Close X
Saturday, November 23, 2024
ADVT 
International

Indian investigative journalist killed in New York fire

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 27 Feb, 2024 05:53 PM
  • Indian investigative journalist killed in New York fire

New York, Feb 26 (IANS) An Indian investigative journalist has died in a building fire in New York City despite firefighters’ heroic efforts to save the people trapped in the apartment building.

The death of Fazil Khan, 27, a reporter for Hechinger Report, in Friday's fire in the Harlem section of the city, was confirmed by the education-focused news media and India’s Consulate-General in posts on X.

According to the New York Fire Department, a lithium-ion battery caused the fire that injured 17 other people.

Khan, according to the department, was one of five people seriously injured and taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Hechinger Report, a non-profit media outlet focused on education, said in an X post: "We are devastated by the loss of such a great colleague and wonderful person, and our hearts go out to his family. He will be dearly missed."

The journalist organisation, Investigative Reporters and Editors, posted on X: "He was a wonderful, talented member of the IRE community. He will be missed."

In an X post, India’s Consulate General said it was saddened by his death and gave the assurance, "We continue to extend all possible assistance in repatriation of his mortal remains to India".

Khan was a graduate of Columbia University’s Journalism school, the Indian Institute of Mass Communications in New Delhi, and the Delhi University.

Hechinger Report’s website said he worked as "a data reporter who is responsible for gathering and analyzing education data and collaborating with other reporters to expose inequality and examine innovation in education".

The fire in the six-storey building trapped residents, three of whom hung out of windows and were rescued in a dramatic operation by firefighters who dangled on ropes outside the building to reach them and bring them down to safety. Meanwhile, other firefighters rushed into the building to help those trapped inside, some of them unconscious, escape the fire, Fire Department’s Chief of Operations John Hodgens said.

According to Khan’s LinkedIn profile, he had worked for Business Standard as a sub-editor and for CNN-News18 as a correspondent before coming to the US in 2020 to study at Columbia. After his graduation, he had worked at the university’s Graduate School of Journalism as an investigative fellow.

MORE International ARTICLES

Dangerous heat wave hits eastern US

Dangerous heat wave hits eastern US
A dangerous heat wave is baking the eastern US, with several cities breaking records and the heat stretching from Minnesota to Texas to Massachusetts. Meanwhile, temperatures could reach a scorching 37 degrees in Washington, D.C.; 31 in New York City; 36 in Raleigh, North Carolina; 33 in Minneapolis; 32 in Chicago; 37.7 in Oklahoma City; and 38 in Dallas and San Antonio.  

Dangerous heat wave hits eastern US

UK MPs urge Sunak to call for release of British Sikh held in India

UK MPs urge Sunak to call for release of British Sikh held in India
In a letter, the MPs urged Sunak to call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to "immediately release" Jagtar Singh Johal, who has been "arbitrarily detained" for over five years in India, the BBC reported.

UK MPs urge Sunak to call for release of British Sikh held in India

Family to welcome Rishi Sunak's first India visit by hosting feast in his honour

Family to welcome Rishi Sunak's first India visit by hosting feast in his honour
Ahead of Rishi Sunak's first official trip to India as Britain’s Prime Minister during the G20 summit this week, his relatives are planning a banquet in New Delhi to welcome the Indian-origin leader to his ancestral land. The Telegraph reported that the Sunak's relatives will host a feast with flower bouquets and “non-stop dancing” to Punjabi music in New Delhi on Thursday or Friday.

Family to welcome Rishi Sunak's first India visit by hosting feast in his honour

Biden to visit India

Biden to visit India
US President Joe Biden's visit to India for the upcoming G20 leaders' summit is on and he will be leaving for New Delhi on Thursday. Biden has tested negative for Covid-19 after First Lady Jill Biden tested positive.

Biden to visit India

Gang terrorising Indian, Asian jewellery stores in 4 US states busted

Gang terrorising Indian, Asian jewellery stores in 4 US states busted
The nine jewellery shops listed in the chargesheet filed in a Washington federal court ranged from the New York suburb of Jersey City in New Jersey in the northeast through Pennsylvania and Virginia to Florida in the southeast.

Gang terrorising Indian, Asian jewellery stores in 4 US states busted

Indian-American charged in $13 mn tech scam targeting over 7000 victims

Indian-American charged in $13 mn tech scam targeting over 7000 victims
A 40-year-old Indian-American has been arrested in connection with a technical support scam that targeted more than 7,000 victims in the US. Manoj Yadav of Clifton in New Jersey, defrauded victims -- consisting mainly of small business owners and the elderly -- of more than $13 million, US Attorney Philip R Sellinger announced on Thursday.  

Indian-American charged in $13 mn tech scam targeting over 7000 victims