COVID-19 tally in India crosses 35-lakh mark
New Delhi: India's COVID-19 tally zoomed past 35 lakh, just a week after it crossed the 30-lakh mark, with a record single-day spike of 78,761 cases, while recoveries surged to 27,13,933 on Sunday, according to the Union Health Ministry data.
The total coronavirus cases rose to 35,42,733, while the death toll climbed to 63,498 with 948 people succumbing to the disease in a span of 24 hours, the data updated at 8 am showed.
The recovery rate has increased to 76.61 per cent while the COVID-19 case fatality rate has further declined to 1.79 per cent.
There are 7,65,302 active cases of coronavirus infection in the country which comprises 21.60 per cent of the total caseload, the data stated.
India's COVID-19 cases rose from 20 lakh to 30 lakh in 16 days, 10 lakh to 20 lakh in 21 days while it had taken 59 days for the cases to cross the 10 lakh-mark.
It took 110 days for COVID-19 cases in the country to reach one lakh while just 59 days more to go past the 10-lakh post.
India's COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7 and went past 30 lakh on August 23.
According to the ICMR, a cumulative total of 4,14,61,636 samples have been tested up to August 29 with 10,55,027 samples being tested on Saturday.
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2 killed, 3 injured in fire at scrap storage plot in outer Delhi's Pitampura
New Delhi (PTI): At least two people were killed and three sustained burn injuries after a massive fire broke out at a vacant plot used for storing scrap cardboard and cartons in outer Delhi's Pitampura village early Tuesday, police said.
A PCR call regarding the blaze was received at around 1.25 am under the jurisdiction of Keshav Puram police station, following which police teams rushed to the spot and alerted the fire department, they said.
The fire erupted at a vacant plot near Vikas Niketan Society in Old Pitampura village, where scrap cardboard and cartons were stored under temporary tin sheds. Due to the presence of highly inflammable material, the fire spread rapidly, a senior police officer said.
According to the Delhi Fire Services, six fire tenders were initially pressed into service, which were later increased to a total of nine units, including water tenders, water bowsers, a quick response vehicle and other support units.
"The fire was declared under control at around 2.30 am after sustained firefighting efforts and was extinguished by 3.25 am," a fire official said.
The fire was reported in a cardboard godown comprising four tin sheds spread over an area of around 1,000 square yards. Two charred bodies were found at the site, he said.
During rescue operations, five people were found with burn injuries at the spot. All of them were immediately shifted to Babu Jagjivan Ram Memorial (BJRM) Hospital in Jahangirpuri for treatment.
Two of the injured persons -- Viresh (28) and Satish (35) -- were declared brought dead by doctors, police said. The remaining three injured persons are undergoing treatment, they added.
Preliminary inquiry revealed that all five people were residents of the Nalanda district in Bihar and were living under tin sheds erected on the plot. They were engaged in collecting scrap cardboard and cartons from nearby markets and selling them, police said.
One of the injured persons, identified as Dinesh, told police that he attempted to rescue Viresh and Satish after the fire broke out but was forced to retreat due to intense flames and heavy smoke.
Further verification revealed that two of the four tin sheds were completely gutted, while the remaining sheds were partially damaged. Five e-rickshaws, a motorcycle, wooden rickshaws and waste cardboard were also damaged in the fire, police said.
The crime team and a forensic science laboratory team inspected the site and collected samples. The exact cause of the fire is under investigation, police said.
