IN BRIEF (Page 12)

China Daily | Updated: 2019-09-02 07:51

Russia

Moscow accuses US of striking Syria's Idlib

The Russian military said the United States carried out airstrikes in Syria's Idlib de-escalation zone in breach of previous agreements, inflicting numerous casualties and endangering a cease-fire, Russian news agencies reported on Sunday. Tass, citing the Russian defense ministry, said the US had forewarned neither Russia nor Turkey about the strikes. It said that Russian and Syrian warplanes had not carried out raids in the region recently. On Saturday, the US Central Command had said that US forces struck an al-Qaida facility north of Idlib in Syria in an attack aimed at the organization's leadership. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said airstrikes pounded bases belonging to extremist fighters in Syria's northwest. It also said the strikes killed more than 40 militants.

India

Death toll in chemical plant blast rises to 13

The toll in a chemical factory blast in Dhule district of India's western state of Maharashtra rose to 13, with 60 injured, said an official from Shirpur police station on Sunday. The blast took place at 9:45 am on Saturday and has been brought under control. There were 100-odd workers inside the manufacturing facility when the blast took place and a few of them were missing, said an official on condition of anonymity. According to early investigations, the intensity of the blast rose due to the presence of several nitrogen gas cylinders and barrels containing chemicals on the premises, though initially the police had suspected that the blast was due to a boiler explosion. The injured have been admitted to the civilian hospital in the district. The death toll is likely to rise with some of the injured being in critical condition.

Reuters - Xinhua

(China Daily 09/02/2019 page12)