10 miners killed

PATNA:

An abandoned coal mine in eastern India caved in on Thursday, killing at least 10 of over 24 people who were trapped inside as they illegally dug for fuel, an official said. Rescuers were trying to reach over 14 people still unaccounted for in Rajrappa, a town 150 km south of Patna, the capital of Bihar state, said Dadan Chaubey, an official in the region. All of those missing are thought to have been caught in the collapse. — AP

Four militants shot

SRINAGAR:

Four Islamic militants were killed on Thursday in two shootouts in Indian Kashmir, including one near the border with Pakistan, the Indian army said. Two militants were killed in a gunbattle that erupted when police raided a militant hideout in the northern district of Kupwara near the border, army spokesman Vijay Batra said. Two other rebels died in a fierce gunfight that broke out when soldiers launched a search for militants in a village in the central district of Budgam. — AFP

Mountaineer dead

LUCKNOW:

The leader of a 10-member Italian expedition died while trying to scale the 7,856-metre high Nanda Devi peak in the north Indian Himalayas, police said on Thursday. The Indian army recovered the body of Dalla Longa Marco, 45, on Wednesday and rescued other climbers from the blizzard-hit region using a helicopter, said GS Martolia, superintendent of police. — AP

Three executed

SHANGHAI:

Three people were executed Thursday in northern China for smuggling and attempting to sell over 10 kg of heroin, the government said. The three were also convicted of smuggling an earlier shipment of 3 kg from Myanmar. Convicted on November 18, the trio’s appeals were turned down by the provincial high court. — AP