A freak electrocution in southern India killed at least 11 people, including two children, when their vehicle snagged overhead transmission lines and burst into flame as they rode in a religious procession.
More than a dozen people were also injured in the district of Thanjavur in the southern state of Tamil Nadu after the vehicle, a 9-ft-high structure fashioned in the form of a chariot and pulled by worshippers, hit the high-voltage lines.
"I hope those injured recover soon," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Twitter, as he offered condolences to the bereaved.
Some of the injured were hurt when they fell after suffering electric shocks, and others while scrambling to escape the flames.
The chariot, which had been wending its way back to a nearby temple, was left a charred ruin.
Fire engines and local officials joined the rescue effort.
Tamil Nadu | At least 10 people died after a temple car (of chariot festival) came in contact with a live wire in the Thanjavur district. More details are awaited. pic.twitter.com/clhjADE6J3
China on Friday launched an uncrewed spacecraft on a nearly two-month mission to retrieve rocks and soil from the far side of the moon, the first country to make such an ambitious attempt.
Police forcibly removed scores of defiant pro-Palestinian protesters at several colleges on Thursday, including taking down an encampment at UCLA in a jarring scene that underscored the heightened chaos that has erupted at universities this week.
The Indonesian government will permanently relocate almost 10,000 residents after a series of explosive eruptions of the Ruang volcano has raised concerns about the dangers of residing on the island in future, a minister said on Friday.
A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck off the island province of Leyte in central Philippines on Friday, with damage and aftershocks expected, its seismology agency said.
Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi will contest the general election from the family bastion in the north, his Congress party announced on Friday, a move that will challenge Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a region he dominates.