United News of Bangladesh

At least 10 people have died in a massive fire at Karachi’s Gul Plaza shopping complex as rescue teams continue searching for dozens reported missing, officials said Monday. Firefighters brought the blaze under control late Sunday, nearly 24 hours after it started, allowing rescuers to recover four more bodies overnight, raising the confirmed death toll to 10. Local media reported that up to 14 people may have died. The fire, which broke out late Saturday, spread quickly through shops storing cosmetics, garments, and plastic goods, said Dr. Abid Jalal Sheikh, the city’s chief rescue officer. Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said around 60 people were reported missing, prompting a large-scale search operation. Families of the missing gathered outside the damaged building Monday, many in tears. The cause of the fire has not been determined, and police said an investigation is ongoing. Karachi has a history of deadly fires, often linked to poor safety standards and illegal construction. In November 2023, a shopping mall fire killed 10 people, and a 2012 garments factory fire claimed 260 lives.

Chinese police have detained those responsible for a steel factory in the Inner Mongolia region after an explosion killed two people and sent 84 others to hospital, with eight still missing. City authorities in Baotou said a pressurised storage tank used to hold steam and high-temperature water exploded at a Baogang United Steel plant at around 3pm local time on Sunday. The blast triggered tremors across nearby areas, officials said on Monday. Rescue teams are continuing their search for eight people who remain unaccounted for. A representative of Baotou’s Information Office told a news conference that emergency crews were working around the clock at the site. Baogang United Steel is a major state-owned enterprise, according to Chinese state media.

Indonesian rescuers on Sunday recovered a body while searching for 11 people aboard a plane that crashed in a mountainous area on Sulawesi island. Muhammad Arif Anwar, head of Makassar’s Search and Rescue Office, said the body of a man was found in a ravine about 200 meters (656 feet) deep on the slope of Mount Bulusaraung, near scattered debris from the aircraft. Rescue teams also discovered parts of the plane frame, passenger seats, and visually identified what is believed to be the turboprop ATR 42-500’s engine. The aircraft, operated by Indonesia Air Transport, was en route from Yogyakarta on Java to Makassar, the capital of South Sulawesi, when it disappeared from radar shortly after air traffic control instructed it to correct its approach. Onboard were eight crew members and three passengers from the Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministry on a maritime surveillance mission. Search efforts have been hampered by strong winds, heavy fog, and steep terrain, with visibility near the summit reportedly around five meters, said Maj. Gen. Bangun Nawoko, South Sulawesi’s military commander. Brig. Gen. Andre Clift Rumbayan, leading specialized search units, said rescuers spotted additional bodies along a steep cliff but could not reach them. Indonesian plane with 11 aboard goes missing; search underway Operations were suspended Sunday night due to darkness and are set to resume Monday morning. Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, relies heavily on air and ferry transport and has experienced numerous transportation accidents in recent years, including plane, bus, and ferry crashes.

At least two people were killed and 66 others were taken to hospital after an explosion ripped through a factory in China’s Inner Mongolia region on Sunday. According to China’s state news agency Xinhua, the blast occurred at a Baogang United Steel plant in Baotou city at around 3 pm local time. The explosion sent thick plumes of smoke into the sky and caused tremors in nearby areas. Indonesian rescuers recover body, plane wreckage in Sulawesi mountains The report said three of the injured were in serious condition, while five people were still missing. Rescue teams rushed to the scene following the explosion, and authorities have launched an investigation to determine the cause of the incident.

Indonesian rescue teams on Sunday retrieved a body and scattered wreckage from a plane that reportedly crashed in the mountainous region of Sulawesi island while approaching its destination amid cloudy weather. The body of a man was found in a ravine about 200 meters deep on the slope of Mount Bulusaraung, near aircraft debris, said Muhammad Arif Anwar, head of Makassar’s Search and Rescue Office and coordinator of the mission. The evacuation of the body is currently underway. Rescuers also recovered parts of the plane’s frame, passenger seats, and what is believed to be the engine. The aircraft, a turboprop ATR 42-500 operated by Indonesia Air Transport, was flying from Yogyakarta on Java island to Makassar, the capital of South Sulawesi, when it disappeared from radar on Saturday shortly after being instructed to adjust its approach alignment. Read More: Massive fire at Karachi shopping mall kills 3, injures a dozen The flight carried eight crew members and three passengers from the Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministry, who were on a maritime surveillance mission. The plane was last tracked at 1:17 p.m. in the Leang-Leang area of Maros, a mountainous district of South Sulawesi. An air force helicopter team spotted a small aircraft window in the forested mountains on Sunday morning. Ground teams later located larger debris, including the fuselage and tail sections, on a steep northern slope. “The discovery of the aircraft’s main sections significantly narrows the search zone,” Anwar said, adding that teams are focusing on locating survivors. Rescue efforts are being hampered by strong winds, thick fog, steep terrain, and heavy rain, Maj. Gen. Bangun Nawoko, Hasanuddin military commander in South Sulawesi, said. Over 100 personnel, including elite army search and rescue units, are involved in the operation. Read More: Indonesian plane with 11 aboard goes missing; search underway Photos and videos released by the National Search and Rescue Agency show rescuers navigating a narrow mountain ridgeline covered in thick fog to reach the scattered wreckage. Indonesia, an archipelago of over 17,000 islands, relies heavily on air travel and ferries and has faced numerous transportation accidents in recent years, from plane and bus crashes to ferry sinkings.

A fire at a multistory shopping plaza in Karachi killed six people, including a firefighter, as crews battled the blaze that erupted overnight, officials said Sunday. The fire broke out late Saturday at Gul Plaza, spreading rapidly through shops selling cosmetics, garments, and plastic goods, Dr. Abid Jalal Sheikh, the city’s chief rescue officer, told reporters. About 75 percent of the fire was brought under control, but firefighters expected another four to six hours to fully extinguish the flames. Five bodies were recovered from the four-story building and its basement, which housed roughly 1,200 shops. A firefighter died while trying to douse flames on the upper floors, and some people may still be trapped inside, rescue officials said. Families continued searching for missing relatives. Road crashes leave 24 dead, 45 injured in Pakistan Television footage showed thick smoke rising from the damaged building as dozens of firefighters in protective gear battled the blaze. Parts of the structure collapsed during the fire. The cause of the blaze has not yet been determined, and authorities have launched an investigation. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed grief over the deaths and directed authorities to deploy all resources to prevent further loss of life. Karachi, the capital of Sindh province, has seen a string of deadly fires, often linked to poor safety standards and illegal construction. In November 2023, a shopping mall fire killed 10 people and injured 22.

An Indonesian passenger aircraft carrying 11 people disappeared from radar on Saturday while approaching a mountainous region between the islands of Java and Sulawesi, prompting a large-scale search and rescue operation, officials said. The turboprop ATR 42-500 aircraft operated by Indonesia Air Transport was flying from Yogyakarta to South Sulawesi’s capital when it lost contact with air traffic control, according to Transportation Ministry spokesperson Endah Purnama Sari. The plane was last detected at 1:17 pm local time in the Leang-Leang area of Maros district in South Sulawesi. Rescue authorities have deployed multiple teams supported by air force helicopters, drones and ground units to locate the aircraft. Hope of finding the wreckage grew after hikers on Mount Bulusaraung reported seeing scattered debris bearing markings similar to the airline’s logo, along with small fires still burning in the area. The reports are being verified by rescue teams attempting to reach the remote location, said Maj Gen Bangun Nawoko, commander of South Sulawesi’s Hasanuddin military region. Indonesia plane crash search finds remains, debris at sea Officials said the aircraft disappeared shortly after air traffic controllers instructed the pilot to adjust the plane’s approach path. After the final communication, radio contact was lost and an emergency distress phase was declared. The aircraft was carrying eight crew members and three passengers from the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, who were on an airborne maritime surveillance mission, Minister Sakti Wahyu Trenggono confirmed. Search efforts are being hampered by the steep terrain of Bulusaraung National Park, which spans the Maros and Pangkep districts. Body parts, debris found after Indonesia plane crash Indonesia, an archipelago nation of more than 17,000 islands, depends heavily on air travel to connect remote regions. The country has faced repeated transport accidents in recent years, often blamed on weak safety enforcement.

At least 24 people were killed and 45 others injured in two separate road accidents in Pakistan on Saturday, officials said. The first incident occurred in Sargodha, in eastern Punjab province, when a truck carrying passengers and cargo skidded off the road and plunged into a canal amid heavy fog. Fourteen people died and nine others were injured, according to local police and rescue teams. Hours later, a passenger bus overturned on the Makran Coastal Highway in southwestern Balochistan, killing at least 10 people and injuring 36 others, senior police official Aslam Bangulzai said. The bus was traveling from Karachi to Jiwani. Traffic accidents are frequent in Pakistan, often attributed to reckless driving, poor road conditions, and weak enforcement of traffic laws.

Taiwan’s premier on Friday praised a new trade agreement with the United States as the “best tariff deal” granted to countries with trade surpluses, while China condemned the accord. The deal reduces U.S. tariffs on Taiwanese goods to 15% in exchange for $250 billion in new investments in the U.S. tech industry. Taiwan Premier Cho Jung-tai said the agreement matched tariffs applied to Japan, Korea, and the European Union, and underscored Taiwan’s strategic importance to the U.S. China, which claims Taiwan as its territory, criticized the deal, with Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun saying it opposed agreements carrying sovereign or official connotations with Taiwan. The U.S. Commerce Department said the pact would establish industrial parks in the U.S., boost domestic manufacturing, and drive a reshoring of the semiconductor sector. Taiwanese firms investing in the U.S., including chipmaker TSMC, will benefit from favorable tariff treatment and exemptions. TSMC announced plans to increase capital spending by nearly 40% this year, with $165 billion pledged for U.S. investments and new fabrication plants in Arizona. Cho said tariffs for automotive and wood furniture products are set at 15% with no added fees, and some aerospace components will face no tariffs. The deal requires ratification by Taiwan’s parliament, where opposition lawmakers have raised concerns about potential impacts on the domestic semiconductor industry. Trade analysts noted the timing is significant, as the U.S. Supreme Court is set to rule soon on the legality of Trump-era tariffs, which could affect trade leverage. Taiwan, facing persistent security threats from China, was motivated to strengthen economic and strategic ties with the United States.

Myanmar on Friday denied that its 2017 military campaign against the Rohingya minority amounted to genocide, telling the United Nations’ top court that the operation was a legitimate response to insurgent attacks in Rakhine state. Addressing judges at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Myanmar’s representative Ko Ko Hlaing said the country was acting against terrorism and rejected allegations that its forces carried out genocidal acts. He argued that Myanmar could not be expected to allow armed groups to operate freely in northern Rakhine. The campaign followed attacks by a Rohingya militant group and led to accusations of mass killings, sexual violence and the burning of villages, forcing more than 700,000 Rohingya to flee to neighboring Bangladesh. About 1.2 million Rohingya now live in overcrowded camps there, facing worsening humanitarian conditions. The case was filed in 2019 by Gambia, which accuses Myanmar of violating the Genocide Convention. Gambian Justice Minister Dawda Jallow said the Rohingya endured decades of persecution that culminated in what he described as genocidal “clearance operations” in 2016 and 2017. Myanmar disputed Gambia’s evidence, including findings by a UN fact-finding mission, saying the claims failed to meet the required burden of proof. Former leader Aung San Suu Kyi defended Myanmar at earlier hearings in 2019 but is now imprisoned following the 2021 military takeover. In 2022, the court rejected Myanmar’s challenge to its jurisdiction, allowing the case to proceed. Separately, the International Criminal Court has sought an arrest warrant for junta chief Min Aung Hlaing over alleged crimes against humanity linked to the Rohingya.