Page 2 - Natural Calamities

Himachal cloudburst: Death toll rises to 8, rescue operations underway

Rescue operations are underway on Friday to trace about 45 people missing following flash floods triggered by cloudbursts in three districts of Himachal Pradesh, officials said on Friday. With recovery of three more bodies, the death toll due to the flash floods in Nirmand, Sainj and Malana areas in Kullu, Mandi's Padhar and Shimla's Rampur subdivision has increased to eight. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu along with Education Minister Rohit Thakur visited Samej on the border of Shimla and Kullu district to take stock of the situation and talk to the victims. Over 30 people were missing after a cloudburst near Shrikhand Mahadev route on Wednesday night triggered flash floods in Sarpara, Ganvi and Kurban nallahs. Talking to reporters, Sukhu said 17-18 women and 8-9 children are among those missing. The rescue of people is our first priority. The chief minister announced an immediate relief of Rs 50,000 for the victims and also said that they would be given Rs 5,000 a month

Himachal cloudburst: Rescue ops underway to trace 45 missing people

Rescue operations were underway on Friday to trace over 45 people missing following flash floods triggered by cloudbursts in three districts of Himachal Pradesh, while 29 people stranded at the site of a power project in the state were brought to safety overnight, officials said. Cloudbursts in Nirmand, Sainj and Malana areas in Kullu, Padhar in Mandi and Rampur in Shimla districts on Wednesday had left five people dead and over 45 missing. Thirty-three people were also stuck in Malana II power project in Manikaran area of Kullu district. Deputy Commissioner Kullu, Torul S Raveesh, said 29 out of the 33 have been rescued. A wall and way to a tunnel was damaged due to rains and water entered the barrage but the teams of the NDRF and home guard managed to rescue 29 people, while four persons are still in the power house. The relatives of the missing people are campaigning at the spot and the Army, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police, State Disaster ..

Six killed, several injured in Uttarakhand as heavy rains cause flooding

Six people, including three of a family, were killed and as many injured in Uttarakhand as heavy rains led to house collapses, flooding of areas and rise in water levels in many rivers of the state, officials said on Thursday. In Devchauli in Chamoli district, a woman and a child are missing since Wednesday evening after a house collapsed, they said and added that a State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) team has left for the spot. Nearly a dozen four-wheelers parked along the riverbed of the Sukhi in Haridwar's Kharkhari area were washed away following torrential rain on Wednesday evening. Teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the SDRF and the administration have been deployed in affected areas of the state, the officials said. Disaster Secretary Vinod Kumar Suman said 200 passengers stranded on the Kedarnath route due to falling stones and the washing away of a 20-25 meter footpath near the Bhimbali Chowki have been moved to safer places. In Bharpur village in the

Heavy rains in eastern Afghanistan kill at least 40, destroy houses

Heavy rains in eastern Afghanistan have killed at least 40 people and injured nearly 350 others, Taliban officials said Tuesday. Among the dead in Monday's storm were five members of the same family when the roof of their house collapsed in Surkh Rod district, according to provincial spokesperson Sediqullah Quraishi. Four other family members were injured. Sharafat Zaman Amar, a spokesperson for the Public Health Ministry, said the 347 injured people had been brought for treatment to the regional hospital in Nangarhar from Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar province, and nearby districts. About 400 houses and 60 electricity poles were destroyed across Nangarhar, Quraishi said. Power was cut in many areas and there were limited communications in Jalalabad city, he said. The damage was still being assessed. Abdul Wali, 43, said much of the damage occurred within an hour. The winds were so strong that they blew everything into the air. That was followed by heavy rain, he said. His ..

Landslide sweeps 2 buses on Central Nepal highway, many suspected missing

As per reports, there were 24 people onboard the bus that was heading to Kathmandu and 41 people were travelling in another bus

Search underway for dozens buried in Indonesian landslide that killed 23

Search efforts for those trapped in a deadly landslide intensified Wednesday, with more rescuers deployed to search an unauthorized gold mine on Indonesia's Sulawesi island that saw 23 deaths over the weekend. More than 100 villagers were digging for grains of gold Sunday in the remote and hilly village of Bone Bolango in Gorontalo province when tons of mud plunged down the surrounding hills and buried their makeshift camps. The provincial Search and Rescue Office said Wednesday that 81 villagers managed to escape from the landslide, several of them pulled out by rescuers, including 18 with injuries. It said 23 bodies were recovered, including a 4-year-old boy, while 33 others were missing. More than 1,000 personnel, including army troops, were deployed to increase the strength of search efforts, said Edy Prakoso, the National Search and Rescue Agency's operation director. He said the Indonesian Air Force would send a helicopter as it was the only way to speed up the rescue operati

Hurricane Beryl strikes Jamaica killing at least 10, causes destruction

Almost 500 Jamaicans were in shelters by Wednesday afternoon, PM Andrew Holness told reporters, urging people in high-risk areas to move

Beryl strengthens to hurricane in Atlantic, to hit Caribbean as major storm

Beryl strengthened into a hurricane Saturday as it churned toward the southeastern Caribbean, with forecasters warning it was expected to become a dangerous major storm before reaching Barbados late Sunday or early Monday. A major hurricane is considered Category 3 or higher, with winds of at least 111 mph (178 kph). On Saturday night, Beryl was a Category 1 hurricane, marking the farthest east that a hurricane formed in the tropical Atlantic in June, breaking a record set in 1933, according to Philip Klotzbach, Colorado State University hurricane researcher. A hurricane warning was issued for Barbados, St Lucia, Grenada, and St Vincent and the Grenadines. A tropical storm warning was posted for Martinique and Tobago and a tropical storm watch for Dominica. It's astonishing to see a forecast for a major (Category 3+) hurricane in June anywhere in the Atlantic, let alone this far east in the deep tropics. #Beryl organizing in a hurry over the warmest waters ever recorded for late Jun

Midwestern US flooding collapses rail bridge, forces evacuations, kills 2

A railroad bridge collapsed during flooding in the Midwestern US that has forced water rescues, led to evacuations, caused at least one death and brought additional misery during a vast and stubborn heat wave. The bridge connecting North Sioux City, South Dakota, with Sioux City, Iowa, collapsed into the Big Sioux River late Sunday, an emergency manager said. Local media images showed a large span of the steel bridge partially underwater as floodwaters rushed over it. South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem said at a news briefing Monday that the bridge was the main rail link from her state into Iowa. Some of its trusses collapsed, Jason Westcott, an emergency manager in Union County, South Dakota, told KCAU-TV. There were no reports of injuries from the collapse, which occurred around 11 pm. The bridge's owner, BNSF Railway, had stopped operating it as a precaution during the flooding, spokesperson Kendall Sloan said. Trains are being rerouted. We have damaged roads. We have damaged bridges

Millions in US brace for more heat as floods inundate parts of Midwest

Millions of Americans prepared to sweat through yet another scorching day, with the potential for rolling storms later Sunday to bring relief from the sweltering heat for at least some. Floodwaters inundated parts of the Midwest, including a town in Iowa evacuated after being submerged up to the rooftops. Across the country in California, daily highs in the state's Central Valley were expected to stay in the triple digits (over 37 Celsius) into Monday. From the mid-Atlantic to Maine, across much of the Midwest and throughout inland California, public officials cautioned residents sweating through the heat and humidity. In Oklahoma, the heat index what the temperature feels like to the human body was expected to reach 107 degrees (41 degrees Celsius) on Sunday. It's more important for people who are going to be outside to stay hydrated, because heat, humidity and low winds, even if you're in good shape and not really acclimated to it, it could be a danger, said Bruce Thoren, a ...

2,000 feared dead in Papua New Guinea landslide, challenges for rescuers

The Papua New Guinea government said more than 2,000 people are believed to have been buried alive in a landslide in the South Pacific island nation, after the side of a mountain came down in the early hours of Friday morning when the village of Yambali was asleep. The settlement is located in a restive and remote area in the interior of the poor, rural nation off the northern coast of Australia, making search and rescue efforts complicated and hazardous. The government death toll is roughly triple the UN estimate of 670 killed. The remains of only six people had been recovered so far. In a letter seen by The Associated Press to the United Nations resident coordinator dated Sunday, the acting director of Papua New Guinea's National Disaster Center Luseta Laso Mana said the landslide buried more than 2,000 people alive and caused major destruction at Yambali village in the Enga province. Estimates of the casualties have varied widely since the disaster occurred, and it was not ...

Over 2,000 could be buried in Papua New Guinea landslide, says official

The landslide crashed through Yambali village in the country's north at around 3 a.m. on Friday while most of the community slept

Unstable terrain hampering relief efforts in Papua New Guinea, says UN

PNG government authorities remained focused on clearing debris and improving access to the village, the UN said in its latest update

Cyclone Remal intensifies into severe cyclonic storm, to hit Bengal tonight

Cyclone 'Remal' has intensified into a severe cyclonic storm and is expected to make landfall between West Bengal's Sagar Island and Bangladesh's Khepupara on Sunday night, the IMD said. This is the first cyclone in the Bay of Bengal this pre-monsoon season. Cyclone 'Remal' over the north Bay of Bengal intensified into a severe cyclonic storm and was centred approximately 290 km south-southeast of Khepupara and 270 km south-southeast of Sagar Island, according to an update issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) at 8 am on Sunday. It is likely to intensify further and cross the West Bengal and adjoining Bangladesh coasts between Sagar Island and Khepupara with wind speeds of 110 to 120 kmph, gusting to 135 kmph around midnight, the IMD said. Other models show that the cyclone may hit the coasts by late evening. The Met office has warned of extremely heavy rainfall in the coastal districts of West Bengal and north Odisha on Sunday. Parts of northeast India may also ...

More than 100 killed by landslide in Papua New Guinea, say reports

More than 100 people are estimated to have been killed in a landslide in remote Papua New Guinea on Friday, Australian Broadcasting Corp reported. The landslide reportedly hit Kaokalam Village in Enga Province, about 600 kilometers (370 miles) northwest of the South Pacific island nation's capital Port Moresby about 3 am local time, ABC reports. Residents say current estimates of the death toll sit above 100, although authorities have not confirmed this figure. Villagers say the number of those killed could be much higher. Social media video show locals pulling out buried bodies.

More bad weather could hit Iowa, where 3 tornadoes caused severe damage

For block after block through the small city of Greenfield, Iowa, the destructive power a tornado that ripped apart more than 100 homes in just one minute is evident in the muddy, shattered mess left behind. All along the mile-long swath Thursday was the deafening clamour of heavy equipment scooping up the splintered homes, smashed vehicles and shredded trees. But on either side of that path, picturesque houses and lawns seem untouched, and one might be hard-pressed to believe a twister packing peak winds of 175-185 mph (109-115 kph) had ravaged the community of 2,000, killing four people and injuring at least 35. More than 202 homes were destroyed by a series of tornadoes that raked the state on Tuesday, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said Thursday at a news conference. Most were in and around Greenfield. The count does not include businesses or other buildings destroyed or damaged, like Greenfield's 25-bed hospital. The havoc spun by the tornado now shows on the faces of people still ...

Low pressure over Bay of Bengal: Fishermen warned against going in sea

The IMD has warned fishermen not to venture out into the sea and those out at sea to come back to the coast before May 23

Tornado devastates Iowa town, killing many as storms rip through Midwest

Multiple people died on Tuesday and at least a dozen were injured when a powerful tornado tore through a small Iowa town, carving a bleak landscape of destroyed homes and businesses, shredded trees, smashed cars, and widely strewn debris. The tornado destroyed much of Greenfield, a town of about 2,000 around 55 miles (88.5 kilometers) southwest of Des Moines, during a day that saw multiple tornadoes, giant hail and heavy rain in several states. We do have confirmed fatalities, Iowa State Patrol Sgt. Alex Dinkla said at a news conference on Tuesday night. He said authorities were still determining the total number but thought they had accounted for all of the town's residents. Dinkla said there were at least a dozen injuries amid widespread devastation in Greenfield, including at the community's small hospital. Patients there had to be transferred to other facilities in nearby cities. Authorities said they would only allow residents to enter Greenfield until Wednesday morning and ..

Heavy rain, flash floods claim 50 lives in Afghanistan's Ghor province

Thousands of livestock have perished, and tens of vehicles have been swept away by the floods

Flash floods, cold lava flow hit Sumatra, Indonesia, killing 15 people

Heavy rains and torrents of cold lava and mud flowing down a volcano's slopes on Indonesia's Sumatra island triggered flash floods that killed at least 15 people and injured several others, officials said Sunday. Monsoon rains and a major mudslide from a cold lava flow on Mount Marapi caused a river to breach its banks and tear through mountainside villages in Agam and Tanah Datar districts in West Sumatra province just before midnight on Saturday. The floods swept away people and submerged more than 100 houses and buildings, National Disaster Management Agency spokesperson Abdul Muhari said. Cold lava, also known as lahar, is a mixture of volcanic material and pebbles that flow down a volcano's slopes in the rain. By Sunday, rescuers had pulled out 11 bodies in the worst-hit village of Canduang and recovered four other bodies in the neighbouring village of Sungai Pua, Muhari said. The agency said in a statement that at least seven villagers were injured by the flash floods, and ..