International
President Murmu’s helicopter suffers mishap during landing in Kerala
A helicopter carrying Indian President Droupadi Murmu suffered a minor mishap while landing at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Pathanamthitta, Kerala, on Wednesday (October 22).
According to a report by NDTV, the incident occurred shortly after the President’s visit to the Sabarimala temple. The stadium was chosen as the landing site at the last minute after adverse weather conditions forced a change from the original site at Nilakkal.
Officials said the concrete helipad at the stadium had been constructed overnight and had not fully set. As a result, the surface caved in during landing, causing one of the helicopter’s wheels to get stuck and the aircraft to tilt slightly.
Police and fire service personnel quickly rushed to the scene and managed to safely secure the helicopter. Video footage showed the aircraft being lifted from a partially sunken position above an underground water tank.
President Murmu is currently on a four-day visit to southern India. She arrived in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday and later traveled to Pathanamthitta district, where she visited the Sabarimala temple and took part in an ‘aarti’ ceremony earlier in the day.
No injuries were reported in the incident.
A small aircraft crashed onto a football field in Long Beach, California, on Tuesday afternoon, injuring two people, according to US media outlet CBS News.
The single-engine plane went down at around 4 p.m. local time in Hartwell Park after taking off from French Valley Airport in Murrieta. Firefighters rescued an elderly man from the aircraft and transported him to hospital, while a woman walking in the park was also injured. Both victims are in moderate but stable condition.
Authorities said multiple investigative agencies have launched an inquiry to determine the cause of the crash. Video and eyewitness accounts show emergency crews working to secure the site shortly after the incident.
The crash adds to a recent string of small aircraft accidents in the United States. Last Friday, a single-engine plane made an emergency landing in an open field in Texas, injuring the pilot. A day earlier, another crash in a Michigan forest killed three people after a loud explosion and smoke were reported by residents.
At least 20 people have been killed after a passenger bus caught fire in Rajasthan’s Jaisalmer district on Tuesday (October 14) afternoon. The bus was travelling from Jaisalmer to Jodhpur when the accident occurred.
Police said the bus, carrying 57 passengers, left Jaisalmer around 3 p.m. Shortly afterward, smoke was seen coming from the rear of the vehicle. The driver stopped the bus on the roadside, but within minutes, flames engulfed the entire bus.
Locals rushed to help the passengers and informed the fire brigade and police, who later brought the blaze under control. Initial investigations suggest that an electrical short circuit may have triggered the fire.
Fifteen passengers, including four women and two children, sustained severe burns, with some suffering burns over 70% of their bodies. The injured were taken to Jaisalmer’s Jawahar Hospital and later shifted to Jodhpur for advanced treatment.
District authorities launched an immediate rescue and relief operation. Officials confirmed that the bus was completely gutted, making it difficult to identify many of the victims. DNA and forensic teams from Jodhpur have been deployed to assist with the identification process.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma visited Jaisalmer late Tuesday night. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences and announced financial aid of ₹2 lakh each for the families of those killed.
(Source: NDTV)
U.S. President Donald Trump has described the Gaza ceasefire agreement as “an important day,” saying that “no one thought this could ever happen.”
He made the remarks aboard Air Force One while returning to Washington after visits to Israel and Egypt.
When asked by reporters whether the ceasefire signaled the return of peace in the Middle East, Trump replied, “Some support a one-state solution, others want a two-state solution — we’ll have to see what happens.” He declined to elaborate further on the issue.
Earlier, at a summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, Trump and representatives from 20 nations signed a peace agreement related to Gaza, aiming to pave the way for a lasting ceasefire in the war-torn enclave.
During the flight back to Washington, Trump also commented on Gaza’s future, saying, “I can’t say what will happen, but whoever takes responsibility — I’ll fight for them.”
Later, on his social media platform Truth Social, the former president wrote, “Something extraordinary was achieved today in Israel and Egypt. Much has been done — and I wouldn’t have it any other way. It was an incredible experience!”
Source: BBC Bangla.
