Multiple Tragedies Unfold Across the Globe
A series of unrelated but significant events unfolded across the globe on Wednesday, January 28th and Thursday, January 29th, 2026, ranging from a fatal plane crash in India to a devastating landslide in Sicily and severe flooding in the UK.
In India, a private plane crash claimed the lives of five people, including Ajit Pawar, the deputy chief minister of Maharashtra state, Sky News reported. The aircraft, traveling from Mumbai to Pawar's home city of Baramati, crashed in an open field in western India and burst into flames. The cause of the crash was not immediately known. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to Pawar following the incident.
Sicily experienced a major landslide in the town of Niscemi, triggered by heavy rain, according to Sky News. The landslide caused the edge of the town to collapse, forcing the evacuation of more than 1,500 people. Dozens of houses were left teetering on the edge of a cliff, rendering them "uninhabitable." Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni visited Niscemi to assess the damage.
The United Kingdom continued to grapple with the aftermath of Storm Chandra. Euronews reported that more than 80 flood warnings remained in place across Hampshire and Dorset. Somerset was particularly hard hit, with homes and cars submerged in floodwaters. A major incident was declared in Somerset, where approximately 50 properties were impacted by flooding in areas including Ilminster, West Coker, Taunton, Mudford, and West Camel. Aerial footage showed the extent of the flooding, with houses, paddocks, and vehicles engulfed by water.
In Brooklyn, New York, a man was arrested after allegedly ramming his car into the Chabad-Lubavitch World Headquarters, the largest synagogue in Brooklyn, Al Jazeera reported. New York police are investigating the incident as a possible hate crime.
Separately, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, new footage emerged showing Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care unit nurse, in an altercation with federal agents during a protest on January 13th, Euronews reported. This occurred 11 days before Pretti was fatally shot by Border Patrol officers. The video, shared by The News Movement, shows Pretti and other observers shouting at a vehicle of federal officers. The incident occurred amid rising public uproar over the Trump administration's immigration policies, with many Democrats and protesters calling for federal immigration officers to leave Minnesota. The circumstances surrounding Pretti's death remain under investigation.
Discussion
Join the conversation
Be the first to comment