Six children die at a private hospital

KARACHI: Six children died at a private hospital due to alleged negligence by the staffers, Geo News reported.

The parents of the victims alleged that their children died due to shortage of oxygen and negligence of hospital administration.

Sources in the health ministry confirmed deaths of children at a private hospital near Korangi crossing area.

Meanwhile, EDO health was unaware of the incident, however, he formed a committee to investigate into the matter.

Eight women locked in building die in Philippine fire

MANILA: Eight women died in the Philippine capital on Friday as a fire engulfed a building in which they had been locked in by their employer, police said.

Eight other women survived the blaze by climbing to the roof of the two-storey building and jumping off, said police officer Cris Gabutin, an investigator in the case.

"They said the gate was locked. It was dark and they could not find a way out. It was a lucky thing they were able to get out to the roof and jump," Gabutin said.

The bodies of the eight other women were found sprawled in one room, Gabutin said.

"It was like they were trapped. Maybe they panicked and could not find their way out," he said. Gabutin said six of the dead women identified so far were aged between 19 and 24.

A neighbourhood watchman in the middle-class residential area where the fire occurred, Jayvee Arizapa, said neighbours saw the women leaping from the roof.

"We could also hear people screaming for help inside but we could not help them because the wall was too high," he said.

The women were all from rural areas who had been brought to Manila to work in a warehouse storing electronic products and computer disks, according to Gabutin. He said they were sleeping in a building next to the warehouse when the fire started just after midnight.

He said the cause of the fire was unknown but police had arrested the owner of the building, charging him with human trafficking, negligence resulting in homicide and operating a business in the area without a license.

It is a common practice in the Philippines for low-paid employees to sleep in their place of work.

Employers typically do not provide enough safety measures for their staff, and some are known to lock them in to stop them stealing or prevent socialising.

Seventeen workers died in the southern Philippines in 2012 when a fire burnt down a department store in which they were sleeping. (AFP)

Tharparkar: 5 more peacocks die of viral Newcastle

THARPARKAR: Five more peacocks died of the deadly viral Newcastle disease due to severe hot weather all across the district of Tharparkar taking the death toll to 32 in a brief period of one week, Geo News reported.

Tharparkar Wild Life Department sources said that five peacocks died of the deadly viral diseases locally called ‘Ranikhet’ in the outskirt village Pabohar here

Local people have claimed that several more peacocks were still suffering from the disease.

While Tharparkar Wild Life Department Conservator, Lajpat Sharma said that the ailing peacocks have been taken into custody and medical tests for diagnosing their disease being conducted.

Meanwhile, 32 peacocks have thus far died during a brief period of one week.

Dozens die in Odessa blaze as Ukraine violence spreads

SLAVYANSK: More than 30 people were killed in a "criminal" blaze in Ukraine´s southern city of Odessa, as violence spread across the country during the bloodiest day since Kiev´s Western-backed government took power.

Ukraine´s interior ministry said at least 31 people had died in the fire Friday, with local media reporting that pro-Russian militants were believed to have been in the burning building at the time.

Most of those who were killed died from smoke inhalation, while others perished trying to escape by jumping out of windows. Russia said it was "outraged" as the scenic port city became a new front in an escalating months-long crisis that has sparked fears of a Russian invasion.

The foreign ministry in Moscow called on Ukraine and its "Western backers to end the anarchy and take responsibility before the Ukrainian people", blaming Kiev´s "criminal irresponsibility" for the sinister turn of events.

It capped a day of violent clashes between pro-Russian and pro-Ukrainian militants, with reports of renewed fighting in Slavyansk leading to the deaths of two more Ukrainian soldiers, meaning at least nine people had been killed in violence in the flashpoint eastern town throughout the day.

Already the most serious rupture in West-Moscow relations since the Cold War, the diplomatic war of words intensified as the United States threatened to hit Russia with new sanctions within three weeks over what Washington called its continued "destabilisation" of Ukraine.

President Barack Obama threatened to expand punitive sanctions to broad sections of the Russian economy if Moscow continued to foment chaos in the former Soviet republic ahead of planned May 25 presidential elections.

"If in fact we see the disruptions and the destabilisation continuing so severely that it impedes elections on May 25, we will not have a choice but to move forward with additional... severe sanctions," Obama said at a joint news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel."If Russia continues on its current course, we have a range of tools at our disposal, including sanctions that would target certain sectors of the Russian economy."

Previously, the administration had said such measures would only come into force if Russia sent its estimated 40,000 troops over the border.

"Today, the international community must stand together in support of the Ukrainian people as they cope with this tragedy," State Department deputy spokeswoman Marie Harf said in a statement mourning the "heartbreaking" loss of life in Odessa.

"The violence and mayhem that led to so many senseless deaths and injuries is unacceptable."

Harf also renewed US calls for "immediate implementation" of a peace deal clinched in Geneva last month.

The unrest in Ukraine started with peaceful demonstrations in Kiev in November against then president Viktor Yanukovych but has rapidly degenerated into a full-blown global crisis.

After a deadly crackdown on protesters, Yanukovych was forced out in February and replaced with the Western-backed administration. That sparked fury in Moscow, which responded with a blitz annexation of Crimea.

24 die in Islamabad Sabzi Mandi blast

 

ISLAMABAD: Twenty-four people were killed and 116 wounded in a powerful explosion in the fruit and vegetable market (Sabzi Mandi) here on Wednesday morning. The death toll is likely to increase, as 17 of the injured are in a critical condition.
The explosive device weighing five kilogrammes was planted in a guava crate and was blown up by remote control leaving a 5ft x 3ft crater.The police authorities ruled out a suicide bombing, saying that a manual operating mechanism was used in the explosion. The intelligence agencies, analysing the method of the explosion, indicated a foreign hand behind this act of terrorism.

The blast was so powerful that its sound was heard in a radius of 10-12 kilometres from the epicentre. The witnesses said that the explosive was planted in a guava crate, which went off with a big bang during an auction, leaving scores of persons dead and injured.

Meanwhile, the outlawed United Baloch Army (UBA) claimed responsibility for the blast. If that is so, it was the UBA’s second major attack within 24 hours as a day earlier the separatist militants had bombed the Jaffar Express at Sibi Railway Station, killing 17 passengers and injuring dozens more.

Experts say that these bombings might be a reaction to the killing of at least 30 separatist militants in the Khuzdar and Kalat districts of Balochistan.However, the Ministry of Interior termed the claim of the United Baloch Army (UBA) as ludicrous and ridiculous. In a statement, the ministry said that it was beyond any credible evidence that the Baloch separatist outfit had carried out the blast in Islamabad.

Earlier last month, 11 people, including an additional sessions judge, a woman lawyer, a cop and three other senior lawyers, were killed and over 30 wounded in a gun-grenade-suicide at the district courts premises in F-8 Markaz.

Meanwhile, fruitsellers and vendors in Islamabad have complained of a lack of security despite the potential threat from terrorists.People who witnessed the explosion said that the auction of fruits was going on as usual when suddenly a carton of guavas exploded at about 8:00am. At the time, over 1,500 fruit merchants were participating in the auction.

The volunteers, as well as the police personnel deployed on security duty at the Sabzi Mandi, reached the spot and started shifting the bodies and injured to different hospitals of Rawalpindi and Islamabad.shifting the bodies and injured to different hospitals of Rawalpindi and Islamabad.

“The bodies and injured were scattered around the epicentre where many of the people had killed on the spot,” witnesses said and added, the body parts of different victims were laying scattered up to the range of 100 feet.

Meanwhile, AIG (Operations) reached the scene along with heavy contingents of police including Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) ATS and ARF and cleared the area. The Bomb Disposal Squad searched entire Sabzi Mandi with explosive detecting devices before clearing the area.

AIG (Operations) Sultan Azam Temuri told ‘The News’ that a high-level investigation team headed by SP (Industrial Area Zone) Liaquat Niazi had been constituted to investigate and make headway to the terrorist outfit. Deputy Superintendents of Police (DSPs), (Investigation), CIA, CID and SHOs of Industrial Area and Sabzi Mandi police stations would be part of the investigation team, while, SP (Investigations) Jamil Hashmi would separately investigate the matter, Temuri maintained.

The AIG (Operations) disclosed that ten fruit merchants brought fruits from different areas of the country, adding that those cartons of guava were transported from Pakpattan, Vehari, Kasur, Burewala, Arifwala and Sharqpur by trucks. Two teams of CIA and CID had been sent to those cities from where the trucks were loaded.

Temuri ruled out the possibility of suicide bombing and said that suicide attack didn’t leave crater while the planted explosive made deep ditch and all the victims received injuries on lower parts of their bodies which negated the aspect of suicide bombing. “All the fruit merchants who brought the fruit, have been detailed to gather information about the people who sent the fruit and the trucks on which the cartons of fruit were transported,” the AIG (Operations) said, adding, “We will definitely make headway to the terrorist outfit embroiled in the blast and get them soon.”

He said that a team of police personnel led by a sub-inspector, was present in the Sabzi Mandi at the time of occurrence and they reached the scene soon after the blast and rescued the victims.

Talking to the media persons on the crime scene, DIG (Headquarters), Khalid Khattak, declared that checking of every individual and vehicle was humanly impossible, adding that the police got no prior information from the intelligence agencies about the terrorist attack.

The majority of the people killed in the terrorist attack, were poor fruit vendors who used to come the market to participate in the fruit auction.Dr Waseem Khawaja, Director of PIMS hospital, told ‘The News’ when contacted that 18 people were brought dead at the PIMS while one expired in ICU during medical aid. As many as 56 people, sustained injuries on different parts of their bodies, were under treatment, Dr Khawaja said, adding that a number of victims were in critical condition. “Death toll can rise as at least 17 victims are in critical condition,” Dr Waseem Khawaja said.

The dead were identified as Alamgir son of Sher Afzal, Bakht Muhammad son of Azam, Miraj Khan son of Malook Sain Khan, Azam Khan son of Rustam Khan, Waris Ali son of Turaab, Talha son of Sher Baz, Muhammad Umar Baz Khan son of Mir Zaman, Muhammad Karim son of Lal Khan, Khizar Hayat son of Ghulam Rabbani, Muhammad Rafique son of Muhammad Jan, Sajjad son of Arshad, Muhammad Ishtiaq son of Sardar, Shabbir son of Ghulam Rasool, Shahzad son of Arshad Khan and Zair Khan son of Musafer Khan, Dr Waseem Khawaja said. He said that remaining could not be identified. He said that a person expired in emergency and the other expired in surgical ICU.

The Sabzi Mandi police have registered an FIR against unknown terrorists and started investigation.Meanwhile, the security in Rawalpindi, has been tightened after the Sabzi Mandi episode, the Rawalpindi police spokesman said adding that extra force had been deployed at sensitive installations and cantonments areas. The spokesman said that a comprehensive search operation had been launched in sensitive areas of Rawalpindi.

Minister for Interior Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said that foolproof security would be provided to business community.Talking to media persons after visiting the blast site in Fruit and Vegetable Market, he said that culprits would be taken to task.

“The government would take elaborate measures and steps to make business areas more secure and safe,” the minister averred.He said that the government would announce compensation for the families of the deceased and the injured. The minister said, “It is not possible to check manually around 300 vehicles, which enter the Fruit and Vegetable Market daily from various parts of the country.” However, he assured that all possible steps would be taken to make the area more secure and safe.

Nisar said that the four scanners had been purchased at cost of Rs1 billion by the last government. Only two scanners were imported, which unfortunately, could not identify explosive materials, he added.

Replying to a question, he said that VIP security was only being provided to the president, prime minister and chief justice of Pakistan.He said 11,000 officials of Islamabad Police were performing duty in the federal capital, but such incidents could not be averted without modern technology.

To another query, he said that the registration of slum areas (Kutchi Abadies) had already been carried out.He said, “The people who are involved in the terrorist incidents, cannot be called the Muslims. No Muslim can kill innocent people.”

To a question, he said, the investigation had started and it would be premature to pinpoint any group’s involvement in the incident.The minister visited the blast site and met the representatives of Fruit and Vegetable Market. He assured them that their concerns regarding security would be addressed.