Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Cyclone triggers stone quarry collapse; 15 dead

Torrential rains brought by cyclone Remal caused a collapse in a stone quarry in India’s Mizoram state, killing 15 people and trapping seven

Cyclone triggers stone quarry collapse; 15 dead

Torrential rains brought by cyclone Remal caused a collapse in a stone quarry in India's state of Mizoram, killing 15 people and trapping seven, while eight more died in landslides and other accidents elsewhere in the remote region, officials said.

Weather authorities said the powerful cyclone had weakened into a depression after devastating regional coastlines the previous day, when it killed at least 16 and cut power to millions in parts of eastern India and neighbouring Bangladesh.


But harsh weather was hampering efforts on Tuesday to rescue at least seven people trapped in the quarry on the outskirts of Aizawl, the capital of northeastern Mizoram, disaster management officials said.

"There have been incessant rains in the wake of cyclone Remal, which led to the quarry collapse," one of them told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Seven more people were killed in landslides in Mizoram, which shares a border with Bangladesh, while a falling tree killed one person in nearby Assam, officials said, as schools and colleges shut.

Authorities in India's eastern state of West Bengal were working to restore electricity in the worst-affected areas, after Remal stripped power lines and uprooted trees. So far, eight peopole have died in this state.

In the state capital Kolkata, heavy rains led to flooding in the streets, and wall collapses were reported across the city.

Remal is the first of the frequent storms expected to pound the low-lying coasts of the South Asian neighbours this year as climate change drives up sea surface temperatures.

Read Also: Police mobilise 80 detectives for Post Office criminal inquiry

Many parts of coastal Bangladesh have no electricity and telecoms links, officials said, but crews were working to restore power as soon as possible.

"Mass evacuations significantly reduced potential casualties, but the storm left a trail of destruction," said disaster management chief Mijanur Rahman, adding that damages cannot be fully estimated unless communications are restored. (Agencies)

More For You

Sunita-Williams-Reuters

Sunita Williams was part of the SpaceX Crew-9 mission and had been stranded in space for over nine months. (Photo: Reuters)

Reuters)

India looks amazing from space, says Sunita Williams

NASA astronaut Sunita Williams described India as "amazing" from space and expressed her intention to visit her "father's home country" to share her experiences on space exploration.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday, she responded to a question about how India appeared from space and the possibility of collaboration with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

Keep ReadingShow less
british-muslims-iStock

The study noted that this identification was not due to any doctrinal obligation but was influenced by the perception that many Muslims do not feel fully accepted as British. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Majority of British Muslims identify by faith first, study finds

A STUDY by the Institute for the Impact of Faith in Life (IIFL) has found that most British Muslims identify primarily with their religion rather than their nationality.

The research, based on a survey of 815 British Muslim adults by Whitestone Insight, revealed that 71 per cent of respondents identified as Muslim first, while 27 per cent identified as British, English, or Scottish first.

Keep ReadingShow less
Car Tax Changes: EV Owners Now Required to Pay for the First Time

Owners of electric vehicles registered on or after 1 April 2025 will pay £10 for the first year, followed by the standard VED rate of £195 from the second year. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Car tax changes take effect: EV owners to pay for first time

FROM today, 1 April 2025, electric cars, vans, and motorcycles in the UK will be subject to Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) for the first time.

The change, introduced in the 2022 Autumn Statement by former Conservative Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, aims to make motoring taxation fairer.

Keep ReadingShow less
scotland-minimum-wages-iStock

Full-time workers on the National Living Wage will receive an annual pay increase of £1,400 in real terms. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Wage increase takes effect for thousands of workers in Scotland

HUNDREDS of thousands of workers in Scotland will see a pay increase as new National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage rates take effect from Tuesday.

The changes will benefit approximately 220,000 people, according to STV News.

Keep ReadingShow less
uk-energy-bill-iStock

Water bills, energy prices, and council tax are rising, while the minimum wage has also increased (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

April bill increases put financial strain on single parents

A RANGE of essential household bills are increasing from April, with Citizens Advice warning that single parents will be among the hardest hit.

Water bills, energy prices, and council tax are rising, while the minimum wage has also increased, BBC reported.

Keep ReadingShow less