Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday said his government is working closely with the Ministry of External Affairs to ensure the safety of Kannadigas in Israel, where a war has broken out.

The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited on Sunday announced operation of Metro Rail services on the two sections between Krishnarajapura and Baiyappanahalli and the other beyond Kengeri to Challaghatta with effect from Monday.

With the opening of these two sections, the complete East-West corridor, the Purple Line from Whitefield (Kadugodi) to Challaghatta will be complete with a total length of 43.49 km and 37 metro stations, BMRCL said in a statement.

Most of the 14 persons killed in the cracker shop blaze near here were poor students who worked during the holidays to support their education.

Official sources said six of the deceased were Class XII and undergraduate students. One person has been arrested in connection with the tragedy that happened on Saturday.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday said the party's government in Karnataka will not spare the culprits responsible for the blaze in a firecracker shop in which 14 people lost their lives.

He said the government will ensure that all possible safety measures are taken, so that such incidents do not occur in the future again.

Kharge also expressed his condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the tragedy.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday said action will be taken based on the findings into fire accident at a cracker shop at the border town of Attibele in Bengaluru urban district that killed 14 people.

The death toll in the fire accident at a cracker shop near here reached 14 on Sunday following the death of two more people, police sources said.

Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar who visited the accident site of the Anekal firecracker store where 13 people were tragically killed after a fire broke out at the store on Saturday. The DyCM following the visit during the media interaction announced ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakhs to the family of the deceased.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah officially flagged off 40 (non-AC) 'Pallakki' buses and 100 general transport buses (Sarige) for the Karnataka State Road Transport

Corporation (KSRTC) here at Vidhana Soudha premises on Saturday.