Indian student goes missing in US
New York (PTI): A 22-year-old Indian postgraduate student has gone missing in the US state of California, prompting efforts by authorities to locate him.
Saketh Sreenivasaiah, a UC Berkeley student hailing from Karnataka, disappeared on Tuesday, local media reported, quoting the police.
His backpack, with his passport and laptop, was found on a doorstep in the Park Hills neighbourhood, The Berkeley Scanner news portal reported.
The Indian consulate in San Francisco expressed deep concern about his disappearance.
"...deeply concerned about the disappearance of Saketh Sreenivasaiah, an Indian postgraduate student of UC Berkeley, hailing from the State of Karnataka," it said in an X post.
"The Consulate is in touch with the family and also is in contact with the concerned local authorities to locate the student," it added.
Sreenivasaiah was last seen in the 1700 block of Dwight Way, the report quoted police as saying.
He is described as approximately 6 feet 1 inch tall, weighing around 73 kilograms, with short black hair and brown eyes.
Police urged anyone with information about Sreenivasaiah to notify local law enforcement.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Odisha hospital fire toll rises to 12 as 2 more succumb to burn injuries
Bhubaneswar/Cuttack (Odisha) (PTI): The toll in the devastating fire at government-run SCB Medical College and Hospital here climbed to 12 after two more patients succumbed to their burn injuries on Tuesday.
Health and Family Welfare Minister Mukesh Mahaling informed the assembly that a total of 12 people died in the fire incident that took place at the trauma care ICU of the hospital early on Monday.
Terming it a "very sad accident", the minister said, "As soon as the fire broke out, the hospital staffers worked on a war footing to immediately shift 23 patients from the first floor ICU and adjacent wards of the trauma care centre. All of them were shifted to other ICUs and wards."
Seven patients of the trauma care centre died due to their critical condition while five other critically ill patients died while undergoing treatment in other wards and ICUs.
ALSO READ: Cousin records as man shoots self while loading pistol in Delhi; video goes viral
Eleven medical staffers engaged in the rescue of the patients were also injured in the fire. The injured staff members are undergoing treatment and their lives are out of danger, he said.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly, Naveen Patnaik, visited the hospital on Monday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also taken stock of the situation.
The state government has constituted a judicial panel to probe the incident, and also formed a fact-finding team headed by Development Commissioner D K Singh that visited the hospital. The team will submit a report to the chief secretary.
The blaze had erupted around 2.48 am on the first floor and is suspected to have been triggered by an electrical short circuit.
SCB Medical College and Hospital is the state's premier health facility, with nearly 2,700 beds and it serves thousands daily.
