Chinese state media has raised the death toll from Monday’s dual earthquakes to 94.
Hundreds are injured and the death toll is likely to rise as rescuers reach some of the more remote parts of the Gansu province. The majority of the deaths are reported to be residents of Dingxi city within Gansu. Continue reading
A river near the city of Petropolis, 40 miles north of Rio de Janeiro, burst its banks and flooded the city center launching mudslides that have killed at least 16 and injured dozens.
Two emergency workers have been confirmed among the dead. Continue reading
Typhoon Bopha’s death toll is rapidly climbing as Philipino officials start to reach areas of the country cut off by flooding and mudslides.
One small province in the eastern part of the country has reported at least 156 dead. Over 43 died in one village when a mudslide buried a school and village hall that served as a evacuation center.
The province along the coastline where the storm made landfall has reported 50 dead with many small villages still inaccessible to rescue personnel.
Governor Arturo Uy told the BBC that the storm has caused catastrophic damage to the region’s food supplies. In the areas they have been able to access, Uy estimated up to 80% of the crops were destroyed…most of them bananas marked for export. The exports bring the majority of income for the region.
The town of Cateel had more than 95% of their buildings completely destroyed by the storm.
Typhoon Bopha slammed into the Philippines with wind gusts of 130 m.p.h. destroying homes, flooding towns and causing lethal mudslides.
At least 43 are dead and 25 reported injured in the village of Andap according to local news sources. A “torrent of water” rushed down a bordering mountain and swept through the town. The regional governor said some of the dead and wounded are villagers who sheltered in the village hall only to have the facility destroyed by the flood waters. Continue reading
