Tianjin: The death toll in twin blasts in this eastern Chinese port city on Sunday rose to 112 after authorities recovered more bodies from the debris, as 95 people are still missing, officials said.

"By 9:00 am (0100 GMT) on August 16, the total number of deaths was 112," said Gong Jiansheng, the deputy chief of the city's propaganda department.

More than 700 people were injured and 85 firefighters and 10 others are still missing since the blasts shook the area. So far 21 fire firemen, who were among the first batch of firefighters rushed to put off the fires at the warehouse before the explosions, were killed. The deaths of firefighters is the highest so far in a tragedy in China's recent history.

Members of the families of the missing firemen have been agitating calling for more information about their dear ones. About 722 people are hospitalised of which 58 are in critical or serious condition.


An Indian employee of a firm based in Tianjin was injured and has been treated for non-lethal injuries, officials said. A total of 47 people have been rescued, said Zhou Tian, head of the city's fire department.

Officials said the fires have been put out and no further explosions were expected.

Some minor explosions followed by fires were reported from the area yesterday, three days after the massive blasts.

A man in his fifties was rescued from the blasts site yesterday by specialised anti-chemical soldiers who found him 50 meters away from a burst point. He was conscious and could talk and was rushed to a hospital in the city.

A total of 70 specialised anti-chemical soldiers entered the core area of the blasts site yesterday to search for possible lives for the first time after the blasts.

Meanwhile, 1,100 troops were combing nearby residential quarters home by home to search for potential survivors.

Wen Wurui, head of the Tianjin municipal bureau of environmental protection, said environmental specialists are taking measures to prevent air and water pollution caused by chemicals leaked from the blasts, specially after the confirmation of the sodium cyanide at the blasts site.

Nuclear and biological detections teams yesterday found evidence of sodium cyanide, a deadly chemical that emits highly toxic gases if it is burnt or comes in contact with water along with other chemicals.

President Xi Jinping has asked officials to learn from the "extremely profound" lessons paid for with blood. Xi said in written instructions that the Tianjin blasts and a string of serious accidents recently exposed severe problems in the work safety sector, and authorities must always keep "safe growth" and "people's interest first" in mind to avoid such accidents.

He demanded a better emergency response mechanism. While confirming the presence of cyanide, state-run CCTV said the substance in the form of crystal powder can be rapidly fatal if it is inhaled or injected as it interferes with the body's ability to breathe oxygen.

Shrinagar: A grenade explosion in Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian district injured 10 people on Thursday morning, sending a panic wave across the area in the wake of a spate of militant attacks.

The explosion occured after the morning prayer outside a mosque in Trenz, a village 60km south of Srinagar.

According to a police spokesperson, the explosive was placed under a container outside the Jama Masjid.


"When people picked up the glass the grenade exploded," the spokesperson said.

The injured have been shifted to the district hospital for treament.


Police are investigating, but no one has claimed responsibility for the blast.

Police defused a similar device in the area on Thursday in a house belonging to a commander of Hizbul Mujahedeen, the largest militant group in Kashmir, said police officer Syed Javaid Mujtaba Gillani.

A soldier was critically injured when militants fired at an army patrol in South Kashmir's Shopian district on Wednesday afternoon.

Seoul: South Korea on Monday accused North Korea of planting landmines that maimed two soldiers on border patrol, sending military tensions on the Korean peninsula soaring as it threatened to make Pyongyang pay a "harsh price".

The Defence Ministry said it believed three landmines exploded in the incident last Tuesday, hitting a patrol in the demilitarized zone (DMZ) -- a buffer zone stretching two kilometres on either side of the actual frontier line dividing the two Koreas.

"We are certain they were North Korean landmines planted with an intention to kill by our enemies who sneaked across the military border," ministry spokesman Kim Min-Seok told reporters.

One soldier underwent a double leg amputation, while the other had one leg removed.

In a statement, the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff said its military would make North Korea "pay a harsh price proportionate for the provocation it made."

Describing the attack as a "baseless act" and "wanton violation" of non-aggression accords, the statement urged the North to apologise for the attack and punish those responsible.

The National Investigation Agency which has put up a bounty of Rs 10 lakh each on the three SIMI members is hopeful of cracking several cases including the Bengaluru Church Street blasts. NIA officials tell that the role of the these SIMI activists is suspected in a series of cases.

These are the same members who had made an escape from the Khandwa jail in Madhya Pradesh almost two years back. Two members were killed in an encounter in Telangana recently while the other three remain at large.

Where are these SIMI members?

There has been a massive manhunt for these members since they escaped from jail. Recent intelligence reports suggest that they are very much in South India and could have visited Bengaluru recently. The NIA says that these persons have shuttled between the states of South India, but have concentrated more on Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

However after their two accomplices died in an encounter at Telangana, the three others have stayed away from acts of terror. They are probably undergoing a cooling off period, NIA officials say. The Central, State Intelligence Bureau and the National Investigation Agency are working in tandem to ensure that these persons are nabbed.

In addition to this the NIA has also sought the assistance of the general public for any information that could lead up to these persons. The NIA has promised a reward of Rs 10 lakh each on these persons.

Who are these SIMI activists?

The NIA has listed the three persons as hardcore activists of the SIMI. Ajmad Khan alias Daud, Salik alias Sallu and Zakir alias Sadiq are the three persons who figure on the most wanted list of the NIA. The NIA says that these accused persons are hardcore SIMI activists.

They escaped from Khandwa Jail, Madhya Pradesh on October 1 2013. Besides the Bijnaur Blast case they are also involved in many heinous cases like bank robberies, murder and other cases at Madhya Pradesh and other parts of the country.

Their role is suspected in the Pune Bomb Blast case in August 2014, Chennai Train Bomb Blast case on May 1 2014, Karim Nagar, Andhra Pradesh bank robbery case on February 2 2014 and also the Bengaluru Church Street blasts case in December 2014.

KOLKATA: A blast in a Krishnanagar bound local train from Sealdah early on Tuesday left 18 injured.

All injured have been admitted to R.G.Kar medical college hospital in Kolkata.

The incident took place at 3:55 am, when the train which left Sealdah was between Barrackpore and Titagarh railway stations. Preliminary probe suggests the train passengers were embroiled in an altercation with suspected miscreants when the blast took place.

Preliminary probe indicates two group of miscreants hurled crude bombs inside compartment number 5 of the local train.

Police officials are not ruling out the possibility of explosives being carried in the train.

Eyewitnesses claim that they saw one person getting off the train right after the blast in the train. He was carrying a weapon, sources have claimed.

Since this was the first local train to depart from Sealdah at 3:20 am, lesser people had boarded the train or else the impact could have been disastrous.

Police say two of the seven injured were critical. One among them was transferred to SSKM Hospital from RG Kar hospital. Others are likely to be shifted to Sealdah Railway hospital. SRP Sealdah Debasish Bej and Barrackpore police commissioner Niraj Singh rushed to the spot.

RN Mahapatra, CPRO Eastern Railway said that the security has been beefed up to ensure passenger safety.

Train services along the Sealdah main section are normal. The railway police are investigating the incident which appeared to be a crude bomb blast.

Kasargod: A 10th standard girl who had suffered severe burns after kerosene stove burst into flames breathed her last on Friday February 13 at a private hospital in Mangaluru.

The deceased is Kavya (15), daughter of Ravichandra of Kanchikatte in Kumble here and was studying in government higher secondary school in Kumble.

The incident happened when Kavya was in the kitchen of her house. The kerosene stove burst into flames seriously injuring Kavya. She was rushed to a private hospital in Mangaluru but she failed to respond to the treatment and breathed her last.

A day's holiday was declared for Kumble government higher secondary school on Friday to record grief at her untimely demise.

Patna: Three people, including a woman, a police constable and an undertrial prisoner were killed and more than half a dozen injured in a bomb blast in a Bihar court Friday, police said.

A district police officer said a crude bomb exploded within the premises of Ara civil court in Bhojpur district, about 60 km from the state capital.

The injured were rushed to the local civil hospital for treatment.

Security in the court premises was beefed up following the blast.

Additional Director General of Police Gupteshwar Pandey told media here that the bomb that exploded was carried by a woman, one of the victims.

'Police have recovered a mobile phone near the mutilated body of the woman,' Pandey said.

According to an official at the chief minister's office, the union home ministry has sought a report about the incident from the state government.

The Central Crime Branch (CCB) sleuths, on Thursday, picked up two persons from Bhatkal on their possible involvement in the Church street blast that rocked the city on December 28.

The duo was picked up from Bhatkal, based on the circumstantial evidence obtained from the scene of the crime. The suspects have been brought to Bengaluru for further questioning.

The police have also searched the houses of the suspects and recovered incriminating materials which will be probed further, a senior police officer said.

They are suspected to a part of the banned Indian Mujahideen group