Gun attack at Afghan shrine draws global condemnation
KABUL, April 12: Condemnations poured in after a gun attack occurred at a shrine in Afghanistan’s Injil district, where gunmen opened fire on civilians, killing and injuring several people. The European Union has condemned attack on civilians in Afghanistan’s Herat and expressed solidarity with those affected. “The EU condemns all acts of terror against civilians, in any form and by any actor. Such violence is never justified. Our deepest condolences to the families of the victims of the heinous attack in Herat. We stand in full solidarity with all those affected,” the Delegation of the European Union to Afghanistan posted on X. UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, called for a probe into the attack targeting Shia community members in Herat, calling for accountability for those responsible. In a post on X, Bennett stated that the attack on Shia community members in Herat, “resulting in multiple civilian deaths & injuries, appears to fit a pattern and must be not only condemned but independently investigated and perpetrators brought to justice.” Former Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai condemned attack on civilians by armed men in Herat and expressed sympathies with the families of the victims. (IANS)
South Korea: Two killed in warehouse fire
SEOUL, April 12: A fire broke out at a cold storage warehouse in a southwestern county on Sunday, leaving two firefighters dead as the blaze intensified during rescue operations, South Korean authorities said. The fire started at around 8:25 am at a fisheries processing company’s warehouse in the county of Wando, South Jeolla Province, prompting authorities to mobilise more than 100 firefighters. It was extinguished after about three hours, according to the Wando Fire Station, Yonhap News Agency reported. Two firefighters became trapped inside the warehouse and were later found dead, it noted. According to fire authorities, the blaze is believed to have started while workers were using a torch to remove paint from the building as part of floor-levelling and repaving work. A fishery company official inhaled smoke and was sent to a nearby hospital, but was not in life-threatening condition. Lee Min-seok, chief of the Wando Fire Station, said the two firefighters were unable to escape after re-entering the site to extinguish residual flames following the initial operation. (IANS)
