The officer said a rumour of an electric current ahead of the spot where the steps to the temple begin sent the devotees panicking, leading to a stampede.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a devastating cloudburst in Kishtwar district that claimed 60 lives and injured over 100. Abdullah expressed condolences and assured assistance, while also questioning potential administrative lapses.
Heavy rains battered Jammu and Kashmir, triggering floods, damaging infrastructure, and disrupting normal life. Authorities issued advisories and rescue operations were conducted.
Flash floods triggered by a cloudburst in Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, resulted in casualties and widespread damage, prompting rescue operations and relief efforts.
The death toll in the collapse of an unauthorised building in Virar, Maharashtra, has risen to 15. Rescue operations are ongoing to ensure no one remains trapped under the debris.
South Central Railway has joined the rescue teams that are engaged in locating the eight persons who remain trapped in the partially collapsed SLBC tunnel for the past six days, with necessary equipment, a senior official said on Friday.
The temperature in and around the crashed Air India plane rose to around 1,000 degrees C which made the rescue operation extremely difficult, officials said on Thursday night.
A local who resides near the AI-171 crash site said that people rescued injured students from the BJ Medical College. He added that people were alive when they rescued them, but two died on their way to the hospital.
Under the direction of the ministry of external affairs, the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) efforts are being progressed in conjunction with Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff, the Indian Army, the Indian Air Force and the National Disaster Response Force, the defence ministry stated.
Qadri Javed Azad and Makwana Kumar are on a 2,000 km expedition from Porbandar to Pahalgam to spread the message of peace, unity and Operation Sindoor.
Landslides blocked arterial roads leading up to Dharali where dozens of people were trapped and many homes and cars swept away by the raging waters on Tuesday. Eleven Army personnel from the nearby camp in Harsil were among those missing.
The body of 19-year-old Sneha Debnath, a Delhi University student missing for six days, was retrieved from the Yamuna River near Geeta Colony flyover on Sunday evening, police said.
A 30-year-old delivery man was allegedly killed when he went to deliver an iPhone to a customer who was supposed to pay him Rs 1.5 lakh for the product, police said on Monday.
Rescue operations at a flooded coal mine in Assam's Dima Hasao district continued for the seventh day on Sunday to locate trapped labourers inside the quarry. The bodies of four labourers have been recovered so far, with the dewatering process expected to reach its final stage soon. The mine was abandoned 12 years ago and was under the Assam Mineral Development Corporation until three years ago. The leader of the workers has been arrested and the police are conducting investigations into the case.
At least five people were killed in separate rain-related incidents on Tuesday in Bengaluru, which has been reeling under incessant rains for the past three days causing widespread flooding in several residential areas and turning roads into virtual rivers.
The death toll in the collapse of an allegedly unauthorised building at Virar in Maharashtra's Palghar district has risen to 17. Police have arrested the builder of the four-storey structure after a complaint was lodged.
It is India's worst aviation disaster since the 2020 Kozhikode crash.
Eight persons were trapped inside after a section of roof collapsed in the under construction stretch in the tunnel of Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) project, Telangana Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy said on Saturday.
Cadaver dogs from Kerala police have joined the rescue operation at the partially collapsed SLBC tunnel in Telangana, where eight people have been trapped since February 22. The dogs, specially trained to locate missing humans and human bodies, are being used to identify the presence of survivors in the tunnel. Rescue personnel, including NDRF teams, are also working tirelessly to reach the trapped individuals amidst challenging conditions, including slush and seepage of water.
China defends its construction of a dam on the Brahmaputra river in Tibet, addressing concerns from India and Bangladesh about its potential impact on water flow and the environment.
A man in Hyderabad has been arrested for allegedly murdering his pregnant wife and dismembering her body to conceal the crime. Police are investigating the case and searching for the missing body parts.
While two bodies were recovered on Wednesday, the death toll climbed to four on Thursday after the recovery of two more bodies from the Indira Priyadarshini Hydroelectric project site in Kangra district.
Seven people died after a wall collapsed near Mohan Baba Mandir in Jaitpur, Delhi, following heavy rainfall. Rescue operations were conducted by police, fire services, and NDRF teams. An investigation is underway to determine the cause of the collapse.
He said six people have been rescued so far, and a search operation is being conducted on a war footing as some people are swept away.
Heavy rains lashed several parts of Maharashtra, including Mumbai, on Monday, resulting in one death and the rescue of 48 people from inundated areas. The state received widespread rainfall, with Pune, Satara, Solapur, Raigad, and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) experiencing significant precipitation. Mumbai recorded 135.4 mm of rainfall in the past 24 hours, leading to waterlogging and power outages in some areas. The India Meteorological Department has predicted more rain in Mumbai over the next 24 hours, accompanied by thunderstorms and strong winds.
The Uttar Pradesh government has announced a special Rs 10,000 bonus and the 'Maha Kumbh Seva Medal' for 75,000 police personnel who served during the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath praised the police force's efforts in managing the grand religious event, highlighting the event's economic impact and the transformation of the UP Police into a "Mitra Police." He also emphasized the state government's commitment to police welfare and infrastructure development, citing increased recruitment and budget allocation.
Incessant rains and flooding have caused widespread disruption in northern India, with states like Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Punjab, and Jammu and Kashmir facing landslides, road closures, and displacement. Rescue efforts are underway as authorities grapple with the aftermath of the deluge.
The helicopter carrying a total of seven people, including the pilot, crashed on the Rishikesh-Gangotri National Highway at around 8:45 am.
Speaking about the building in which the plane crashed, the eyewitness said, "It is a residential building, doctors live there."
Three Army personnel, including a junior commissioned officer, were killed when their vehicle skidded off the road and plunged into a 500-metre deep gorge in Jammu and Kashmir's Ramban district on Sunday. The Army truck was part of a convoy moving from Jammu to Srinagar along national highway-44. The accident occurred near Battery Chashma at around 11.30 am. A joint rescue operation was launched immediately by Army, police, State Disaster Response Force and local volunteers. The deceased were identified as Naib-Subedar Sujeet Kumar, driver Amit Kumar and sepoy Man Bahadur. The crash has reduced the vehicle into a mangled heap of metal. Preliminary investigation suggested that the accident was caused by a technical glitch in the vehicle.
Heavy rains exacerbate the flood situation in Punjab, leading to 37 deaths and widespread crop damage. Rescue and relief operations are underway as authorities issue alerts and provide assistance to affected populations.
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The building had a motor workshop and warehouse on the ground floor, a medical godown on the first floor and a cutlery warehouse on the second floor.
'When an establishment operates despite demolition or closure orders, without proper fire exits, evacuation plans or safety audits, and yet is allowed to host large crowds, the state cannot hide behind the language of accident.' 'The authorities were aware of the risks and of the violations, but chose not to act decisively because doing so would have inconvenienced those with influence and financial stakes.' 'In such a scenario, the moral and legal responsibility for the resulting deaths moves from negligence towards culpability; calling it 'murder' is a way of underlining that these lives were sacrificed at the altar of greed and complicity, not fate.'
Over 40 people are still missing after a series of cloudbursts occurred in Kullu's Nirmand, Sainj and Malana, Mandi's Padhar and Shimla's Rampur subdivision on the night of July 31 and wreaked havoc.
Mock drills were conducted on Saturday in states and Union territories adjoining the western border -- from Jammu and Kashmir to Gujarat -- to enhance wartime emergency preparedness and response capabilities, officials said.
Incessant rainfall in Uttar Pradesh has caused floods in 13 districts, with major rivers like Ganga and Yamuna exceeding danger levels. Varanasi, Prayagraj, and other cities are severely affected, leading to displacement and disruption of daily life.
A major fire broke out in a building housing an electronics goods showroom in the suburban Bandra area in the early hours of Tuesday, prompting the deployment of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) for firefighting operations. While no injuries were reported, the building adjacent to the affected structure was evacuated as a precaution. The fire, classified as Level IV (major), started around 4.10 am in a multistorey building on Linking Road in Bandra (west). The blaze initially confined to the basement later spread to the upper floors, engulfing the building in smoke. Thick black smoke was visible from afar, and photographs and videos of the blaze surfaced on social media. Around 6.25 am, the fire brigade classified the blaze as Level IV, indicating a major fire requiring extensive firefighting operations. Mumbai Fire Brigade chief Ravindra Ambulgekar and other senior officers rushed to the spot, with at least 13 fire engines and other firefighting vehicles deployed to douse the blaze. Other agencies have also been mobilized, and the cause of the fire remains under investigation. This is the second major early-morning blaze in Mumbai in two days, following a fire at the Enforcement Directorate (ED) office in Ballard Estate on Sunday.
The Air India plane AI-171 from Ahmedabad to London crashed immediately after take-off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Ahmedabad airport on Thursday, as per the Gujarat State Police Control Room.
The body of one of the nine workers trapped inside a coal mine in Assam's Dima Hasao district was recovered by army divers on Wednesday on the third day of the rescue operations, officials said.