14 dead in building fire in India’s Lucknow

Published

2 hours ago

June 23, 2026

Bilal

Officials reported at least 14 people died Monday in a fire at a facility in Lucknow, India, that houses a library and a tutoring center for college students.

The fire in Lucknow, the capital of the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, started from the middle floor of a three-storey commercial structure in a residential area and quickly spread to other floors.

Fourteen children from happy families were killed in the event, the state’s deputy chief minister Brajesh Pathak told reporters, adding that four others were injured in the conflagration.

It was not immediately clear whether all the dead were students.

Many pupils escaped the flames by jumping from the upper floor of the building into the street below, witnesses told an AFP reporter.

Indian television showed photos of flames roaring out of the front facade of the building as firefighters battled to douse the fire.

The facility contained a coaching centre for college students, a library and a computer graphics area.

In India, numerous building fires are the result of lack of firefighting equipment and routine disrespect for safety laws.

Poorly maintained wiring and electrical short circuits are still the top causes of fire occurrences in India.

Pathak said stern punishment will be taken against those found guilty.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was “anguished by the loss of lives”, and in a social media post his office announced more than $2,100 in relief money for each family.

It was not immediately clear what caused the latest incident, which occurred around two weeks after a fire at a hotel killed 21 people in New Delhi.

In March, 10 critically ill patients were killed in a fire at a government hospital in eastern India.

In 2019, 43 manufacturing workers sleeping in a building in the old quarter of Delhi died in a fire.

PSX starts on a positive note, KSE-100 index reclaims 179,000 mark

Published

50 minutes ago

June 23, 2026

Bilal

The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) started on a bullish note on Tuesday as the benchmark index regained the 179,000-point level in early trade.

Market statistics showed the KSE-100 Index jumped over 900 points in early trade to 179,405 points.

Market observers said the move was buoyed by restored investor confidence after last session’s turmoil.

The index had closed lower on the last trading day, down 450 points to 178,471 points.

The Pakistan Stock Exchange witnessed a comeback in market confidence as trading started for the second business day of the week with early gains.

Former Karachi BRT Yellow Line project director Zameer Abbasi detained.

Published

54 minutes ago

June 23, 2026

Bilal

KARACHI: The former director of the Karachi BRT Yellow Line project, Zameer Abbasi, was detained on Monday over financial violations.

Details said that Anti-Corruption Establishment Karachi has detained Zameer Abbasi from Lahore in an intelligence-based operation.

Anti-corruption officials said a complaint was lodged against him on June 10. They added that efforts were being made to shift him from Lahore to Karachi.

It is worth mentioning here that allegations have been made against the project director of illegally releasing over Rs 7 billion to contractors and this led to the inquiry and his detention.

Security agents avert big terror plot in Panjgur

Published

57 minutes ago

June 23, 2026

Bilal

— Security forces stopped a major terrorist conspiracy in Balochistan’s Panjgur district in a timely and information based response, security sources said.

The operation was undertaken in the Jirak area on the basis of secret information and a considerable quantity of weapons and communication equipment was recovered, security sources said. During the operation, the police seized 4 rocket fuses and many improvised explosive devices (IEDs) from a vehicle.

Security officials stated the explosive supplies were intended to be used in a possible large-scale terrorist attack, which was being prepared in the region.

They noted that the prompt and professional action by the security forces had prevented serious destruction and protected the area from a possible catastrophe.

This successful operation is a clear sign that the security forces are still a formidable barrier against the anti-peace groups in Balochistan, claimed the security forces.