Earth ChangesS


Tsunami

More than 200 people dead, 500 missing in Nigeria flood disaster after torrential downpour (UPDATED)

Torrential rains devastated the central Nigerian city of Mokwa and killed at least 25 people, emergency services said Thursday amid a search for more bodies.
Torrential rains devastated the central Nigerian city of Mokwa and killed at least 25 people, emergency services said Thursday amid a search for more bodies.
The Niger State Emergency Management Agency says 21 people have lost their lives following a severe rainfall that resulted in a flood disaster in Mokwa Local Government of Niger.

The Director General of the agency, Ibrahim Hussaini, disclosed this to journalists in Minna on Thursday.

He said the incident occurred during a torrential downpour on Wednesday night, causing widespread destruction.

Mr Hussaini said three people were rescued alive, a woman and her two children, and were receiving treatment for wounds and shock at Mokwa General Hospital.


Comment: Update May 31

France 24 reports:
Flash floods in central Nigeria kill at least 150 people

Flash floods that ripped through parts of central Nigeria have killed at least 150 people and injured dozens of others, emergency services officials said on Saturday, with the toll expected to rise further.

Teams of rescuers continued to search for missing residents after torrential rains late on Wednesday through early Thursday washed away and submerged dozens of homes in and around the town of Mokwa, located on the banks of Niger River, in Niger state.

Ibrahim Audu Husseini, a spokesman for the Niger State Emergency Management Agency, warned on Saturday that the toll could still rise.

The figures shared with AFP Husseini noted a sharp rise from the previous toll of 115 dead, while also showing more than 3,000 people were displaced, 265 houses "completely destroyed" and two bridges washed away.

He said many were still missing, citing a family of 12 where only four members have been accounted for.

"Some bodies were recovered from the debris of collapsed homes," he said, adding that his teams would need excavators to retrieve corpses from under the rubble.

At least 78 people have been hospitalised with injuries, the Red Cross chief for the state, Gideon Adamu, told AFP.

According to the Daily Trust newspaper, thousands of people have been displaced and more than 50 children in an Islamic school were reported missing.

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) described it as an "unprecedented flood".

The police and military have been roped in to help with the disaster response.

Mokwa, nearly 380km west of Abuja, is a major meeting point where traders from the south buy beans, onions and other food from farmers in the north.
Update June 1

The BBC reports:
More than 700 believed dead in devastating Nigeria floods

The official death toll after deadly floods hit the Nigerian town of Mokwa on Thursday has risen to more than 200, officials say.

Another 500 people are still missing in the town in the central Niger State however, local official Musa Kimboku told the BBC that rescue efforts had ceased because authorities no longer believe anyone could still be found alive.

The floods, said to be worst in the area for 60 years, swept through the Mokwa districts of Tiffin Maza and Anguwan Hausawa after torrential rains.

In an effort to prevent disease in the area, authorities will soon start to dig out corpses buried underground, Mokwa's district head Muhammadu Aliyu said.

Recounting scenes of catastrophe, local residents told the BBC that they saw their homes and family members get washed away.



Arrow Down

3 killed, 7 missing in landslide caused by continuous rainfall in Xizang, China

Rescuers work at the site of the landslide in Muta township, Dengqen county, Southwest China's Xizang autonomous region, June 2, 2025.
© XINHUARescuers work at the site of the landslide in Muta township, Dengqen county, Southwest China's Xizang autonomous region, June 2, 2025.
A landslide in Xizang autonomous region in southwest China on Sunday has left three people dead, two injured and seven missing, local authorities said on Monday.

The landslide occurred at around 9:30 pm in Muta township, Dengqen county under the jurisdiction of the city of Qamdo.

The injured people are in stable condition in hospital.

About 500 rescuers, medical workers and firefighters, as well as sniffer dogs, are involved in the search and rescue operation, supported by ambulances, excavators and telecommunication and electricity supply facilities.

The city government of Qamdo has allocated 5 million yuan (about $696,000) for emergency disaster relief.

Experts from water and natural resources departments estimated that the landslide displaced roughly 200,000 cubic meters of mud and rocks. They also identified potential secondary landslide risks.

The Ministry of Emergency Management initiated a Level-IV emergency response for geographical disasters and has dispatched a team to support local rescue efforts.


Xinhua

Attention

Dead whale washes up on Montara Beach, California - 14th of the year for the Bay Area

Dead whale washes up on Montara Beach
Dead whale washes up on Montara Beach
A dead whale washed up on the shores of a Bay Area beach over the weekend, marking the fifth such instance in the last week, and the 14th of the year.

The whale, which washed up on Montara Beach, was a gray whale, according to the Marine Mammal Center. The organization told KTVU they had not yet had a chance to closely examine the animal to determine a cause of death.

Researchers with the California Academy of Sciences and the Marine Mammal Center said they haven't seen so many dead whales in the region since what they call the "unusual mortality event" between 2019 and 2023.

The Montara Beach whale was the 14th dead whale in the region since the start of the year — 13 of those were gray whales and one was a minke whale.

Since May 21 alone, stranded whales have died near Alcatraz, Point Bonita, Berkeley, the Farallon Islands and Bolinas.


Snowflake

Summer snowfall brings hardship to Kashmir Highlands in India

Fresh snowfall in Sukhnai village of Warwan Valley in Kishtwar district.
© Kashmir WeatherFresh snowfall in Sukhnai village of Warwan Valley in Kishtwar district.
It was the kind of snow people talk about in old stories — sudden, silent, and deeply wrong.

In the last week of May, just as shepherds began their annual journey to the upper pastures of Kashmir, the skies turned white.

In Margan, Warwan, Gurez, Peer ki Gali, and the slopes above Aharbal, snow blanketed the trails meant for summer migration.

Maize fields, just days away from sprouting, were buried. Sheep and goats froze where they stood. Tents tore. Fires sputtered.


Snowflake

Heavy June snowfall hits Naryn, Kyrgyzstan - 7.8 inches of snow reported

Snowfall occurred on June 1 in the Ak-Say and Arpa valleys of Naryn region
Snowfall occurred on June 1 in the Ak-Say and Arpa valleys of Naryn region
A heavy snowfall was registered in Naryn region yesterday, June 1. The press service of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Kyrgyzstan reported.

According to it, the 112 service received a message that a shepherd got stuck on Arpa pasture due to a sharp change in weather and heavy precipitations. Six more people were on Ak-Sai pasture at the time. All of them received first aid from rescuers and border guards.

The head of Kazybek village delivered hay for the animals to the herders.

The ministry reported that snow also fell on the 537-544th kilometers of Bishkek-Naryn-Torugart highway on June 1. The snow cover reached 15-20 centimeters, which created difficulties for transport. A grader was used to clear the road.


mmmm

Fish

'Doomsday Fish' in Tamil Nadu, India: fishermen catch rare oarfish

Doomsday Fish in Tamil Nadu
© X/@sanatan_kannadaDoomsday Fish in Tamil Nadu
Fishermen off the coast of Tamil Nadu recently caught a rare deep-sea creature known as the oarfish also called "Doomsday Fish".

Scientifically called Regalecus glesne, the oarfish is a ribbon-like marine species that can grow up to 30 feet long.

It is typically found at depths of 200 to 1,000 meters and rarely surfaces, making its appearance highly unusual.

With its silvery, wavy body and striking red fin-like crest near the head, the fish's rare sighting has sparked curiosity and speculation among locals.


Doberman

Man mauled to death by neighbour's pitbull in Zimbabwe

Harare man killed by neighbour’s pitbull
© @X(crimewatchzimbabwe)Harare man killed by neighbour’s pitbull
A Harare man was mauled to death by a neighbour's pitbull in the Bluffhill suburb last night. The residents of Bluffhill woke up to the gruesome scene as one of their neighbours was attacked to his death by a pitbull.

The horrifying dog attack has left a man in his thirties dead in New Bluffhill, Harare, after the pitbull with known aggressive tendencies escaped its property.

Residents Raised Concerns Against Vicious Pitbull Before

Local residents report the canine had previously demonstrated dangerous behaviour by repeatedly jumping over the half-height perimeter wall surrounding its owner's home.

According to pictures shared online, the owner's durawall is low, and his dog could easily jump over it. The locals raised concerns, asking for the owner to lock his animal in before. However, pictures of the dog roaming the roads without a leash in previous months have been shared all over the internet.

Volcano

Best of the Web: Mount Etna erupts leaving tourists fleeing for their lives during strongest eruption since 2014

Volcanic steam and ashes rise from Mount Etna
© ReutersVolcanic steam and ashes rise from Mount Etna
Mount Etna has begun to erupt sending huge plumes of ash into the air and leaving tourists running for their lives.

Footage shared online showed holidaymakers running along a ledge of the volcano in Sicily, with the huge ash cloud growing behind them.

The most active volcano in Europe had been experiencing some activity in the last few hours but has escalated to continuous "explosions of growing intensity", experts said.

The first volcanic tremor were felt just moments before the eruption.

The tremors began at roughly 10pm on Sunday evening before reaching a peak three hours later in the middle of the night.

The first tremor was localised at an altitude of 2.8km below the crater area, according to reports.


Comment: The National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology Observatory reports that Monday's eruption was Etna's biggest since 2014.




Tornado1

Kentucky tornado leaves 1 dead, several injured, wide swathe of damage

tornados kentucky
© Washington County Sheriff's Office / FacebookDamage pictures from the Washington County tornado in Kentucky May 30, 2025.
The twister caused severe damage throughout the county southwest of Lexington.

At least one person died in Washington County, Kentucky, when a powerful tornado left widespread damage Friday morning.

The county's sheriff's office confirmed the death and multiple injuries in a Facebook post at 9:48 a.m. EDT, about two hours after the twister struck the area located about 50 miles southwest of Lexington.

A damage survey performed midday Friday by the National Weather Service revealed a preliminary tornado strength of at least EF1.

Comment: More news from the storm's area:




Tsunami

Heavy rain, flooding batters Bangladesh - almost 16 inches of rainfall in 24 hours

Tin-roofed houses partially submerged in floodwater in a low-lying area of Sylhet city.
© Sheikh NasirTin-roofed houses partially submerged in floodwater in a low-lying area of Sylhet city.
Days of continuous heavy rain have inundated low-lying areas in both Chattogram and Sylhet, severely disrupting daily life and raising fears of landslides and flooding across the districts.

In Chattogram, roads were submerged, vehicles went off the streets, and landslide alerts were issued in several hilly areas. In Sylhet, the season's highest rainfall caused widespread waterlogging, while major rivers swelled alarmingly due to rain and runoff from upstream in India.

Chattogram

Continuous rain over the past few days has flooded many low-lying areas in the port city, causing sufferings to the people, particularly the office- and school-goers on the first working day of the week.

According to Abdur Rahman, assistant meteorologist at the Chattogram Divisional Weather Office, 123mm of rainfall was recorded in the 24 hours till 9:00am today.