India news: Multiple emergencies, accidents, and safety probes hit the country

Chennai airport declared full emergency after an IndiGo flight suffered an engine failure, hours after reports that an Air India pilot involved in an on-air incident last week tested positive in a drug test. DW has more.

Here's a roundup of the biggest headlines from India on Wednesday, August 12:

Chennai airport declared a full emergency after an IndiGo flight suffered an engine failure

The pilot of an Air India flight that suddenly lost altitude last week tested positive for marijuana

Food safety, hygiene issues plague India's quick commerce firms

At least seven people were killed and several injured after a landslide hit Mumbai's Kurla area early Wednesday following heavy rain, the Hindustan Times reported.

According to the report, the landslide occurred around 3 a.m. local time, with more people feared trapped, Deputy Commissioner of Police Ganesh Shinde said.

Rescue operations are underway, with teams from various emergency agencies deployed.

Mumbai has experienced heavy monsoon rain in recent weeks, causing waterlogging and disruptions to air and road traffic.

Two people, including a two-and-a-half-year-old, were killed and eight others injured after a fire broke out in two apartments on the 11th floor of a residential building in Mumbai late Tuesday, officials said.

The fire broke out around 10 pm in Vile Parle West area and was brought under control shortly after midnight on Wednesday.

India's Supreme Court on Tuesday urged tribunals handling appeals against voter deletions in West Bengal to speed up their work, saying the process could not drag on indefinitely, a report in the Times of India said.

Nearly 3.4 million appeals are pending before tribunals set up to hear challenges to deletions from electoral rolls during a Special Intensive Revision (SIR), according to the court.

"The process cannot be so slow that the next assembly elections would be due by the time the appeals are decided," Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said, according to the report.

India's election commission conducted the SIR of electoral rolls in several states and territories ahead of state election, including West Bengal, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party recently won state elections.

The commission said the "intensive revision" was needed to remove the names of deceased individuals, those who have permanently moved and duplicate entries — as well as avoiding the "inclusion of the names of foreign illegal immigrants."

Critics of the SIR say it is skewed against marginalized and minority communities.

India's quick commerce sector, especially grocery delivery services, is in the doldrums as authorities flag serious food safety and hygiene violations.

Authorities in the southern Karnataka and western Maharashtra states sealed a Zepto warehouse on Tuesday and suspended the license of a Blinkit facility after inspections found serious violations, reports said.

In Karnataka, a Zepto warehouse near Bengaluru was sealed by the food safety department after finding unhygienic food handling and storage conditions, improper labelling and misbranding.

Zepto said in a statement that it had cooperated with officials and was taking steps to address their observations, the Hindustan Times reported, adding that it remained committed to food safety and hygiene standards.

In Mumbai, authorities suspended the license of a Blinkit facility after finding a large-scale cockroach infestation, improperly stored food and expired or tampered products.

Food was also found on rusted racks, while cold-storage areas lacked adequate cleanliness.

The facility has been barred from selling or distributing food or conducting any food business during the license suspension, authorities said.

The captain of an Air India flight from Phuket to Delhi that suddenly lost altitude last week tested positive for marijuana in a confirmatory drug test.

The Airbus A320neo, carrying 137 passengers and eight crew, lost about 300 feet over Odisha before landing safely in Delhi.

The plane stabilized and landed safely. India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau has classified the incident as serious.

The incident had left 13 passengers and four crew members injured, and led to India's aviation ministry summoning Air India CEO Campbell Wilson on Tuesday.

Late on Tuesday night, Chennai airport declared a full emergency after an IndiGo flight suffered an engine failure, media reports said.

This came only a few hours after reports emerged that the captain of an Air India flight that suddenly lost altitude last week, injuring crew and passengers, tested positive in a drug test, further plunging India's aviation into turmoil.

On Tuesday, the pilot of an IndiGo plane, flying from Kolkata to Chennai with 224 people on board, noticed that the left engine had failed while the plane prepared to land, reports said Airports Authority of India (AAI) officials.

Airport authorities activated emergency response measures, which remained in place till the plane landed safely. The declaration of full emergency was withdrawn soon after.