Earth ChangesS


Cloud Lightning

56 dead as rain, storm wreaks havoc in Uttar Pradesh, India


Hindustan Times
Fri, 23 May 2025 11:45 UTC
An auto was crushed after a tree fell on it during rain in Ghaziabad district on May 21 night
An auto was crushed after a tree fell on it during rain in Ghaziabad district on May 21 night
At least 56 people died in 24 districts in separate incidents after hailstorms accompanied by heavy rain and lightning wreaked havoc at various places in Uttar Pradesh between Wednesday night and Thursday morning, according to Uttar Pradesh relief commissioner office.

As per the data, 6 deaths were reported from Fatehpur, 5 from Kasganj, 4 each in Meerut, Kanpur Nagar, Buldandshahr, Etah and Auraiya, 3 deaths each in Gautam Buddha Nagar and Kannauj, 2 each in Ghaziabad, Firozabad, Kanpur Dehat and Etawah besides one death each in Aligarh, Hathras, Chitrakoot, Ambedkar Nagar, Amethi, Jhansi, Agra, Unnao, Baghpat, Azamgarh and Ayodhya.

Western U.P. that bore the brunt of the hailstorm was the worst hit. The affected districts suffered widespread power outages and agricultural losses were also reported in several districts. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath has directed officials to conduct relief work with full promptness in the districts hit by rain, hailstorm and lightning.

Yogi said the officials concerned should visit the affected areas and conduct survey of the loss of life and property. They should also maintain vigil on the relief work, he instructed. As per a state government spokesperson, senior officials from Lucknow will visit the affected districts to assess the situation and monitor the relief work.

In case of loss of life and cattle, the officials should distribute relief amount to the those affected immediately. The injured people should be given proper treatment, the CM said.

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Arrow Down

Landslide triggered by torrential rains at gold mine in Indonesia's Papua kills 15 with 4 missing (UPDATE)


channelnewsasia.com
Mon, 19 May 2025 10:42 UTC
Landslide at gold mine in Papua
© Badan Nasional Penanggulangan BencanaLandslide at gold mine in Papua
Torrential rains forced a halt on Monday (May 19) to Indonesia's search for 14 missing in its easternmost region of Papua after a landslide killed six workers at a gold mine and injured four, officials said.

The rains had triggered Friday's landslide, which hit a small mine run by residents of the Arfak mountains of West Papua province, said Abdul Muhari, the spokesperson of Indonesia's disaster mitigation agency.

Authorities will resume on Tuesday their search for those missing after the disaster, which engulfed temporary shelters used by miners.

The search effort was hampered by "damaged roads and mountainous tracks as well as bad weather", Yefri Sabaruddin, the head of a team of 40 rescuers, including police and military officials, who retrieved five bodies, told Reuters.


Comment: Update May 23

The Star (Malaysia) reports:
Indonesian rescue teams have recovered 15 bodies following a flash flood that swept through a remote gold mining site in the Arfak Mountains of West Papua, authorities said Friday (May 23), with four people still missing.

The disaster struck Jim village in the Catubouw district on the evening of May 16, after nearly seven hours of heavy rainfall triggered a torrent of water that tore through a makeshift mining camp, washing away tents and equipment.

"Victims were found gradually over several days," said National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) spokesperson Abdul Muhari in a statement Friday.

Eight of the victims have been identified, while seven remain unidentified and are being transported to Bhayangkara Police Hospital for forensic examination, he said.


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Tsunami

Flash floods cut off inland Australian towns, residents flee to rooftops - 4 month's worth of rain in 24 hours - 5 killed (UPDATE)

Renju Jose
Reuters
Wed, 21 May 2025 09:55 UTC
A drone view shows a flooded area following heavy rains, in Tinonee, New South Wales, Australia May 21, 2025.
© Harrison ReedA drone view shows a flooded area following heavy rains, in Tinonee, New South Wales, Australia May 21, 2025.
Heavy rain in Australia's southeast triggered flash flooding and cut off entire towns on Wednesday, stranding some residents on the roofs of their homes, as authorities issued snap evacuation orders with rivers staying above danger levels.

Rural towns in the Hunter and Mid North Coast regions of New South Wales, Australia's most populous state, were the worst hit from the downpour, with some areas receiving more than four months worth of rain over the past 24 hours.

"We have seen an enormous amount of rainfall," New South Wales Emergency Services Minister Jihad Dib told reporters.

"We've got a situation here where the rain really has been falling quite heavily and quite hard, and it hasn't been moving away. Part of that is because the ground is saturated and another part is also because the rivers are swollen."

In its latest update, Australia's Bureau of Meteorology said some areas could receive up to 300 mm (12 inches) of rain over the next 24 hours, three times the mean total for May.


Comment: Update May 23

The Daily Mail reports:
A fifth person has died in a region devastated by floods after dangerous conditions prevented emergency crews from accessing a home.

The body of a man believed to be his 80s was found inside a burnt-out vehicle in a shed on a Cooplacurripa property, about 50km north-west of Taree on the NSW mid-north coast.

A concern for welfare had been raised on Wednesday after the shed was reportedly spotted alight, but severe weather conditions prevented crews from getting to the property by road.

Access to the home was only possible by helicopter with officers arriving early on Friday afternoon, NSW Police said in a statement.

In some welcome news, a man missing in Nymboida has been located safe and well.

However, police have not ruled out floods as a factor in the disappearance of another man in Bellingen.

The intense rainfall that has battered the mid-north coast for several days moved south on Friday, but communities remain cut off and it will take some time to recover once floodwaters recede.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Premier Chris Minns planned to visit hard-hit Taree but their attempt to meet affected locals was called off, further highlighting the town's isolation by its second major flood in four years.


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Arrow Down

At least 4 dead, 17 missing as torrential rain and landslides hit southern China

Kriti Dhingra
newsx.com
Fri, 23 May 2025 10:34 UTC
A drone photo taken on May 22, 2025 shows the site where a landslide took place in Qingyang village, Guowa township of Dafang county, Southwest China's Guizhou province.
© XinhuaA drone photo taken on May 22, 2025 shows the site where a landslide took place in Qingyang village, Guowa township of Dafang county, Southwest China's Guizhou province.
At least four people have been confirmed dead and 17 others remain missing after heavy rainfall triggered landslides in southwestern China's Guizhou province on Thursday, Reuters reported. The torrential downpours led to widespread destruction, with the military and emergency teams dispatched to aid in rescue operations.

According to state broadcaster CCTV, two individuals died in Changshi township and two others in the nearby Qingyang village. The landslide initially trapped 19 people from eight households, but rescuers were able to free most of them, according to Reuters. Despite efforts, 17 people are still unaccounted for.

"The situation remains dire, and we are focused on locating the missing people and preventing further casualties," an official from the local disaster management agency told Reuters.


Comment: Also in China in the past week:

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Airplane

Indian plane makes safe landing despite significant damage during hailstorm

Rhea Mogul
CNN
Thu, 22 May 2025 11:22 UTC
IndiGo flight encounters sudden hailstorm while operating from Delhi, lands safely in Srinagar
IndiGo flight encounters sudden hailstorm while operating from Delhi, lands safely in Srinagar
An Indian passenger jet that encountered a hailstorm mid-flight and left passengers terrified, made a safe landing, despite significant damage to the plane.

The IndiGo plane was traveling from Indian capital New Delhi to Srinagar, the largest city in India-administered Kashmir on Wednesday - a flight that typically takes about an hour and a half - when it was met with "a sudden hailstorm en route," according to a statement from IndiGo.

"The flight and cabin crew followed established protocol, and the aircraft landed safely in Srinagar," it said.

The statement did not specify what damage the plane encountered but photographs of the aircraft show a large hole in the nose.

Delhi experienced widespread rain, lightning, and thunderstorms Wednesday night.

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Arrow Down

6 killed in landslide after heavy rainfall hits Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire

Abdullahi Jimoh
newscentral.africa
Thu, 22 May 2025 11:10 UTC
MMMM
Six people have died following a landslide triggered by torrential overnight rain in Ivory Coast's largest city, Abidjan, government officials confirmed on Thursday.

The disaster occurred in Mossikro, a neighbourhood within the Attecoube district, where the landslide destroyed three homes. National Cohesion Minister Myss Belmonde Dogo shared the grim update on social media, stating that seven other people were injured and taken to Yopougon University Hospital for treatment.

"We learned mid-morning of the initial damage caused by last night's rain in Abidjan," she wrote in a Facebook post. She described the event as a tragic consequence of seasonal weather patterns, which often bring destruction to vulnerable urban communities.

One survivor, Audrey Toh Lou, recounted the moment the disaster struck. "We were lying down when the rain started to come. The earth above fell on the house," she told AFP.

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Doberman

Man dies after being attacked by his own dog in Riga, New York

Victoria E. Freile
Yahoo! News
Wed, 21 May 2025 10:51 UTC
PIT BULL ATTACK
A man who was attacked by his own dog at his home has died, according to the Monroe County Sheriff's Office.

Emergency responders were called to a residence on Kendall Road in Riga, New York, around 8:20 p.m. Monday, when it was reported that a man was attacked by his dog, said sheriff's spokesman Deputy Brendan Hurley.

Richard L. Dambrowski, 46, suffered "significant physical trauma" to his face and neck from the encounter, which occurred inside the house, Hurley said.

Dambrowski was pronounced dead at the scene, Hurley said.

Comment: A day later: Man dead after attack by 3 pit bulls in Caseyville, Illinois

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Doberman

Man dead after attack by 3 pit bulls in Caseyville, Illinois

Madison Lammert
Belleville News-Democrat
Wed, 21 May 2025 10:34 UTC
PIT BULL ATTACK
A man died Tuesday following a dog attack in Caseyville, according to police.

The incident involved three pitbulls, Caseyville Police Chief Woodrow Hall said.

Kent P. Recklein, 67, a resident of Caseyville, was pronounced deceased at the scene at 2:14 p.m. Tuesday, St. Clair County Coroner Calvin Dye Sr. said. Police responded to a call reporting the attack at approximately 2 p.m., Hall said.

Hall said the department is still investigating the incident, so they do not know the exact details of the attack. He declined to share a specific location of the attack, but said the three dogs were taken by St. Clair County Animal Control.

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Attention

Dead adult female gray whale washes up along bay near Vallejo, California - 7th for the Bay Area in 2025


abc7news.com
Thu, 22 May 2025 10:23 UTC
An adult female gray whale was spotted off Mare Island in Vallejo.
An adult female gray whale was spotted off Mare Island in Vallejo.
A dead whale has been spotted off Mare Island in Vallejo.

SKY7 was overhead Wednesday evening.

This is at least the seventh dead whale that has washed up along a Bay Area beach this year.

Giancarlo Rulli with the Marine Mammal Center told ABC7 after the initial on-air broadcast, the gray whale was an adult female that was first spotted deceased last week.

According to the California Academy of Sciences, the 39-foot-whale was spotted underneath a pier near the Phillips 66 Refinery in Rodeo making access difficult.

They suspect the gray whale was possibly hit by a vessel.

The Marine Mammal Center said due to the advanced state of decomposition and location, a necropsy will not be performed. And the whale will be left to naturally decompose.

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Seismograph

6.2 earthquake strikes near Crete, Greece; shaking felt as far as Israel and Egypt

Carlos Robles
BNO News
Thu, 22 May 2025 09:06 UTC
Epicenter of Thursday's earthquake near Crete
Epicenter of Thursday's earthquake near Crete
A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.2 struck near the Greek island of Crete on early Thursday, according to seismologists. Shaking was felt across the region, including parts of Israel, Egypt, and Cyprus.

The tremor occurred at 6:19 a.m. local time on Thursday and was centered north of Crete, according to preliminary data from the Euro-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). It struck at a depth of 64 kilometers (40 miles).

The epicenter was located approximately 59 kilometers (37 miles) from Ágios Nikólaos and about 74 kilometers (46 miles) from Irákleion, both on the island of Crete.

Tremors were reported across the Aegean Islands and parts of mainland Greece, including in Athens. More distant reports of shaking came from Israel, Egypt, and Cyprus.
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