A large cache of arms and ammunition was recovered on Thursday by the security forces during a CASO (Cordon & Search Operation) in J&K’s Poonch district.

Officials said that based on specific intelligence inputs, a CASO was started by the security forces in the Khanetar Top area of Poonch district.

Even as Railway services between Assam, Tripura, Manipur, Mizoram and the rest of the country are yet to be restored and landslide clearance in the Lumding–Badarpur hill section is still underway, the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) operated two special trains for the benefit of stranded passengers, officials said.

A day after the Gambhira-Mujpur bridge collapsed in Padra taluka, claiming 15 lives, concerns mounted over the structural safety of other bridges across Gujarat's Vadodara city.

Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) has assured the public that most bridges under its jurisdiction have been recently audited and declared structurally sound.

Built in 1985, the ageing Gambhira-Mujpur bridge was frequently used by heavy vehicles bypassing toll routes and had long been flagged by locals for structural concerns. This incident marks the 12th bridge-related failure in Gujarat in the past five years.

The Ministry of Home Affairs on Thursday approved the release of Rs 1,066.80 crore to flood and landslide-hit six states - Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Kerala and Uttarakhand.

Among the six flood affected states, Assam received Rs 375.60 crore, Rs 29.20 crore was given to Manipur, Rs 30.40 crore to Meghalaya, Rs 22.80 crore to Mizoram, Rs 153.20 crore to Kerala, and Rs 455.60 crore to Uttarakhand, as Central share from State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), said a Ministry statement.

At least five workers were seriously injured in a sudden blast in a mixing tank of a paint factory in Noida’s Phase-1 area on Thursday, officials said.

All injured workers were rushed to a nearby hospital, where they are currently undergoing treatment. Their condition is stated to be stable and out of danger.

According to police, the incident occurred during a routine paint mixing operation. A spark is believed to have been generated in one of the mixing buckets, triggering a fire.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) raided the residence of Vivek Kachhwaha, the suspended manager of Bank of Baroda's Raimalwada branch, in connection with a disproportionate assets case, said officials on Thursday.

The raid on Wednesday was conducted at his house in Jai Teeja Enclave, Nagauri Bera area of Mandore. During the search, CBI officials found documents related to a luxurious bungalow worth several crores, agricultural land worth lakhs in the Daijer area, and a plot purchased in Raimalwada while he was serving as branch manager. The agency also seized documents revealing investments of several lakhs in the share market and LIC policies, along with other key evidence.

The market value of the recovered properties is currently being assessed.

As a potential crisis in the supply of essential commodities including petroleum looms large over the state due to the ongoing drivers’ strike, the Odisha Government has formed a dedicated task force to deal with the logistical challenges and ensure the smooth movement of fuel and other critical goods throughout the state.

However, most of the buses and trucks remained off the roads across the state on the third day of the strike by the Odisha Drivers’ Association on Thursday.

The decision regarding the constitution of the task force was taken during a high-level review meeting held under the chairmanship of Minister for Commerce & Transport Department, Bibhuti Bhushan Jena on Wednesday, as per an official statement released on Thursday.

Six more persons, who consumed adulterated toddy, were admitted to hospitals in Hyderabad on Thursday, taking the total number of hospitalised to 37. The condition of four of them is critical.

Six affected persons were brought to hospitals with the complaints of vomiting and diarrhoea.

The tragedy has claimed five lives since Wednesday morning. The victims were all residents of Kukatpally.

According to officials, 31 people were undergoing treatment at Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS). The condition of four of them was critical. Doctors said they were on dialysis. The remaining people were stable.

Five of the affected persons succumbed while undergoing treatment at different hospitals. The deceased were identified as Sita Ram, Swarupa, Mounika, Narayana and Bojjaya.

Six people were killed in three separate road accidents in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana on Thursday.

Three members of a family were killed and six others injured when the Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) they were travelling in rammed into a tractor in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh.

Two people died on the spot, while a child succumbed at a hospital in the incident near Kalvabugga in Orvakallu mandal.

The deceased were identified as Sheikh Kama Basha (50) and Munni (35). Three-year-old Sheikh Nadia succumbed at the Government Hospital in Kurnool.

Six others were injured in the accident. They were all admitted to the Government Hospital at Kurnool. The condition of one of them is stated to be critical.

The flood situation in Assam showed slight improvement on Thursday, with the number of affected districts dropping from six to five.

However, a fresh fatality in Golaghat district pushed this year's flood-related death toll to 30, including six from landslides, according to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA).

The latest casualty was reported from the Morongi revenue circle in Golaghat, which remains the worst-hit district with 23,084 affected residents. Rescue operations involving multiple agencies, local administration, and volunteers are underway.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma attributed the flooding to heavy rain in upstream areas and assured swift relief efforts.

"Our government is on the ground to assist people with all their needs and ensure swift rescue and rehabilitation," he posted on X.