15 killed, 44 injured in building fire in China
Beijing, Feb 24: At least 15 people were killed and 44 others injured when a building caught fire in China, a month after 39 people died in a similar accident.
The building fire broke out in Nanjing, the capital city of east China's Jiangsu Province, the municipal government said on Saturday.
Forty-four injured in the fire that broke out on Friday morning are receiving treatment at a local hospital.
A preliminary investigation found that the fire erupted on the building's first floor, where electrical bicycles were placed, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
This is the second major fire accident in China in about a month.
Thirty-nine people were killed and nine others injured in a building fire that broke out in Xinyu City in east China's Jiangxi Province on January 24.
The fire broke out in a street shop in the Yushui District of Xinyu.
Following the mishap, Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered steps to curb repeated occurrences of such accidents and to protect people's lives, and property and ensure social stability.
Fatal fires in China are not uncommon due to lax enforcement of building and safety standards.
On January 20, at least 13 students were killed when a fire broke out in a school dormitory in central China's Henan province. All the victims were third-grade students.
In November last year, 26 people died after a large fire ripped through an office building in Luliang city in Shanxi province.
A hospital fire in Beijing last April claimed the lives of at least 29 people - mostly patients - and triggered an investigation.
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
