A day after the gas leak incident in Andhra Pradesh's Visakhapatnam which claimed 11 lives, former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging the central government to organise a 'scientific probe' into the Vizag Gas Leak incident.

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Saturday issued notices to the Maharashtra government and the District Magistrate of Aurangabad over the rail accident in the region a day ago, where 16 migrant workers returning home were crushed to death by a goods train.

The NHRC issued the notices after taking suo motu cognizance of media reports regarding the incident, which occurred between Badnapur and Karmad stations in the Nanded Division.

As Mumbai continues to be the most-affected city in India from coronavirus, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Chief BMC Commissioner Praveen Pardeshi has been transferred in the middle on the pandemic.

Pardeshi has been transferred as additional chief secretary in the urban development department.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Friday refuted rumours that the Army is being deployed in Mumbai as the COVID-19 cases rise in India's financial capital.

Thackeray said the Mumbai Police is capable of handling the situation but additional forces may be sought from the Centre if needed so that the state police force gets some respite.

The United States of America is likely to put a temporary ban on the issuing process of some work-based visas like the widely popular H-1B as well as visas for students and work authorisation that accompanies them, which may lead to distress among foreign students and professionals in the country. The move is reportedly being taken due to the high level of unemployment in the country, which is a direct effect of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic outbreak, which is spreading like wildfire across the world.

Over 29% of the 56,342 confirmed COVID-19 patients have recovered so far while 1886 people have died in the pandemic, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Friday.

Speaking at the media briefing, Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, said a total of 37,916 people are under active medical supervision as on today while 16,540 people have recovered from the disease as on date, which takes the recovery rate to 29.36%.

The Madras High Court on Friday ordered the closure of state-run Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC) liquor outlets across Tamil Nadu after violations of social distancing norms amid the COVID-19 lockdown were reported. The High Court, however, allowed online sale of liquor.

The court had earlier permitted liquor shops to open only under certain conditions and warned them against violation of norms.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday expressed his condolences over the death of 16 migrant labourers who were crushed by a goods train at Aurangabad's Karmad in Maharashtra on this day. The group was sleeping on the railway tracks when the incident took place.

Modi took to his official handle on Twitter and wrote that he was "extremely anguished" by the loss of lives due to the rail accident.

The total number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 infection in India crossed the 56,000-mark on Friday, while the death toll has already topped the 1,800-mark as well. At 9:15 AM on Friday, the COVID-19 tally in India stood at 56,342 cases, of which 37,916 are active cases, 16,540 are cured, discharged, or migrated patients, and 1,886 deaths.

According to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, as many as 3,390 new COVID-19-positive cases and 103 deaths were reported in the country in the last 24 hours.

16 migrant labourers died after being crushed by a goods train at Aurangabad's Karmad in Maharashtra on Friday.

The group was sleeping on the railway tracks when the incident took place.

A police official told a news agency that the migrant workers were returning to their native place in Madhya Pradesh.

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