CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI ■ ■ Coimbatore l Monday l June 16, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION Don talks peace, no let up so far US prez reiterates claim he stopped India-Pak conflict; Israel, Iran launch day-time strikes A g en c ies @ Jerusalem / Dubai/ New York Even as Israel and Iran stepped up their attacks on each other for the third straight day on Sunday hitting defence, , infrastructure, and civilian targets, US President Donald Trump claimed a peace deal is in the works to stop the war. In a social media post, Trump said “many calls and meetings” were taking place at his instance to de-escalate tensions. Reiterating his claim that he interfered to stop the military engagement between India and Pakistan in the aftermath of the April 22 Pahalgam attack, Trump said: “Iran and Israel should make a deal, and will make a deal, just like I got India and Pakistan to make...” Meanwhile, the toll on both sides mounted with 13 deaths express read Ramadoss appoints new PMK general secretary Villupuram: Amid the leadership tussle in the party, PMK founder Dr S Ramadoss appointed the party’s student wing secretary Murali Shankar as its new general secretary, replacing Vadivel Ravanan, on Sunday | P4 Two men electrocuted to death in Coimbatore Coimbatore: Two men, who are relatives, were electrocuted at a house in Coimbatore on Sunday. While one died after touching an aluminium sheet on the roof, the other died when demonstrating how the former suffered shock | P4 A plume of heavy smoke and fire seen over an oil refinery in southern Tehran on Sunday, after it was hit in an overnight Israeli strike | AFP reported in Israel and 128 in Iran since Friday. Over 1,000 people were reportedly injured on both sides. Iran on Sunday launched its first day-time attack on Israel as it fired a barrage of ballistic missiles aimed at Tel Aviv and Haifa. Israeli media reports said some missiles hit the energy facilities in Haifa. Through Saturday night and Sunday morning, Israel conducted several strikes across Iran including capital Tehran. According to Iran’s oil ministry the Shahran gasoline depot , in Tehran caught fire during the Israeli attack. In a separate strike, another large oil refinery—Shahr Rey—was also struck, causing explosions. The Israeli military said 80 targets were hit in Tehran in overnight strikes. The targets included fuel depots, the headquarters of Iran’s defence ministry and others related to Iran’s nuclear programme. In an unprecedented warning, the Israeli military on Sunday asked Iranians living around weapons factories to immediately evacuate the area, signalling more aggressive attacks ahead aimed at crippling Iran’s military capabilities. P9 Rescue operation underway after an iron bridge over the Indrayani river collapsed in Maharashtra’s Pune district on Sunday | PTI At least four dead in Maha bridge collapse S u dhir S u r ya w anshi @ Mumbai At least four persons died and several others were feared swept away after a crowded 30-year-old iron bridge over the Indrayani river collapsed in Pimpri Chinchwad of Maharashtra on Sunday afternoon. Over 30 others were injured in the accident, six of whom were in a critical state when reports last came in. According to the local administration, the bridge on the Indrayani is one of the popular tourist destinations near the Kundmala area in Maval tehsil of Pune district. Eyewitnesses said the bridge was corroded and tourists on it were shooting photographs when it collapsed. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) rescued 38 people. Two NDRF teams were deployed and they were carrying out search and rescue operations at the site. Maval MLA Sunil Shelke said there were over 100 people on the bridge at the time of the accident. “Some fell into the river but managed to swim to safety,” he said, adding the bridge was constructed for the movement of farmers 30 years ago. Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde ordered the high level inquiry into the incident. He said as per a preliminary report, the bridge was corroded and maintenance work may not have carried out on time. 7 dead as helicopter carrying Kedarnath pilgrims crashes N A R E N D R A S E T H I @ Dehradun All seven persons on a helicopter en route to Guptkashi from the shrine of Kedarnath were killed when it crashed at Gaurikund area of Uttarakhand’s Rudraprayag district around 5.30 am on Sunday . This is the fifth such accident on the Chardham Yatra route since the pilgrimage started on April 30. The latest incident prompted suspension of all helicopter services for the Yatra until further orders. The Bell 407, operated by Aryan Aviation, was engulfed in flames immediately after the crash, reducing it to ashes. “The helicopter took off from Guptakashi at 05.10 hrs and landed at Shri Kedarnath ji Helipad at 05.18 hrs. The helicopter took off again at 05.19 hrs for Guptkashi and crashed near Gaurikund,” an official statement said. The Union civil aviation ministry suspended the services of the helicopter operator. The ministry said the helicopter took off despite poor visibility . The exact cause will be determined after a detailed probe by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, it added. Among the six pilgrims was NDRF and SDRF personnel at the spot after a helicopter crashed near the Kedarnath shrine, in Rudraprayag district, Uttarakhand, on Sunday | NDRF via PTI a two-year-old child. The pilot, Captain Rajbeer Singh Chauhan, was also killed. “Women cutting grass were the first to report the crash, after which rescue teams rushed to the spot,” District Disaster Management Officer Nandan Singh Rajwar told TNIE. According to Rahul Chaubey , nodal officer for helicopter services, the victims included a couple from Maharashtra and their 23-month-old child, identified as Rajkumar Jaiswal, Shraddha Jaiswal, and Kashi Jaiswal. The others were Tushti Singh, Vinod Negi, and Vikram Singh Rawat. No clarity yet on identity of 18 Air India crash victims D i l i p S in g h K shatri ya @ Ahmedabad Days after the horrific AI-171 air crash here, there is still no clear word on the toll and identity of the deceased. While the ill-fated Air India plane had 242 on board, one passenger survived the crash into the campus of the BJ Medical College and Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad. On Saturday the president of , the Junior Doctors’ Association of the college, Dr Dhaval Gameti, said 270 bodies had been received at the Civil Hospital. However, 272 DNA samples have been collected so far. That figure includes 13 others — nine local residents and four medical students. Who were the 18 other victims (272 - [241 + 13])? There is no clarity . For its part, the government said the exact number and identity of the fatalities can be established only after the DNA identification process is over. So far, 47 victims have been identified through DNA testing. Twenty-four bodies, including that of former chief minister Vijay Rupani, have been handed over to their respective families. The Gujarat government announced a state mourning on Monday as a mark of respect for Rupani. Meanwhile, a high-level team from the Prime Minister’s Office, led by Principal Secretary Dr Pramod Kumar Mishra, arrived in Ahmedabad to monitor the ongoing relief and investigation process.  P8