Ayodhya (PTI): At least five people were killed and several others were injured after a house collapsed following a powerful explosion in Pagla Bhari village under the Pura Kalandar police station area of Ayodhya on Thursday, officials said.

Circle Officer (CO) Shailendra Singh told PTI that several people were still feared trapped under the debris, and rescue operations were underway. "Five people have died in the explosion, a few have been injured, and efforts are on to rescue those trapped. The cause of the blast is not yet clear," Singh said.

Upon receiving information about the incident, the police, the fire department and the local administration teams rushed to the spot.

Rescue workers have been using excavators to clear the rubble, while nearby houses have been evacuated as a precautionary measure.

Officials have appealed to residents to stay away from the accident site to facilitate rescue efforts. Senior police and administrative officers are supervising the operation and have begun an investigation to determine the cause of the explosion.

Ayodhya SSP Gaurav Grover said that the owner of the house, which got demolished in the blast, was Pappu Gupta, a local resident. "We are collecting the evidences from the spot," said the officer.

He said that a search operation is being conducted in nearby villages.

District Magistrate Nikhil Tikaram Funde, however, did not comment on the reason behind the blast.

Funde said that the forensic team is on the spot and investigating the incident. However, the deceased have not been identified yet, he said, adding that there is no information about the injured till now.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has taken cognisance of the incident and expressed deep condolences over the loss of lives.

According to an official statement, the chief minister has directed senior officials to rush to the spot, ensure proper medical treatment for the injured, and personally oversee the ongoing rescue and relief operations.

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Kalaburagi: Two years after being expelled from the Janata Dal (Secular), former minister C.M. Ibrahim has announced that he will launch a new regional political party in Karnataka on January 24, reported Deccan Herald.

Speaking at a meeting organised by the Nava Karnataka Nirmana Andolana in Kalaburagi on Sunday, Ibrahim confirmed the birth of the new party.

The 77-year-old politician stated he would soon be meeting with other like-minded individuals to choose a symbol for the party.

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Ibrahim emphasised that the organisation would be guided by the principles of 12th-century social reformer Basavanna and the architect of the Indian Constitution, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar.

A veteran politician, Ibrahim served as Union Civil Aviation Minister during the tenure of H.D. Deve Gowda as Prime Minister and later headed the Karnataka unit of the Janata Dal (Secular). He was expelled from the JD(S) in 2023 on charges of anti-party activities.

His exit from the party followed sharp differences over the JD(S) decision to ally with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). As the then state president of the JD(S), Ibrahim had publicly criticised the alliance, claiming it was finalised without his knowledge. He had also reportedly convened meetings of his supporters and expressed support for the INDIA bloc.