Earth ChangesS


Arrow Down

Lucky escape for family of 4 as taxi falls into sinkhole in Chennai, India


thenewsminute.com
Sun, 18 May 2025 12:40 UTC
nnnnn
A taxi driver and a family of four had a narrow escape after the car they were travelling in fell into an eight-foot-deep sinkhole formed by a road cave-in on Rajiv Gandhi Salai near Tidel Park in Chennai on Saturday, May 17.

The incident occurred around 6.30 pm during rush hour when the taxi driver, identified as Shollinganallur resident Maridas (47), was taking Vignesh (42), his wife Dhanya (32), and their children Aswanth (12) and Advaith (7) to the Chennai Central Railway Station.

Passing motorists and on-duty traffic police who were at the site rushed to their aid. Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services personnel arrived and rescued the trapped passengers with the help of Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) contractors. All five were shifted to a nearby hospital for first-aid. No major injuries were reported. In the aftermath, traffic police blocked off the road and diverted the traffic.

A sewer line leakage from a 2.2 m diameter underground pipe of the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) was cited as the reason for the road cave-in. Teams from the Tamil Nadu Road Development Company (TNRDC), which maintains the OMR stretch, inspected the site and began restoration of the road in coordination with CMWSSB.

Meanwhile, CMRL clarified that the incident had occurred 300 m away from a CMRL site hoarding and was not linked to metro construction happening in the area.

Read More...
Arrow Down

2 dead and another person missing after heavy rainfall triggered landslide in South China


The Star (Malaysia)
Sun, 18 May 2025 12:25 UTC
nnnnn
Two people were killed and one remains missing after a landslide triggered by heavy rainfall hit a village in south China's Guangdong Province early Sunday, according to local authorities.

The landslide occurred around 7 am in Pingtougang Village, located in the city of Gaozhou, trapping seven people, according to Gaozhou's emergency management bureau.

Six people were rescued, but two of them died later despite emergency treatment. The other four have been sent to the hospital for treatment.

Search and rescue efforts are ongoing for the missing person.

Read More...
Volcano

Indonesia's Mount Lewotobi's eruption sends ash 6,000 metres into sky, prompting highest aviation warning


Malay Mail
Sun, 18 May 2025 12:13 UTC
Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki erupts
© AFPMount Lewotobi Laki-Laki erupts spewing volcanic ash, as seen from Nobo village in East Flores, East Nusa Tenggara May 18, 2025.
Mount Lewotobi in Indonesia's East Nusa Tenggara province erupted multiple times on Sunday, prompting the country's Volcanology and Geology Disaster Mitigation Centre to issue its highest aviation alert, reported Xinhua.

The strongest eruption occurred at 14:05 local time, sending a massive ash column up to 6,000 metres into the sky. Thick gray volcanic clouds spread northward, northeastward, westward, and northwestward from the crater.

Authorities raised the Volcano Observatory Notice for Aviation (VONA) to red level, the highest warning, advising aircraft to avoid flying below 6,000 metres near the volcano due to hazardous ash. Airlines were also cautioned about potential flight disruptions caused by the ash plume.

Read More...
Lightning

Lightning strike at Cambodia's Angkor Wat leaves 3 dead, dozens injured


The Straits Times
Sat, 17 May 2025 11:01 UTC
Preliminary assessments suggest the absence or insufficiency of a lightning protection system at the Angkor Wat temple site may have contributed to the incident.
© AFPPreliminary assessments suggest the absence or insufficiency of a lightning protection system at the Angkor Wat temple site may have contributed to the incident.
A lightning strike hit the Angkor Wat temple complex in Siem Reap, Cambodia, on May 16, killing three people and injuring dozens, reported security sources in the region.

The incident occurred at about 5pm during a traditional spiritual ceremony held by local Cambodians atop the temple amid rainfall. Most of the victims were Cambodian nationals.

As at the afternoon of May 17, the Cambodian authorities have yet to release an official statement confirming the number of casualties.

Preliminary assessments suggest that the absence or insufficiency of a lightning protection system at the temple site may have contributed to the incident.

Following online reports of the tragedy, many Cambodians on social media have called for the news to be taken down to avoid alarming potential tourists and to protect the country's image.

THE NATION THAILAND/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
Read More...
Seismograph

Significant 6.0 magnitude earthquake hits near Puquio, Peru


Volcano Discovery
Sat, 17 May 2025 20:22 UTC
mmmm
A very strong magnitude 6.0 earthquake hit 8.3 km (5.2 mi) away from Puquio, Ayacucho, Peru, in the early morning of Saturday, May 17, 2025 at 5.22 am local time (America/Lima GMT -5).

The quake had a moderate depth of 92 km (57 mi) and was felt widely in the area.
Read More...
Lightning

15 killed in lightning strikes in Odisha, India

Priyanka Koul
english.jagran.com
Sat, 17 May 2025 12:40 UTC
mmmmm
In one of the most fatal lightning incidents in recent years, 15 people were killed across various districts of Odisha on Friday as Nor'wester storms triggered intense lightning strikes across the state.

According to the Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA), the highest number of casualties occurred in Koraput district, where four people lost their lives. Ganjam reported three deaths, while Nabarangpur, Jajpur, and Dhenkanal recorded two fatalities each. One death each was reported from Rayagada, Cuttack, and Mayurbhanj. More than a dozen others were injured in these incidents.

In Koraput, four people died in two separate lightning strikes. In Paradiguda village (under Odiapentha panchayat, Laxmipur block), Budri Mandinga (60), her granddaughter Kasa Mandinga (16), and Ambika Kashi (35) were struck while taking shelter in a hut near their paddy field. Five others were injured in the same incident. In another case, Das Jani (32) from Khalpadi village in Semiliguda block was killed while fishing near Lenjiguda village.

In Ganjam, Rita Goud (30) of Kebiri Brahmapur (under Belaguntha police station) was fatally struck while in a mango orchard. In A. Barida village, 13-year-old Omprakash Pradhan died while playing cricket on a local field.
Read More...
Arrow Down

5 missing, 4 injured after landslide triggered by heavy rainfall hits northern Vietnam hydropower plant construction site


news.tuoitre.vn
Sat, 17 May 2025 12:25 UTC
A landslide occurred at the Ta Pao Ho 1A
A landslide occurred at the Ta Pao Ho 1A hydropower plant construction site in Phong Tho District, Lai Chau Province, northern Vietnam at around 10:30 am on May 16, 2025, leaving five workers missing and four others injured.
A landslide at the Ta Pao Ho 1A hydropower plant construction site in Phong Tho District, Lai Chau Province, northern Vietnam left five workers missing and four others injured on Friday.

Rescue operations are ongoing as authorities investigate the cause of the fatal landslide, believed to be triggered by days of heavy downpours.

According to initial reports from the Department of Dyke Management and Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, the incident occurred at 10:30 am on Friday while nine workers from Dung Phuc Loc Construction Investment JSC, based in north-central Nghe An Province, were redirecting a stream at the construction site.

A sudden landslide from the upper slope buried several workers, leaving five missing and injuring four.

Read More...
Attention

Bryde's whale washes ashore in only known sighting of the animal in British Columbia

Chuck Chiang
MSN
Fri, 16 May 2025 12:12 UTC
The Namgis First Nation says in a statement that a dead whale, seen in this handout image
© The Canadian PressThe Namgis First Nation says in a statement that a dead whale, seen in this handout image from Marine Education and Research Society, was found on Wednesday, May 14, 2025, on a beach near Port McNeill, B.C. Experts have determined the animal was a Bryde's whale — a species rarely seen in waters north of roughly the same latitude as Los Angeles.
Another dead whale has washed ashore on a British Columbia beach, the third over two weeks, but a marine wildlife expert at the scene said Friday that there's likely no connections between the latest case to the other deaths.

The Namgis First Nation said in a statement that a resident reported finding the whale Wednesday on a beach near Port McNeill, B.C., on the northwest side of Vancouver Island.

Experts who have examined the animal have confirmed it's a Bryde's whale — a species rarely seen in waters north of the same latitude as Los Angeles, the statement said.

Jackie Hildering with the Marine Education and Research Society is among the researchers on-site, and said this is the only known sighting of a Bryde's whale in B.C.

"Complete mystery," Hildering said when asked about the whale's possible cause of death, noting the animal did not show signs of malnutrition or being struck by a vessel. "There's absolutely nothing grossly on the exterior of the whale to know how it ended up here (and) why it would have died."

Read More...
Fire

Police say 2 people were killed in massive wildfire in central Canadian province of Manitoba

Malek Fouda
Euronews
Fri, 16 May 2025 17:09 UTC
A photo released by the government of Manitoba shows a wildfire burning near the town of Lac-du-Bonnet.
© Government of ManitobaA photo released by the government of Manitoba shows a wildfire burning near the town of Lac-du-Bonnet.
The central province of Manitoba has declared a state of emergency in its eastern regions to intensify firefighting, evacuation and relief efforts to all affected people and areas.

Canadian federal police say two people were killed near the small community of Lac de Bonnet in the central Canadian province of Manitoba on Thursday.

The bodies of an adult man and woman were found as the province battles a massive wildfire which broke out on Tuesday.

Assistant Deputy Minister of Manitoba, Kristin Hayward, says the fires remained out of control all of Wednesday and most of Thursday. Officials say there are currently 21 fires still burning in the province.

According to local media, there were 80 active fires across Canada as of Thursday. The fires have spread quickly due to unusually hot, dry and windy conditions.

Read More...
Tsunami

5 dead in Algeria after torrential rain and floods


newarab.com
Thu, 15 May 2025 16:43 UTC
mmmmmmmm
Five people have died and more than a hundred were injured as heavy rain caused flooding in several regions of Algeria, the country's civil defence service said on Thursday.

In Djelfa, some 300 kilometres (185 miles) south of the capital Algiers, three people died when a bus was stuck and submerged in flood waters.

The civil defence, who reported the deaths taking place over a 24-hour period, said a 13-year-old died from injuries he sustained after being struck by large hailstones.

A fifth person was swept away by floodwaters, and authorities say search efforts are ongoing for another individual still missing.

Heavy downpours continued on Thursday in parts of both northern and southern Algeria, Africa's largest country.

The Algerian national meteorological office had warned of up to 90 millimetres of rainfall prior to the floodings.

Read More...