Fire in India's Hyderabad kills at least 17 people, Asia News
The fire broke out on the ground floor and spread to the upper floors of the building located in Hyderabad and about a dozen firefighting vehicles were involved in the operation, the Telangana Fire, Disaster Response, Emergency and Civil Defence Department said in a statement.
India's Mines Minister G. Kishan Reddy, who visited the site, told local media that a preliminary enquiry indicated a short circuit may have led to the fire.
The 17 dead included six children aged under five years.
[[nid:717458]]
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
AsiaOne
3 hours ago
- AsiaOne
Indian police exhume human remains in mass-burial investigation, Asia News
BENGALURU — Indian police have exhumed human remains in a temple town in the country's south, officials said, as part of an investigation into allegations that hundreds of murder and rape victims were secretly buried there from around the mid-1990s. The probe centres on Dharmasthala, home to an 800-year-old temple dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva in the state of Karnataka and is drawing headlines in media nationwide. A former cleaner at the temple told police last month that he had been forced by superiors to dispose of hundreds of bodies over two decades, many of them women and girls showing signs of sexual assault. His allegations were made in a police complaint dated July 4 and seen by Reuters. The man, whose identity authorities have withheld for safety reasons, fled Dharmasthala in 2014 but said he was compelled to speak out now because of lingering guilt. "If the skeletons now exhumed receive respectful funeral rites, those tormented souls will find peace and my sense of guilt could also decrease," he wrote in the complaint. The police did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for the temple said it welcomed a thorough investigation and hoped police would "bring out true facts to light". In the complaint, the former cleaner accused temple officials of forcing him to dispose of the bodies and told police he would name the officials if they protected him and his family. Karnataka's interior minister told the state assembly on Monday that the protection was now in place. The former cleaner said he had secretly exhumed a skeleton from one of the burial sites to prove his claims. A special investigation team formed by the Karnataka government has so far recovered human remains from two of 16 suspected burial sites, according to two senior police officials familiar with the probe. They declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the matter. Karnataka's interior minister, Gangadharaiah Parameshwara, said the police have collected bone fragments, soil samples, and other material for testing from two sites thanks to the information from the former cleaner. "The analysis is ongoing. Only once that is complete can we say the investigation has truly begun," Parameshwara said. "My request is to not make this a religious matter." Sachin Deshpande, a lawyer for the complainant, told Reuters "they have found human remains where our client pointed and we are sure that the truth will come out". He declined to make his client available for an interview. The revelations have revived interest in older unsolved cases, including Padmalatha, a college student whose family alleged she was raped and murdered in Dharmasthala in 1986. Padmalatha, like many in India, went by one name. Her sister, Indravathi, said the family buried Padmalatha's body rather than cremating it according to Hindu custom, hoping that would help with any investigations later. "We hope that we will get justice one day for her abduction, rape and murder," said Indravathi, who uses only one name. [[nid:721393]]
Straits Times
4 hours ago
- Straits Times
FIFPRO 'deeply concerned' over Indian league suspension, calls for swift resolution
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox FIFPRO said on Tuesday it was "deeply concerned" by the growing uncertainty surrounding Indian professional soccer, urging swift action to resolve the indefinite suspension of the Indian Super League. The ISL, India's top-flight soccer league, was put on hold last month, with stalled negotiations for a contract renewal with its commercial partners, Reliance-led Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), cited as the reason. Talks to renew the 2010 agreement came to a halt after India's Supreme Court asked the All India Football Federation not to renew the deal with FSDL until it had issued an order over a separate case to implement a new constitution for the federation. The situation worsened earlier this month when Bengaluru FC, the 2018-19 ISL champions, stopped paying the salaries of their first-team players and staff amid the league's uncertainty. "The lack of clarity for players over the 2025-26 ISL season, arising from a dispute over the league's organisation and governance that has led to its indefinite suspension, is having a significant impact on their livelihoods, careers, and wellbeing," FIFPRO said in a statement. "Players have been subjected to unilateral and unlawful suspensions of their employment contracts until further notice. These actions represent a direct breach of the players' labour rights and are causing significant distress." Reuters has contacted the AIFF and ISL organisers for comment. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore What led to Changi Airport runway incident involving 2 China Eastern Airlines planes in Aug 2024 Singapore Fairprice apologises after woman finds worm in salmon bought from Bedok North outlet Singapore CPIB nabs 9 suspects for alleged match-fixing in national basketball league Singapore Live Singapore-raised seafood on sale at 3 Giant supermarkets from Aug 19 Singapore Singapore seals carbon credit deal with Thailand, its first South-east Asian partner Asia Singaporean man sentenced to 72 years' jail in Malaysia for murdering wife and stepson Singapore Court to assess if teen who advertised vapes for sale on WhatsApp can receive probation FIFPRO said it has been working closely with the Football Players' Association of India (FPAI) to address the players' concerns and has raised the matter with soccer's global governing body FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation. The union of professional footballers further urged the AIFF, FSDL and club owners to collaborate with the FPAI to confirm the ISL schedule and provide a clear road map for the season to commence. Additionally, it called on clubs to continue to meet all contractual obligations to players. REUTERS
Straits Times
5 hours ago
- Straits Times
Indian police exhume human remains in mass-burial investigation
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox The probe centres on Dharmasthala, home to an 800-year-old temple in the state of Karnataka BENGALURU - Indian police have exhumed human remains in a temple town in the country's south, officials said, as part of an investigation into allegations that hundreds of murder and rape victims were secretly buried there from around the mid 1990s. The probe centres on Dharmasthala, home to an 800-year-old temple dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva in the state of Karnataka and is drawing headlines in media nationwide. A former cleaner at the temple told police in July that he had been forced by superiors to dispose of hundreds of bodies over two decades, many of them women and girls showing signs of sexual assault. His allegations were made in a police complaint dated July 4 and seen by Reuters. The man, whose identity authorities have withheld for safety reasons, fled Dharmasthala in 2014 but said he was compelled to speak out now because of lingering guilt. 'If the skeletons now exhumed receive respectful funeral rites, those tormented souls will find peace and my sense of guilt could also decrease,' he wrote in the complaint. The police did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for the temple said it welcomed a thorough investigation and hoped police would 'bring out true facts to light'. In the complaint, the former cleaner accused temple officials of forcing him to dispose of the bodies and told police he would name the officials if they protected him and his family. Karnataka's interior minister told the state assembly on Aug 18 that the protection was now in place. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore What led to Changi Airport runway incursion involving 2 China Eastern Airlines planes in Aug 2024 Singapore Singapore seals carbon credit deal with Thailand, its first South-east Asian partner Singapore CPIB nabs 9 suspects for alleged match-fixing in national basketball league Singapore Live Singapore-raised seafood on sale at 3 Giant supermarkets from Aug 19 Asia Singaporean man sentenced to 72 years' jail in Malaysia for murdering wife and stepson Singapore 4 days' jail for former pre-school teacher who kicked and bruised pupil's shin Life Local indie theatre The Projector ceases operations from Aug 19 after a decade The former cleaner said he had secretly exhumed a skeleton from one of the burial sites to prove his claims. A special investigation team formed by the Karnataka government has so far recovered human remains from two of 16 suspected burial sites, according to two senior police officials familiar with the probe. They declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the matter. Karnataka's interior minister Gangadharaiah Parameshwara, said the police have collected bone fragments, soil samples, and other material for testing from two sites thanks to the information from the former cleaner. 'The analysis is ongoing. Only once that is complete can we say the investigation has truly begun,' Mr Parameshwara said. 'My request is to not make this a religious matter.' Mr Sachin Deshpande, a lawyer for the complainant, told Reuters 'they have found human remains where our client pointed and we are sure that the truth will come out'. He declined to make his client available for an interview. The revelations have revived interest in older unsolved cases, including Ms Padmalatha, a college student whose family alleged she was raped and murdered in Dharmasthala in 1986. Ms Padmalatha, like many in India, went by one name. Her sister, Ms Indravathi, said the family buried Ms Padmalatha's body rather than cremating it according to Hindu custom, hoping that would help with any investigations later. 'We hope that we will get justice one day for her abduction, rape and murder,' said Ms Indravathi, who uses only one name. REUTERS
