Beijing: The death toll in China’s coal mine blast has further risen to 41, rescuers said on Friday. The rescuers have retrieved 34 bodies so far and six miners were pulled out alive from Wednesday night till this morning, a working team sent by the State Administration of Work Safety told state-run Xinhua news agency.
Three owners of the mine have been taken into police custody and an investigation into the accident is underway.
About 50 miners who were rescued suffered from carbon monoxide poisoning and the other four suffered burn-related injuries, the health department said, adding that most of the injured are in stable condition. Meanwhile, provincial authorities have ordered a thorough probe. (PTI)
Thousands evacuated as fire spreads to Spanish resort
Marbella: Thousands of people were evacuated after a huge wildfire reached the edge of the popular tourist beach resort of Marbella on Spain’s southern Costa del Sol, Spanish authorities said today.
The fire broke out late Thursday night and raged out of control overnight, forcing the evacuation of thousands to a sports centre in Marbella when it reached their homes in a housing estate in the north of the city. Two people were injured.
It broke out near Malaga and spread quickly west towards Marbella, fanned by strong winds and high temperatures, defying the efforts of Spanish firefighters backed by aircraft and helicopters dumping water on the flames. (Reuters)
Petition to restore Hindu temples in Lahore
Lahore: A petition has been filed in a Pakistani court asking it to direct the Punjab government to restore the worship places of Hindus in Lahore to their original condition.
Lawyer Javed Iqbal Jafri filed the petition in the Lahore High Court yesterday. He contended that protecting the rights of minorities was the constitutional duty of the government
A good number of temples demolished in Lahore in 1992 in reaction to the demolition of the Babri Mosque in India could not be restored because of the government’s apathy, he said. Jafri asked the court to direct the government to get all temples freed of illegal occupation by the land mafia and to restore them to their original condition. (PTI)