News in Brief--(2023-11-13)

40 construction workers trapped
as tunnel collapses in India
DEHRADUN, Nov 12: At least 40 construction workers were trapped Sunday after the road tunnel they were building collapsed in northern India, with rescuers scrambling to reach them beneath piles of debris. The collapse occurred early Sunday morning in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand when a group of workers were moving out and replacement workers were going in. "About 200 metres (218 yards) of the tunnel have collapsed," Durgesh Rathodi, a state disaster response official, told AFP from the site. "About 40 to 41 workers are trapped inside. — AFP
Another wildfire burning in Hawaii
HONOLULU, Nov 12: A wildfire burning in a remote Hawaii rainforest is underscoring a new reality for the normally lush island state just a few months after a devastating blaze on a neighboring island leveled an entire town and killed at least 99 people. No one was injured and no homes burned in the latest fire, which scorched mountain ridges on Oahu, but the flames wiped out irreplaceable native forestland that's home to nearly two dozen fragile species. — AP
Icelandic volcano could destroy town
REYKJAVIK, Nov 12: An Icelandic town home to some 4,000 people near the capital Reykjavik could be heavily damaged by a volcano expected to erupt within hours or days, experts said on Saturday. The town of Grindavik on the southwestern coast was evacuated in the early hours of Saturday after magma shifting under the Earth's crust caused hundreds of earthquakes in what was believed to be a precursor to an eruption. "We are really concerned about all the houses and the infrastructure in the area," Vidir Reynisson, head of Iceland's Civil Protection and Emergency Management told AFP. Grindavik is also near the Blue Lagoon geothermal spa resort, a popular tourist destination which closed as a precaution earlier this week. — AFP
Myanmar's fighter jet crashes
KALAY, Nov 12: A Myanmar fighter jet has crashed during clashes between the military and an insurgent group, both sides said, in another setback for a junta facing the biggest challenge to its rule since a coup in 2021. The jet went down over Kayah State in eastern Myanmar, near the border with Thailand, on Saturday during fighting between the military and the Karenni Nationalities Defence Force (KNDF), which said it shot down the plane. Junta spokesperson Zaw Min Tun told state-run MRTV the jet crashed due to a technical problem and the pilots had ejected safely and were in contact with the military. — Reuters
Thousands join Honduras anti-govt protest
TEGUCIGALPA, Nov 12: Thousands of people took to the streets of the Honduran capital on Saturday in anti-government protests against leftist President Xiomara Castro, angered by attempts to engineer what they say is an unconstitutional power grab. In a demonstration sponsored by opposition parties, protesters in the Central American country accused the Castro government of seeking to transform Honduras by hand picking public officials. — Reuters
Four killed as house collapses in China
HANGZHOU, Nov 12: Four people have been confirmed dead after a house collapsed on Saturday in Yongjia County, east China's Zhejiang Province, local authorities said Sunday. The house collapsed at noon during renovation, trapping the four people. As of Sunday morning, all the trapped have been found, but no vital signs. An investigation into the cause of the incident is underway. — Xinhua