Work begins on Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Village
Beijing: Work began on Friday for the Beijing Olympic village for the 2022 Winter Olympics.
The village in the north of urban Beijing, with a total floor space of 200,000 square metres, is one of the three Olympic villages for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, reports Xinhua news agency.
The other two are in Yanqing District in the northern suburb of Beijing, and the city of Zhangjiakou in neighbouring Hebei Province.
After the Games, the village will be turned into public rental housing, according to the state-owned Beijing Investment Group, the investor, builder and operator of the village.
The company said the design of the village has given full consideration to the needs of both the Games and the residents that will move in after the Games.
It will be of high quality and environmental friendly, company officials said.
Beijing hosted the Summer Games in 2008. In 2015, it won the bid to co-host the Winter Games with Zhangjiakou in 2022.
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Stampede at Mahakumbh in Prayagraj leaves many injured, casualties feared: Reports
Prayagraj: A stampede at the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj has left many injured, with reports suggesting casualties as well. The incident took place in the early hours of Wednesday at the Sangam, where lakhs of devotees had gathered for a ritual dip on Mauni Amavasya, one of the most significant bathing days of the Kumbh. Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath to assess the situation. The Rapid Action Force (RAF) has been deployed to manage the massive crowds and restore order.
According to a social media content creator who witnessed the incident, the stampede occurred around 2:30 am as devotees reached the Sangam banks. The confusion arose when people carrying heavy luggage on their heads struggled to find an exit route after their ritual bath. Many tripped over iron dustbins that were not visible in the darkness, leading to a chain reaction of people falling.
"I managed to stand up and help my parents and another woman who were on the ground. Soon, panic spread as some youngsters in the crowd began pushing, triggering the stampede," the eyewitness said.
Jagadguru Swami Rambhadracharya has urged devotees not to insist on bathing only at the Sangam Ghat due to the heavy crowd. Akhada Parishad General Secretary Mahant Hari Giri also appealed to people to take a dip in the Ganga at safer locations and return to their camps to avoid further chaos.
Authorities have taken steps to restore order, including clearing access routes for akhadas and deploying security personnel at key points. Meanwhile, some akhadas have postponed their scheduled snan due to the incident.
The Mahakumbh, which began on 13 January, has reportedly already witnessed over 15 crore pilgrims taking a holy dip, with more than 4.8 crore participating on Tuesday alone. The festival is set to conclude on 26 February.
Special Executive Officer of the Kumbh Mela Authority, Akanksha Rana, downplayed the severity of the incident, stating, "A stampede-like situation occurred after a barrier broke at Sangam Nose. Some people sustained injuries, but no one is in serious condition."
