INJURED DJOKOVIC EXITS AFTER 1ST SET Melbourne: Novak Djokovic retired injured from his Australian Open semifinal against Alexander Zverev after first set (6-7) and left the court to boos, with defending champ Jannik Sinner to face the German for the title. Top-ranked Sinner blew past Ben Shelton 7-6 (7/2), 6-2, 6-2 despite late cramp in the second semis to set up meeting on Sunday | P13 HYDERABAD  SATURDAY  JANUARY 25, 2025  `9.00  PAGES 18  LATE CITY EDITION 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 Effects of explosion felt in nearby areas; 2nd blast in an ordnance factory in recent months 8 killed, 7 injured in blast at Maha ordnance factory M AYA N K S I N G H @ New Delhi AT least eight persons were killed and seven others injured in a massive blast at the ordnance factory at Jawahar Nagar area of Bhandara district in Maharashtra on Friday The . explosion occurred around 10.30 am in the low temperature plastic explosive (LTP) section, causing the roof to collapse and trapping more than a dozen workers. R K Yadav, joint general mana g e r, O r d n a n c e F a c t o r y Bhandara, said 13 people have been rescued from the accident site and five among them have been shifted to a local hospital. The blast was of such high intensity that it was heard from as far as 5 kilometres away. A thick smoke was seen rising from the factory in a video captured from a distance. A rescue and relief team comprising fire brigade, local administration, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and medical teams reached the spot within minutes of the explosion, an official said. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on X, “My condolences to the bereaved families. Praying for the speedy recovery of the injured.” Bhandara district Collector Sanjay Kolte said the blast led to a roof collapse at the site that trapped over a dozen workers. The district administration has ordered a probe. Four among the deceased workers were identified as Chandrashekhar Goswami (59), Manoj Meshram (55), Ajay Nagdeve (51), and Ankit Barai (21). Union minister Nitin Gadkari termed the explosion an unfortunate incident. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced `5 lakh each to the family of those killed in the blast. On October 22, 2024, two workers were killed and 15 others injured in a blast at the ordnance factory at Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh. (With inputs from Mumbai) Deeply saddened to know about the blast at Ordnance Factory at Bhandara. All efforts are being made to provide aid to those affected — Rajnath Singh, Union defence minister EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ New Delhi Smoke billows from the Ordnance Factory in Bhandara on Friday | PTI 21-YEAR-OLD AMONG THE DECEASED NAGPUR: The blast was so powerful that residents of three villages in the vicinity felt its impact, said relatives of a 21-year-old apprentice, Ankit Barai, who died. He had joined the factory last year Sanction 20L houses under PMAY: Revanth EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Hyderabad CHIEF Minister A Revanth Reddy urged Union Power, Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal Khattar to sanction 20 lakh houses to the state under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U) and also take up Hyderabad Metro Phase-II as a joint venture project of state and Union governments. He also sought `10,000 crore financial assistance from the Centre for the Musi rejuvenation project. At a review here on Friday, Revanth Reddy informed Khattar that the state government was ready with complete data and planning for the construction of houses. He further said that of the total population living in urban areas in the country eight , per cent were living in Telangana. Stating that the metro connectivity was less The pursuit of innovation is in all of us We are developing and manufacturing a diverse range of products in India that propel the aerospace industry forward and bring the country closer to becoming Aatmanirbhar in aerospace and defence. Learn more at boeing.co.in Trump begins mass deportation drive in Hyderabad when compared to Delhi, Chennai and Bengaluru, the CM informed the Union minister that the state government identified six corridors Nagole-Shamshabad Airport (36.8 km), Rayadurgam-Kokapet (11.6 km), MGBS-Chandrayanagutta (7.5 km), Miyapur-Patancheru (13.4 km), LB Nagar-Hayatnagar (7.1 km) and International airport-Fourth City (40 km) - for expansion under Phase II. CONTINUED ON P4 THE new US administration under Donald Trump has started deporting undocumented immigrants, the White House said on Friday . White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the authorities “arrested 538 illegal immig rant criminals” on Thursday, adding that “hundreds” were deported by military aircraft. “Just as he promised, President Trump is sending a strong message to the world: those who enter the United States illegally will face serious consequences,” the White House said. Tough action against illegal immigration was a major poll promise that Trump set out to fulfil soon after his EXPRESS READ Medigadda defects found in 2019: L&T Hyderabad: Not rectifying the defects, which were found back in 2019, resulted in the sinking of Medigadda piers in 2023, L&T Project Director MV Ramakrishna Raju told the Commission of Inquiry on Kaleshwaram project. Raju also said that the high shooting velocities was also one of the reasons for the damage of the Medigadda barrage | P4 inauguration as US President on January 20. According to the Department of Homeland Security, over 11 million people are staying in the US illegally A few thousand . Indians are reportedly also among the undocumented. Meanwhile, India on Friday reiterated its position that it will take back undocumented Indians, adding that New Delhi is against illegal immigration. “For Indians not just in the US, but anywhere in the world, if they are Indian nationals and they are overstaying, or they are in a particular country without proper documentation, we will take them back provided documents are shared with us so that we can verify their nationality and that they are indeed Indians,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. SYRIA THE LAST HOURS OF THE ASSAD REGIME How did the Bashar alAssad regime meet its spectacular collapse? How did the secular Ba’athist state fall after 13 years of brutal civil war? What led to the takeover by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham | P11 Govt orders CID probe into kidney racket A A R T I K A S H YA P @ Hyderabad HEALTH Minister Damodar Rajanarasimha on Friday ordered a CID probe into the kidney transplant racket at Alakananda Hospital in Saroornagar . The health minister, in a review meeting, ordered the CID inquiry after a four-member committee submitted its report on the kidney transplant racket. As per the preliminary findings of the committee, the hospital did not have permission for transplantation services and the surg e r i e s we re performed ille g ally. T he committee also said that people from Telangana as well Tamil Nadu and Karnataka were involved in the racket. Two women donors from Tamil Nadu and two women recipients from Karnataka were lured into the illegal kidney transplantation, the report said. Officials informed the minister that the hospital had been sealed and its owner arrested by the police. Based on the findings of the report, the minister said that a detailed probe was needed and ordered the CID to investigate the case. He said that information was provided to Karnataka and Tamil Nadu governments for further probe. CONTINUED ON P7