Blaze

At least 55 dead in Karachi mall fire as families provide DNA amid painstaking search at Gul Plaza KARACHI, Pakistan — The death toll from a weekend fire at a shopping mall in Pakistan’s largest city climbed to at least 55 as rescuers combed the wreckage of the three-story Gul Plaza and families waited for news of missing loved ones, authorities said. “A total of 55 bodies have been recovered since Saturday night” when the blaze erupted, said Javed Nabi Khoso, deputy commissioner of Karachi’s south district, speaking to AFP.…

A Swiss court has ordered that the co-owner of a bar in the ski resort of Crans-Montana that caught fire on New Year’s Day, killing 40 people, must remain in custody as the criminal investigation proceeds. In a statement, the court said Jacques Moretti will be held for a provisional period of three months. The order can be reviewed if measures are taken to reduce the risk of flight, including the possibility of a security deposit. Prosecutors in the Valais canton initially ordered Moretti’s detention on Friday after a…

CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland — Swiss authorities are working to identify victims after a pre-dawn fire tore through Le Constellation, a popular bar in this Alpine resort town, turning New Year’s celebrations into a national tragedy and leaving more than 100 people injured. The first confirmed victim is 16-year-old Emanuele Galeppini, an Italian international golfer who had been living in Dubai, the Italian Golf Federation said. Galeppini was in Crans-Montana with his family and had gone to the bar with two friends, who escaped…

Fatal fire labeled ‘one of worst tragedies’ in Swiss history A fatal fire in Switzerland has been described as “one of the worst tragedies” in the country’s history, according to live updates from Europe. Immediate details remained scarce as authorities worked to confirm the scope of the disaster. Officials had not released the location of the blaze, a death toll or information about the cause at the time of the initial reports. The characterization underscores the severity of the incident and indicates a significant loss of…

Crans-Montana bar fire kills ‘tens,’ injures about 100 during New Year’s Eve party, Swiss officials say A fast-moving fire tore through Le Constellation, a crowded bar in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana, shortly after 1:30 a.m. on New Year’s Day, leaving “tens” of people presumed dead and about 100 injured, most of them seriously, authorities said. Swiss police declined to provide a precise death toll, while Italy’s foreign ministry said information it received from Swiss police indicated about 40 deaths. Officials…

CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland — Several people were killed and others injured after an explosion and fire tore through a bar in the luxury Alpine ski resort of Crans-Montana early Monday, Swiss police said. A police spokesman for Wallis canton in southwestern Switzerland said the blast was of unknown origin and occurred at about 1:30 a.m. local time (3 a.m. Irish time). The incident struck Le Constellation, a popular nightspot, as revelers marked the New Year. Authorities said there were “several injured, and several dead.”…

HONG KONG — The death toll from a massive blaze at the Wang Fuk Court housing complex has risen to at least 94, authorities said Tuesday, as firefighters and rescue teams scoured burned high-rises for scores of people still listed as missing in the city’s worst fire in nearly 80 years. The fire, which broke out more than 24 hours earlier in the eight-building Tai Po estate, was largely brought under control but not completely extinguished, with occasional sparks and thick smoke still emerging from the charred blocks. Fire…

The Blaze That Ignited Political Tensions: A Look at Weah's House Fire In the heart of Liberia’s capital, a fire that engulfed former president George Weah's home has sent shockwaves through a nation already grappling with political divisions. Although the flames are extinguished, the repercussions linger, casting a long shadow over the promise of peace and coexistence in a country that has long been haunted by the specters of past violence and instability. A Destructive Flame The Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC),…

In a tragic incident, a devastating fire at the neonatal unit of a hospital in India claimed the lives of ten newborns, while another sixteen infants remain in critical condition. Officials believe a malfunctioning oxygen machine sparked the blaze. Building fires are alarmingly frequent in India, often attributed to subpar construction practices and a blatant disregard for safety standards. This catastrophic event erupted around 10:30 PM local time yesterday at the Maharani Lakshmibai Medical College in Jhansi, situated…

Tragedy struck the northern Spanish town of Villafranca de Ebro when a fire claimed the lives of at least ten individuals at a retirement facility. This heartbreaking incident has left the community in shock. The fire erupted in one of the resident's rooms, as confirmed by Fernando Beltrán, the top representative of the national government in the region. He shared the grim news with reporters shortly after the disaster unfolded. All of those who lost their lives were elderly residents of the Jardines de Villafranca, a care…