At least 14 people including several women and three children were killed in a fire at an apartment complex in India’s eastern Jharkhand state, where they had gathered for a wedding, police said.
Twelve people were severely burnt as at least 18 were rescued from the 13-storey Ashirwad Tower in Dhanbad city late on Tuesday.
Police said many injured were taken to the city's government hospital.
“Fourteen people died and 12 others were injured in the fire. Several people were in the apartment to attend a marriage function,” Sanjeev Kumar, city police chief, told The National.
“The cause of the fire is yet to be known. We are focusing on rescue. The injured were shifted to a nearby hospital. They are all stable.”
It took nearly two hours and a dozen fire crews to extinguish the flames.
In television footage, several policemen are seen escorting the people including children from the building to safety.
The blaze broke out in the apartment of Subodh Srivastav on the fourth floor of the residential complex, reportedly from an earthen lamp lit as part of the wedding celebration, local media reported.
Mr Srivastav’s daughter had left for the marriage hall when the fire broke out, reportedly killing his wife and mother.
The bride was unaware of the incident, police said.
"The marriage ceremony was underway at the time of the incident. At least six people from the bride’s family were killed in the tragic incident," Mr Kumar said.
Some residents reportedly tried to jump out of the window to escape the blaze.
"We were getting ready when people started screaming…there was the fire. We tried to run out using the stairs but there was a sudden power outage. There was darkness everywhere, but somehow we managed to escape," Poonam Devi, one of the guests attending the wedding celebration, told local media.
Some bodies were reportedly charred beyond recognition and family members were finding it difficult to identify them.
Dr UK Ojha, head of the medicine department at the Shahid Nirmal Mahto Medical College, where the postmortem of the bodies was conducted, said that one family identified the body of a woman from her sari.
Mr Kumar said that a team of police, forensics and town planning department were working at the spot to ascertain the cause of the fire.
The Jharkhand High Court on Wednesday suo motto issued a notice to the government seeking a report on the tragedy.
Prime minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences for the victims. He announced a compensation of 200,000 rupees ($2,500) to the bereaved families of those killed and 50,000 rupees for those injured.
“Deeply anguished by the loss of lives due to a fire in Dhanbad. My thoughts are with those who lost their loved ones. May the injured recover soon,” Mr Modi's office tweeted.
It was the second fire tragedy in the city in less than a week.
At least five people were killed after a fire broke out at the storeroom of a private hospital on Saturday.
India has a poor fire safety record and incidents are common across the country, where lax enforcement of building laws has led to numerous tragedies.
Nearly 10,000 people were killed in fire accidents across the country in 2020, according to the National Crime Records Bureau, making it one of the biggest public safety hazards in the country.
India is undertaking a rapid expansion of cities and towns, where multistorey structures — both residential and commercial — operate without any official monitoring or safeguards such as fire exits and alarm systems.
The national building code and local laws mandate that businesses and residential complexes must obtain fire safety certificates that are provided after inspection to ensure they have safeguards such as fire alarms and firefighting equipment.
But across the country such rules are violated either by acquiring certificates through bribes or completely disregarding the regulations.
Why are you, you?
Why are you, you?
From this question, a new beginning.
From this question, a new destiny.
For you are a world, and a meeting of worlds.
Our dream is to unite that which has been
separated by history.
To return the many to the one.
A great story unites us all,
beyond colour and creed and gender.
The lightning flash of art
And the music of the heart.
We reflect all cultures, all ways.
We are a twenty first century wonder.
Universal ideals, visions of art and truth.
Now is the turning point of cultures and hopes.
Come with questions, leave with visions.
We are the link between the past and the future.
Here, through art, new possibilities are born. And
new answers are given wings.
Why are you, you?
Because we are mirrors of each other.
Because together we create new worlds.
Together we are more powerful than we know.
We connect, we inspire, we multiply illuminations
with the unique light of art.
Ben Okri,
Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Race card
5pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m; 5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m
6pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m; 6.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,200m
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 (PA) 1,400m
The Birkin bag is made by Hermès.
It is named after actress and singer Jane Birkin
Noone from Hermès will go on record to say how much a new Birkin costs, how long one would have to wait to get one, and how many bags are actually made each year.
THE BIO
Bio Box
Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul
Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader
Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Favorite food: seafood
Favorite place to travel: Lebanon
Favorite movie: Braveheart
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
Stormy seas
Weather warnings show that Storm Eunice is soon to make landfall. The videographer and I are scrambling to return to the other side of the Channel before it does. As we race to the port of Calais, I see miles of wire fencing topped with barbed wire all around it, a silent ‘Keep Out’ sign for those who, unlike us, aren’t lucky enough to have the right to move freely and safely across borders.
We set sail on a giant ferry whose length dwarfs the dinghies migrants use by nearly a 100 times. Despite the windy rain lashing at the portholes, we arrive safely in Dover; grateful but acutely aware of the miserable conditions the people we’ve left behind are in and of the privilege of choice.
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 582bhp
Torque: 730Nm
Price: Dh649,000
On sale: now
