The Pigeon Express
At least 26 people were killed and four others were injured after a bus in a mountainous region of the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand plunged into a gorge, police said. The bus was carrying 30 people, including the driver, to Yamunotri, the remote Hindu pilgrimage site in the Himalayan state, when it went off […]
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party is set to keep control of India’s most populous state with a big majority, according to the count on Thursday of a state assembly vote that could offer clues to the national mood before a 2024 general election. The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) coalition was leading in about 250 of […]
Viral videos showing Hindu religious leaders in India calling for genocide against Muslims have sparked outrage and prompted demands for action. Indian police said they had launched a hate-speech investigation into last week’s event in Haridwar, in northern Uttarakhand state, in which participants called for the mass killings and use of weapons against Muslims. A […]
At least 46 people have died in flash floods triggered by heavy rains in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand. Footage showed flooded roads, submerged homes and fallen bridges. Experts say the Himalayan state, a popular tourist spot, is seeing the effects of both climate change and rampant construction. Floods have also ravaged the southern […]
At least ten people died and 31 were reported missing after an avalanche hit the Indian state of Uttarakhand. A total of 430 BRO workers were at the road-construction site when the avalanche occurred, Director General of Police (DGP) Ashok Kumar said. So far 384 people have been rescued. The avalanche struck at 4:00pm on […]
The Indian state of Uttarakhand initiated the process of declaring at least 130 persons missing – “presumed dead” – after the devastating flash floods on February 7. Rescue teams have so far recovered 68 bodies. Usually the government would declare people dead only if they have not been heard of for seven years. However in […]
At least 170 people still remain missing five days after the bursting of a Himalayan glacier that destroyed two hydropower projects and five bridges in Uttarakhand. Flash floods spilled rocks and slush, blocked roads and tunnels, cut-off several villages. The death toll in the tragedy rose to 34. India deployed its army to assist hundreds […]
Indian rescuers are searching for more than 200 missing people in the Himalayas, including many trapped in a tunnel, after a part of a glacier broke away, sending a torrent of water, rock and dust down a mountain valley. The surge of water below Nanda Devi, India’s second-highest peak, swept away the small Rishiganga hydro […]
Thousands of pilgrims begun to gather on the banks of India’s Ganges river at the start of the Kumbh Mela, the world’s largest human gathering amid Covid-19 concerns. The event is one among the most auspicious events in the Hindu calendar. The festival goes on for three-and-a-half months usually, but this time the event will […]
Forest officials in the Indian state of Uttarakhand built a unique bridge for reptiles and other small animals to cross a busy highway in the mountainous state. A 27-metre “Eco Bridge”, made from bamboo, jute and grass, is the first of its kind, according to reports. Many animals have been run over by speeding cars […]
Ramdev’s Patanjali Ayurved has been asked by the government to furnish details of Ayurvedic medicines it launched today claiming they can cure coronavirus within seven days. The company has also been ordered to stop advertising or publicizing such claims until they have been examined. The medicines, “Coronil and Swasari”, were developed based on research and […]
A camera-trap study in the reserve forests near Dehradun, to develop a new tiger reserve, led to the discovery of one of the world’s oldest fossil remains of elephants, dating back to 5 million years. “During lockdown, such a rare discovery was a pleasant surprise, we are taking help of ‘van gujjars’ (a forest tribe), […]