Earth ChangesS

Tsunami

At least 4 people dead after heavy rains flood Mumbai, India - 5 inches of rainfall in 5 hours


The Express Tribune
Thu, 26 Sep 2024 13:58 UTC
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Mumbai, India's financial capital, experienced severe flooding after receiving over 250mm of rainfall in just five hours, prompting authorities to issue a red alert and declare a holiday for schools and colleges across the city and nearby districts.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast further heavy rain in Mumbai, Thane, Palghar, and Raigad, with the red alert remaining in effect until Thursday morning.

The torrential rain, among the heaviest recorded in September since 2020, caused widespread flooding in areas like Andheri, Chembur, and Vikhroli. Transportation was severely impacted, with major traffic disruptions and the halting of central railway services, leaving many commuters stranded. At least 14 flights were diverted, and 36 were canceled at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport.

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Butterfly

Lowest number of UK butterflies ever recorded during summer of 2024 due to wet weather


BBC
Thu, 26 Sep 2024 12:37 UTC
The common blue butterfly has had one of the worst summers on record for the count
© BUTTERFLY CONSERVATION/IAN A KIRKThe common blue butterfly has had one of the worst summers on record for the count
A butterfly conservation charity has declared a national butterfly emergency after fewer winged insects than ever were spotted in its annual count this summer.

The Big Butterfly Count is a nature survey organised by the wildlife charity Butterfly Conservation that takes place in the UK each year.

It involves volunteers spending 15 minutes outdoors to count how many butterflies they see, and what they look like, to help give the charity a better picture of how butterflies are doing on the UK.

The results of this year's Big Butterfly Count saw the lowest number spotted in the survey's 14-year history, with more than 9,000 reports not seeing a single butterfly.

Butterfly Conservation has called on the government to declare an emergency after publishing their findings.

Comment: This from The Guardian at the end of July:
Butterfly numbers are the lowest on record in the UK after a wet spring and summer dampened their chances of mating.

Butterfly Conservation, which runs the Big Butterfly Count, sounded the alarm after this year's count revealed the worst numbers since it began 14 years ago.

Many people have noticed the lack of fluttering insects in their gardens. Experts say this is due to the unusually wet conditions so far in 2024. Climate breakdown means the UK is more likely to face extremes in weather, and the natural rhythms of the seasons that insects such as butterflies are used to can no longer be relied on.

The UK had its wettest spring since 1986 and the sixth wettest on record, as an average 301.7mm (11.87in) of rain fell across March, April and May, nearly a third (32%) more than usual for the season.


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Eye 2

Huge python grabs woman as she's doing dishes, squeezes her for 2 hours in Thailand

Emily Crane
New York Post
Thu, 19 Sep 2024 11:54 UTC
Arom Arunroj, 64,
© APArom Arunroj, 64, was cleaning up in her kitchen just outside Bangkok on Tuesday night the massive python wrapped itself around her torso.
A Thai woman somehow survived a terrifying encounter with a huge python after the 16-foot snake wrapped itself around her waist as she was doing dishes โ€” and then squeezed her tightly for two hours.

Arom Arunroj, 64, was cleaning up in her kitchen just outside Bangkok on Tuesday night when she felt a sharp pain in her thigh and looked down to see a massive python taking hold of her, Thailand's Thairath newspaper reported.

"I was about to scoop some water and when I sat down it bit me immediately," Arunroj told the outlet. "When I looked I saw the snake wrapping around me."

"I grabbed it by the head, but it wouldn't release me," she continued. "It only tightened."

The snake continued to coil around Arunroj's waist until she could no longer stand, forcing her to prop herself up against the kitchen door as she screamed for help.

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Attention

Bear breaks into home and mauls father and son to death after killing 35 dogs in Russia

Will Stewart, Benedict Tetzlaff-Deas
Mirror
Wed, 25 Sep 2024 11:33 UTC
The bear was shot after police declared a curfew (
The bear was shot after police declared a curfew.
A raging brown bear mauled a father and son to death after breaking into their home just hours after it killed 35 dogs in a shelter.

The man-eating beast broke into the house in the Primorsky region of Russia before killing and devouring the father and son, aged 87 and 56. Hunting inspectors were immediately ordered to track down and kill the bear after it was feared it could strike again - and hours later, they found and shot the predator. Police had cordoned off the village and stood guard to protect terrified locals. A night curfew was also imposed.

Harrowing pictures showed the mauled corpses of the men and the dogs. Bear expert Sergey Aramilev said the animal's behaviour was not typical for the species, and it is likely the beast had been wounded by hunters, or was deranged and aggressive from rabies. He said: "If the bear kills people, then it was either injured by a person or sick with rabies. A healthy bear would definitely not do this, it would not even come close to a populated area."
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Attention

Chimpanzee kills infant in Guinea


New York Post
Thu, 26 Sep 2024 11:14 UTC
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People living near a chimpanzee research center in Guinea attacked the facility on Friday after a woman said one of the animals had killed her infant, the center's managers said.

An angry crowd ransacked the building, destroying and setting fire to equipment including drones, computers and over 200 documents, the center's managers said.

Eyewitnesses said the crowd was reacting to the news that the mutilated body of an infant had been found nearly two miles from the Nimba Mountains Nature Reserve, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The child's mother, Seny Zogba, told Reuters she was working in a cassava field when a chimpanzee came up from behind, bit her and pulled her baby into the forest.
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Tsunami

10 dead, 7 missing as Morocco flood sweeps away bus (UPDATE)


Arab News
Sun, 22 Sep 2024 12:20 UTC
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Floods in southern Morocco have swept away a bus, leaving two passengers dead and 14 others missing, local authorities said Saturday.

Torrential rains earlier this month triggered floods that killed at least 18 people in areas of southern Morocco that straddle the Sahara desert.

Regional authorities in Tata province said heavy rainstorms late Friday led to "exceptional" floods that caused houses to collapse and swept away the bus.

A statement which gave the toll of dead and missing said 13 others were rescued.

The rare heavy rains come as the North African kingdom grapples with its worst drought in nearly 40 years, threatening its economically crucial agriculture sector.


AFP

Comment: Update September 23

AFP reports:
Ten people died in Morocco at the weekend when floodwaters swept away a bus in the country's south, authorities said, raising the toll from the previously reported two dead.

Initially, the authorities said heavy rainstorms in Tata province late Friday had claimed two lives and left 14 people missing.

But since then the bodies of eight others had been found and another 13 were rescued, a health ministry official told the MAP state news agency.

Seven people were still missing, the same source said.

Earlier this month, torrential rains triggered floods that killed at least 18 people in areas of southern Morocco that straddle the Sahara desert.
About 2 weeks prior: At least 18 dead amid flash floods sweeping various regions in Morocco - a years' worth of rain in 2 days

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Tsunami

Cars swept away in Tunisia flooding


Al Jazeera
Tue, 24 Sep 2024 12:04 UTC
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Video from Tunisia shows cars being swept away by torrents of flood water in Sousse after heavy rain that caused damage to infrastructure and left several people with injuries.

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Hardhat

Tennis ball-sized hail slams Oklahoma City

Sierra Joslin
okcfox.com
Wed, 25 Sep 2024 11:13 UTC
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A hailstorm moved through Oklahoma City Tuesday night.

The hail caused damage to cars in parts of Oklahoma City and Edmond.

It is unclear at the time how much damage was caused.

Images of the hail show tennis ball-sized hail and golfball-sized hail that the storm produced.

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Fish

Australian fishermen catch rare oarfish in Top End waters

Lilly Larkin
The Thaiger
Wed, 25 Sep 2024 10:45 UTC
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Two Australian men reeled in one of the world's rarest fish during a charter outing in the Top End. A social media post displayed the pair proudly holding a massive oarfish, characterised by its horse-like head, large eyes, and long, slender body.

Skipper Curtis Peterson from Tiwi Islands Adventures led the charter group off Melville Island during a moonlit session last week. The oarfish, which can swim vertically at depths of up to 1000m, is often referred to as 'The Doomsday Fish'. Legends suggest that sightings of this fish are warnings.

An expert noted that such a catch in the Top End is exceptionally rare. 'It's the first instance I've heard of anyone catching an oarfish in this region,' said Alex Julius, a fishing columnist. He added that most oarfish are typically found washed up on shore, already dead.
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Doberman

Pit bull attack claims life of elderly cyclist in Thailand

Bright Choomanee
The Thaiger
Wed, 25 Sep 2024 10:09 UTC
PIT BULL ATTACK
A pit bull attack resulted in the tragic death of a 67 year old woman while she was cycling, leading the owner to declare an inability to care for the dog any longer.

At 4.30pm yesterday, September 24, Police Lieutenant Kritchatha Pathumkaew from Sam Khok Police Station in Pathum Thani received a report of a fatal pit bull attack in an unnamed alley, Village 1, Chiang Rak Noi Subdistrict, Sam Khok district, Pathum Thani. Police, including the police, forensic scientists from the Ministry of Justice, and rescue teams from the Po Tek Tung Foundation, promptly arrived at the scene.

Despite rescue efforts, the victim, identified as Daeng Thamthanta, succumbed to her injuries. The 67 year old resident of Sam Khok district had suffered severe wounds from the dog attack. Nearby, a blood-stained bicycle lay on the roadside, evidencing the brutal encounter.

Prathueng Nakpradit, a 76 year old witness, recounted hearing the sound of dogs fighting. Upon investigating, she discovered Daeng being mauled by the pit bull. Prathuang recognised the victim and called for help, shouting to Daeng's son to assist. He quickly arrived and moved his injured mother to a safer location.

Comment: On the same day a pack of stray dogs killed a 6-year-old boy in Uttar Pradesh, India.

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