Fire crews detected elevated levels of hydrogen sulphide after smoke filled a building at one of the country's largest meat processing plants. A Fire and Emergency NZ (FENZ) spokesperson said the building was found full of smoke following an automatic alarm activation. Fires crews detected the gas after containing the fire and used fans to disperse it. Hydrogen sulphide levels were confirmed as reduced before the site was handed back to management.  The incident lasted nearly five hours.

In a disturbing incident, two minor boys were seriously injured after a suspected explosive device went off while they were playing in a village under the Kabisuryanagar police limits in Odisha’s Ganjam district. According to preliminary reports, the boys noticed an unidentified object lying in the courtyard and mistook it for a ball. Unaware of the potential danger, they began playing with it, which suddenly triggered a powerful explosion. Both minors sustained critical injuries in the blast. Police are investigating the origin of the explosive device and the circumstances under which it was kept there.

Officials raided an illegal factory in Samut Prakan province and seized tonnes of smuggled chemicals that could have been used to produce half a million "zombie pods". Police found and impounded 11.9 tonnes of contraband chemicals used for the production of the anaesthetic etomidate - ethanol, hydrochloric acid, p-Toluenesulfonic acid and glycerine. The raid was synchronised with two similar raids, in China and Vietnam, on a gang believed to be part of a Chinese-run network producing etomidate, which is used to make the vape drug known as “zombie pods", The chemicals seized were enough to produce about 504,000 e-cigarettes with etomidate content, worth about 900 million baht in total.

A troubling case from Ujjain has raised serious concerns, as over 30 workers from a chemical unit in the Nagjhiri Industrial Area claim they suffered significant hearing damage while on the job. Workers employed at Omkar Chemical Company reported experiencing intense irritation while working, including burning eyes, continuous tearing, and unusual ringing in their ears. Over time, these symptoms reportedly worsened, leading to a sharp decline in hearing ability. According to a report by Bhaskar English, several workers have lost up to 90% of their hearing capacity. Most of those affected are between 20 and 30 years old. A definitive cause has not yet been found.

Four policemen were injured in a firecracker explosion at a police station in Andhra Pradesh’s Krishna district. The incident occurred at Challapalli Police Station when the firecrackers stored at the premises exploded. Four personnel, including a Sub-Inspector, sustained burn injuries. They were rushed to a hospital, where the condition of two of them is stated to be critical. The police station building was damaged in the explosion. A police vehicle parked in the station premises was also damaged. Preliminary investigation by police shows that the firecrackers exploded when a police constable was examining them. 

A landmine explosion in Azerbaijan’s Aghdara district has left one person injured near the Sugovushan settlement. The incident occurred on April 1 in an area along the former line of contact that has not yet been fully cleared of mines, News.Az reports, citing the Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA). Authorities said the victim, identified as 43-year-old local resident Mahir Abdulla oghlu Maharramov, sustained injuries to his right leg after an anti-personnel mine detonated. An investigation into the incident is underway by the Tartar District Prosecutor’s Office.

A family dinner turned tragic in Barangay Maihao, Cawayan, Masbate, when three members of one family died after eating pufferfish. Barangay Chairman Keen Stanley Ynot confirmed that the deceased include a 53-year-old man, his 50-year-old wife, and their 33-year-old niece. According to Ynot, the husband bought the pufferfish, locally known as butete or tikong, from a fisherman near a port. While the family had safely consumed pufferfish in the past when prepared by the husband, this was reportedly the first time the wife had prepared the meal. Investigations suggest the fish was not cleaned properly, leaving lethal toxins intact. 

At least 18 persons sustained burn injuries after an accidental explosion occurred during motorcycle repair work in Tall Bazaar of Hangu district, officials said. According to sources, the incident took place when a motorcycle caught fire while being repaired, triggering a sudden blast that left several persons injured. The Rescue 1122 teams rushed to the scene and managed to bring the fire under control before shifting the injured to nearby hospitals for medical treatment.

An explosion at the Denel Munitions facility in Somerset West, South Africa, rattled the surrounding area, triggering a swift emergency response.  Fire crews were alerted just after 9:30am to a building engulfed in flames at the site, leading to immediate evacuations and a significant fire response from local emergency services. According to reports from Strand Patrol Buurtwag / NHW Helderberg, a powerful blast that could be felt beyond the facility’s boundaries confirmed the explosion originated from within Denel. Remarkably, all staff members were safely evacuated from the premises, and, as of now, no injuries have been reported.

Residents near a military camp in Bujumbura fled in panic after explosions erupted from an army ammunition depot in the Musaga area. The blasts killed at least 13 people and wounded 57 more, including three Burundian Soldiers. Officials said the explosions, which sent projectiles raining down on nearby neighbourhoods and plumes of smoke rising above the city were sparked by an electrical accident at the main ammunition depot of the Burundi National Defence Force (FDNB) main ammunition depot The fire spread quickly and triggered a wave of explosions felt well beyond the base. A senior police officer at the site said a water shortage hampered firefighting efforts. He said in a joint report by Agence France-Presse (AFP) and Reuters that the “massive inferno” left the base camp “reduced to ashes.”

Someone stole 15 giant agricultural drones in New Jersey, and experts fear a “nightmare scenario” if they end up in the hands of terrorists. The fleet of Ceres Air C31 drones, which are about the size of an ATV, were ripped off March 24 by a bogus delivery driver who duped shipping and logistics company CAC International in Harrison, according to The High Side substack. The four-armed flyers can carry and spray up to 40 gallons of liquid chemicals, such as fertilizers and pesticides, and unleash the payload over a 15-acre span in just seven minutes. The FBI is concerned the chemical-spraying drones could be used to disperse biological or chemical weapons, the report claimed. “This was one of the most highly sophisticated thefts [the FBI] have seen in a long time, which is the main thing that has them so spooked,” a person who was briefed on the case told the outlet.

An explosive device killed 13 people traveling on a bus in southwestern Colombia, an attack the country's army chief described as a “terrorist act" that also left at least 38 injured as violence linked to drug trafficking in the region escalates. Octavio Guzmán, the governor of the region of Cauca, said on X that the device was set off while the bus was traveling along the Panamerican Highway in the municipality of Cajibio. Five children were among the injured. The attack is the latest in a spate of explosions that have attempted to target public infrastructure. At least 26 incidents have taken place in the past two days in southwestern Colombia, which López said has only affected civilians.

A Union Pacific train engineer facing a reckless endangerment charge for allegedly driving a 16,000-ton train loaded with hazardous materials through eastern Wyoming toward Cheyenne has been in a mental health facility since bonding out of jail.  Along with reckless endangering, Kristopher Richards, 47, also was charged with being under the influence of a controlled substance and interference with a peace officer, all misdemeanours. When authorities finally got Richards to stop the train before it rolled into the Cheyenne Depot, deputies found him to be “extremely impaired,” Sheriff Brian Kozak said at the time. “The conductor noticed the engineer was in no condition to operate the train,” he said, adding that Richards was acting “violent and erratic.”

Two people died and one was in critical condition after a “chemical release” at a West Virginia plant slated for closure, officials said. The incident occurred at Catalyst Refiners, Inc. Institute in Kanawha County. More than 30 people sought medical treatment after the incident at the plant, which manufactures silver catalyst, including seven EMS workers and some from the surrounding area. Kanawha County Commission President Ben Salango said a chemical reaction occurred during a cleaning and decontamination process at the plant. Two chemicals, M2000A and nitric acid, were mixed in a pump area while workers were decommissioning a tank, causing an explosion.

A man was recently charged after his home north of Claremont exploded on April 1, according to the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office. Travis Kyle Bowes is charged with Felony Manufacturing Weapons of Mass Destruction and Felony Possession of Weapons of Mass Destruction, both in connection with an incendiary device. Officials confirm that a couple was taken to the hospital, one of whom has severe injuries. Their 14-year-old daughter escaped the home. The case is ongoing.

Health officials in Pickens County, S.C. are warning the public about a new drug that is more potent than fentanyl. Behavioral Health Services of Pickens County said cychlorphine is a powerful synthetic opioid that is being linked to overdoses in South Carolina and across the nation. According to the health service, the drug is up to 40 times more potent than fentanyl, which significantly increases the risk of overdose. While Narcan can reverse an opioid overdose, potent opioids may require multiple doses. The Easley Police Department said standard fentanyl test strips do not identify cychlorphine. The risk of addiction is very high for users of this drug. Attorney General Wilson is also asking law enforcement and first responders to exercise heightened caution, as even incidental exposure may carry serious risks.

An explosion at an East Providence industrial plant sent multiple people to the hospital on April 8, prompting a massive emergency response.  First responders were called to the Aspen Aerogels facility. for reports of an explosion and fire inside, Providence’s police and fire chiefs said in a press release.  Officials declared it a mass casualty incident, triggering a regional mutual aid response and alerting nearby hospitals. Providence officials said they took 13 people to the hospital. An investigation determined the explosion was caused by an accidental buildup of ethanol vapours in a drying oven, and said oven had open permits that were never finalized and lacked a final inspection, city officials said.

Helicopters flew overhead and sirens blared as Alameda Fire Department responded to a report of a suspected Hazmat incident that injured several people in the 700 block of Santa Clara Avenue. “The incident was subsequently upgraded to a confirmed HAZMAT and Multi-Casualty Incident (MCI),” AFD stated. Fire officials later confirmed that the hazardous substance was bear spray, which had been intentionally aimed at the doorway of a residence within the apartment complex. The building manager said the incident may be linked to a former tenant who had previously been asked to leave the building.

On the weekend of April 17^th a 190-gram jar of "carrots with potatoes" from the HiPP company contaminated with rat poison was seized in Burgenland, Austria. At least two jars are said to have been circulated in this region. Police have now widened their search for more potentially poisoned jars.  On April 20^th it was then reported that Czech authorities confirmed two jars of HiPP baby food found in a Brno store had also been laced with rat poison, part of what investigators say is an extortion attempt targeting the German-Swiss baby food brand across three countries, Austria, Czechia, and Slovakia.

The news was a flutter on April 17^th with stories of a potential radioactive drone attack aimed at the Israeli embassy in London. According to reports an Islamist ‘terror cell’ posted a video of what they claimed were drones carrying 'radioactive and cancer-causing materials' toward the embassy. The threat was taken seriously, and specialist officers were deployed to Kensington Gardens, and the park closed following the discovery of “several suspicious items”. Among these items were two jars containing a powdered substance The items were assessed, and it was concluded that no harmful or hazardous substances were present. Counter Terror police are actively investigating the authenticity of the video and whether there is a link between it and the items discovered in the park. In an update, three men in their 30’s has been arrested on suspicion of preparing an act of terrorism in relation to the incident.

Easter celebrations descended into chaos in a German city after a vial of radioactive poison was found instead of chocolate. A bottle labelled "Polonium 210", was found in the garden of a home near Stuttgart, southwest Germany, on Easter Sunday. They reported the discovery to the police, who dispatched 138 members of emergency personnel and 41 vehicles to the scene, according to reports. A radiation protection unit was also deployed to the propert. A spokesperson for the local fire department said the vial was thought to be "genuine", with a label "not just scribbled on by hand" but "clearly and officially marked". However, initial measurements conducted at the site did not detect elevated radiation levels. This may indicate that the container does not actually contain the radioactive substance indicated on the label. No further updates could be found.

An explosion and fire at a petrochemical plant in Russia’s republic of Tatarstan killed at least three workers and injured dozens more. The blast occurred at Nizhnekamskneftekhim, Russia’s largest producer of synthetic rubber and plastics, located in the industrial city of Nizhnekamsk. Sibur, the petrochemical company that owns the plant, said the explosion was likely caused by an “equipment malfunction.” It said injured workers were receiving medical care and that the facility had been evacuated. Russian media reported that residents smelled a chemical odor in the air after the incident, though Sibur said monitoring showed no threat to public safety or the environment.

Lithium-ion batteries represent a new technological hazard that one fire science expert has said keeps him awake at night, as fire service chiefs warn the ubiquity of the batteries in everyday products is outpacing public understanding and safety regulations. The blaze that devastated a historic building in Glasgow and resulted in the closure of Central Station, Scotland’s largest rail interchange, is believed to have started in a shop selling vapes, which are powered by lithium-ion batteries. Glasgow’s Central Station has since reopened. The latest data reveals a sharp increase in battery-related fires across Scotland, while firefighters in London attend an e-bike or e-scooter fire every other day. Paul Christensen, a professor of pure and applied electrochemistry at the University of Newcastle, underlined that, while the probability of a fire from a lithium-ion battery is very low, the hazard is “very, very high.”

A hazardous materials incident prompted Israeli emergency and security forces to rush to the cargo complex at Ben Gurion Airport after a package being handled in routine transit began emitting smoke raising serious concerns about possible contact with toxic substances. All workers were evacuated from the complex immediately to prevent injuries or the inhalation of dangerous materials. Monitoring teams from the district unit carried out on-site laboratory tests to determine the nature of the substance inside the package, information on the substance has not been released.