Page 2 - Disaster Deaths

Asia world's most disaster-prone region in 2023, shows WMO report

Asia continued to bear the brunt of weather, climate and water-related hazards in 2023, making it the world's most disaster-hit region, according to a new report by the World Meteorological Organization. Floods and storms led to the highest number of reported casualties and economic losses, and the impact of heat waves intensified, said the World Meteorological Organization's (WMO) State of the Climate in Asia - 2023 report. According to the report, sea-surface temperatures in the northwest Pacific Ocean hit record highs, and even the Arctic Ocean experienced a marine heat wave. "Many countries in the region experienced their hottest year on record in 2023, along with a barrage of extreme conditions, from droughts and heat waves to floods and storms. Climate change exacerbated the frequency and severity of such events, profoundly impacting societies, economies, and, most importantly, human lives and the environment that we live in," said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo. Citing

Colombia declares disaster over wildfires, asks for international help

Colombia's government declared a disaster on Thursday and asked for international help to combat raging wildfires that are expected to worsen in coming days due to warm, dry conditions associated with the El Nio weather phenomenon. Officials raised the number of fires from 25 to 31, and said nine of them were under control. They did not order mandatory evacuations despite some fires burning in the mountains that surround some municipalities. President Gustavo Petro said Chile, the United States, Peru and Canada have already responded to the call for help, without specifying when the assistance will arrive to the South American country. The government also asked for aid from the United Nations and European Union. To the extent that we know that in the coming days and weeks crisis events are going to increase, we want to make sure that we have the physical capacity to address and mitigate them, Petro said. Colombia's Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies repo

Landslide traps 47 people in southwest China, more than 500 evacuated

At least 47 people were buried in a landslide that struck southwest China's Yunnan province on Monday morning, forcing the evacuation of 500 others in the region. The disaster struck the Liangshui village of Zhaotong city at 5:51 am Beijing time, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported. Efforts were ongoing to rescue the people trapped under the landslide, official media reported. Over 500 residents were evacuated from the landslide-hit areas as the provincial commission for disaster reduction activated a Level-III emergency response for disaster relief, state-run CCTV reported. More than 200 rescuers, along with 33 firefighting vehicles and 10 loading machines, were mobilised to search for the missing. The buried villagers were from 18 households, rescue officials said. There were no immediate reports of deaths or injuries. The cause of the landslide was not immediately known. Local weather forecast said there will be light snow in the town on Tuesday, with the lowest tempera

India saw extreme weather almost daily in first 9 months this year: Report

India experienced extreme weather events almost every day in the first nine months of this year which led to nearly 3,000 deaths, according to a report released on Wednesday. Published by the independent think tank Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), the report said the climate-vulnerable country had extreme weather on 86 per cent of days from January to September 2023. The CSE said 2,923 people died, almost two million hectares of crops were ruined, 80,000 homes were destroyed and more than 92,000 animals were killed. But these numbers might be even higher because not all the data is collected, it said. "'India 2023: An assessment of extreme weather events' attempts to build an evidence base on the frequency and expanding geography of extreme weather events in the country. As this assessment clearly shows, what the country has witnessed so far in 2023 is the new 'abnormal' in a warming world," said the CSE director general Sunita Narain. Madhya Pradesh reported the highest .

International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction 2023: All details inside

International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction is marked on October 13 yearly. The day gives a valuable chance to address the progress made in the field of reducing natural disasters

2 victims of the deadly Maui wildfire identified, death toll rises to 106

Follow live updates about wildfires that have devastated parts of Maui in Hawaii, killing dozens of people and destroying the historic town of Lahaina. The wildfires are the deadliest in the US in more than a century. The cause was under investigation. Even where the fires have retreated, authorities have warned that toxic byproducts may remain, including in drinking water, after the flames spewed poisonous fumes. 2 VICTIMS OF LAHAINA WILDFIRE IDENTIFIED AS THE DEATH TOLL RISES TO 106 Maui County released the names of two people killed in the wildfire that all but incinerated the historic town of Lahaina Tuesday evening, as the death toll rose to 106. A mobile morgue unit arrived on Tuesday to help Hawaii officials working painstakingly to identify remains, as teams intensified the search for more dead in neighbourhoods reduced to ash. The US Department of Health and Human Services deployed a team of coroners, pathologists and technicians along with exam tables, X-ray units and oth

Indore temple tragedy: Death toll rises to 36, temple officials booked

The death toll in the Indore temple stepwell collapse incident has now increased to 36 and efforts are being made to retrieve the body of another missing person, the police official said on Friday

Venezuela searches for missing after landslide in Las Tejerias; 43 dead

Rescuers worked to clear rocks and mud from the streets of a north-central city in Venezuela on Tuesday, three days after it was hit by a massive and deadly landslide, and expanded their search for any bodies buried under the sludge. Officials raised the death toll from the slide in Las Tejerias to at least 43 and warned that it could go up further as bodies are found downstream from the hardest-hit neighbourhoods. Crews extended their search perimeter to include that area, along a river located about a mile (2 kilometres) outside the city. At least 56 people were said to be missing, and some local residents have joined in the hunt for them. Magaly Colmenares said she was with a group of firefighters that recovered the body of her grandson Monday from a house swamped by mud. The corpse was taken to a health centre that has been pressed into service as a morgue. He was buried with a man who tried to help him and his 3-month-old sister, Colmenares said. I found my angel, and we have

Pakistan facing risk of fresh floods, more deaths as toll crosses 1,500

Although waters have started receding in some areas, authorities are worried heavy rains in parts of neighboring India could swell key rivers in Pakistan

Delhi: Kin of Covid victims to soon get Rs 50,000 more from disaster fund

Families that have lost loved ones to COVID-19 in Delhi will get a one-time ex gratia assistance of Rs 50,000 from the Delhi Disaster Response Fund (DDRF)

Uttarakhand disaster was caused by massive rock and ice avalanche: Study

February 7 disaster in Chamoli district, that resulted in over 200 dead or missing, was result of an avalanche that dropped about 27 mn cubic metres of rock and glacier ice from nearby Ronti Peak

11 killed in Tamil Nadu fireworks unit explosion; PM, CM express grief

At least 11 workers were killed and 36 injured when an explosion ripped through a fireworks factory near Sattur in this southern district in Tamil Nadu

Poor nations suffer most disaster deaths

The poorest nations paid the highest price in terms of the numbers killed per disaster