At least two people died and 32 others were injured after an iron bridge over a river collapsed at a popular tourist destination in India’s western Maharashtra state, the state’s top elected official said Sunday.

At least six people were rescued and hospitalized in critical condition, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis wrote on social media platform X.

The incident occurred in Kundamala area in Pune district, which has witnessed heavy rains over the past few days, giving the river a steady flow, Press Trust of India reported.

It was not raining when the bridge collapsed in an area frequented by picnickers, the news agency reported.

Police said teams of the National Disaster Response Force and other search and recovery units have undertaken rescue operations, Press Trust reported.

Rescue work at the scene has been accelerated, Fadnavis said.

Fear has been gripping Iranians as Israel vows to continue attacking the Islamic Republic over its nuclear program, with many fleeing the bigger cities, including the capital Tehran, in search of safer areas.

There was chaos as residents ran down to the ground level after smelling smoke from a nearby building that had also been targeted, the resident said. Families with young children struggled to keep them calm.

Unlike Israel, Iran’s capital Tehran doesn’t have modern bomb shelters, so the city must make use of tunnels, basements or older shelters used in the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s – the last time the country faced such a grave national emergency.

“In Tehran there weren’t any shelters, people went into basements,” the chairman of Tehran’s City Council, Mehdi Chamran, told reporters Sunday, adding that the metro can be used as a shelter “in extreme crisis” but that “we would need to shut the system down.”

The metro in Tehran will be open 24 hours a day starting Sunday night for people to shelter, a government spokesperson announced. Schools and mosques will also be open, she said.

Older people in the building in Saadat Abad were comparing the fear-filled atmosphere to the eight-year-long war with Iraq, which saw Iraqi armed forces invading western Iran along the countries’ joint border, the resident said.

Iranian experts have said that by attacking residential areas in Iran, Israel has “crossed the Rubicon” – or passed the point of no return – and is inviting attacks of the same kind from Tehran.

“We don’t support the Iranian regime, but we are against Israel attacking residential areas and civilians,” said an older male Tehran resident. “If Israel is against Iran’s nuclear program and military capabilities, they should target those areas and not create another situation like what is happening in Gaza.”

Israel has destroyed swathes of the Palestinian territory and displaced almost all of Gaza’s population in its war against Hamas, an Iranian ally.

One family, who didn’t want to be named, decided to leave Tehran with their two small children and their elderly parents. They are worried that the government has housed officials and military leaders within highly populated, upper middle-class neighborhoods – putting civilians at risk.

“I don’t want to leave my home, but I am not going to put my young children in this position,” the father said. “I hope that the US steps in to stop the attacks between both countries.”

In the city of Shiraz, in south-central Iran, long lines for gas have been forming around the city. Residents are also stocking up on food, water, and diapers.

Cars full of families with suitcases and water strapped to the roof have been seen around the city, with many families leaving for the countryside.

Meanwhile, nights have become very quiet in Tehran, residents said. Many shops are closed and many people have either left the city or are too scared to go to work, they said.

Israel’s operation against Iran is expected to take “weeks, not days” and is moving forward with implicit US approval, according to White House and Israeli officials. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to “strike every site and every target of the Ayatollah’s regime,” referring to the country’s Supreme Leader.

The Israeli military on Sunday also issued an “urgent” evacuation warning to Iranians living near weapons production facilities, saying being nearby would endanger their lives.

Netanyahu’s call for Iranian revolt

In a rare direct address to the people of Iran, Netanyahu on Friday urged its citizens to “stand up and let your voices be heard,” after Israel unleashed deadly strikes on its regional foe.

“The time has come for the Iranian people to unite around its flag and its historic legacy, by standing up for your freedom from an evil and oppressive regime,” Netanyahu said in a statement.

The Iranian regime remains unpopular at home, where security forces continue their brutal crackdown on dissidents. Nonetheless, the Israeli leader’s call fell on deaf ears.

Some Iranians expressed anger and asserted they would never cede to Netanyahu’s demands.

“Don’t let the fake news fool you, the reality of what is happening in Iran as an Iranian who has actually lived in Iran, who has their family in Iran, (is that) Israel is in no way helping our people. I don’t need fake news and propaganda speeches,” she added.

Iran has threatened to intensify its own retaliatory attacks if Israel continues hostilities.

Over 200 rocket launches from Iran were reported overnight into Sunday, the Israeli government said, and at least 13 people have been killed in Israel, including three children.

Unofficial tallies published by Iran’s state affiliated media said dozens in the country have been killed and injured in Israeli strikes. Iran’s authorities have yet to declare a death toll.

Britain’s foreign intelligence service, MI6, will be led by a woman for the first time in its history, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced.

Blaise Metreweli will take up the position of Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service in the fall. She is currently head of the service’s technology and innovation teams, a position immortalized as “Q” in the James Bond movies.

It was revealed in 2017 that “Q” was a woman – but Metreweli was not named at the time.

Metreweli, a graduate of Oxford University, has previously held senior positions in both the domestic and foreign intelligence services.

Starmer described the appointment as “historic.”

“I know Blaise will continue to provide the excellent leadership needed to defend our county and keep our people safe,” he said in a statement.

Metreweli said she was “proud and honored” to be appointed to the role.

A 5.6 magnitude earthquake that struck off Peru’s central coast Sunday, rattling Lima and the port city of Callao, has left one person dead and five injured, authorities said.

The earthquake happened at 11:35 a.m. local time in the Pacific Ocean, according to the United States Geological Survey. Its epicenter was located 23 kilometers (14 miles) southwest of Callao, west of the capital Lima.

A 36-year-old man died in northern Lima while “standing outside his vehicle waiting for a passenger” when a wall from the fourth floor of a building under construction detached and fell on his head, Police Col. Ramiro Clauco told RPP radio.

The five people injured are being treated in hospitals, the Emergency Operations Center said. The agency also reported damage to roads and educational centers.

President Dina Boluarte is heading to Callao to monitor developments, the Peruvian presidency said on X.

Footage shared by local media also showed cars hit by falling debris, damaged houses and collapsed billboards.

All of Lima’s districts felt the earthquake, Hernando Tavera, executive president of the Geophysical Institute of Peru, told local TV channel N.

Local radio stations reported that a professional football match at Lima’s Alberto Gallardo Stadium was paused for several minutes.

A mass at Lima’s cathedral was also interrupted, after frightened worshippers fled the scene.

Peru is located along the Ring of Fire, a path along the Pacific Ocean characterized by frequent earthquakes and active volcanoes.

As an unprecedented Israeli attack on Iran last week sparks a spiraling conflict between the two enemy states, China has seen an opportunity to cast itself as potential peace broker – and an alternative voice to the United States.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi took up this mission over the weekend, speaking with both his Iranian and Israeli counterparts in separate phone calls, where Wang decried the attack that sparked latest conflict and telegraphed China’s offer to “play a constructive role” in its resolution.

“China explicitly condemns Israel’s violation of Iran’s sovereignty, security and territorial integrity … (and) supports Iran in safeguarding its national sovereignty, defending its legitimate rights and interests,” Wang said in a call Saturday with Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi, according to Beijing’s official readout.

China’s self-described “explicit” opposition to Israel’s attack stands in sharp contrast to the country’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – which Beijing refused to condemn as it ramped up its close ties with Moscow.

It also underscores the hardening of geopolitical lines that have placed China in opposition to the US across a host of global issues.

Israel launched its aerial attack targeting Iran’s nuclear, missile and military complex early Friday in what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said was an operation to “roll back” the Iranian threat to his country’s survival.

Multiple waves of deadly assaults launched by both sides in the days since have seen mounting casualties and raised the risk of a broader regional conflagration that could involve the United States, which has so far only assisted in Israel’s defense against an onslaught on Iranian missiles and drones.

In Beijing’s eyes, all this gives ample reason to be outspoken on a conflict playing out in a part of the world where it has steadily worked to increase its own economic and diplomatic sway, but where experts say its heft as a powerbroker remains limited.

‘Play a constructive role’

For one, as the Trump administration’s “America First” policy has shaken up the US’ traditional position on the international stage, Beijing sees an opportunity to further expand its clout. That’s especially true in the context of countries across the Global South, where Israel has received stark condemnation over its ongoing assault on Gaza.

Beijing is also a key diplomatic and economic backer of Iran and has moved to further deepen collaboration in recent years, including holding joint naval drills, even as it’s sought to balance those ties with its growing relations with countries like Saudi Arabia. Chinese officials long voiced opposition to US sanctions on Iran and criticized the US withdrawal from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, while accusing Washington of being a source of instability and tensions in the region.

Wang took veiled aim at the US in his call with his Iranian counterpart Saturday, according to the Chinese readout of the call, saying that “China also urges the countries that have influence over Israel to make concrete efforts to restore peace.”

“China is ready to maintain communication with Iran and other relevant parties to continue playing a constructive role in de-escalating the situation,” he added.

Speaking to Israeli Foreign Minsiter Gideon Sa’ar on Saturday, Wang said China “urged both Israel and Iran to resolve differences through dialogue” and added “that China is willing to play a constructive role in supporting these efforts,” a Chinese readout said.

Beijing is unlikely to see benefits from the deepening of tensions in the region, which it relies on for energy and where it has looked to show itself as an emerging powerbroker. For example, it took on a surprise role in facilitating a diplomatic rapprochement between archrivals Saudi Arabia and Iran in 2023.

It’s unclear what role Beijing could play in the resolution of the current conflict, including how much leverage Beijing has over Tehran, even as lawmakers in Washington have warned of a deepening “axis” between China, Iran, Russia and North Korea.

But when it comes to managing the direction of this escalation of an entrenched regional conflict, chances are that players both within the Middle East and the US – which plays a key role in regional security – will ultimately drive that effort.

Trump on Sunday posted on social media that Iran and Israel “will make a deal,” adding that “many calls and meetings” were “now taking place,” without providing details.

But the US president had also suggested another potential leader could have a role to play brokering peace: Vladimir Putin, with whom Trump said he discussed the escalating situation on Saturday.

In an interview with ABC News, Trump said he was open to the Russian leader, whose forces invaded Ukraine and who has resisted a US-brokered ceasefire in that conflict, serving as a mediator – another sign of the warming ties between Washington and Moscow, which maintains close relations with Tehran and has condemned Israel’s attack.

“I would be open to it,” Trump said. Putin “is ready.”