A dark chronicle of incidents, deadly natural disasters and accidents marked the planet in the last 24 hours.
Authorities in several countries are struggling with the consequences of devastating torrents, explosions and earthquakes that took dozens of lives.
Watery hell in Japan: Eight victims after unprecedented downpours
Record amounts of rainfall caused large-scale flooding and landslides in Japan. According to public broadcaster NHK (nhk.or.jp), at least eight people have died and tens of thousands of households have been left without electricity. The disaster has caused complete chaos in transport, stranding thousands of passengers at airports in the Tokyo area and Chiba prefecture. The army has been mobilized to evacuate trapped citizens.
Colombia Tragedy: Mine Explosion Kills Six Miners
At least six workers have died in a major gas explosion at a coal mine in the municipality of Cucuñuba, central Colombia. The governor of the Cundinamarca department, Jorge Emilio Rey, confirmed to the news agency Xinhua (english.news.cn) reported that rescue teams have found the bodies of all the miners trapped underground at the "El Porvenir 1" site. Authorities are clarifying why the mine was being worked on, as its work had been temporarily suspended due to safety concerns.
A serious accident in Morocco claimed six lives
A brutal head-on collision between a passenger car and a cement truck resulted in the tragic death of six people in Morocco. The incident is part of the black statistics of the General Directorate of National Security in the country. The local edition Hespress (en.hespress.com) reports that the main reasons for the increasing number of fatal accidents on the roads of the kingdom remain excessive speed, lack of distance and inattention of drivers.
Emergency situation in Russia: Plane from China to Europe makes emergency landing
A passenger plane flying from China to a European destination made an emergency landing at the airport in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk. According to official data from the Federal Air Transport Agency of Russia – Rosaviatsiya (favt.gov.ru), the crew reported a technical malfunction during a flight over Siberia. Ground services were put on full alert, and the plane landed successfully. No passengers or crew were injured.
A powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7.6 shook Indonesia
A powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7.6 on the Richter scale has been registered off the coast of Indonesia. The American Seismological Institute USGS (earthquake.usgs.gov) reported that the epicenter was at sea, which triggered tsunami early warning systems in the region. Local authorities are assessing material damage in the settlements closest to the quake, and the population is urged to remain alert for strong aftershocks.