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Ten houses were destroyed in separate incidents of fire in Banke district. Properties worth around Rs 2.5 million were destroyed in the incidents, police said. Five houses were completely destroyed and two others partially damaged when a fire broke out at Gegli Village in Narainapur Rural Municipality-3 on Wednesday evening, said Inspector Rajan Rayamajhi. Similarly, a fire broke out at Janatapur of the rural municipality, reducing three houses and an animal shed to cinders. Properties worth around Rs 1.5 million were destroyed in the flame, he said. Fire in both places was doused with the help of local people and police, he added.

Devotees have thronged the Matatirtha Kunda (pond) at Chandragiri Municipality-6 in Kathmandu to commemorate the Matatirtha Aunsi. They take a holy dip, pay homage and make offerings to their departed mothers. Matatirtha Aunsi or Mother's Day that falls on the new moon day in the month of Baisakh as per the lunar calendar is observed every year in honor of mothers. Devotees stay awake throughout the night the day before in memory of their mothers and take a holy bath the following day. According to a religious belief, one can see the face of their deceased mother reflected in the pond if they imagine their mother with a pious heart and deep devotion. People visit their mothers with sweets, clothes and gifts to make them happy, and receive blessings from them. Those who lost their mothers visit Matatirtha and pay homage to them. Arrangements have been made for visiting devotees, said Shanta Udas, Chairperson of the Matatirtha Conservation and Development Organization. On the occasion, over 500,000 devotees are expected to visit the pond, he said. Meanwhile on the Day, Chandragiri Municipality has announced a public holiday within the municipality today.  

The death toll from a fire at a Beijing hospital rose to 29, including 26 patients, authorities said Wednesday, and a dozen people had been detained including the hospital’s head and her deputy, Associated Press reported.

The fire broke out at the private Changfeng Hospital on Tuesday afternoon and forced dozens of people to evacuate. Some who were trapped had to escape from windows using bedsheets tied together.

A nurse, a medical assistant and a family member also died in the incident, said Li Zongrong, deputy head of Fengtai district.

The cause of the fire is under investigation but officials say they believe it originated from welding sparks from work being done in the hospital’s inpatient wing. Among the 12 people who were detained was the head of the construction crew, according to Associated Press.

A total of 39 people are being treated for injuries, three of them in critical condition, officials said. Rescue crews and medical staff from around the city were mobilized, with squads plucking some of the 142 people who were evacuated from air conditioning units on the building’s exterior.

Safety rules are frequently ignored in China, but accidents on the level of the Changfeng fire are treated with a much higher level of scrutiny. Construction accidents sometimes result from corners being cut on work hours and safety conditions, while local officials are bribed to ignore violations.

Three members of a family died when a motorbike and a bus collided with each other in Gaushala Municipality-1 of Mahottari district on Wednesday. The deceased have been identified as Amrit Mandal, his wife Anju Mandal (24) and niece Anshu Mandal (6). Inspector Manoj Kumar Yadav of the Area Police Office Gaushala, the bus (Ba 2 Kha 2396) heading towards Bardibas from Samsi collided head-on with the bike (Madhesh Pradesh 01-004 Pa 6819) today. Critically injured in the incident, they breathed their last during the course of treatment at various hospitals, he said. The bus driver fled the scene after the incident.