Powerful 7.4 quake jolts Indonesia; tsunami warning issued for coastal regions

IANS | April 2, 2026 6:30 AM

Jakarta, April 2 (IANS) A powerful 7.4-magnitude offshore earthquake struck eastern Indonesia early Thursday, the United States Geological Survey said, prompting a warning from a US monitoring agency about the possibility of “hazardous tsunami waves” within a 1,000-kilometre radius of the epicentre.

From Nalanda to Prayagraj, crowd crush incidents raise safety concerns

IANS | March 31, 2026 3:15 PM

New Delhi, March 31 (IANS) Eight people were killed and eight others injured in a stampede at the Mata Sheetla Temple in Bihar’s Nalanda district on Tuesday, police said, the latest in a series of crowd crush incidents reported in 2026 and 2025 that have highlighted safety gaps at mass gatherings across the country.

28 people killed, 49 others injured due to rains, floods in Afghanistan

IANS | March 30, 2026 7:37 PM

Kabul, March 30 (IANS) As many as 28 people were killed and 49 others were injured due to heavy rains, floods and lightning in several provinces of Afghanistan since February 26, according to the Disaster Preparedness Authority spokesperson Mohammad Yousuf Hamad, local media reported on Monday.

Pakistan faces looming climate disaster, most heat-related deaths by 2050: Report

IANS | March 26, 2026 9:28 PM

Islamabad, March 26 (IANS) Pakistan is projected to experience a net increase in mortality of 51 deaths per 100,000 people by 2050 as global temperatures continue to rise due to fossil fuels emissions and low and middle-income countries accounting 90 per cent of the premature deaths caused by climate change, local media reported.

Pakistan: Over 14,000 schools damaged by 2022 floods in Sindh still await restoration

IANS | March 26, 2026 4:32 PM

Islamabad, March 26 (IANS) As many as 14,343 of the 19,808 schools damaged during the disastrous 2022 floods in Pakistan's Sindh province are still awaiting restoration, local media has revealed citing official data. Around 2,268 schools were completely destroyed while 3,197 suffered partial damage during the devastating floods. So far, the government, working through provincial, federal and donor-funded programs, have started the reconstruction and rehabilitation work of 5,465 schools, implying that 14,343 schools are still waiting for restoration, according to a report in Pakistan's leading daily Pakistan Observer.

10 dead, several injured in ICU fire at SCB Medical College Hospital in Odisha

IANS | March 16, 2026 8:59 AM

Bhubaneswar, March 16 (IANS) In a tragic incident, at least 10 patients died while several others sustained serious burn injuries after a major fire broke out in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the trauma care centre at SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack, Odisha, in the wee hours of Monday.

Massive fire guts nearly 400 slums near Matiala fish market in Delhi

IANS | March 12, 2026 10:55 AM

New Delhi, March 12 (IANS) A massive fire broke out near the Matiala fish market in Delhi, engulfing hundreds of slums and triggering panic among residents. The blaze destroyed nearly 300 to 400 slums, leaving several families homeless and prompting urgent calls for assistance from the government.