We’re taking a brief break from our coverage of the Cockroach Janata Party protests to bring you up to date on other major developments that happened in India today.
10 killed, many missing in Sikkim tunnel explosion
At least 10 people have died after a tunnel collapsed due to a suspected gas explosion in the Indian Himalayan state of Sikkim.
The incident occurred at the state-owned National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) project on the Teesta river in Samardung village on Monday.
Local police chief Sonam Dolma told the media that seventeen other people were feared trapped.
NHPC said the sudden burst of gas, suspected to be methane trapped in the tunnel or buried in the rocks, caused the explosion, which spread smoke and poisonous gas.
Rescue workers are struggling to reach people trapped due to dangerous gases inside the tunnel.
India summons Russian diplomat after Indian sailors killed in Ukraine ship attack
India summoned a senior Russian diplomat to New Delhi on Tuesday in protest against the attack on a cargo ship sailing from Ukraine’s Black Sea port of Odessa in which four Indian citizens were killed.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs said it conveyed its “grave concern and unequivocal condemnation of the attack” to Russian chargé d’affaires Vladimir Ladanov.
The commercial ship MV Golden Leo was attacked on Sunday. There were five Indian citizens in it.
The ministry said in a statement that it had urged Ladanov to convey to Moscow “India’s strong concerns” that “the targeting of commercial shipping and the resulting loss of lives of innocent civilians is unacceptable and must be avoided”.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Moscow is in touch with New Delhi on the issue.
Peskov said, “We are making our position clear. The most important thing is that our armed forces are attacking – and will continue to attack – ships involved in the transportation of ammunition, weapons, etc., for the purposes of the Kiev regime.”