Latest news with #explosion


BBC News
9 hours ago
- General
- BBC News
The Faversham explosion that killed 108 and rocked the town
During World War One, Faversham in Kent was rocked by an enormous explosion which killed at least 108 men and boys and left a permanent mark on the Sunday 2 April, workers at a gunpowder site were loading shells when the explosion the cause of the explosion was never discovered, there were theories of a dropped cigarette, sparks from the boiler house hitting TNT sacks, and the sacks naturally combusting in the Tonge, one of the authors of Terrible Tudors in the Horrible Histories series, said: "The gunpowder still haunts Faversham, so it still lives in the history of the town." The site caught fire and there was an enormous explosion which was followed by other detonations as the flames reached other explosion was ruled to be accidental following an a worker later gave a testimony and said staff had become careless and stacked sacks of TNT outside without any consideration of what could happen to Tonge said: "That was the principle problem, is that they had to produce as much as possible for the Western Front to obviate this terrible scandal that was erupting about the shell shortage."Many of those who died were buried at Love Lane Cemetery in the town, and a memorial grave was placed there. Mr Tonge added: "The problem was when they tried to recover bodies, they were recovering parts of bodies, so some were never identified."Some boys as young as 12 were thought to have been working at the site."There are some really very poignant photographs of the parade [and] the funeral cortege through the town and it's attended by inevitably hundreds of people," Mr Tonge the war ended it was decided that the gunpowder business was vulnerable to attacks from Europe, so it was moved to Ayrshire in Scotland.


CNA
20 hours ago
- General
- CNA
Residents evacuated after fire breaks out at Ubi coffee shop
SINGAPORE: Residents of a Housing Board block at Ubi Avenue 1 were evacuated late Friday (May 30) after a fire broke out, with some people reporting an explosion. The incident happened at Block 301, Ubi Avenue 1, where some residents were evacuated as a safety precaution. According to a volunteer at the Residents Network at Ubi Blk 318, Mr Shawn Ho, the fire started in the coffee shop at the base of Block 301. Member of Parliament of Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC Faishal Ibrahim said in a Facebook post that the fire was put out swiftly by the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF). He said that 76 residents were evacuated. A resident, who identified herself as Ms Ng, said her flat was hit by a blackout at about 11.45pm. She told CNA: "We felt calm because we didn't see any flames, we just saw a big cloud of smoke coming from the coffeeshop area." 'Before the explosion, we already heard the siren.' Another resident, Mr Zulkifli, said he was in his kitchen when he smelled the smoke. "When I went down, there was still no fire. Shortly after, there was a small fire, and a big fire, and then an explosion. The whole block tripped after that," he said. Residents at Touch Ubi hostel, a residential training hostel for adults with mild intellectual disabilities located next to the coffeeshop, were evacuated as well. Ms Irene Nant, a hostel employee, said there were three care staff members and six residents at the hostel. She said the residents were woken up by care staff at 11.45pm and the emergency light in the room was switched on. Smoke was also spotted outside the hostel. Said Ms Nant: 'The safety of our clients is the first priority and I felt scared and worried.' 'We're feeling relieved that we got all our clients downstairs. At least we're all safe,' she added. At about 1.40am, some residents were told by the Singapore Civil Defence Force that they could return to their flats, and unit numbers were read out. Assoc Prof Faishal was at the scene after he was alerted to the incident close to midnight. "These are my residents and I think given the opportunity to come and also help out to meet their needs, it's very critical," he said.


CNN
a day ago
- General
- CNN
Russian military figure killed in explosion
Russian military figure killed in explosion Zaur Aleksandrovich Gurtsiev, a veteran of Moscow's war in Ukraine was killed in an explosion in Stavropol, which was 'committed using a homemade explosive device,' according to investigators. Gurtsiev had taken part in the 'Time of Heroes' program, promoting veterans of the war to official positions in the government. CNN's Matthew Chance reports. 01:04 - Source: CNN Palestinian UN envoy breaks down talking about Gaza's children The Palestinian ambassador to the UN made an emotional address, saying more than 1,300 children have been killed in Gaza since Israel ended the ceasefire in March. 01:19 - Source: CNN Political candidate wears body armor daily CNN's David Culver met César Gutiérrez Priego as he was readying to campaign for office in Mexico City. Gutiérrez Priego, who is running for a seat on the Supreme Court in Mexico, shows Culver the safety precautions he takes with political violence in Mexico at an all-time high. See Culver's full reporting on CNN. 00:53 - Source: CNN Harvard students and faculty speak out against Trump Harvard students and faculty spoke to CNN ahead of commencement as Donald Trump said the university should cap foreign enrollment. The Trump administration has recently sought to cancel $100 million in contracts with the school. 02:03 - Source: CNN Palestinians desperate for food rush US-backed aid site Scores of people rushed over fencing and through barricades in southern Gaza on the first day a US-Israeli-backed aid site was opened. CNN's Jeremy Diamond explains the desperate humanitarian situation that remains in the region. 01:22 - Source: CNN Journalists spit on at Jerusalem Day flag march Ultra-nationalist Israeli Jews chanted anti-Arab slogans as they marched through Jerusalem's Old City to mark Jerusalem Day. CNN's Oren Liebermann describes heavy police presence on the ground. Members of the crowd were seen spitting on journalists, including a CNN producer. 01:50 - Source: CNN Finland's president responds to Russian military activity along border CNN's Erin Burnett speaks with Finland's President Alexander Stubb about his country ramping up its military to deter potential Russian aggression. 02:16 - Source: CNN King Charles stresses Canada's 'self determination' amid pressure from US King Charles III delivered the ceremonial Speech from the Throne in the Canadian Senate. The address marks only the second time in Canadian history that the reigning sovereign has opened parliament, and the third time that the British monarch has delivered the address. 00:42 - Source: CNN Huge ship refloated after nearly crashing into house A larger container ship has been refloated after nearly crashing into a house in Norway. According to local police, the navigator had fallen asleep at the helm. 00:42 - Source: CNN Vehicle plows into crowd in Liverpool Police in the United Kingdom say a man has been arrested after a car plowed into Liverpool fans celebrating during the soccer club's Premier League trophy parade. 01:14 - Source: CNN Iran's Foreign Ministry on progress of Iran-US talks Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei gave an exclusive interview to CNN's Fred Pleitgen on the progress of continuing nuclear talks with the US. Baqaei told CNN that any attempt by the Trump administration to 'deprive' Iranians of their right to nuclear energy would be 'very problematic'. But he also said that there were many ways to come to a compromise. Iran and the United States concluded a fifth round of talks in Rome on Friday. 01:16 - Source: CNN Video of President Macron's wife 'pushing' him goes viral A video of French President Macron's wife pushing him as they disembarked a flight has caught the attention of Russian trolls after going viral. While Macron himself tried to downplay the video saying it merely showed a couple 'bickering,' it's not the first time Russian troll accounts and state media outlets have tried to use videos of the French president to spread disinformation. CNN's Saskya Vandoorne has more. 01:35 - Source: CNN Israeli strikes were one of this hostage's biggest fears in captivity An Israeli soldier released by Hamas during a ceasefire-hostage deal has said one of her biggest fears during captivity were strikes carried out by Israel. It's 'what endangered me more than anything,' Na'ama Levy said. The former hostage's comments came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier this month that defeating Israel's enemies is the 'supreme objective' and more important than securing the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza. 00:57 - Source: CNN Nine of this doctor's children killed in Gaza Dr. Alaa al-Najjar left her ten children at home when she went to work in the emergency room at the Nasser Medical Complex in southern Gaza. Hours later, the bodies of seven children - most of them badly burned - arrived at the hospital, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza. They were Dr. Najjar's own children, killed in an Israeli strike on her home. The bodies of two more of her children – a 7-month-old and a 12-year-old who authorities presume to be dead – remain missing. 02:03 - Source: CNN Harvard foreign student describes atmosphere of 'pure panic' CNN spoke to 20-year-old Abdullah Shahid Sial, a rising junior and student body co-president at Harvard University, about his reaction to the Trump administration's decision to revoke the university's ability to enroll international students. A federal judge temporarily halted the Trump administration's ban on Friday, after the nation's oldest and wealthiest college filed a suit in federal court. 01:29 - Source: CNN This Indian YouTuber is accused of spying An Indian travel vlogger has been arrested on suspicion of spying for Pakistan just days after tensions soared between the two longtime rival nations following an attack last month that left 26 tourists dead in India-administered Kashmir. Police say that 'in the pursuit of views, followers, and viral content, she fell into a trap.' 01:46 - Source: CNN See what Gaza's hotels looked like before the war When Donald Trump announced his plans to turn war-torn Gaza into the "Riviera of the Middle East," many Palestinians were angered. CNN spoke to two hoteliers, who explained what life was like before the war and their hopes for the future. 01:51 - Source: CNN Mountaineers scaled Mt. Everest in less than a week Mountaineers usually spend weeks or months acclimating to high altitudes before ascending Mt. Everest. But one group accomplished the feat in less than a week after using an anesthetic gas that critics warn could be dangerous. 01:40 - Source: CNN See moment OceanGate team noticed something wrong Newly released video shows OceanGate founder and CEO Stockton Rush's wife, Wendy Rush, who was working on the communications and tracking team, notice the sound of a 'bang' while monitoring the submersible. The Titan submersible imploded on June 18, 2023, killing all five passengers on board. 00:49 - Source: CNN


Reuters
2 days ago
- General
- Reuters
Russia opens criminal case after local official killed in Stavropol explosion
May 29 (Reuters) - Russia opened a criminal case on Thursday after two men, including a local government official who had fought in Ukraine, were killed in an explosion in the southern city of Stavropol, Russia's Investigative Committee and the regional governor said. Zaur Gurtsiev, a city official who was due to be appointed to Stavropol's regional administration, and another unidentified man, were killed. Video footage published on social media showed two men standing close to some parked cars and a bench when a bright light filled the screen and the footage cut out. Russia's Investigative Committee, which probes serious crimes, said the bodies of two men with multiple injuries had been discovered on Thursday outside a multi-storey building and that criminal cases investigating murder and the illegal possession of explosives had been opened. Stavropol Region Governor Vladimir Vladimirov and other officials offered their condolences to Gurtsiev and his family.


Daily Mail
2 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Terrifying moment chemical plant tank bursts into flames around worker
An explosion at a Chinese chemical plant has killed at least five people. Horrifying footage shows the gas tank going up in flames - as one worker runs for his life, trying to escape the smoke erupting from where he was standing seconds before. In a second video, a tank is seen rocketing into the air before crashing into a fireball. Over 230 firefighters rushed to the blaze in the Shandong province in China on Tuesday, where 19 were injured and six are still missing, state media said. Residents in the nearest city, Weifang, were warned they should wear face masks as officials await results of the air quality after the blast spewed out chemicals. The plant was reportedly used to manufacture pesticides and chemicals for medical use, with over 300 registered employees. The cause of the explosion remains unknown. Seconds from disaster: The man dashes across the gangway to the next tank mere moments before it goes up in flames Deaths: The explosion at the chemical plant in the Shandong province in China has killed at least five people Local farmer Yu Qianming, 69, had moved his grandchild and his wife further away as a precaution but said they would feel safe in their home as long as the wind continued to blow in a northerly direction. Liu Meng said her window frame was forced out of the wall after the blast took place only 500m away from her clothing store. The 60-year-old, who also lives in the same building, said glass had been flung into her boxes of supplies and across her store. Another resident said his property 4.3 miles away shook. Drone footage showed smoke coming from another plant nearby. The plant is being tested by the Weifang Ecological Environment Bureau but said no results were available yet. Blast: Liu Ming's window frames were blasted out of place