Cloudburst in J-K village: Five dead, over 25 missing
Jammu: Five bodies were recovered on Wednesday after some houses were swept away by flash floods triggered by a cloudburst in a remote village in Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir, a senior official said.
Over 25 people are reported missing in the cloudburst which struck Honzar village in Dacchan tehsil around 4.30 am, officials said, adding a joint rescue operation by police, army and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) is underway.
Bodies of five persons were recovered from the cloudburst- hit village by the rescuers so far, District Development Commissioner, Kishtwar, Ashok Kumar Sharma, told PTI.
He said a total of six houses were swept away by the flash floods triggered by the cloudburst and a search and rescue operation was on when last reports were received.
Director General of Police-cum-Commandant General Home Guard, Civil Defence and SDRF, V K Singh, said two women are among the five persons killed in the cloudburst, while over 25 others are still missing.
One of our SDRF teams from Kishtwar reached the affected village and two more teams are on their way from Doda and Udhampur districts. Two more SDRF teams are waiting for weather to improve to get airlifted from Jammu and Srinagar to the scene and join the rescue mission, Singh said.
He said six houses and a ration store were damaged by the cloudburst.
The district development commissioner, Kishtwar, said two more cloudbursts struck remote Lambard area overnight but there was no report of any loss of life.
There is some damage to infrastructure but exact details are awaited, Sharma said.
He said 60 families were evacuated to safety from the Paddar area in view of incessant rains which posed a threat to their homes.
Most parts of the Jammu region have been receiving heavy rains for the past few days. With the prediction of more rains till July-end, authorities in Kishtwar have already asked people living along water bodies and slide-prone areas to remain vigilant.
"The meteorological department has predicted heavy rains during the upcoming days and water levels in rivers and drains are expected to rise, which can pose a threat to the inhabitants residing near rivers, drains, water bodies and slide-prone areas," the district administration said in an advisory issued late on Tuesday night.
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Bihar: Over 150 children fall ill after consuming 'mid-day meal' in Saharsa
Saharsa (PTI): More than 150 children were taken ill after allegedly consuming food that was part of the mid-day meal in a school in Bihar’s Saharsa district, a senior official said on Thursday.
The incident occurred at a middle school in Baluaha village of the district.
The official said that 115 children were undergoing treatment at the Sadar Hospital, while around 50 students were admitted to Mahishi Public Health Centre.
“We received information that several children fell ill after consuming the mid-day meal in Baluaha. The children were initially treated at the primary health centre, but later, many were referred to the Sadar Hospital,” Saharsa District Magistrate Deepesh Kumar told reporters.
“According to doctors, the health condition of the children has improved, but they will be kept under observation for some time. There is no need to panic. Some kids are having mild fever. They are being treated accordingly,” Kumar said.
Meanwhile, family members of some children claimed that a snake was found in the container in which cooked pulses was stored at the school.
Of the 545 students present in the school, 200 had already eaten their meals by the time the snake was spotted, and later complained of stomach ache and vomiting, they said.
Regarding the claims, the DM said food samples have been collected from the school.
“We will be able to comment on this only after the results of the tested samples arrive,” he said.
