Earth ChangesS


Snowflake Cold

Best of the Web: Temperatures plummet to all-time record lows in China's Xinjiang

Police officers help a car stuck in the snow in Fuyun county, Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, China February 18, 2024.
Police officers help a car stuck in the snow in Fuyun county, Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, China February 18, 2024.
Temperatures broke a 64-year-old record in China's far western region of Xinjiang, plunging to a bone-chilling minus 52.3 degrees Celsius (minus 63.4 degrees Farenheit) amid a cold spell and traffic disruptions following the Lunar New Year holiday.

Several parts of China are battling another deep freeze as people return from week-long celebrations of the year's biggest holiday. Just before it started, blizzards and icy rain had stranded travellers on railways and roads.

State media said Sunday's milestone in the Tuerhong township of Fuyun county was the lowest since records began in Xinjiang, surpassing a temperature of minus 51.5 C (minus 60.7 F) set on Jan. 21, 1960.

The figure was just shy of the lowest national temperature of minus 53 C (minus 63.4 F) in Mohe, a city in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang on Jan. 22 last year.


Comment: Two record cold winters in succession then. "Global boiling!"



Windsock

Severe sandstorms hit northwestern China

A yellow, sandy haze has covered the city of Xi'an, China. The area was hit by a sandstorm at the weekend that brought low visibility and strong winds
A yellow, sandy haze has covered the city of Xi'an, China. The area was hit by a sandstorm at the weekend that brought low visibility and strong winds
Severe sandstorms swept across at least two cities in northwestern China in the Xinjiang and Ningxia Hui Autonomous Regions, drastically reducing visibility.


Wolf

Stunning drone footage shows wolves digging tunnels through deep snow in northern China

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Drone footage shows a pack of wolves digging tunnels through one-meter-thick snow in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous region.


Comment: Meanwhile in not too far away Kyrgyzstan: Snow as high as a horse falls in Kyrgyzstan


Snowflake

Snow as high as a horse falls in Kyrgyzstan

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The road leading to the Alaikuu valley in Kara-Kulja district of Osh region is temporarily closed for traffic for 1-2 days due to heavy snowfall, said deputy governor of the district Talant Karmyshakov.

"Yesterday, the road was opened, but due to snowfall and avalanches, it was decided to close the road. The threat of avalanches remains at 52-113 km section of the road, special equipment is delivered to the spot, electricity was restored," he said.


Comment: At the same time in an adjacent region of China: Stunning drone footage shows wolves digging tunnels through deep snow in northern China


Arrow Down

Landslide after heavy rainfall on Dorset's Jurassic Coast in England - 3rd this year

The landslip at Lulworth Cove in Dorset happened after days of heavy rainfall
© Richard MowerThe landslip at Lulworth Cove in Dorset happened after days of heavy rainfall
Going, going, gone! Dramatic moment rock crumbles into the sea in huge landslide on Dorset's Jurassic Coast

This is the moment rock crumbles into the sea in a massive landslide on Dorset's famous Jurassic Coast following heavy rainfall at the beauty spot.

The rockslide at Lulworth Cove, near the landmark Durdle Door, followed a spree of wild weather in the area - with a local cafe declared structurally unsafe.

Luckily, no one was injured, despite footage showing crowds left stunned by the incident at the popular cove last Wednesday.


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Afghanistan landslide caused by snow kills at least 25, hurts many

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At least 25 people were killed while eight others were injured in a landslide caused by heavy snowfall in the eastern Afghan province of Nuristan, the country's Disaster Management Ministry said Monday.

"As a result of the landslide, some 25 people have been killed and eight injured," Janan Sayeq said in a video clip shared with media, adding to AFP that the death toll could rise.

An avalanche has killed at least six people and trapped 30 more in the eastern Afghan province of Nuristan, a provincial official said on Monday after swaths of the country saw heavy snowfall.

"It is still snowing. Rescue efforts are underway and the number of dead may increase," provincial head of information and culture Jamiullah Hashimi told AFP.


Attention

Two women, three cows killed in wild elephant attack in Tamil Nadu, India

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Two women and three cows were trampled to death by a wild elephant near Aniyala on the Anekal border. The incident occurred when the villagers attempted to drive away the wild elephant that came to a farm. The elephant suddenly attacked those who were working in the farm and they died on the spot.

Of the two deceased women, one was identified as Ashwathamma. Following deaths of the two women, locals staged a protest by, blocking the roads with tree trunks.

Villagers expressed their outrage, accusing the forest department of failing to take appropriate action to stop the conflict between humans and elephants. People are dying due to repeated attacks by elephants, but the forest department is not taking any action, they charged.

Fish

Dead oarfish found in the seas off Phuket, Thailand

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A rare deep-water Oarfish was caught in the net of a Thai trawler in the Andaman Sea, about 8 nautical miles from Phuket, on Thursday.

The fish, which is the second to be found in Thai waters, was already dead when it was hauled on board the trawler. It was, however, transferred to another boat bound for the fishing pier in Mueang district, because the trawler which caught it had yet to complete its fishing operations.

On being informed of the find, the provincial fisheries chief, Sitthiphol Muangsong, and officials from the Phuket Coastal Fisheries Research and Development Centre went to the pier to investigate.

The Oarfish remains were in good condition, measured at 2.85 metres long and weighing at 8.6kgs. It was subsequently taken to Thailand's National Science Museum for more detailed study.

The first dead Oarfish was found in the sea off Satun province on January 4 this year. That one was 2.4 metres long.


Comment: A day earlier: Giant 12-foot 'Harbinger of Doom' oarfish spotted bloody and disfigured on beach in Philippines, igniting natural disaster fears among locals


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Landslide kills three, buries homes in Bolivia's west

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Ignacia Medrano recalled her escape from her house when the landslide hit late at night on Friday (February 16), saying it swept away everything in its path.

According to local media reports, a woman and two minors were killed in the disaster.

Around 60 families are now homeless, local media added.

Source: Reuters


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98 dead and 9 missing as landslide hits village in Philippines (UPDATED)

Volunteers assist residents being evacuated to safer grounds following a landslide at their village at Maco, Davao de Oro province, south Philippines
Volunteers assist residents being evacuated to safer grounds following a landslide at their village at Maco, Davao de Oro province, south Philippines
A landslide has left at least seven villagers dead and 48 others missing, including miners waiting in two buses for a ride home, in a gold-mining village in the southern Philippines, officials said.

Army troops, police and volunteers rescued 31 villagers who were injured when the landslide hit the mountain village of Masara in the remote town of Maco in Davao de Oro province on Tuesday night.

They resumed the search on Wednesday morning after suspending it the night before due to fears of more landslides, officials said.

More than 750 families have been moved to evacuation centres since the landslide struck, disaster response officials said.


Comment: Update February 9

BNN reports:
In the southern Philippine province of Davao de Oro, a devastating landslide near a mining site in Maco town on Tuesday has led to the death of 27 people, with 89 others still unaccounted for. The local government has confirmed the successful rescue of 32 individuals.

The landslide, which occurred near a gold mining site, swallowed several homes and two buses used to transport miners. The Maco municipal government is leading the ongoing search and retrieval operations, with rescue workers tirelessly navigating the treacherous terrain in a race against time.

Torrential rains that have battered Davao de Oro in recent weeks are believed to have triggered the landslide. The region's topography, combined with mining activities, might have exacerbated the disaster's impact.
Update February 12

The BBC reports:
At least 68 people are now known to have died after a landslide swept through a goldmining village in the Philippines almost a week ago.

Officials say there are still 51 people missing following Tuesday's disaster in Davao de Oro province, but rescue workers admit there is little hope of finding any more survivors.

A three-year-old girl was the last person pulled alive from the mud.

Her rescue - after more than 60 hours buried - was described as "a miracle".

Edward Macapili, a disaster agency official of the Davao de Oro province, said at the time it have given "hope to the rescuers".

But on Monday, those hopes appeared to have faded.

"It is almost a week after the incident and... we are assuming that no one is alive there," Mr Macapili told AFP news agency. "There is already a foul smell in the area now so there's a need to fast-track the retrieval."
Update February 18

The Sun Star reports:
The number of retrieved bodies from the landslide that hit a village in Maco town in Davao de Oro has reached 98, local authorities said Saturday afternoon, February 17, 2024.

In a press conference, Leah Anora, head of the management of the dead and the missing cluster, said as of 12 noon on Saturday, of the 98 bodies retrieved, 88 have complete body parts while 10 bodies were incomplete.

She said 79 of them have already been identified.

Anora said nine individuals are still on the list of missing persons; four were residents of Barangay Masara; four from Maria-Socio General Services Inc. (MSGSI); and one from APEX Mining.

Incident Commander Engineer Ariel Capoy said retrieval operations are ongoing for the missing individuals.
This latest incident is in addition to similar recent events, see also: At least 20 killed due to floods, landslides in southern Philippines