Earth ChangesS


Arrow Down

36 dead in Colombian highway landslide due to heavy rain (UPDATE)

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Eighteen people were killed and 35 injured in a landslide in the Choco region of Colombia on a highway near the town of Carmen de Atrato.

The landslide occurred due to heavy rains.

Governor of Antioquia, Andres Julian Rendon, said search and rescue teams had been dispatched to the region and many victims were trapped under the soil.

Vice President Francia Marquez wrote on X that the government is closely monitoring the situation.

An announcement from the Emergency Center said it received reports of landslides simultaneously, and it was noted that many more victims could be under the soil than initially thought.


Comment: Update January 15

AFP reports:
The death toll from recent landslides in northwestern Colombia rose to 36, according to an official tally Sunday, as rescuers continued to look for at least seven people.

Earlier, officials had put the toll from Friday's landslides, which hit a road linking the cities of Medellin and Quibdo, at 23 dead.

"To all the families of the victims, my heartfelt condolences," said President Gustavo Petro.

Pope Francis also offered prayers for the victims from the Vatican.

Rescuers, using sniffer dogs and bulldozers, have been racing against the clock to find survivors.

Videos shared on social media showed part of a mountain breaking loose and crashing down onto a line of cars, as screams broke out.

The landslides in Colombia's Choco department, which lies on the Pacific Ocean, followed more than 24 hours of intense rain.

The Ombudsman's Office warned of "high risk of new landslides."

"We call for all necessary actions to be taken in order to safeguard the lives of people who are at risk in the area," the office said in a bulletin.



Doberman

Toddler dies in attack by stray dogs in Bhopal, India

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Stray dogs have long been a subject of debate in India. The problem of stray dogs and bite cases became widespread in India.

In horrific, dreadful and fatal incident, a seven-month-old toddler was mauled to death by stray dogs in Bhopal.

The heart-wrenching incident unfolded in the Ayodhya Nagar area on Wednesday. The dreadful incident was captured in a video that subsequently went viral on social media, prompting the police and administration to take notice.

According to the official statement, the authorities exhumed the baby's body, which had been buried by the family on the day of the incident, and sent it for post-mortem on Saturday.

Cloud Lightning

Lightning kills man on Fiji

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A man died at Keolaiya settlement in Sabeto, Nadi on Thursday afternoon after being struck by lightning.

The victim Satendra Kumar was last seen working in his garden before he was found lying motionless on the ground.

Police spokesman Wame Boutolu said the incident took place about 2.30pm.

"A 60-year-old, farmer while at his cassava farm was found lying motionless with burnt smell from his body and torn shirt believed to be struck by a lightning," he said.

Investigation continues.

Attention

East coast mud volcano erupts in Trinidad

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The mud volcano at Cascadoux Trace off the Manzanilla/Mayaro Road on Trinidad's east coast, erupted on Thursday evening.

Three homes near the agricultural village of Kernahan, have been evacuated, according to reports.

There are no reports of damage or injury.

Police, fire officers, and officials of the Disaster Management Unit of the Rio Claro/Mayaro Regional Corporation went to the area.

People reported seeing mud spewing as high as 15 feet.


Fire

Indonesia's Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki spews towering smoke in fresh eruption

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Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki in eastern Indonesia continues to erupt, spewing towering ash clouds as authorities raise the alert status to the highest level.

The eruption follows weeks of heightened volcanic activity on the mountain, located on Flores Island, and prompted thousands to leave their homes and stay at temporary shelters.


Arrow Down

One person killed after avalanche roars through Lake Tahoe ski resort

Rescues crews work at the scene of an avalanche at a California ski resort near Lake Tahoe on Jan. 10, 2024 in Calif.
© Mark SponslerRescues crews work at the scene of an avalanche at a California ski resort near Lake Tahoe on Jan. 10, 2024 in Calif.
An avalanche roared through a section of expert trails at a California ski resort near Lake Tahoe on Wednesday, sweeping up four people and killing one, as a major storm with snow and gusty winds moved into the region, authorities said.

The avalanche prompted Palisades Tahoe to close 30 minutes after it opened, and search crews combed the area to see if anyone was injured or trapped.

Sgt David Smith, a spokesperson for the Placer county sheriff, said hours later that one person, a man, had died. Another person suffered a lower leg injury and two others were treated for unspecified injuries and released, officials said.

Authorities said nobody else was missing.


Question

Dozens of dead sea animals mysteriously wash up on South Australia beach

Dozens of dead fish were found on the shores
© Limestone Coast Community NewsDozens of dead fish were found on the shores of South Australia's Eight Mile Beach.
Dozens of dead sea animals, including sharks and octopuses, have mysteriously washed up on South Australian shores.

Residents were shocked to discover a mass of fish bodies littered on Eight Mile Creek, south-east of Mount Gambier.

Most of them were wobbegong sharks, but authorities also found snapper, wrasse, octopuses, Port Jackson sharks, stingrays, salmon and ling.


Seismograph

6.4-magnitude earthquake hits Afghanistan, tremors felt across India and Pakistan

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An earthquake of magnitude 6.4 has hit Afghanistan at 1.20pm, according to UAE's National Centre of Meteorology. Tremors have been felt across two major South Asian countries.

According to ANI, tremors have been felt in Delhi and the National Capital Region.

Social media users took to X to explain the impact of the quake in Pakistan, saying tremors were felt across Islamabad, Lahore, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab. In a video uploaded on the micro-blogging platform, people can be seen gathering underneath buildings.

Question

Nearly 700 swans found dead at nature reserve in Kyrgyzstan as specialists investigate bird flu

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Hundreds of swans have been found dead at a nature reserve in the Central Asian country of Kazakhstan, environmental officials said Tuesday. The nature reserve is based around Lake Karakol, near the shores of the Caspian Sea, and is home to a variety of rare and endangered species.

"Between 21 December and 8 January, a total of 675 swan carcasses were discovered on Lake Karakol," the Kazakh ecology ministry told AFP.

The birds may have died from avian flu, the ministry said, adding that specialists had been dispatched to the site to investigate.

Lake Karakol was artificially formed in the Soviet era near the site of a nuclear plant, and has been the focus of conservation efforts.

Activists have previously raised concern about environmental problems in western Kazakhstan, particularly air and water pollution.


Snowflake

Deadly winter storm sweeping across the US

A flock of turkeys crosses Forsberg Street in Worcester, Mass., after a winter storm, Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024.
© Allan Jung/Worcester Telegram & GazetteA flock of turkeys crosses Forsberg Street in Worcester, Mass., after a winter storm, Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024.
Millions are under severe weather alerts across the U.S. as freezing temperatures and heavy snow blankets parts of New Mexico to Iowa and multiple cities in the south are under tornado watches as storms move in along the Gulf Coast.