MONDAY 16 JUNE 2025 www.thestatesman.com Pages 12 |` 5.00 | LC SINCE 1818 X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR MASSIVE ANTI-TRUMP PROTESTS ACROSS THE USA INDIA-FRANCE TIES STRENGTHENED WITH JAISHANKAR’S VISIT P5 WEATHER Generally cloudy sky. Rain/thundershower very likely in some areas. Maximum and Minimum Temperature likely to be around 32˚C and 27˚C respectively. Min. 63% TEMPERATURE Max: 31.9˚C (-1.9) SUN RISES 04:52 hrs MOON SETS 09:09 hrs P9 Min: 29.2˚C (+2.2) SUN SETS 18:22 hrs MOON SETS 22:27 hrs New Moon on 25 June THUMBNAILS People gather at the site after a bridge collapsed on the Indrayani River, near Kundamala village in Maharashtra’s Pune district on Sunday. n ANI Pune bridge collapses: At least two people were killed, 32 others injured, while six were rescued as several people, mostly tourists, fell into a foaming river when the bridge they were crossing collapsed in Maharashtra's Pune district on Sunday. The bridge over the Indrayani River at Kundamala in Pune's Maval taluka suddenly collapsed, sending the people plunging into the water to be swept away by the overflowing river. (Pg 5) PM Modi, on 3-nation tour, lands in Cyprus SHAHID K ABBAS NEW DELHI, 15 JUNE P rime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday arrived in Nicosia in Cyprus on a historic visit, the first by an Indian prime minister to the island nation in over two decades. The PM’s visit to Cyprus is the first leg of a threenation tour, during which Mr Modi will also visit Canada, where he will attend the G7 Summit, and Croatia. “Landed in Cyprus. My gratitude to the President of Cyprus, Mr. Nikos Christodoulides for the special gesture of welcoming me at the airport. This visit will add significant momentum to IndiaCyprus relations, especially in areas like trade, investment and more,” Mr Modi wrote on his X handle. The PM, who is on his first overseas visit since India launched Operation Sindoor targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir, will be in Cyprus for two days. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is welcomed by the Indian diaspora on his arrival, in Limassol on Sunday. n ANI Mr Christodoulides described the visit as historic, saying the upcoming discussions with Prime Minister Modi will be on significant issues, including connecting India to Europe through Cyprus. While in Nicosia, PM Modi will hold talks with President Christodoulides and address business leaders in Limassol. The visit will reaffirm the shared commitment of the two countries to deepen bilateral ties and strengthen India’s engagement with the Mediterranean region and the European Union. India is pursuing an India-Middle East-Europe Corridor trade link by sea and rail. The visit also aims to expand cooperation in areas such as trade, investment, security, technology, and peopleto-people exchanges. In statements ahead of his departure from New Delhi, Mr Modi said that the visit to the island is an opportunity to strengthen historical ties and expand cooperation in areas such as trade, investment, security, technology and exchanges between peoples. “This three-nation tour is also an opportunity to thank partner countries for their steadfast support to India in our fight against Bodies of Gujarat ex-CM Rupani, 62 other air crash victims matched with DNA samples STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 15 JUNE The DNA samples of 62 passengers who lost their lives in the tragic crash of the Air India Dreamliner, including former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani, were matched while mortal remains of 35 victims were handed over to their families, according to state Health Department sources. Addressing a press conference, Gujarat Health Minister Rushikesh Patel Sanghavi confirmed the DNA match of the body of Vijay Rupani. “Former Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani lost his life during the Air India crash in Ahmedabad on 12th June. Today, at around 11:10 a.m, his DNA matched. He worked for the people of the state for several years,” he said. Meanwhile, the toll in the air crash reached 270, including passengers and resident doctors of B J Medical College. According to the Health Department, as of now, a total Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, P.K. Mishra, visits the Air India plane crash site and reviews the ongoing operations, in Ahmedabad on Sunday. n PIB Ahmedabad X/ANI Photo of 250 blood samples have been collected from the relatives of the passengers and local residents affected by the incident and among these, 62 DNA matches have been established. On Sunday, the bodies of 27 victims were handed over to the respective families after matching their DNA samples. Additionally, eight bodies, identified without DNA test, were also handed over to the families yesterday. A total of 12 teams are engaged in DNA sampling in shifts to carry out the procedure. Meanwhile, principal secretary to the Prime Minister, P K Mishra, visited Ahmedabad on Sunday to assess the situation following the plane crash. The official reviewed the accident site near BJ Medical College, Meghani Nagar, where senior officials from the state government, Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), and Airports Authority of India briefed him on the sequence of events and immediate response measures. He also chaired a highlevel review meeting at Circuit House, Ahmedabad, and discussed ongoing relief, rescue, and investigation efforts with senior officials of the central and state governments, AAIB, and Airports Authority of India. Officials confirmed that the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) of the ill-fated aircraft have been located and secured. A team from Boeing joined to assist in the investigation into the air crash on Sunday. Foreign agencies, including the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), have also joined the investigation. Iran, Israel trade attacks for third day as hundreds reported dead, N-talks cancelled AGENCIES DUBAI, 15 JUNE Israel unleashed airstrikes across Iran for a third day on Sunday and threatened even greater force as some Iranian missiles evaded Israeli air defenses to strike buildings in the heart of the country. Planned talks on Iran’s rapidly advancing nuclear programme, which could provide an offramp, were cancelled. Israel’s strikes have killed at least 406 people in Iran and wounded another 654, according to a human rights group that has long tracked the country, Washington-based Human Rights Activists. Iran’s government has not offered overall casualty figures. The region braced for a protracted conflict after Israel’s surprise bombardment of Iran’s nuclear and military sites on Friday killed several top generals and nuclear scientists. Neither side showed P4 His visit to Cyprus is the first by an Indian PM in three decades; the PM will also travel to Canada to attend the G7 Summit, and visit Croatia RAINFALL: 0.5 mm RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 90% CONGRESS LEADER INTER MIAMI, AL POINTS TO KERALA CM’S AHLY KICK OFF CHANGING COLOURS CLUB WORLD CUP any sign of backing down. Iran said Israel struck two oil refineries, raising the prospect of a broader assault on Iran’s heavily sanctioned energy industry that could affect global markets. The Israeli military, in a social media post, warned Iranians to evacuate arms factories, signaling a further widening of the campaign. Israel, the sole though undeclared nuclear-armed state in the Middle East, said it launched the attack to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. The two countries have been adversaries for decades. Explosions shook Iran’s capital, Tehran, at around noon and again around 3:30 p.m. Semiofficial news agencies close to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard reported one strike in the area of Vali-e Asr Square downtown and another in a neighbourhood named for the air force, which is headquartered there. Sirens went off across much of Israel again around 4 p.m., warning of what would be Iran’s first daytime assault since the fighting began. There were no immediate reports of casualties. US President Donald Trump has expressed full support for Israel’s actions while warning Iran that it can avoid further destruction only by agreeing to a new nuclear deal. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday that if Israel’s strikes on Iran stop, then “our responses will also stop.” He said the United States “is a partner in these attacks and must take responsibility.” Iran’s United Nations ambassador said Saturday that 78 people had been killed and more than 320 wounded. There has been no official update since then. Israel said 14 people have been killed and more than 360 wounded. Iran has fired over 270 missiles, 22 of which made impact, according to Israeli figures. cross-border terrorism, and to galvanize global understanding on tackling terrorism in all its forms and manifestations,” Mr Modi said. In the second leg of his tour, Mr Modi will travel to Kananaskis, Canada, to attend the G7 Summit on 16-17 June at the invitation of Prime Minister Mark Carney. PM Modi and his Canadian counterpart will also be meeting on the sidelines of the G7 Summit, which will be an important opportunity for the two leaders to explore pathways to reset India-Canada ties, the foreign ministry spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, had earlier said. On 18 June, the Prime Minister will visit Croatia, where he will be meeting President Zoran Milanovic and Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic. "Both our countries enjoy centuries-old close cultural links. As the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Croatia, it will open new avenues for bilateral cooperation in areas of mutual interest," Mr Modi said. P12 Seven people, including toddler, die in Uttarakhand chopper crash PR SINGH DEHRADUN, 15 JUNE Uttarakhand on Sunday morning witnessed yet another helicopter crash in the Kedarnath Valley, which claimed seven lives, including a 23-month-old child and the pilot. The Bell 407 helicopter, belonging to Aryan Aviation, was carrying six devotees and a pilot from Kedarnath to Guptkashi, when it crashed at the Gaurikund area early Sunday morning, killing all seven people on board. The deceased have been identified as captain Rajbir Singh Chauhan, the pilot, from Jaipur; Vikram Rawat, a member of the Badr-Kedar Temple Committee and resident of Ukhimath; Vinod Devi, 66, from Uttar Pradesh; Trishti Singh,19, from Uttar Pradesh; Rajkumar Jaiswal, 41, Shraddha Rajkumar Jaiswal and their 23-month-old daughter from Maharashtra. Officials of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) said that the bodies of the child and four other deceased were recovered, while parts of two other bodies were traced. Rescue teams, including those of SDRF, NDRF, and local police, were still searching for the rest of the bodies under inclement weather conditions on the hilltop. According to officials, the Following the incident, the Uttarakhand government suspended helicopter services for the Char Dham Yatra till 16 June and ordered a probe. It also decided to review the flying experience of helicopter operators, and hammer out SOPs for safe helicopter services crash occurred as the helicopter was caught in bad weather amid low visibility. Even as the Uttarakhand government ordered a probe into the incident, it decided to suspend helicopter services for the Char Dham Yatra till 16 June. It has also decided to review the flying experience of the service operators, hammer out SOPs and set up a Command and Coordination Centre for safe helicopter services. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has also launched an investigation. Questions are being raised why helicopter flights being allowed by the administration as early as around 5.30 a.m. The ill-fated helicopter took off at around 5.21 a.m and crashed at around 5.30 a.m. The crash remained unnoticed till a group of village women, who were collecting grass, spotted the burning machine. This is the second helicopter crash within 40 days. A Crystal Aviation helicopter crashed on 5 May, killing six devotees who were going to visit the Gangotri Shrine. In addition, at least three helicopters, including an air ambulance of AIIMS Rishikesh, had to undertake emergency landings due to technical snags. Meanwhile, the authorities suspended the licences of two helicopter pilots for being airborne under bad weather conditions.