Eight dead in fire at factory in Maharashtra's Solapur district
Mumbai, May 18 (PTI): Eight persons, including three women and a child, were killed in a massive fire at a factory in Maharashtra's Solapur district on Sunday, officials said.
Prima facie, a short in the circuit triggered the blaze around 3:45 am at Central Textile Mills situated on the Akkalkot Road in Solapur MIDC, around 400 km from Mumbai.
The deceased individuals include the factory owner, identified as Haji Usman Hasanbhai Mansuri, three members of his family including his one-and-a-half-year old grandson, and four workers.
An official said the deceased individuals included three women.
Due to the intensity of the blaze, it took five to six hours for Fire Brigade personnel to control the raging flames.
Fire fighting operations are underway at the spot, he added.
Maharashtra: A major fire broke out at Central Industries in Solapur's Akkalkot Road MIDC area around 3 AM. A 6-month-old baby is feared trapped. Three critically injured people were rescued, while 5–6 others remain stuck. Rescue efforts continue. pic.twitter.com/Fx4nI5LZQe
— IANS (@ians_india) May 18, 2025
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Middle East-bound flights resume from Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram/Kochi (PTI): Flights to the Middle East resumed early Tuesday morning from Thiruvananthapuram International Airport, following the reopening of airspace in the region after a brief closure, according to airport sources.
Emirates, Etihad Airways, and Air Arabia were among the first to resume operations.
Flights bound for Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah operated by the three carriers landed and departed in the early hours without disruption, airport sources said.
However, several scheduled services were cancelled earlier in the morning as the situation stabilised, they said.
Affected services included Air India Express flights to Muscat, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Dammam, and Dubai.
Qatar Airways' Doha-bound flight, Kuwait Airways' service to Kuwait, and IndiGo's flight to Sharjah were also cancelled, they said.
To manage the passenger backlog and assist those affected, airport authorities have set up additional seating arrangements and service counters at Terminal 2.
Extra staff have been deployed to support passenger handling and provide on-ground assistance, they added.
Several flights were delayed, cancelled or diverted at Cochin International Airport also late Monday night, after the closure of Qatar's airspace amid the rising tensions in the West Asia, authorities added.
As per the CIAL advisory issued at 3.00 am, the operation of at least 17 flights was affected due to the situation.
