Four army soldiers died and and one injured in a road accident in J&K’s Bandipora district on Saturday. Initial reports said that Army vehicle veered off the road suddenly and dropped into a deep gorge in Saderkoot Payeen area.

Five army soldiers were injured in this accident. They were immediately shifted to a nearby hospital where attending doctors said two soldiers were dead on arrival.

Three critically injured soldiers were bring shifted to Srinagar for specialised treatment.

Wanted criminal Sushil Mochi, with a bounty of Rs 2 lakh on him, was killed in an encounter with police in the Tarabari area in Bihar's Purnea district.

Mochi, wanted in multiple cases of robbery and violations under the Arms Act, was killed in the encounter on Friday night after a joint raid by the Special Task Force (STF) and local police.

Mochi, wanted in criminal cases in Jharkhand and Bengal, was recently released from Purnea Central Jail.

According to Purnea Superintendent of Police (SP) Kartikeya Sharma, acting on information about Mochi's presence in Tarabari village, the police and STF launched a raid.

Six workers were killed and several sustained burns in an explosion at a fireworks factory in Sattur in Tamil Nadu's Virudhnagar district on Saturday.

According to the Sattur Police, the number of fatalities is likely to rise, as the condition of several individuals admitted to the hospital remains critical.

The cause of the accident is yet to be determined. However, preliminary investigations suggest that a power leakage or friction between explosives during the preparation of firecrackers may have triggered the explosion.

The Fire Department responded promptly upon receiving information, extinguished the blaze, and is currently engaged in rescue operations.

Police officials stated that investigations are underway, and the accident site is being closely examined.

Four children were injured and admitted to hospital on Saturday after the plaster of the roof of an Anganwadi center collapsed on them during class in Dasarahalli village, Kolar district.

The incident occurred in the morning, sparking outrage among villagers, who accused authorities of negligence.

According to police, seven children were inside the building when the roof plaster suddenly gave way. Among them, one child suffered a leg fracture, while three others sustained injuries to the head and limbs.

Cold wave gripped Telangana with minimum temperature dropping to single digits in 15 and out of state's 30 districts on Friday, officials said.

According to the Telangana Development Planning Society (TGDPS), the average minimum temperature in the state was 13.3 degrees Celsius, which is 2.7 per cent below the normal temperature.

There was a significant drop in night temperatures in many places, including the state capital Hyderabad and its suburbs.

Kumaram Bheem Asifabad recorded the lowest temperature at 6.5 degrees Celsius. Sirupur (U) in the district was the coldest place in the state.

Bone-chilling cold continued across Kashmir on Friday as dense fog made pedestrian and traffic movement difficult in the morning in J&K’s Srinagar city.

A thick blanket of fog covered Srinagar city and suburban areas as the unabated cold continued.

The Meteorological (MeT) Department statement said, “On January 3, generally cloudy weather with Light Snow at isolated higher reaches is likely. On January 4-6, due to Moderate to Strong Western Disturbance (WD) cloudy with Light to moderate Rain Plains of Jammu and Snow at most places of J&K with peak activity from 4th (Night) to 5th (late Night)/6th morning & improvement from 6th afternoon."

It further said, "On January 7th-10th, Generally cloudy dry weather is expected while on January 11-12, Generally cloudy with Light Snow at isolated places is expected."

A tanker lorry carrying 20 metric tons of Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) overturned on the Avinashi flyover in Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore during the early hours of Friday.

The tanker was transporting LPG from the Kochi Bharat Petroleum Plant to a storage facility in Coimbatore when the accident occurred. The driver of the vehicle sustained minor injuries.

The overturning caused a gas leak, which has since been brought under control after several hours of operations.

Officials stated that the leak posed a significant risk to residents in the immediate vicinity. As a precaution, five schools in the neighbourhood were closed to ensure the safety of children, and residents within a one-kilometre radius of the accident site were evacuated.

The Avinashi flyover remains closed, and vehicles were rerouted to alternative routes.

Fresh snowfall occurred in the Kashmir Valley on Thursday as the cold wave continued unabated across J&K.

The Meteorological Department has forecast more rain/snow because of two back-to-back Western Disturbances (WDs) passing over J&K.

A MET department statement said, "Because of a feeble WD, generally cloudy weather with light snowfall at scattered places is likely to occur on January 2. On January 3, generally cloudy weather with light snow is expected at isolated higher reaches of J&K."

"On January 4-6th, due to moderate to strong WD, generally cloudy weather with light to moderate rain in plains of Jammu and snow at most places of J&K with peak activity during January 4th night to 5th late night with improvement from 6th late afternoon," it said.

More than 24 people sustained injuries in a collision between a bus and a truck in Rajasthan's Dausa early on Thursday morning due to poor visibility as a result of a heavy fog in the area, according to the local police.

Among them, several critically injured passengers were rushed to Jaipur for advanced medical treatment.

The Volvo bus, carrying pilgrims from Ujjain to Delhi, was involved in an accident at around 6:00 a.m. near pillar number 198 on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway. Heavy fog is believed to have significantly reduced visibility, leading to the mishap.

Detailing the incident, Deputy SP Charul Gupta said, "An accident occurred at pillar number 198 on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway. Due to heavy fog in the morning, a bus carrying pilgrims from Ujjain to Delhi collided with a truck."

At least four people were killed and eight others injured in separate road accidents in areas surrounding Bengaluru during New Year celebrations, police said on Wednesday.

In one incident, two people died on the spot and six others were injured when the Innova car they were travelling in overturned near Janata Colony on Tavarekere Road, close to Magadi on Bengaluru's outskirts. The victims were returning to Bengaluru after enjoying an early morning coffee at 3 a.m. following New Year celebrations.

The deceased were identified as 31-year-old Manju and 30-year-old Kiran. They were travelling with six friends, all of whom sustained serious injuries and were taken to the hospital. Magadi police are investigating the case, and the cause of the accident is yet to be determined.

In another incident, two young men lost their lives when the car they were travelling in with friends collided with a parked canter vehicle near the Sathanur bus stop in Kanakapura taluk, close to Bengaluru.