Page 2 - Natural Disasters

PM Modi announces ₹1,500 cr aid for rain-affected areas in Himachal Pradesh

Modi first conducted an aerial survey of flood-affected areas before attending a meeting in Kangra to review the relief and rehabilitation measures

Storm Tapah hits Southern China, forcing evacuations, school shutdowns

Schools closed, flights were disrupted and tens of thousands of people were evacuated in southern China as Tropical Storm Tapah made landfall on Monday. The economic hub of Guangdong province near Hong Kong halted some train and ferry services ahead of the storm, according to the official Xinhua news agency. Dozens of scenic areas were closed and some 60,000 people were evacuated across the region by Sunday afternoon, state broadcaster CCTV reported. CCTV said the storm made landfall around the coastal area of Taishan city in Guangdong at around 8:50 am local time, with maximum sustained winds near its centre reaching 30 metres (98 feet) per second. Hong Kong's observatory raised its No. 8 storm signal on Sunday night, the third-highest in the city's weather system. It said Tapah was packing maximum sustained winds near the centre of about 68 miles (110 km) per hour at 9 am. The financial hub saw about 100 flights cancelled, with some travellers sleeping on chairs as they waited fo

NMC orders deployment of PG medical students in flood-affected areas

The National Medical Commission has directed that post graduate medical students be deployed in flood-affected areas, a move which comes at a time when many northern states are battling natural disasters following incessant rains. The deployment of post-graduate medical students in the flood/disaster-affected areas of northern states and UTs shall be considered as part of the District Residency Programme training, according to a circular issued by Commission on Saturday. The District Residency Programme (DRP) for post-graduate medical students provides an opportunity to understand the healthcare needs of people at the field level. In view of the recent floods/disaster-like situations in the northern states and UTs of the country, there is an urgent requirement for healthcare professionals as part of the ongoing relief measures, the Commission said. This initiative will not only provide much-needed healthcare services at the field level but will also enable young medical professiona

Earthquake devastates Afghan villages; kills 800 and injures 2,500

Desperate Afghans clawed through rubble in search of missing loved ones after a strong earthquake killed some 800 people and injured more than 2,500 in eastern Afghanistan, according to figures provided Monday by the Taliban government. The 6.0 magnitude quake late Sunday hit towns in the province of Kunar, near the city of Jalalabad in neighbouring Nangarhar province, causing extensive damage. The quake at 11:47 pm was centred 27 kilometres east-northeast of Jalalabad, the US Geological Survey said. It was just 8 kilometres deep. Shallower quakes tend to cause more damage. Several aftershocks followed. Footage showed rescuers taking injured people on stretchers from collapsed buildings and into helicopters as people frantically dug through rubble with their hands. The Taliban government's chief spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said at a press conference Monday that the death toll had risen to at least 800 with more than 2,500 injured. He said most of the casualties were in ...

Nepal reports 82 deaths and 22 missing in monsoon-related incidents

Nepal recorded 82 deaths in monsoon-related incidents this year, less than half compared to last year's figure, an official report said on Sunday. According to a report released by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA), 22 people are missing owing to the monsoon-related disasters such as floods, landslides, heavy rain, lightning and windstorms. However, the country witnessed on average 22 per cent less rainfall this year compared to last year, the report added. The report said that 284 people were injured in 1,417 incidents related to the monsoon across the country. Altogether 3,899 families were affected in various incidents between mid-April (Nepalese New Year) and August end. There were a total of 243 flood-related incidents, leading to 27 deaths, 22 people missing, and 10 injuries. During the same period, 368 landslides occurred, resulting in 18 deaths and 28 injuries. The landslides displaced 481 families. Similarly, 266 cases of heavy rainf

'Natural disasters testing nation', says PM Modi in 'Mann Ki Baat' address

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday expressed pain and anguish over the devastation caused by landslides and floods triggered by incessant rains, and said natural disasters are testing the country. In the 125th episode of the "Mann Ki Baat" programme, he also highlighted two major achievements of Jammu and Kashmir amid the devastating natural calamity -- the first day-night cricket match in Pulwama and the 'Khelo India Water Sports Festival' at Dal Lake in Srinagar. "During this monsoon season, natural disasters are testing the country. In the last few weeks, we have witnessed massive havoc caused by floods and landslides. Homes torn apart, fields submerged, and entire families destroyed. "The relentless surge of water swept away bridges; roads got washed away, and people's lives were in danger. These incidents have saddened every Indian," Modi said in the radio broadcast. The prime minister hailed the efforts of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the State Disaster ..

Flood-hit Punjab: Rescue efforts intensify, boats evacuate stranded people

Rescue efforts by NDRF, Army, and other agencies are being intensified in Punjab, which is under the grip of massive floods following days of heavy rains. On Wednesday, Amritsar (Rural) Senior Superintendent of Police Maninder Singh said boats have been deployed to rescue people stuck in flooded areas of the Ajnala area. Amritsar Deputy Commissioner Sakshi Sawhney visited the area to take stock of the flood-like situation because of the rising water level in the Ravi river. A swollen Ravi has inundated many villages near the India-Pakistan border in Pathankot. Several teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were deployed in Sujanpur, Atepur and Baheri areas to evacuate people from flooded areas on Wednesday, officials said. Pathankot Deputy Commissioner Aditya Uppal urged people not to panic and asked them to call up a control room number for any support. He said the NDRF, the Army have been engaged in providing all support in the affected areas. Two relief camps ha

Vietnam evacuates hundreds of thousands as typhoon Kajiki nears landfall

Vietnam has evacuated hundreds of thousands of people and closed schools and airports as it braces for Typhoon Kajiki, its strongest storm of the year so far. Forecasters said the typhoon had winds of up to 166 kilometres per hour at 10 am Monday but is expected to weaken slightly before making landfall between central Vietnam's Thanh Hoa and Ha Tinh provinces later in the afternoon. The typhoon started as a weak tropical depression on Aug. 22 but grew into a powerful storm in less than two days, matching last year's Typhoon Yagi as one of the region's fastest-growing, according to state media. Its rapid strengthening forced Vietnamese authorities to rush emergency measures as strong winds and heavy rain hit the region. Last year, Typhoon Yagi killed about 300 people and caused USD 3.3 billion in damage. Kajiki has already caused devastation in China, with strong winds and heavy rain whipping Hainan Island and nearby parts of Guangdong province on Sunday. About 20,000 people were

Heavy rains wreak havoc in Himachal; 261 dead, roads, power disrupted

Officials said that road connectivity has been hit the hardest in Mandi district with 201 blockages, including the strategic NH-03

Wildfires fanned by heatwave rage across Europe, burning houses, factories

"What does it look like? It looks like doomsday. May God help us and help the people here," said Giorgos Karvanis, a volunteer who had come from Athens to Patras to help.

Moderate 4.9 magnitude earthquake jolts New Zealand's lower North Island

A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck New Zealand's lower North Island Wednesday, with a jolt rated as moderate by the country's geological sciences agency. The quake was centred 20 km south of the city of Hastings in the Hawkes Bay region at a depth of 30 km, the agency GeoNet said. There were no immediate reports of damage. The quake, which happened just before 6pm local time, was widely felt by almost 6,000 people who filed reports on the GeoNet website. Hawkes Bay is one of New Zealand's most seismically active regions. A major earthquake in 1931 killed 256 people. New Zealand, home to 5 million people, sits on the Ring of Fire, an arc of seismic faults around the Pacific Ocean where earthquakes and volcanoes are common.

NGRI experts launch search ops to trace 66 missing in disaster-hit Dharal

Equipped with Ground Penetrating Radars, experts from the National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) on Tuesday launched a search operation to trace the 66 people, including 24 Nepali labourers, reported missing since raging waters and mudslides buried virtually half of Dharali village in Uttarkashi a week ago. The team of experts, which reached the flood-ravaged site on Monday evening, will identify and focus on places where there may be human presence under the debris, they said. Ground Penetrating Radars (GPRs) is a geophysical method that uses radio waves to detect objects and structures below the surface. The NGRI had used its GPRs to locate people trapped in the SLBC tunnel collapse in Telangana in February this year. These radars of NGRI can detect human life even in the presence of mud and water, the officials said, adding that the GPR surveys will also detect anomalies within the debris. On Monday, incessant rain in various parts of Uttarakhand, including Uttarkashi,

Uttarakhand Police conducts search, rescue in Dehradun's disaster-hit areas

A rescue operation was launched amid a massive mudslide that struck Dharali village in the Kheer Gad area near Harsil

Was it a cloudburst or glacial lake burst in Dharali? Know the difference

A cloudburst is a meteorological event which is a rapid, intense downpour of rain over a small area whereas a glacial lake burst stems from geological triggers that suddenly releases stored water

Massive California wildfire grows, becomes state's largest in 2025

Rising temperatures on Wednesday posed new challenges for firefighters who have made incremental progress against a massive wildfire in central California that has injured four people as it has become the biggest blaze in the state so far this year. More than 870 remote homes and other structures at the northern edge of Los Padres National Forest are threatened by the Gifford Fire, which grew only slightly overnight after burning out of control for days. The fire has scorched at least 339 square kilometres of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, with just 9 per cent containment. It surpassed the 326-square-kilometer Madre Fire, which erupted last month in southeastern San Luis Obispo County, as the state's largest fire of 2025. Crews working in steep, inaccessible terrain will be dealing with temperatures in the mid-90s (35 Celsius) on Wednesday and above 100 (38 Celsius) on Thursday, said Capt. Scott Safechuck with the Santa Barbara County Fire Department. We have hot weath

190 people rescued from Uttarkashi's Dharali village: Uttarakhand CM

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Wednesday said 190 people have been rescued from Uttarkashi's Dharali village which was hit by a flash flood triggered by a cloudburst that struck the upper catchment of the Kheer Ganga river. Talking to PTI Videos here, the chief minister said plans are being prepared to evacuate the pilgrims stuck in Gangotri Dham through Nelong Valley. "All arrangements have been made and they will be evacuated very soon," he added. "After the incident which took place yesterday, 190 people have been rescued from there. All of them are safe and are at secure places," he said, adding, "The injured have been admitted to hospitals while some have been sent to the military camps and higher centres." Five people have been killed and several have been injured in the flash flood which hit Dharali on Tuesday. Dhami said the state government employees are doing their work. "I am also camping here. Till all rescue work is streamlined and they catch speed,

Datanomics: Natural disasters kill at least 1,000 people annually

More than 1,000 people die every year due to natural disasters in the country

Latest updates | Uttarkashi cloudburst: Over 100 missing, 4 dead | Dharali floods | Uttarakhand

Cloudburst triggered flash floods in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi district on August 6 have claimed at least four lives. Over 60 people are feared trapped or missing.

Unscientific mining in Uttarakhand's Bageshwar risks disasters: Govt panel

A government-appointed panel has warned that unscientific mining in Uttarakhand's Bageshwar district is destabilising slopes, threatening villages and agriculture besides disrupting water sources in the fragile Himalayan region. The "Geological Assessment and Recommendations For Sustainable Mining Practices in Bageshwar District" report, submitted to the National Green Tribunal on July 30, called for sweeping reforms in mining practices and stringent monitoring to mitigate the risks. The assessment was conducted following rising complaints of landslides, cracks in houses, drying springs and crop losses in several villages around Bageshwar. The tribunal had sought an expert evaluation after local residents alleged that mining in the district was being carried out without regard for environmental safeguards. The panel, comprising experts from the Geological Survey of India, the Uttarakhand Landslide Mitigation and Management Centre, the Department of Geology and Mining and the Indian

Centre approves ₹125 crore project for landslide mitigation in Uttarakhand

The Centre has approved a project of Rs 125 crore for landslide mitigation in Uttarakhand and has released Rs 4.5 crore for it in the first phase, officials said here on Friday. Welcoming the approval of the project, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said, "The project is a decisive initiative towards finding a long-term solution to landslides in disaster-sensitive areas of the state". Five sensitive sites most frequently hit by landslides have been selected for the project on a priority basis, he said. These places are Mansa Devi Hill Bypass Road in Haridwar, Galogi Hydroelectric Project Road in Mussoorie, Bahuguna Nagar Land-Subsidence Area in Karnaprayag, Chamoli, Charton Lodge in Nainital and Khotila-Ghatdhar Landslide Area in Dharchula, Pithoragarh, he said. With the approval of the project, state authorities hope a long-term solution will be found for recurring landslides in the most vulnerable areas of the state, On the instructions of the chief minister, the State Disaste