Earth Changes

28 people killed by floods in Ethiopia

Daily Mail
Tue, 05 Apr 2016 14:43 UTC

The state broadcaster in Ethiopia says 28 people have been killed in severe flooding in two remote regions.

The Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation reported Monday that 23 people were killed and 84 more people were injured when a river that crosses Jigjiga, the regional capital of the Somali region, burst its banks on Sunday.

It said intense rains in another drought-stricken region, Afar, led to floods in which five people were killed.

Ethiopian meteorology officials said thick clouds around the Indian Ocean could lead to more flooding in the coming days and the government is taking precautionary measures to assist people in the two affected regions.

Source: AP

Whale found dead off central Vietnam

Que Ha
Thanh Nien News
Tue, 05 Apr 2016 13:57 UTC

The floating body of the whale that was found dead on Phu Quy Island in Binh Thuan Province on April 4, 2016.

Fishers in the central province of Binh Thuan on Monday found a dead giant whale and towed the carcass ashore for funeral rituals.

A fishing boat with 18 crewmen spotted the floating body of the whale near Phu Quy Island at 11 a.m. on Monday.

They then called other boats to the site to help tow the whale ashore.

The animal, considered sacred by Vietnamese fisherfolk, was finally brought to a beach at 4 a.m. on Tuesday. The whale was estimated to be 10 tons in weight.

Mexico's Popocatépetl volcano lights up night sky with spectacular eruption

Andrew V. Pestano
UPI.com
Mon, 04 Apr 2016 13:42 UTC

Mexico's Popocatépetl volcano violently erupted over the weekend, launching ash and burning rocks into the air after weeks of increased activity.

Mexico's National Center for Disaster Prevention last week raised the environmental alert level to the second degree out of three, meaning nearby residents should be prepared to evacuate.

Officials have warned nearby residents to avoid the area, adding that low-level to intermediate-level explosive activity is expected. Falling ash may affect nearby towns.

Sunday's eruption occurred at 8:31 p.m., which led to an ash cloud reaching 1.2 miles in height and the raining down of burning rock fragments.

Volcanic activity has recently increased in Popocatépetl, which is in central Mexico -- about 43 miles southeast of Mexico City. Sunday's eruption has been the most significant in the past month.

The alert level was not raised after Sunday's eruption.

Sinkhole swallows house, gardens and courtyards in Hanoi, Vietnam

Strange Sounds
Mon, 04 Apr 2016 22:02 UTC

Hundreds of people living in Hoa Lac village (Tien commune, My Duc District, Hanoi) rushed out of their homes after hearing a terrifying noise outside.There they discovered a monster gap of 10 meters in diameter and 7 meters deepth that swallowed the main road. The Death Pit!

The giant sinkhole opened up at around 8:30 am. It swallowed a house and injureda few residents. No one died in this terrifying event. Initially the sinkhole was only 1 meter in diameter. Now, it has swallowed parts of a house and could expand more, thus panicking residents living around.

Five households have been affected by this natural disaster. Gardens, courtyards, auxiliary buildings (bathroom, toilet) and a house have been swallowed. Other buildings have cracks in the walls.

In 2016 and 2010, similar events occurred just 100 meters away. Moreover, some gigantic holes also formed in the fields around the village. The soil is most probably over-saturated with water. A stream was flowing through the village a few years ago and may have eroded the ground.

Dead whale found on Ghana shore

Ghana Web
Sun, 27 Mar 2016 18:28 UTC

Dead whale washed ashore

A dead whale has been washed ashore on the Dansoman Beach in the Greater Accra Region in the early hours of Sunday 27 March 2016.

The cause of the whale's death is not yet known but residents are speculating the marine mammal may have died from a dynamite explosion. The sea waves swept the carcass ashore around 3am.

Class FM's Ridwan Karim Dini Osman was at the scene and reported that scores of residents have gathered to catch a glimpse of the sea creature.

Some of the residents said a similar incident happened in 2013.

They also indicated that they were waiting for the traditional authorities in the area to perform certain rituals before the huge carcass is buried.

It is estimated that over 20 dead whales have been washed ashore Ghana's coast since 2009, predominantly in the Greater Accra, Central and Western regions.

Source: classfmonline.com

Update: 30 killed by lightning strikes within 10 days in Bangladesh

Probir K Sarker
Dhaka Tribune
Sat, 02 Apr 2016 17:05 UTC

At least 30 people mostly farmers were struck and killed by lightning in the last 10 days at different parts of the country as nor'westers started to hit since last month.

The frequency of the storms (Kalboishakhi) usually rises in April and May, and the deaths from lightning could go up significantly if precautions are not taken properly. This seasonal storm is typically accompanied by lightning.

The maximum 13 people were killed by lightning on Thursday in seven districts. Most of the victims were farmers working on the field. Of them, three teenagers were killed in Munshiganj and two each in Faridpur, Kishoreganj, Bagerhat and Manikganj districts.

Earlier, two people were killed on March 30 and five on March 28 during nor'westers at different parts of the country. Six others, killed on March 27, include three schoolboys of Netrakona.

Huge sinkhole opens on Bangkok motorway days after similar collapse swallows truck on same road

Kelly-Ann Mills
The Mirror, UK
Mon, 04 Apr 2016 15:28 UTC

The deep cavern which stretched almost 400ft (120 metres) opened up on the road out of the blue

This was the shocking scene on a motorway after the road suddenly collapsed revealing a huge 13ft deep sinkhole. The deep cavern which stretched almost 400ft (120 metres) opened up on a road north of Bangkok in Thailand.

It comes just days after a truck overturned after being pulled into a similar crack in the road a few days earlier. Authorities have closed the road indefinitely and inspectors have reported finding small cracks at various point along the carriageway.

Thitinan Charoen-ard, chief administrator of Sananlak municipality led officials on a inspection of the area. She said the water level at a nearby canal had fallen significantly and could be related to the collapse.

4 inch hailstones damage 1,000 houses in Vietnam

Thanh Nien News
Mon, 04 Apr 2016 12:33 UTC

Many hailstones were 10 to 15 centimeters across, according to locals.

Around 1,000 houses and 100 hectares of vegetables fields were damaged in Tuyen Quang Sunday in the province's worst hailstorm in 30 years.

Hailstones as large as 10 centimeters across fell for eight minutes from 6:40 a.m. Sunday, leaving holes in many roofs and injuring several farmers on their way to work. Fortunately, no one was killed.

Several solar panels and outdoor steel water tanks were also damaged.

Dinh Thi Nghia, 50, a local, said it was the biggest hailstorm she had ever experienced.
"Luckily it happened on a day kids don't go to school."

A meteorologist said the hail was the biggest recorded in the province in 30 years.

The hailstones damaged around 1,000 roofs.

A hail storm brought down massive chunks of ice in Tuyen Quang Province April 3.

Lightning bolt kills 2 and injures 2 others in Tanzania

Azory Gwanda
All Africa
Mon, 04 Apr 2016 12:03 UTC

Two residents of Ikwiriri District in Coast Region died while two others escaped with serious injuries after being struck by lightning.

The incident occurred yesterday around 1pm at Umwe Kati in Ikwiriri when watching a movie at a makeshift pavilion.

Confirming the tragedy, Rufiji District Commissioner Nurdin Babu named the deceased as Haji Lupango, 17, and Adam Kitumbi, 6, both residents of Umwe Kati in Coast Region.

According to the district Commissioner, those who sustained injuries are Salum Makuka and Zuberi Mkono, who are admitted to Mchukwi Hospital in Ikwiriri.

"There was a huge thunder accompanied by lightning that struck the pavilion in Ikwiriri," Mr Babu said.

24 killed as torrential rains wreak havoc in northern Pakistan

The International News
Sun, 03 Apr 2016 17:39 UTC

Torrential rain in Pakistan

At least 24 people were killed as torrential rains and snowfall wreaked havoc in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and northern parts of the country on Saturday and Sunday.

The casualties took place in landsliding and incidents of roof collapse and lightning amid heavy rains and snowfall. Heavy rains triggered floods in Swat River, hill torrents and nullas, submerging many villages and hotels in the affected areas.

14 people lost their lives and many others were injured in incidents of roof collapse in Kaghan, Malakand Agency, Mardan and Charsadda. Two women and a child were killed and six other people injured in Shangla when a landslide crashed into two houses.

Five people were killed when lightning struck a village in Kohistan. Local administration has asked the people to evacuate the affected areas.