Malpe: Coastal unit of Bhatkal police rescued four fishermen who were drowning after their fishing boat met with an accident in the middle of the sea on Sunday evening.

At about two nautical miles south of the island of Netrani, in the limits of Bhatkal police coastal unit,a fishing boat, Shrileela, had started to sink when a diesel tank kept on the top of the boat accidentally fell down damaging the lower portion of the boat. Following which, water started entering into the boat.

Malpe coastal unit received this information through the relatives of the onboard fishermen. Then a team of Bhatkal coastal unit police, under the guidance of Malpe coastal unit's SP R. Chetan launched an emergency operation and rescued the drowning fishermen.

Fishermen Anand Moger, Guru Kharvi, Manjunath, Ramesh Chalavadi have been successfully rescued.

Bhatkal coastal unit Inspector Nagaraj, Sub Inspector Annappamogera, Technical Staff Captain Mallappamudigoudar and Kalasi Sanjeeva Nayaka participated in the operation. Appreciating their efforts, SP Chetan has announced that the team will be rewarded with the appropriate awards.

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Johannesburg (AP): A 32-year-old suspect has been arrested in connection with a mass shooting which claimed the lives of 12 people including three children at an unlicensed pub earlier this month, South African police said on Monday.

The man is suspected of being one of the three people who opened fire on patrons in a pub at Saulsville township, west of South Africa's capital Pretoria, killing 12 people including three children aged 3, 12 and 16.

At least 13 people were also injured during the attack, whose motive remains unknown.

According to the police, the suspect was arrested on Sunday while traveling to Botlokwa in Limpopo province, more than 340 km from where the mass shooting took place on Dec 6.

An unlicensed firearm believed to have been used during the attack was recovered from the suspect's vehicle.

“The 32-year-old suspect was intercepted by Limpopo Tracking Team on the R101 Road in Westenburg precinct. During the arrest, the team recovered an unlicensed firearm, a hand gun, believed to have been used in the commission of the multiple murders. The firearm will be taken to the Forensic Science Laboratory for ballistic analysis,” police said in statement.

The suspect was arrested on the same day that another mass shooting at a pub took place in the Bekkersdal township, west of Johannesburg, in which nine people were killed and 10 wounded when unknown gunmen opened fire on patrons.

Police have since launched a search for the suspects.

South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world and recorded more than 26,000 homicides in 2024 — an average of more than 70 a day. Firearms are by far the leading cause of death in homicides.

The country of 62 million people has relatively strict gun ownership laws, but many killings are committed with illegal guns, according to authorities.

According to police, mass shootings at unlicensed bars are becoming a serious problem. Police shut down more than 11,000 illegal taverns between April and September this year and arrested more than 18,000 people for involvement in illegal liquor sales.