed that the box belonged to someone on board an Indian plane that crashed half a century earlier. The mountaineer was praised after handing the box over to police, as is required by French law. But now he has been rewarded with half of the trove of hundreds of … Continue reading French climber handed Mont Blanc gems after 2013 find

At least 45 people have died after a bus caught fire on a motorway in western Bulgaria, local officials say. The incident happened after 02:00 local time (00:00 GMT) near the village of Bosnek, the interior ministry is quoted as saying by the BTA news agency. Children were among the victims, the head of the fire safety department at the interior ministry, Nikolai Nikolov, told private BTV television. The bus was reportedly travelling from Turkey to North Macedonia. This is a developing story…. Continue reading Dozens killed in Bulgaria bus fire

At least four newborns died when a fire broke out in the neonatal ward of a hospital in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. Firefighters were able to save 36 babies from the Kamla Nehru Children’s Hospital in Bhopal on Monday night. Disturbing visuals show parents trying to rush into the smoke-filled hospital. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained but officials said an electrical short circuit could be a reason. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the incident was painful. He ordered an inquiry and announced to pay 400,000 rupees (£4000; $5400) to the families … Continue reading Four newborns die in neonatal unit of hospital in India

At least four people have died and dozens are missing after a high-rise block collapsed during construction in the Nigerian city of Lagos. A digger is at the scene and rescue workers and some locals are searching through rubble and twisted metal, four survivors have been found so far. Earlier, pictures from the site showed crowds near a huge mound of debris. What caused the collapse and exactly how many people are trapped under the rubble remains unclear. In the meantime, local authorities have ordered an investigation into the collapse and pledged to make the final report public. Femi Adesina, … Continue reading Developing Story: At least four killed in Lagos building collapse

A California sheriff has said heat and possibly dehydration are to blame for the deaths of a family found on a remote hiking trail in August. Jonathan Gerrish, 45, Ellen Chung, 30, their one-year-old girl Aurelia Miju Chung-Gerrish and dog Oski died due to hyperthermia in Devil’s Gulch Valley. The announcement comes over two months after rescue crews found their bodies in the Sierra National Forest. Their unexplained deaths had puzzled summer hikers in the US West. In a news conference on Thursday, the Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office said that the family had been found with an empty 85oz (2.5-litre) … Continue reading Heat blamed for mysterious deaths of California hiker family

At least 28 people have been killed and many others injured in a bus crash in north-west Nepal, police say. The vehicle was travelling through Mugu district when it left the road and plunged down a hillside shortly after midday on Tuesday, local media report. The cause of the crash is unclear, but some reports suggest the bus may have had an issue with its brakes failing. Road accidents are not uncommon in Nepal, and are usually caused by bad roads or poorly maintained vehicles. Images published by local media showed rescue workers carrying people and what appeared to be … Continue reading Nepal bus crash kills at least 28 in Mugu district

A pregnant woman has been shot and killed at her baby shower in Harlem, New York after trying to break up a fight. The woman, a mother-of-four and pregnant with a fifth child, died on Sunday morning after she was shot in the head. Police identified the woman as 31-year-old Shanice Young. When officers arrived on the scene they found Ms Young unconscious with a gunshot wound to the head. Police said the woman’s ex-boyfriend, who was not invited to the party, was one of the men involved in the fight. Witnesses told The New York Daily News that Ms Young had attempted to get … Continue reading OMG: Pregnant woman shot and killed in New York breaking up a fight at her baby shower

At least 14 people have been killed in a fire at a makeshift hospital treating Covid-19 patients in North Macedonia. Footage shared on social media showed a building in flames and a thick cloud of black smoke billowing into the air near a main road in the city of Tetovo. Firefighters put out the blaze in less than an hour. It had broken out at about 21:00 local time (19:00 GMT) on Wednesday. Public prosecutors said 14 deaths had been confirmed. They said they were investigating whether there were more victims, as reported locally. “This is a very sad day,” … Continue reading Deadly fire guts Covid-19 hospital in North Macedonia