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Sinkholes near Tokyo merge, man still trapped on 3rd day


KYODO
Thu, 30 Jan 2025 12:25 UTC
Photo taken from a Kyodo News
© KyodoPhoto taken from a Kyodo News helicopter on Jan. 30, 2025, shows a large sinkhole at an intersection in Yashio in Saitama Prefecture, near Tokyo. A sinkhole opened up on Jan. 28, swallowing a truck and a man believed to be its driver. Another sinkhole appeared during work to rescue him and the two holes later joined to become one large hole.
A sinkhole at an intersection near Tokyo that swallowed a truck collapsed further Thursday and merged with a second opening that had formed nearby, as rescue efforts continued into a third day to save the driver.

The sinkhole in Yashio, Saitama Prefecture, has expanded to roughly 40 meters wide and up to 15 meters deep since first appearing on Tuesday, according to local fire authorities. The prefectural government had estimated its width at around 20 meters.

Firefighters plan to deploy heavy machinery inside the hole to remove earth and rubble.

While the trapped 74-year-old man was initially able to speak, communication has been lost since Tuesday afternoon, with the driver's seat of the truck buried in debris.

A sewer pipe running underground in the area was found damaged, leading the prefectural government to start discharging wastewater into the nearby Niigata River late Wednesday as an emergency step to reduce the water flowing into the sinkhole.


Comment: Earlier report: Swimming pool-sized sinkhole swallows truck in Japan, trapping driver inside

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Five skiers killed in French Alps avalanches

Alex Loftus
BBC
Thu, 30 Jan 2025 12:05 UTC
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© AFP
Five skiers were killed in two separate avalanches in the French Alps on Wednesday, local officials have confirmed.

One torrent of snow came in Val-Cenis, in the south-eastern Savoie region, killing four Norwegian skiers, while a Swiss skier died further north in the Haute-Savoie region, near Chamonix.

Three of the Norwegians were killed instantly while a fourth, a woman, died in a nearby hospital after suffering severe hypothermia and a cardiorespiratory arrest.

They were part of a larger group of seven skiers and the remaining three were unharmed.

Jacques Arnoux, mayor of Val-Cenis, told AFP each member of the group had been carrying an avalanche beacon as they were off-piste skiing.
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Boat

Residents evacuated due to flooding in far North Queensland, Australia - over 15.7 inches of rain in 48 hours


Sky News Australia
Thu, 30 Jan 2025 14:43 UTC
A truck attempted to drive through floodwaters until being swallowed by floodwaters north of Ingham on the Bruce Highway.
A truck attempted to drive through floodwaters until being swallowed by floodwaters north of Ingham on the Bruce Highway.
Residents in Far North Queensland have been evacuated as heavy rain causes widespread flooding.

Police are reminding locals to be prepared for severe weather -as the region faces the prospect of three potential cyclones.

Rainfall totals have exceeded 400 millimetres in the past 48 hours.

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Tsunami

5 killed, thousands displaced due to floods, landslides in Malaysia

Aamir Latif and Berk Kutay Gokmen
Anadolu Agency
Thu, 30 Jan 2025 14:19 UTC
The condition of houses affected by the landslide in Kampung Lereng Bukit, Miri
The condition of houses affected by the landslide in Kampung Lereng Bukit, Miri
At least five people were killed and thousands displaced due to heavy floods and landslides in Malaysia, Bloomberg reported on Thursday.

It said some 5,000 people were displaced by raging floods in Sarawak and Sabah states on Borneo Island.

Affected people have been evacuated to temporary relief centers as raging floods struck the two Malaysian states.

According to the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee Secretariat, Serian city has the most displaced people, with hundreds of people and families seeking refuge in relief camps.

Landslides were reported in the town of Miri, where people were also displaced.

The Kota Marudu district of Sabah remains the worst hit, with 673 displaced people.

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Tornado1

Towering waterspout tornado damages coastal homes in South Sulawesi, Indonesia on January 27


MSN
Wed, 29 Jan 2025 13:42 UTC
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A towering waterspout tornado ripped through coastal homes in Indonesia.

Footage shows the massive rotating vortex peeling off roofs of houses as it hit land in South Sulawesi on January 27.

The weather phenomenon formed 50ft (15m) away from the shore before pummeling through dozens of houses.

Five homes were damaged but no one was reported hurt.

Amson Padolo, the leader of the South Sulawesi Provincial Disaster Management Agency, said: 'The strong tornado damaged houses in Sorowako village.

A ferry was almost hit when it was still forming in the water. 'One boat carrying passengers survived. They were lucky.'

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Snowflake

Rare snow day in Joshua Tree National Park, California

Bethanie H
Outdoors.com
Tue, 28 Jan 2025 15:12 UTC
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Snow in the Mojave Desert is a beautiful and rare sight. Yesterday, January 27, there was snow on the ground at Joshua Tree National Park, and the photos and videos coming from the southern California park are stunning.

The Instagram account @visit_joshuatree shared several videos of snow covering the ground and coating the famous Joshua trees. The captions say all footage was from yesterday, Monday, January 27, 2025.

"Joshua Tree National Park is in the high desert with peaks above 4000 feet elevation, so it typically gets snow once a year in January / February," says @visit_joshuatree in one of its posts. "[The park] had an especially dry year with very little rain in the last six months, so snow is a welcome sight in the park, and is a good indicator for Joshua Tree blooms and wildflowers in the spring time. Joshua Trees need a 'cold snap' to start their annual clock which then produces Joshua Tree blooms in February."

See footage from a rare snow day at Joshua Tree National Park here:

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Tsunami

Storm Herminia triggers severe flooding in France, Italy

Necva Tastan Sevinc
Anadolu Agency
Wed, 29 Jan 2025 14:23 UTC
An aerial view of flooded area as record-breaking water levels prompted authorities to extend major flood alerts following the aftermath of Storm Herminia in Ile-et-Vilaine, France on January 28, 2025
An aerial view of flooded area as record-breaking water levels prompted authorities to extend major flood alerts following the aftermath of Storm Herminia in Ile-et-Vilaine, France on January 28, 2025
Storm Herminia has unleashed heavy rains and strong winds across Italy and France, leading to flash floods, landslides, and widespread disruptions.

French authorities issued red weather alerts for three provinces late Tuesday, while Italian emergency services have been responding to damage in multiple regions.

The French city of Rennes has seen severe flash floods, forcing residents to evacuate.

The storm has brought torrential rain and high winds to western France, with Ille-et-Vilaine, Morbihan, and Loire-Atlantique placed under red alert due to rising floodwaters.

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Snowflake

Heavy snow blankets South Korea - up to 51 inches in 2 days

Yoo Jee-ho
Yonhap News Agency
Tue, 28 Jan 2025 14:11 UTC
Snow is seen piled up at a village in Hoengseong, Gangwon on Jan. 28.
© YONHAPSnow is seen piled up at a village in Hoengseong, Gangwon on Jan. 28.
Heavy snow blanketed South Korea for the second consecutive day Tuesday, disrupting transportation services and causing traffic congestion for people heading to their hometowns for the Lunar New Year holiday.

As of 4 p.m., 130 centimeters had piled up on Mount Halla on the southern resort island of Jeju since Monday, while some counties in the eastern province of Gangwon had 40 cm of snow over the same period. Cities of Anseong and Pyeongtaek in Gyeonggi Province, about 60 kilometers south of Seoul, had received about 25 cm of snow. In Seoul, the southwestern ward of Gwanak had 13.7 cm of snow.

For Wednesday, the Korea Meteorological Administration forecast an additional 5 to 15 cm of snow in the mountainous areas of Jeju and about 5 to 10 cm of snow in the Chungcheong and Jeolla provinces.

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Indonesia: Landslide after 8 hours of heavy rain in West Sulawesi claims 4 lives


uniindia.com
Tue, 28 Jan 2025 13:45 UTC
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At least four people died, and four others were severely injured in a landslide in Mamuju regency, Indonesia's West Sulawesi province, according to the country's disaster authority on Monday.

Head of the Mamuju regional disaster mitigation agency, Taslim Sukirno, said the landslide occurred in Mamunyu village at around 11:15 p.m. local time on Sunday after heavy rain hit the region for over eight hours.

According to the authority's preliminary report, one of the killed was a one-month-old infant. The landslide also buried two houses.

"All the victims have been evacuated using stretchers and ambulances, and the injured are receiving intensive care at the Mamuju district hospital," he was quoted by local media as saying.

The official said the government had employed personnel for evacuation, but the process was difficult because the landslide debris and fallen trees blocked the access.

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Swimming pool-sized sinkhole swallows truck in Japan, trapping driver inside

Arata Yamamoto and Astha Rajvanshi
NBC News
Tue, 28 Jan 2025 13:10 UTC
A large sinkhole at an intersection inYash
© KyodoA large sinkhole at an intersection in Yashio, a city near Tokyo on Tuesday
A truck and its driver were swallowed by a sinkhole the size of a large swimming pool which appeared at a busy intersection in the Japanese city of Yashio on Tuesday.

The crater, approximately 32 feet wide and 16 feet deep, appeared about 10 a.m. local time (8 p.m. ET Monday) Motohiro Ono, the governor of the Saitama Prefecture said at a press briefing Tuesday.

"It is thought to have been caused by a crack in the Nakagawa River Basin sewer pipe. As a result of this collapse, a passing truck fell in," he said, adding the main focus was rescuing the driver.

Almost eight hours after the collapse, the man was still trapped inside the vehicle due to the driver's seat being filled with sand and mud, according to the Nippon TV station, which reported that rescue teams were pumping air into the hole to give the driver oxygen.

Aerial footage from the broadcaster showed at least 12 fire trucks were on the scene in the city which sits to the north of Japan's capital Tokyo.

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