Popular singer Zubeen Garg dies while scuba diving in Singapore
Guwahati (PTI): Popular singer from Assam and youth heartthrob Zubeen Garg died while scuba diving in Singapore on Friday, organisers of a festival in the Southeast Asian country said.
He was 52, and is survived by his wife.
Garg sustained injuries during scuba diving, and was rushed to a hospital, where he died in the intensive care unit while undergoing treatment.
He had gone to Singapore to participate in the three-day North East Festival, which was scheduled to begin on Friday.
"It is with deep sadness that we share the news of Zubeen Garg's passing. While scuba diving, he experienced breathing difficulties and was immediately given CPR before being rushed to Singapore General Hospital. Despite efforts to save him, he was declared dead in the ICU around 2.30 pm IST," a statement issued by organisers of the North East Festival said.
Reacting to the development, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said he received the news from Union Minister of State for External Affairs, Pabitra Margherita.
"It is very painful news and an immense loss to the state and the nation," Sarma said on the sidelines of a programme.
In an X post, he said, "Today Assam lost one of its favourite sons. I am at a loss for words to describe what Zubeen meant for the state. He has gone too early; this was not the age to go."
"Zubeen's voice had an unmatched ability to energise people and his music spoke directly to our minds and souls. He has left a void that will never be filled. Our future generations will remember him as a stalwart of Assam's culture, and his works will inspire many more talented artists in the days and years to come," he added.
Sarma said that beyond Garg's music, his connection with people and passion for helping them will always be remembered.
"I will greatly cherish all my interactions with him. That magical voice has forever gone silent. Tragic beyond words!" he added.
The chief minister, who was campaigning in the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) for the September 22 Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) polls, said that the BJP will cancel all election-related events scheduled for the day.
"I am returning to Guwahati and will discuss with the party to decide on the next course of action," he said.
Assam Congress president and the party's deputy leader in the Lok Sabha, Gaurav Gogoi, mourned Garg's death and hailed him as a "pride of every Assamese".
"I am left speechless by the news of the death of Zubeen Garg, the pride of every Assamese, in an accident in Singapore. I cannot find words to express the loss we are feeling," Gogoi, the Lok Sabha MP of Jorhat from where the singer hailed, said in a statement.
He said Garg's death is an irreparable loss for the entire music world and a personal loss for every Assamese.
"I pray for the eternal peace of Zubeen da's soul and extend my condolences to his family," Gogoi added.
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US service member missing after Iran shot down fighter jet rescued
Washington (AP): A US service member who had been missing since Iran shot down a fighter jet has been rescued, President Donald Trump wrote in a social media post early Sunday.
The crew member had been missing since Friday, when Iran downed a US F-15E Strike Eagle. A second crew member was rescued earlier.
Trump wrote that the aviator is injured but “will be just fine,” adding that he took refuge “on the treacherous mountains of Iran.”
Trump added that the rescue involved “dozens of aircraft” and that US had been monitoring his location “24 hours a day, and diligently planning for his rescue.”
The war began with joint US-Israel strikes on February 28 and has killed thousands, shaken global markets, cut off key shipping routes and spiked fuel prices. Both sides have threatened, and hit, civilian targets, bringing warnings of possible war crimes.
The fighter jet was the first US aircraft to have crashed in Iranian territory since the conflict in late February.
Trump said last week that the US had “decimated” Iran and would finish the war “very fast.”
Two days later, Iran shot down two US military planes, showing the ongoing perils of the bombing campaign and the ability of a degraded Iranian military to continue to hit back.
The other jet to go down was a US A-10 attack aircraft. Neither the status of the crew nor exactly where it crashed was immediately known.
A frantic US search-and-rescue operation unfolded after the crash of the F-15E jet on Friday, focusing on a mountainous region in Iran's southwestern province of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad.
Iran also promised a reward for anyone who turned in the “enemy pilot.” Iran's joint military command on Saturday said that it also struck two US Black Hawk helicopters Friday, but The Associated Press couldn't independently verify that.
