Days later, Mumbai fire has left mark
MUMBAI, India — Aksheeta Doshi Shroff and a few family members were relaxing at 1 Above, a rooftop restaurant in a trendy district of Mumbai, when a small fire broke out shortly after midnight Friday.
In the first few moments, Ms. Shroff said, patrons at 1 Above did not seem panicked. She saw no attempt by staff to evacuate, and heard no alarms.
But the fire turned lethal, and by the early morning, 14 people were dead at 1 Above and a neighboring restaurant, Mojo’s Bistro. Three people at 1 Above have been charged with culpable homicide, and several municipal officials were suspended for failing to enforce fire safety codes.
Local news media have reported accusations of safety oversights by the owners of 1 Above.
Corruption and lax oversight have allowed unregulated building projects to sprout across India’s financial capital, a cramped city home to more than 18 million people.
In the fire’s aftermath, bulldozers directed by local authorities could be seen demolishing more than 300 illegal structures around Mumbai.
Explosion at funeral
KABUL, Afghanistan — An explosion at a funeral in Afghanistan’s eastern province of Nangahar on Sunday killed at least 17 civilians, officials said.
The government said the blast, in the city of Jalalabad, was caused by a suicide bomber who blew himself up as mourners offered prayers for a former district chief in the province. But a later report suggested a bomb may have been detonated remotely, The Associated Press reported.
Violence in Kashmir
SRINAGAR, India — Five Indian soldiers and three suspected militants were killed Sunday after rebels stormed a paramilitary camp in disputed Kashmir, triggering a daylong battle, officials said.
Separately, Indian and Pakistani soldiers traded gunfire along the highly militarized line dividing Kashmir between the two rivals, killing an Indian soldier, India’s army said.
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