18 killed in UP road accident, Yogi announces ex-gratia
Lucknow, June 13: The death toll in the bus accident that took place in Kannauj on Wednesday morning rose to 18 by the evening, with one more passenger of the ill-fated vehicle succumbing to his injuries, police said.
Thirty others injured in the mishap have been admitted to various hospitals where the condition of two continues to be critical.
The accident took place near Etawah cut on the Agra-Lucknow Expressway when the driver of the private double-decker bus apparently dozed off, causing the vehicle to overturn and hit the divider.
The bus was coming from Rajasthan's capital city Jaipur and was headed to Chhibramau in Kannauj district.
Most of the passengers were daily wagers working in Jaipur. They were heading home for the Eid festival, the police added.
The bus belonged to a private transport company of Farrukhabad district and was packed beyond capacity as some passengers were also sitting on its roof.
Former UP Chief Minister and one-time Lok Sabha MP from Mainpuri, Mulayam Singh Yadav, visited the injured persons and had a first-hand account of the accident from them.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has announced a financial assistance of Rs 2 lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 each to those seriously injured in the accident.
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.
At least 200 dead in Congo coltan mine collapse, authorities say, as rebels dispute toll
Goma (Congo) (AP): A mine collapse on Tuesday at a major coltan mining site in eastern Congo left at least 200 dead, according to Congolese authorities, a number disputed by the rebel group that controls the mine.
The collapse took place on Tuesday at the Rubaya mines, which are controlled by the M23 rebels, according to a press release from the Ministry of Mines on Wednesday.
Fanny Kaj, a senior official in the M23 rebel group, which controls the mines, disputed the figure and said that the collapse was caused by “bombings” and only five people had been killed.
“I can confirm that what people are publishing is not true. There was no landslide; there were bombings, and the death toll isn't what people are saying. It's simply about five people who died,” Kaj said.
Ibrahim Taluseke, a miner at the site, said that he had helped to recover over 200 bodies from the area.
“We are afraid, but these are lives that are in danger,” said Taluseke. “The owners of the pits do not accept that the exact number of deaths be revealed.”
Rubaya lies in the heart of eastern Congo, a mineral-rich part of the Central African nation which for decades has been ripped apart by violence from government forces and different armed groups, including the Rwanda-backed M23, whose recent resurgence has escalated the conflict, worsening an already acute humanitarian crisis.
Congo is a major supplier of coltan, a black metallic ore that contains the rare metal tantalum, a key component in the production of smartphones, computers and aircraft engines.
The country produced about 40 per cent of the world's coltan in 2023, according to the US Geological Survey, with Australia, Canada and Brazil being other big suppliers. Over 15 per cent of the world's supply of tantalum comes from Rubaya's mines.
In May 2024, M23 seized the town and took control of its mines. According to a UN report, since seizing Rubaya, the rebels have imposed taxes on the trade and transport of coltan, generating at least USD 800,000 a month.
Eastern Congo has been in and out of crisis for decades. Various conflicts have created one of the world's largest humanitarian crises, with more than 7 million people displaced, including more than 300,000 who have fled their homes since December.
In June, the Congolese and Rwandan governments signed a peace deal brokered by the US and negotiations continue between rebels and Congo. However, fighting continues on several fronts in eastern Congo, continuing to claim numerous civilian and military casualties.
The deal between Congo and Rwanda also opens up access to critical minerals for the US government and American companies.
A similar collapse last month killed over 200.
