テキサス州ヒューストン、「リタ」に備え住民に避難を呼びかけ

22日（米加中部夏時間、UTC-5）、アメリカ合衆国テキサス州ヒューストンのビル・ホワイト市長は、市内低地の住民に対し、ハリケーン・リタに対する「避難計画を立て始める」よう勧告した。このためヒューストン内の高速道路インターステートは、避難する住民で混雑している。ハリケーン・リタは、現在のところ、大西洋で発生したハリケーンとしては史上3番目、メキシコ湾に達したハリケーンとしては最大規模のハリケーンとなっている。

緊急事態宣言を受けて対処に当たっているアメリカ合衆国連邦緊急事態管理庁(FEMA)でも住民に警戒を呼びかけている。当初、デイヴィッド・ポーリソンFEMA長官は、ワシントンでの記者会見において「メキシコ湾岸の住民には、このハリケーンに注意を払うよう強く要望する。ハリケーン・リタはすでにカテゴリー4の大きなハリケーンとなっている。メキシコ湾の温かい海水上にあり、したがってさらに発達する可能性がある」と語った。その後、ハリケーンは発達して最大規模のカテゴリー5に達した。

ヒューストンは平均で海抜50フィート（16メートル）の位置にある。しかし土地が平坦な上、メキシコ湾に面して沼地上の入り江が多数あり、洪水を招きやすい地形である。2001年にはトロピカルストーム「アリソン」の影響で、250mmの降水量を被り、ヒューストンの大部分が冠水した。このときの被害額は50億米ドルに達した。気象専門家は、「リタ」による被害を、2001年と同等かそれを上回ると予想している。

英語版ウィキニュースからの翻訳です。


Huge explosions in Tianjin, China

The Chinese news agency Xinhua reports that there have been two massive explosions within seconds of each other, at about 11:30 p.m. local time, in a warehouse in the port of Dongjiang in Tianjin, a city of 15 million, near Beijing, in north-east China.

At least thirteen people have been killed and between 250 and 400 people injured. Two firefighters are also believed to be missing at the scene. Mobile phone footage taken by locals shows a large fireball in the Binhai New Area of the city. The warehouse is thought to belong RuiHai Logistics, and may have been storing explosives.

The two blasts were significant enough to register approximately magnitude 2.3 and 2.9 on the seismic scale as reported by the China Earthquake Administration.


Enormes explosões em Tianjin, China

A agência de notícias estatal chinesa Xinhua relatou que houve duas explosões maciças, em espaço de segundos, um do outro por volta das 22:30 (hora local) de ontem, em armazém no porto de Dongjiang, na cidade de Tianjin, uma cidade de 15 milhões habitantes, perto de Pequim, no nordeste da China.

No momento, o fogo foi controlado após explosão, mas as chamas ainda não foram completamente extintas. Nas primeiras informações, 13 pessoas foram mortas e entre 250 e 400 pessoas feridas, mas subiu no dia seguinte, com 44 mortes, 66 pessoas feridas e mais de 500 pessoas foram hospitalizadas.

Dois bombeiros também podem estarem desaparecidos na local. Uma metragem tomada por uns dos moradores através de telefone móvel mostra uma grande bola de fogo na cidade, em Nova Área de Binhai (Tianjin Binhai). O armazém é pensado por pertencer Ruihai Logistic e pode ter sido o armazenamento de explosivos.

As duas explosões foram significativas o suficiente para registrar cerca de magnitude 2,3 e 2,9 na escala sísmica como relatado pela Administração China de Sismologia.


天津滨海新区发生爆炸事件

8月12日22：30，天津滨海新区开发区发生剧烈爆炸，期间可能发生多起爆炸。目前，爆炸火势已经被控制，但明火尚未被完全扑灭。另外根据最新发布的伤亡人数，此次事故已经造成44人死亡，66人受重伤，500余人住院治疗。


Huge fire in Chilean jail kills 81; 21 injured

A huge fire at a Chilean prison in San Miguel has killed at least 81 inmates, and injured another 14, including a firefighter and three gendarmerie officers, the Chilean Health Minister Jaime Mañalich reported. Mañalich said that the injured inmates suffered "[...] facial burns, and are currently intubated with mechanical ventilation in different hospitals."

Pedro Hernández, representing the Chilean gendarmerie officers union said that "they are trying to identify the 81 dead inmates now." President Sebastián Piñera went to the Santiago's Central Post where five inmates are being attended. During a press conference, Piñera announced the creation of new jails with more facilities for the inmates. Piñera also confirmed that 83 inmates had died, and that another 21 were injured, 7 of them due to minor asphyxiation.

The fire is considered the worst accident in the country's jail history. Fifteen corpses have been identified, Interior Minister Rodrigo Hinzpeter reported.

A football match between Unión Española and Club de Fútbol Universidad de Chile was canceled by ANFP (Professional Football National Association) after the fire. It was going to take place today at 16:00 local time (19:00 UTC) in the Estadio Santa Laura.


83 άτομα σκοτώθηκαν ενώ άλλα 21 τραυματίστηκαν μετά από μεγάλη πυρκαγιά σε φυλακή της Χιλής

Όπως δήλωσε ο Υπουργός Υγείας της Χιλής, Ζέμ Μανάχιλ, δήλωσε πως μετά από μεγαλή πυρκαγιά στη φυλακή του Σαν Μίγκουελ, σκοτώθηκαν 83 άτομα σκοτώθηκαν ενώ άλλα 14 τραυματίστηκαν, συμπεριλαμβανομένου ενός (1) πυροσβέστη και τριών (3) αξιωματικών. Ο Μανάλιχ δήλωσε ότι οι τραυματισμένοι κρατούμενοι "[...] με εγκαύματα στο κεφάλι, επί του παρόντος είναι διασωληνωμένοι με μηχανική αναπνοή σε διάφορα νοσοκομεία."

Ο Πέδρο Χερνάντεζ, εκπρόσωπος των αξιωματικών χωροφυλακής είπε ότι "προσπαθούν να μάθουν την ταυτότητα των 81 νεκρών". Ο Πρόεδρος Σεμπαστιάν Ρινέρα πήγε στον Κεντρικό Σταθμό του Σαντιάγκο, όπου ήρθαν και 5 κρατούμενοι. Κατά τη διάρκεια της συνέντευξης, ο Πινέρα ανακοίνωσε τη δημιουργία νέας φυλακής για τους κρατούμενους. Επίσης δήλωσε πώς 83 κρατούμενοι σκοτώθηκαν, ενώ άλλοι 21 τραυματίστηκαν, 7 από τους οποίους λόγω ασφυξίας.

Η πυρκαγιά αυτή αποτελεί τη μεγαλύτερη στην ιστορία των φυλακών της χώρας, όπως δήλωσε και ο Ροδρίγκο Χινζπέτερ, Υπουργός Εσωτερικών.

Ένας ποδοσφαιρικός αγώνας μεταξύ της Unión Española και της Club de Fútbol Universidad de Chile ακυρώθηκε μετά την ανακοίνωση της πυρκαγιάς. Θα γινόταν εχθές, στις 8 Δεκεμβρίου 2010, στις 16:00 (τοπική ώρα) στο Στάδιο Σάντα Λάουρα.

9 Δεκεμβρίου 2010


Incendio en cárcel en Santiago de Chile deja 81 muertos y una veintena de heridos

8 de diciembre de 2010Santiago, Chile —

Un incendio afectó al recinto penitencial de San Miguel dejando al menos 81 reos muertos y varios heridos por el avance de las llamas y el intenso humo que emanó desde el cuarto piso de la Torre 5 del recinto. El alto número de víctimas se presume por las condiciones de hacinamiento que presenta la cárcel y los problemas que tuvo el accionar de Bomberos de diversas compañías de Santiago para sofocar las llamas.

En un primer instante se presumía de un motín entre los convictos, pero fue descartado por Gendarmería por el avance del incendio que consumió la casi totalidad del piso de reclusión. Al momento de recuperar los cuerpos, personal de Investigaciones y el Servicio Médico Legal han tenido algunas dificultades debido al estado del piso y la posición en que quedaron los cuerpos tras el siniestro.

En las inmediaciones de la cárcel los familiares se agolpaban para saber el estado de los reclusos. Ante la desesperación por noticias, el Ministro de Justicia llamó a la calma a los parientes, indicando que, si no estaba en la torre, no hay problemas con el detenido.

Este es uno de los peores incendios en el sistema carcelario chileno, y se produce el mismo día en que se produjo el incendio de la Compañía, que dio origen a Bomberos de Chile.


சிலி சிறையில் தீ விபத்து, 83 பேர் உயிரிழப்பு

சிலியின் தலைநகர் சான்டியாகோவில் சான் மிகுவேல் என்ற இடத்தில் உள்ள சிறைச்சாலை ஒன்றில் தீப்பற்றியதில் குறைந்தது 83 கைதிகள் தீயில் கருகி மாண்டனர். சிறைக்காவலாளிகள், மறும் தீயணைப்பு வீரர்கள் உட்பட மேலும் 14 பேர் கடும் தீக்காயங்களுக்குள்ளாகினர்.

1,100 பேரைக் கொள்ளக்கூடிய இந்தச் சிறையில் அளவுக்கு அதிகமாக 1,960 கைதிகள் அடைக்கப்பட்டிருந்தனர். நேற்று புதன்கிழமை காலையில் இங்கு திடீர் தீ விபத்து ஏற்பட்டது. உடனடியாக அங்கிருந்த கைதிகள் வெளியேற்றப்பட்டிருந்தாலும், 83 பேர் உயிர் இழந்தனர். காயமடைந்தோர் ஆபத்தான நிலையில் மருத்துவமனையில் சேர்க்கப்பட்டுள்ளனர்.

இறந்தோரை அடையாலம் காணும் பணி தற்போது நடைபெற்று வருவதாக அதிகாரிகள் தெரிவித்தனர். சிலியின் அரசுத்தலைவர் செபஸ்டியான் பினேரா செய்தியாளர்களிடம் கருத்துத் தெரிவிக்கையில், நாட்டில் ஐந்து புதிய சிறைச்சாலைகள் நவீன வசதிகளுடன் உடனடியாக அமைக்கப்படும் என உறுதியளித்தார். இந்த சம்பவம் தனக்கு மன வேதனை அளிப்பதாக அவர் கூறினார்.

வியாழன், திசம்பர் 9, 2010


Hundreds feared dead after Indian ferry boat capsizes

A double-decker ferry capsized late Monday in the Brahmaputra River near Guwahati, India.  The ferry was over capacity when a storm caused it to overturn and break in half. The ferry passengers were mostly women and children.  Officials estimate there are at least 200 casualties.  Inclement weather hindered rescue attempts and as of Tuesday, 103 bodies have been recovered. No life jackets or lifeboats were aboard the ferry at the time of the event.

According to officials, many of the bodies may have floated 25 miles down river to Bangladesh, due to strong currents. The river is a vital source of irrigation and transportation to the people along its coast. It is approximately 1,800 miles long, making rescue efforts difficult to pursue quickly. Rescuers are working around the clock in efforts to locate any remaining survivors.

About 150 passengers swam to a nearby shore.  The remaining passengers are missing and are feared dead. Reports indicate this is one of the worst ferry accidents ever recorded in India. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh issued a statement expressing his remorse over the death of the passengers and announcing that he would compensate the next of kin of all casualties Rs 200,000, or about $4,000 US dollars.


Assam (Indien): Über 100 Tote beim Untergang einer Flussfähre

Dhubri (Indien), 01.05.2012 – Bei einem Unwetter im Bezirk Dhubri im Bundesstaat Assam in Indien zerbrach eine überfüllte Fähre auf dem Fluss Brahmaputra. 350 Personen befanden sich an Bord. Mehr als 100 Leichen wurden an den Ufern des Flusses bereits geborgen.

Die Rettungsarbeiten wurden durch heftige Regenfälle behindert. Zufahrtsstraßen zum Unglücksort waren durch umgestürzte Bäume blockiert. Die Doppeldeckerfähre zerbrach im starken Sturm in zwei Teile. Auf dem Dach des Schiffes befanden sich zum Zeitpunkt des Unglücks Passagiere, die keinen Platz mehr im Schiff gefunden hatten. Der Verkehrsminister von Assam, Chandan Brahma, gab bekannt, dass noch 100 Menschen vermisst werden. Die starke Strömung des als gefährlich geltenden Fusses Brahmaputra hatte viele der Menschen mitgerissen, die ans rettende Ufer schwimmen wollten.

Das Unglück ereignete sich Nähe der Stadt Dhubri, dort ist der Fluss mehrere Kilometer breit. Premierminister Manmohan Singh sprach von einer Tragödie, er sei schockiert und voller Trauer angesichts der Verluste von Menschenleben. Es wird erwartet, dass sich die Zahl der Toten noch erhöht. Das Unglück dürfte somit als eine der schwersten Schiffskatastrophen Südasiens in die Geschichte eingehen.


У бродској несрећи страдале 103 особе

1. мај 2012.Бурабури/ Асам (Beta-AP) - Спасиоци су данас из реке Брамапутра на североистоку Индије, где се преврнуо брод, извукли тела 103 жртве, а још око 100 људи се води као нестало.

Спасиоци страхују да је јака речна струја десетине људи однела у суседни Бангладеш.

Препун трајект, на којем је било око 350 путника, преврнуо се и преломио у олуји која је у понедељак захватила индијску државу Асам.

Неки путници су успели да допливају до обале, а неке су спасли становници приобаља.

Несрећа се догодила близу места Факираграм у дистрикту Дубри, око 350 километара западно од највећег града Асама Гувахатија, близу места где река улази у Бангладеш.


அசாமில் பயணிகள் படகு மூழ்கியதில் நூற்றுக்கணக்கானோர் உயிரிழப்பு

இந்தியாவின் அசாம் மாநிலத்தில் பிரம்மபுத்திரா ஆற்றில் நேற்று திங்கட்கிழமை பயணிகள் படகொன்று மூழ்கியதில் குறைந்தது 103 பேர் உயிரிழந்தனர். நூற்றுக்கும் மேற்பட்டோரைக் காணவில்லை என அறிவிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது.

150 பேர் வரையில் உயிருடன் மீட்கப்பட்டதாகக் காவல்துறையினர் தெரிவித்தனர். இறந்தோர் எண்ணிக்கை அதிகரிக்கலாம் என அசாம் மாநில முதல்வர் தருண் ககோய் செய்தியாளர்களிடம் தெரிவித்தார்.

அசாமின் குவகாத்தி நகரில் இருந்து 350 கிமீ மேற்கே தூப்ரி மாவட்டத்தில் இந்த விபத்து நேரிட்டது. படகு புயலில் சிக்கி இரண்டாகப் பிளவுண்டதாகத் தெரிவிக்கப்படுகிறது.

கப்பலில் உயிர்காப்புப் படகோ அல்லது மிதவை அங்கிகளோ இருக்கவில்லை எனவும், அளவுக்கதிகமான பயணிகளை அது ஏற்றிச் சென்றதாகவும் கூறப்படுகிறது.

செவ்வாய், மே 1, 2012


Hurricane Dean forecasted to become "catastrophic" Category 5 storm

The National Hurricane Center in Miami is calling Hurricane Dean "extremely dangerous," saying that the storm is gaining strength and will likely become a Category 5 storm. The storm's winds are currently clocked at 150 mph, classifying it as a Category 4 hurricane. A Category 5 hurricane means the storm has winds of over 155 mph and has the potential to cause "catastrophic" damage.

Dean is currently moving through the eastern Caribbean, and is heading towards the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The storm is expected to hit Jamaica on Sunday, and then gain even more power as it strikes Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula on Monday.

Dean could hit the mainland of the United States on Wednesday. Therefore, officials in Texas and Louisiana are currently making major preparations.

Rick Perry, the Governor of Texas, said the hurricane is an "imminent threat," saying the state is preparing for its arrival. Task forces have been put on alert, and supply trucks and other resources are in position.

Governor Kathleen Blanco of Louisiana declared a state of emergency yesterday so local governments can move forward with emergency plans if necessary. However, forecasters say there is little chance of Dean moving toward Louisiana. Instead, the storm is expected to threaten Mexico or Texas.

A hurricane watch has been issued for Haiti from the Haiti/Dominican Republic border to Port-au-Prince. Jamaica has opened all shelters and Cuba has declared a "state of alert" in preparation for the storm.

A tropical storm warning remains in effect for the U.S. and Spanish Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

At 5 a.m. EDT, the center of Hurricane Dean was about 240 miles south-southwest of San Juan, Puerto Rico, and 660 miles east-southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, and was moving west at 14 mph. However, the storm is expected to pick up speed today.

Hurricane Dean could force NASA to cut short Endeavour's flight. Mission management team chairman Leroy Cain said, "We'd really like to protect an option to be able to end the mission on Tuesday."

The Associated Press reports several deaths and significant damage on the islands of St. Lucia, Dominica and Martinique.


Dean se convertirá en una "catastrófica" tormenta de Categoría 5

El Centro Nacional de Huracanes en Miami ha dicho que el Huracán Dean es "extremadamente peligroso", y dijo que la tormenta está ganando fuerzas y probablemente será un Huracán de Categoría 5. Los vientos de la tormenta están registrados en 150 mph, clasificándolo actualmente como un Huracán de Categoría 4. Un huracán de categoría 5 significa que los vientos son de más de 155 mph y tiene el potencial para causar daños "catastróficos".

Dea se mueve actualmente por el este del,Caribe y se enfila directamente a la República Dominicana y Haití. Se espera que la tormenta colisione con Jamaica el domingo, y que luego gane más fuerza cuando haga entrada en tierra en la Península de Yucatán en México.

Dean podría hacer entrada en tierra en Estados Unidos el miércoles. Por eso, oficiales de Tejas y Luisiana están haciendo preparaciones.

Rick Perry, gobernador tejano, dijo que el huracán es una "amenaza inminente", y dijo que el estado se preparaba para su llegada. Las fuerzas han sido puestas en alerta, y camiones con provisiones y otros recursos están en posición.

La gobernadora de Luisiana, Kathleen Blanco, declaró el estado de emergencia ayer para que los gobiernos locales hagan planes de emergencia si es necesario. Sin embargo, los meteorólogos dicen que no existen grandes probabilidades de que Dean se mueva hacia Luisiana. En cambio, la tormenta amenaza a México y Texas.

Un alerta de huracán ha sido declarado para Haití desde la frontera Haití/República Dominicana hasta Puerto Príncipe.

Una alarma de huracán sigue vigente en las Islas Vírgenes y Puerto Rico.

A las 5 a.m. EST, el centro del Huracán Dean estaba a 240 millas al sud-sudoeste de San Juan, Puerto Rico, y 660 millas al este-sudeste de Kingston, Jamaica, y se movía al oeste a una velocidad de 14 mph. Sin embargo, se espera que la tormenta gane velocidad hoy.

Associated Press reporta varias muertes y daños significantes en las islas de Santa Lucía, Dominica y Martinica.


Hurricane Dean is upgraded to a Category 2 storm

According to the National Hurricane Center, Hurricane Dean is now a Category 2 hurricane. The Atlantic's first hurricane of the season had top sustained winds at 100 mph at 5 p.m. EDT. Dean's winds were measured at 75 mph earlier in the day.

A meteorologist from the National Hurricane Center warns, "Dean is likely to become a major hurricane in the eastern Caribbean Sea." Adding that one forecast shows it could become "an extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane by the time it reaches the northwestern Caribbean Sea."

Forecasters claim the storm could threaten the Lesser Antilles by Friday. Dean is then forecast to pass over Jamaica by 2 p.m. EDT Sunday, and then move across the Yucatan Peninsula and enter the Gulf of Mexico by Tuesday.

Hurricane warnings have been issues for the islands of St. Lucia and Dominica. The Barbados weather service has issued a tropical storm warning for the island of Barbados and a tropical storm watch for St. Vincent and St. Maarten.

Katherine Cesinger, a spokeswoman for Texas Governor Rick Perry said, "It's so far out, but it's not too early to start preparing...We have more notice than with Erin. We're glad for that especially since [Dean] is projected to bring some strength."

At 2 p.m. EDT, the storm was about 210 miles due east of Barbados and about 305 miles east of Martinique, according to the National Hurricane Center. It is moving west at 23 mph.

Hurricane Dean was officially named early this morning.


Huracán Dean elevado a categoría 2

De acuerdo al Centro Nacional de Huracanes (NHC por sus siglas en inglés), el Huracán Dean tiene vientos que lo clasifican en un huracán de categoría 2. Para llegar a este nivel, los vientos deben ser mayores a 100 mph.

"Dean pueden convertirse en un huracán mayor en el Mar Caribe del este", reportó un meteorólogo de NHC. También añadió que puede convertirse en "un extremadamente peligroso huracán de categoría 4 para cuando llegue al Mar Caribe del oeste".

Meteorólogos declararon que el huracán podría amenazar a las Antillas Menores el viernes. Dean pasará por Jamaica a alrededor de las 2 p.m. EDT del domingo, y luego pasará por la Península de Yucatán y entrará al Golfo de México el martes.

Se han declarado alarmas de huracán en Santa Lucía y Dominica. El servicio meteorológico de Barbados ha declarado una alarma de tormenta tropical para Barbados y vigilancia para San Vicente y las Granadinas y San Martín.

"Está lejos, pero no es temprano para empezar a prepararse... Notamos eso con Erin. Estamos agradecidos por eso especialmente desde que [Dean] podrá ser de gran fuerza", declaró Katherine Cesinger, una portavoz del gobernador de Texas Rick Perry.

A las 2 a.m. EDT, la tormenta se encontraba a 385 millas al este de Barbados, de acuerdo al NHC. Se traslada al oeste a una velocidad de 24 mph.

El Huracán Dean fue nombrado oficialmente temprano esta mañana.


Hurricane Dean now a Category 4 storm

The National Hurricane Center in Miami now says that the Atlantic's first hurricane has reached Category 4 status, with winds up to 140 mph (225 km/h). Dean is now being called a "major hurricane."

While the storm is currently moving west through the Caribbean, additional strengthening is forecast within the next 24 hours.

A hurricane watch has now been issued for Haiti from the Haiti/Dominican Republic border to Port-au-Prince. The Dominican Republic government has changed the tropical storm watch to a tropical storm warning from Cabo Engano to Haiti. Also, a hurricane watch has now been issued from Cabo Beata to the Haiti.

At 1:45 p.m. EDT, the eye of the Hurricane Dean was 175 miles (282 km) west of Martinique and 300 miles (480 km) southeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Tropical storm warnings continue to be in effect for the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico as the storm is moving west at 22 mph (35 km/h) and could intensify over the warmer waters toward Jamaica.

Dean is currently forecast to dump two inches (~50 mm) of rain on Haiti and the Dominican Republic, with a few isolated areas receiving a possible five inches (~130 mm).

The National Hurricane Center says it is too early to project whether the storm poses a threat to the U.S..

The storm moved through St. Lucia and Martinique today, causing structural damage, knocking out power, and flooding roads. Also, a 62-year-old man drowned today, being the storm's first death.


Huracán Dean elevado a categoría 4

El Centro Nacional de Huracanes en Miami ha reportado que el primer huracán de la temporada del atlántico del 2007 se ha elevado a categoría 4, con vientos de hasta 140 mph. El Huracán Dean es ahora un "huracán mayor".

Mientras que la tormenta se traslada por el Caribe, se espera que el huracán gane fuerzas en las próximas 24 horas.

Se ha declarado una alerta de huracán en Haití desde la frontera Haití/República Dominicana a Puerto Príncipe. El gobierno de República Dominicana ha cambiado la alerta de tormenta tropical por una alarma de tormenta tropical desde Cabo Engano a Haití. Además, también se declaró una alerta de huracán desde Cabo Beata hasta Haití.

A las 1:45 p.m. EDT, el ojo del Huracán Dean estaba a 175 millas al oeste de Martinica y 300 millas al sudeste de San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Siguen vigente las advertencias de tormenta tropical en las Islas Vírgenes estadounidenses y Puerto Rico mientras que la tormenta se mueve a 22 mph y podría intensificarse en las aguas cálidas de Jamaica.

Se espera que Dean precipite 2 pulgadas de lluvia sobre Haití y la República Dominicana, con totales de hasta 5 pulgadas posibles aunque aislados.

El Centro Nacional de Huracanes dice que es muy temprano para predecir si la tormenta representa una amenaza a Estados Unidos.

La tormenta pasó por Santa Lucía y Martinica hoy, causando algunos daños estructurales, cortando el suministro eléctrico e inundando rutas. Además, un hombre de 62 años de edad murió ahogado hoy, siendo así la primera víctima de la gran tormenta.


Hurricane Dennis heads for Gulf Coast, leaves trail of destruction in its wake

Residents along the US Gulf Coast evacuated or hunkered down Saturday as Hurricane Dennis lashed the Florida Keys with wind and sheets of rain and churned along a path toward areas still rebuilding from last year's storms.

More than 1.4 million people from the Florida Panhandle to Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi are under evacuation orders. Landfall was expected Sunday afternoon anywhere from the Florida Panhandle to southeast Louisiana.

At 6am CDT July 10, the center of Hurricane Dennis was located near latitude 28.2 north, longitude 86.2 west.

Dennis is moving north-northwest at about 15 mph.

As of 6am CDT July 10, according to the National Weather Service, maximum sustained winds are near 145 mph, making Dennis a  category four hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Scale. The National Weather Service is calling this an extremely dangerous storm.

Hurricane force winds extend outward 125-140 miles from the center.  Rainfall totals of 12 inches are expected along the United States Gulf Coast, meaning flash flooding  will be a concern in many areas.  Storm surges in excess of 12-14 feet are expected along the Gulf Coast from the Florida panhandle west through Louisiana.  Isolated tornadoes are possible throughout Florida tonight and tomorrow.

Dennis churned into Cuba packing winds in excess of 145 mph, leaving homes destroyed, and leading to reliance on ham radio as a means of communication.  According to CNN, Dennis caused at least 10 deaths throughout Cuba.  The Cuban Meteorological Service reported destruction to 85% of its communication infrastructure.

Flooding led to widespread problems in Haiti, where the storm claimed 22 lives according to CNN.  Mudslides, triggered by the large volume of rain blocked roads and sent 3,000 people to seek shelter in designated storm shelters in Jamaica.

When the storm moved across Cuba, oil companies began shutting down rigs in the Gulf of Mexico and residents in coastal areas of the United States started boarding up windows and preparing for the worst.  The storm is expected to make landfall in the United States sometime Sunday evening, following a similar path as Hurricane Ivan last year.  Current paths indicate the Florida Keys will be brushed by on the way to the Florida panhandle, coming ashore near Pensacola, FL.

Its current location is {{Map|lat=27.2|lat2=N|long=85.8|long2=W], about 210 miles south of Panama City, Florida, and about 290 miles southeast of Biloxi, Mississippi.

The storm is creating seas in the 12-foot range, with highest seas reported at 30 feet according the National Weather Service.  Residents in the Florida panhandle, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana are all under a hurricane warning as current predictions show the storm's progression to effect those states.


Hurrikan Dennis fordert 20 Todesopfer

Havanna (Kuba), 09.07.2005 - In der Nacht zum Samstag hat der Hurrikan „Dennis“ in der Karibik mindestes 20 Todesopfer gefordert. Mit bis zu 200 Stundenkilometern näherte sich der Wirbelsturm Havanna, der Hauptstadt Kubas. An der Küste schlugen bis zu zehn Meter hohe Wellen ans Festland. Am Sonntag oder Montag wird „Dennis" in Florida erwartet. Bewohner der Inselkette der Keys haben vorsorglich ihre Häuser verlassen.

Der kubanische Staatschef Fidel Castro wandte sich am Freitag Abend in einer Fernsehmitteilung an die Bevölkerung. In den Provinzen Granma und Santiago seien mindestens zehn Menschen ums Leben gekommen. Auch das Gefangenenlager Guantanamo der USA auf Kuba war betroffen. Hier wurde ein Wachtturm umgeweht.
Mindestens zehn Todesopfer seien auf Haiti zu beklagen. 3.000 Menschen wurden in Jamaika in Notunterkünften untergebracht, nachdem ihre Häuser im Osten des Landes überflutet worden waren.

Meteorologen gehen davon aus, dass der Hurrikan in den Golf von Mexiko weiterzieht. Dort könne es zu Unterbrechungen der Ölförderung kommen. Vorsorglich wurden Ölplattformen evakuiert.

„Dennis“ gilt als der saisonal stärkste Hurrikan seit Beginn der Aufzeichnung im Jahre 1851. Meotorologen befürchten zudem die Bildung von Tornados.


El huracán "Dennis" se adentra en el Golfo de México, dejando un rastro de destrucción a su paso

El huracán "Dennis" ha ido cobrando fuerza al adentrarse en el Golfo de México, tras haber dejado tras de sí un rastro de destrucción y muerte a su paso por Jamaica, Haití y Cuba. En total se han contabilizado una veintena de muertos. Aunque perdió intensidad a su paso por Cuba y descendió a la categoría uno en la escala Saffir-Simpson -de cinco-, volvió a ganar fuerza al aproximarse al Golfo de México y se estima que podría llegar a la costa como un ciclón de categoría tres o cuatro.

En Cuba, la provincia de Granma y las centrales de Sancti Spíritus y Cienfuegos han sido las más afectadas por el paso del huracán Dennis por Cuba. El vendaval también ha obligado a evacuar a un millón y medio de cubanos y ha ocasionado muchos daños materiales. En Haití, la situación también es desesperada.

Por su parte, Hugo Chávez declaró que "estamos seguros y confiamos en que el pueblo de Cuba y la nación cubana saldrán como siempre han salido de estos golpes, aún más fortalecidos", ofreciendo su ayuda a los países afectados.

Ahora, "Dennis" amenaza los estados del sureste de los Estados Unidos. Más de un 1,2 millones de personas han sido evacuadas este sábado en los estados de Florida y Alabama ante la proximidad del huracán.


Huragan Denis: 32 osoby nie żyją

Prawdopodobnie 32 osoby poniosły śmierć na Kubie i Haiti w wyniku działania huraganu Dennis, który nawiedził obie wyspy i zbliża się w tej chwili w stronę Florydy. Większość osób zginęła pod gruzami budynków, które waliły się pod naporem wiatru. Jego prędkość przekracza 220 km/h.

Kubańskie służby meteorologiczne doniosły, że zniszczenia w infrastrukturze komuniakcyjnej na wyspie sięgnęły 85%. Najbardziej ucierpiała prowincja Granma. Największe miasto w tym rejonie, Santiago de Cuba, jest całkowicie pozbawione prądu. Ponad 1,5 miliona Kubańczyków musiało uciekać ze swoich domów.

W związku z silnym opadami ponad 3 tysiące osób musiało opuścić swoje domy na Jamajce. Ewakuowano także pracowników platform wiertniczych nad Zatoką Meksykańską.


O furacão Dennis deixou um rastro de destruição por onde passou

O furacão "Dennis"  continuou a ganhar  força ao adentrar-se no Golfo de México, após  deixar atrás  de de si um rastro de destruição e morte, depois de passar pela Jamaica, pelo Haiti e por Cuba.

Ao todo foram contabilizadas 20 vítimas até agora. Ainda que o furacão tenha perdido intensidade em sua passagem  por Cuba e  descido a um na escala Saffir-Simpson (que vai até cinco), ele voltou a ganhar força ao aproximar-se do Golfo de México e se estima que  chegue à costa como um ciclone de categoria três ou quatro.

Em Cuba, a província de Granma e as centrais de Sancti Spíritus e Cienfuegos foram as mais afetadas pela  passagem do furacão. O vendaval  fez com que fossem  evacuados a um milhão e meio de cubanos e ocasionou muitos danos materiais. No Haiti, a situação  é desesperada.

O Presidente Hugo Chávez da Venezuela disse:  "estamos seguros e acreditamos que o povo de Cuba e a nação cubana sairão como sempre saíram destes golpes, ainda mais fortalecidos",
e ofereceu  ajuda aos países afetados.

Agora, o furacão "Dennis" ameaça os estados do sudeste dos Estados Unidos da América. Mais de um 1,2 milhões de pessoas foram evacuadas  sábado (8) nos estados da Flórida e Alabama.


2005/07/10: Orkanen Dennis svepte in över USA

Orkanen Dennis svepte på lördagen in över Key West i delstaten Florida i USA, uppger lokala källor.


Hurricane Dorian leaves trail of destruction in the Bahamas

As the slow-moving tropical cyclone known as Hurricane Dorian finally cleared the Bahamas yesterday, the level of destruction left in its wake began to emerge. Dorian made its initial landfall as a Category 5 hurricane in the Abaco Islands on Sunday. Its wind speeds reached 185 mph (~295 km/h), tied for the strongest sustained winds at landfalling on record, according to the National Hurricane Center.

After landfall, the speed at which Dorian moved slowed down dramatically, resulting in a very long stay over the island of Grand Bahama. In a thirty hour period of Monday and Tuesday, Dorian only traversed thirty miles, according to CNN. The National Hurricane Center said all tropical storm warnings were lifted as of yesterday morning and Dorian had also been downgraded to a Category 2 storm.

According to the BBC, residents were doing most rescue work themselves using boats and personal watercraft. Prime minister Hubert Minnis said yesterday night that twenty people have been confirmed killed. "We expect that this number will increase", he noted.

"Parts of Abaco are decimated [...] There is severe flooding. There is severe flooding damage to homes, businesses and infrastructure", Minnis said. "The southern aspect of Abaco has suffered less devastation than the north. The Sandy Point area and progressing north has not suffered as much devastation that was seen in the Marsh Harbour vicinity. The international airport on Abaco is under water. The runway is currently flooded. In fact, the area around the airport now looks like a lake."

A large number of homes and other buildings in the affected areas have been destroyed with some estimates by the Red Cross and government officials ranging from 45% to 60% destruction. The United Nations said some 60 thousand people are in need of food and drinking water.

Dorian was northbound as it left the Bahamas.


Schade door Dorian op Bahama's wordt duidelijker, duizenden vermisten

Op de Bahama's wordt de massale omvang van de schade als gevolg van orkaan Dorian gaandeweg duidelijker, enkele dagen nadat de orkaan over de eilandenstaat is getrokken. Dorian kwam afgelopen zondag aan land bij de Abaco-eilanden en was op dat moment een orkaan van categorie 5. De orkaan verplaatste zich vervolgens maar heel langzaam en deed er in totaal 40 uur over om over de Bahama's heen te trekken.

Met name de noordelijke eilanden − Grand Bahama en de Abaco-eilanden − zijn zwaar getroffen. De meeste gebouwen (waaronder 13.000 huizen) zijn er verwoest of zwaar beschadigd. Veel bewoners zijn al hun bezittingen kwijt. Het officiële dodental op de Bahama's door de orkaan staat momenteel op 43, maar dit aantal zal naar verwachting nog heel fors stijgen; op een speciale website zijn zeker 6.600 vermisten geregistreerd. De hulpverlening van buitenaf kwam maar moeizaam op gang doordat ook de meeste vliegvelden en havens zijn beschadigd. Het Rode Kruis schat dat zo'n 70.000 eilandbewoners voedselhulp nodig hebben.

Dorian zwakte onderweg naar de VS weliswaar af maar werd tegelijkertijd steeds groter, waardoor het gevaar groot bleef. De orkaan trok verder langs de zuidoostkust van de VS. Met name de staten Florida, Georgia,  North Carolina en South Carolina zijn getroffen. Er vielen hier enkele doden, maar de schade lijkt relatief mee te vallen. Enkele honderdduizenden mensen zitten zonder elektriciteit, meldt CNN. Uit voorzorg werden 2,2 miljoen mensen geëvacueerd. Inmiddels is Dorian onderweg naar Canada.


Hurricane Emily hits Grenada

Hurricane Emily has hit the small eastern Caribbean island of Grenada. The hurricane, which has been upgraded to  Category 2  status, hit the island early this morning and has caused widespread damage. It has been reported that many buildings have lost their roofs and there has been much flooding.

The storm affected the northern parishes of St. Patrick's and St. Andrew's the worst and also caused considerable damage to the nearby islands of Carriacou and Petite Martinique. No fatalities have yet been reported. Earlier this year Hurricane Dennis hit Cuba and Haiti, leaving 41 people dead.

Last year Hurricane Ivan devastated the island and resulted in the deaths of 39 people.

Emily is the fifth tropical storm to develop this hurricane season. It was the earliest time on record that five named storms had formed in the Atlantic. Emily, along with Dennis, reached hurricane status. Arlene, Bret and Cindy remained tropical storms.

The British Royal Navy, which usually deploys two ships to the Caribbean, has placed the destroyer HMS Liverpool and the tanker RFA Wave Knight on standby. During Hurricane Frances and Ivan last year, HMS Richmond and RFA Wave Ruler were actively involved in humanitarian relief. Prime Minister Keith Mitchell of Grenada had effectively run his country for seven hours from Richmond after his home had been destroyed.


Huragan Emily atakuje Grenadę

Huragan Emily uderzył w karaibską wyspę Grenada. Zaatakował on wczorajszego poranka i wyrządził ogromne szkody. Mówi się, że wiele domów straciło dachy, a część wyspy nawiedziła powódź.

Huragan zniszczył północne obszary Świętego Patryka i Świętego Andrzeja, oraz poczynił znaczne zniszczenia na pobliskich wyspach Petite Martinique i Carriacou. Nie ma informacji o zabitych.

Emily jest piątą burzą tropikalną w tym roku, ale dopiero trzecią, po Arlene i Dennis, która otrzymała status huraganu.


Hurricane Felix now Category 5

Hurricane Felix has now been raised to a Category 5 hurricane. It has been moving through the warm Caribbean waters, and has already damaged many Dutch islands in the area. It is reported as having maximum sustained winds of 165 mph (266 km/h), and is heading upwards towards Central America.

It is expected to skirt Honduras before hitting Belize. It is predicted to cause large scale destruction in Belize and surrounding areas. It has already affected Aruba, Curacao, and Bonaire. One Bonaire resident, Siomara Albertus, said "Thankfully we didn't get a very bad storm. My dog slept peacefully through the night".

It has already caused tens of thousands of tourists and residents to be stuck in their homes or places of residence, preparing for the worst. Many residents had installed storm shutters, and taken boats ashore, however there was very little wind damage.

It is currently moving at around 18mph (29 km/h), and is approximately 390 miles (628 km) off the coast of Jamaica.


Huracán Félix alcanza la categoría 5

El huracán Félix, que experimenta vientos de hasta 270 km/h, alcanzó la máxima categoría en la escala Saffir-Simpson y avanza por el Mar Caribe, acercándose a la costa de Centroamérica a una velocidad de 33 km/h.

Las autoridades de Nicaragua, Honduras, Belice, Guatemala y México han decretado la alerta amarilla, después de que el Centro Nacional de Huracanes informó su estado de "potencialmente catastrófico", aunque también ha aclarado que posee un campo de vientos muy reducido, tras su paso por las Antillas Menores.

De esta manera, el huracán Félix se convierte en el segundo más peligroso durante la temporada de 2007 después del Huracán Dean, que afectó al Caribe durante el mes anterior. En el momento el huracán se encuentra a 630 km al sur de Jamaica y 760 km al este del Cabo Gracias a Dios; se espera que toque tierra durante la madrugada del martes 4 de septiembre.


L'uragano Felix raggiunge il quinto grado della scala di intensità

L'uragano tropicale Felix, che ieri aveva raggiunto il secondo grado nella scala delle tempeste, ha raggiunto nella notte tra domenica e oggi (ora italiana) il grado cinque della scala di intensità.

I meteorologi affermano che Felix ha raggiunto il quinto grado di intensità in un lasso di tempo straordinariamente breve.

Già qualche settimana fa, alla metà di agosto, l'uragano Dean aveva raggiunto il quinto grado della scala; Felix è quindi il secondo in un anno a raggiungere tale livello.

È un dato preoccupante, anche messo in relazione alle registrazioni effettuate negli anni precedenti: prima della devastante stagione degli uragani del 2005 (che vide uragani come Katrina e Wilma abbattersi sulle città distruggendole completamente), solo due volte nella storia degli uragani furono registrati più di un uragano di livello 5 nello stesso anno.


Hurricane Fiona batters parts of Caribbean

This week parts of the Caribbean were affected by Hurricane Fiona, a Category 4 hurricane. Large-scale damage to critical water and power infrastructure has been sustained with winds raging as high as 130 miles (209 km) per hour, and later reports of heavy rainfall and flash flooding. The main affected area was Puerto Rico, where at least four people have died and 80% of the island remained without power. An estimated 1.3 million homes and businesses in were left without electricity.

One death was reported in Guadeloupe and two deaths were reported in the Dominican Republic, where President Luis Abinader declared three eastern provinces as disaster zones. It was claimed by a resident that La Altagracia Province had been hit much harder than it was by Hurricane Maria in 2017. Fiona then hit the Turks and Caicos Islands, where deputy governor Anya Williams reported widespread power outages, before the hurricane continued north towards Bermuda.

On Tuesday, the Federal Emergency Management Agency sent a team to Puerto Rico to assess the damage, as supported by Governor Pedro Pierluisi.


Huragan Fiona uderza w część Karaibów

W tym tygodniu część Karaibów została dotknięta przez huragan 4. kategorii Fiona, który spowodował szkody w kluczowej infrastrukturze wodnej i energetycznej. Wiatr wiał z prędkością około 209 km na godzinę. Pojawiły się doniesienia o ulewnych deszczach i powodziach błyskawicznych. Głównie dotkniętym obszarem było Portoryko, gdzie zginęły co najmniej cztery osoby, a 80% wyspy pozostało bez prądu. Szacuje się, że 1,3 mln domów i firm w pozostało bez prądu.

Jeden zgon odnotowano na Gwadelupe, a dwa na Dominikanie, gdzie prezydent Luis Abinader ogłosił trzy wschodnie prowincje strefami klęski żywiołowej. Jeden z mieszkańców twierdził, że prowincja La Altagracia została dotknięta znacznie mocniej w wyniku obecnych zdarzeń niż przez huragan Maria w 2017 roku.
Fiona następnie uderzyła w wyspy Turks i Caicos. Zastępca gubernatora Anya Williams zgłosiła powszechne przerwy w dostawie prądu. Następnie huragan przemieścił się na północ w kierunku Bermudów.

We wtorek Federalna Agencja Zarządzania Kryzysowego wysłała zespół do Portoryko, aby oszacować szkody. Wsparcie dla tych działań zadeklarował gubernator Pedro Pierluisi.


Hurricane Humberto strengthens to Category 3 while approaching Bermuda

In an advisory issued yesterday evening, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) confirmed that a hurricane warning for Hurricane Humberto, a category 3 hurricane, was in effect for Bermuda. Humberto was expected to pass by Bermuda late Wednesday night.

The NHC's "Hurricane Humberto Intermediate Advisory Number 25A", released at 8:00 p.m. AST on Wednesday (0000 UTC Thursday morning) placed Humberto 75 miles (120 kilometers) north of Bermuda. At the time, Humberto had maximum sustained winds of 120 miles per hour (195 kilometers per hour) and was moving east-by-northeast at 20 mph (31 kph).

The NHC predicted that Humberto would pass by Bermuda Wednesday night, before beginning to weaken on Thursday. The advisory also noted dangerous surf conditions, with waves over 30 feet high being recorded offshore by a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) buoy, warning of a possibility of coastal flooding.

Bermuda was rarely hit by hurricanes according to CNN who reported that over the last century, only 21 hurricanes reached within 100 miles of the islands. The most recent hurricane to reach Bermuda, Hurricane Gonzalo, made landfall there in 2014.

Hurricanes are a form of tropical cyclones. On the Saffir–Simpson scale used by the NHC for classifying tropical cyclones, a category 3 hurricane must sustain winds of at least 111 miles per hour. The cut-off for a category 4 hurricane, the next stronger classification, is 130 mph. Hurricanes classified as category 3 or above are considered to be "major" hurricanes.


Uragano Humberto plifortiĝante alproksimiĝas al Bermudo

Hieraŭ vespere, la usona Nacia Uragana Centro (NUC, angle National Hurricane Center) eldonis avizon pri danĝera vetero ĉe la insulo Bermudo pro la uragano Humberto. Ĝi nun estas en la tria el la kvin klasoj de la skalo de Saffir-Simpson, kiu klasifikas tropikŝtormojn kaj uraganojn laŭ la forteco de ties ventoj. Umberto estas la tria uragano de la ĉi-jara atlantika uragana sezono.

La «Intertempa Avizo numero 25-alfa pri Uragano Humberto», publikigita je 20:00 horoj laŭ la atlantika tempzono (je meznokto laŭ UTK), situigis la uraganon je 120 kilometroj norde de Bermudo. Tiam Humberto havis maskimuman ventrapidecon de 195 kilometroj po horo kaj moviĝis en orient-nordorientan direkton je 31 kph.

NUC prognozas ke Humberto iros preter Bermudon je merkredo malfruvespere, kaj post tio grade malplifortiĝos dum ĵaŭdo. La avizo de NUC ankaŭ notis danĝerajn apudbordajn kondiĉojn kaj avertis pri ebla marborda inundo. La Nacia Okeana kaj Atmosfera Administracio mezuris per buo ondojn de pli ol dekmetra alteco.

Pli frue, sabaton la 14an, Humberto ŝvebis kelkajn horojn oriente de la Insulo de Grandabako, kiu estis grandparte detruita de la antaŭa uraganego Dorian la 1an de septembro. Tamen Humberto neniam atingis Bahamojn nek Usonon.


Hurricane Ike makes landfall on Cuba

According to the National Hurricane Center, Hurricane Ike has made landfall on Cuba, with sustained winds of 120 miles per hour and above, making it a category three hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Scale. At 8:00 p.m. (eastern time) Ike was centered approximately 60 miles North of Guantanamo and made landfall around 11:00 p.m. in the town of Cabo Lucrecia. Millions of Cubans have evacuated cities along the shoreline and moved to higher grounds as meteorologists say Eastern Cuba has never seen a storm this big.

"These people have never seen a Category 4 - or a category 3," said Jose Rubiera a meteorologist on Cubavision. The NHC states that a storm surge of 9 to 12 feet is expected along the Eastern shores.

Ike is currently moving West at around 13 miles an hour, but the National Hurricane Center states that they expect Ike to turn to a more West-Northwest direction within the coming days.

So far, Ike has killed 58 people in Haiti, 13 of the victims were children.


Wirbelsturm Ike traf auf Kuba

Havanna (Kuba), 11.09.2008 – Der Hurrikan „Ike“ befindet sich auf dem Weg Richtung amerikanisches Festland, nachdem er zuvor auf Kuba gewütet hatte. Amtlichen Angaben zu Folge sind dabei vier Menschen ums Leben gekommen, sieben wurden verletzt.

Für kommenden Samstag wurde die Ankunft von „Ike“ für den US Bundesstaat Texas vorhergesagt, wo Präsident Bush vorsorglich den Notstand ausgerufen hat.

Am Sonntagabend erreichte der Wirbelsturm mit Windgeschwindigkeiten von bis zu 215 Stundenkilometern zum ersten Mal die kubanische Ostküste. Am Dienstag traf Ike erneut auf die Küste und verursachte schwere Schäden im ganzen Land. Noch am Mittwoch bestand in den westlichen Provinzen Matanzas, Havanna, Piñar del Rio sowie auf der Isla de la Juventud Sturmwarnung. Erst Ende August hatte der Hurrikan „Gustav“ Kuba heimgesucht und dabei rund 100.000 Häuser zerstört.

In Haiti hat „Ike“ 66 Menschen das Leben gekostet. Nach Angaben der Vereinten Nationen befinden sich dort etwa 800.000 Menschen in Notunterkünften. Zuvor zog der Sturm über die britischen Turks- und Caicosinseln, wo er 80 Prozent aller Wohnhäuser beschädigt hatte.


L'uragano Ike colpisce Cuba

L'uragano Ike sta colpendo in queste ore l'isola di Cuba con venti sostenuti oltre i 200 km/h. Era stato classificato come uragano di categoria 3 nella scala Saffir-Simpson, però nelle ultime ore è stato declassato a categoria 2.

Secondo il Centro nazionale degli uragani (NHC) Ike ha provocato una frana a Cuba.  Alle 20:00 (ET) di ieri, Ike si trovava a circa 100 km a Nord di Guantanamo e ha causato la frana intorno alle 23:00 nella città di Cabo Lucrecia. Un milione di persone, fra cui una decina di migliaia di turisti circa, è stato evacuata dalle città della costa e trasferiti ad altitudini maggiori, poiché i meteorologi sostengono che l'Est di Cuba non ha mai visto una tempesta di queste dimensioni.

«Queste persone non hanno mai visto un [uragano] categoria 4 - o un categoria 3», ha detto il meteorologo di Cubavision Jose Rubiera. L'NHC prevede onde alte fra 2,5 e 3,5 metri circa sulle coste orientali.

In tutto il Paese, a esclusione delle provincie di l'Avana e Città di l'Avana è stato lanciato l'allarme ciclonico. L'uragano ha raggiunto una potenza tale da sradicare alcuni alberi e distrutto dei piloni dell'energia elettrica nella città di Holguin; a Baracoa le onde sono giunte fino a 400 metri nell'entroterra.

Nonostante la richiesta da parte del governo cubano agli Stati Uniti di revocare l'embargo che dura oramai da 46 anni per portare aiuto alla popolazione in difficoltà il Segretario di Stato Condoleezza Rice ha detto: «Non penso che nel contesto attuale sia saggio toglierlo».

Il ciclone tropicale si sta spostando verso Ovest alla velocità di circa 24 km/h, ma l'NHC afferma che Ike nei prossimi giorni potrebbe tornare a muoversi in direzione Ovest-Nord-Ovest.

Finora Ike ha ucciso 73 persone ad Haiti, molte delle quali bambini e due donne incinte. I tre precedenti uragani che avevano colpito il Paese in questa stagione avevano provocato 570 vittime.

Le isole Keys, a Sud-Est delle Florida, sono state allertate perché potrebbero essere colpite da Ike sul suo lato destro. Nella mattina (ora locale) di mercoledì l'uragano dovrebbe spostarsi nuovamente nel Golfo del Messico riacquistando potenza. L'NHC prevede che negli Stati Uniti Ike potrebbe colpire il Texas e la Louisiana, Stati già interessati dall'uragano Gustav. Intanto il prezzo del greggio è aumentato di più di 2,50 dollari al barile arrivando a quota 108,80.


Hurricane Rick becomes Category 5 storm

Hurricane Rick in the Eastern Pacific became an extremely powerful Category 5 hurricane on Saturday, the first in the region since 2002's Hurricane Kenna. Rick had winds of 180 mph (285 km/h), making it the second-strongest East Pacific tropical cyclone on record, but has since weakened slightly.

The storm is currently situated about 500 miles south-southeast of Cabo San Lucas, and is moving west-northwestward. Forecasters say Rick will eventually take a turn towards the northeast, bringing it towards the southern Baja California Peninsula of Mexico. Officials advise residents throughout the region to keep a close eye on the storm's progress over the coming days.

The storm formed just a few days ago, and quickly grew to an extremely dangerous Category 5 cyclone. "Rick is probably going to go into the record books as one of the most rapidly intensifying hurricanes," said Hugh Cobb, a National Hurricane Center forecaster.

Rick is the seventeenth named storm of the 2009 Pacific hurricane season.


Huracán Rick alcanza categoría 5, “extremadamente peligroso”

El huracán Rick se originó a partir de un área de baja presión localizada hacia el sur del Golfo de Tehuantepec el 15 de octubre, cuando ésta mostró en los satélites suficiente convección y circulación para ser declarada como depresión tropical Veinte-E. Aunque tan sólo seis horas de haber sido declarado como ciclón tropical, el sistema alcanzó la fuerza de tormenta tropical adquiriendo el nombre de Rick, siendo la décimo-sexta tormenta de la temporada cuando se localizaba a 555 km al sur-sureste de Acapulco, Guerrero, México.

El huracán Rick ahora es el vigésimo segundo ciclón tropical y el cuarto huracán mayor formado en la temporada de huracanes en el Pacífico del 2009, alcanzando ya la categoría 5, la máxima en la escala de Saffir-Simpson con vientos superiores a los 260 kilómetros por hora, después de haber ganado fuerza al acercarse a las costas del océano Pacífico en el sur de México en dirección oeste-noroeste. Asimismo, el huracán Rick es el segundo más intenso formado en la cuenca del Pacífico Nororiental, sólo después del Huracán Linda, que fue el último huracán más fuerte en el noreste del Pacífico durante su paso en la región en 1997.

El Sistema Nacional de Protección Civil de México, sitúa en alerta verde los estados de Guerrero, Michoacán, Colima y Jalisco, mientras que en los estados de Nayarit, Sonora, Sinaloa y Baja California Sur, así como en Islas Socorro y Benedicto continúan en alerta azul, recomendando a las unidades estatales a estar atentas a la evolución del huracán y no realizar actividades costeras o marítimas que pongan en riesgo a la población.


Hurricane Rita makes landfall

The core of Hurricane Rita made landfall just west of the Texas–Louisiana border as a category 3 storm at 3 AM Saturday with sustained winds near 120 mph.  The center of the eye crossed the coast southeast of Beaumont, Texas, near Sabine Pass, with the eyewall extending into Louisiana.

Rita is expected to produce rainfall accumulations of 8–12 inches, with the storm slowing down and producing a total of as much as 25 inches across eastern Texas and western Louisiana.  Bursts of tropical storm winds and rainfall amounts of 3–5 inches are possible in New Orleans.

New Orleans' Ninth Ward, which saw as much as 20 feet of water during Hurricane Katrina, is currently in waist high water as a nearby levee was overtopped. Water is spilling over the levee in a section 100 feet wide.  There are reports of damage or leakage at three levee breaches.

Near the center of the storm, coastal storm surge flooding of 15 feet above normal tide levels is expected, reaching 20 feet in bays and rivers. Tides are about 2 feet above normal along the Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama coasts, and tides will increase to 4–6 feet above normal, with large waves and swells.


Hurrikan „Rita“ tobt über Texas und Teilen Louisianas

Galveston (Vereinigte Staaten), 24.09.2005 – Der Hurrikan „Rita“ traf in den frühen Morgenstunden (Ortszeit) mit Windgeschwindigkeiten von bis zu 200 Kilometern pro Stunde in der Nähe der texanischen Städte Port Arthur und Beaumont auf die Golfküste der USA. Vereinzelt traf der Sturm mit Windspitzen mit bis zu 335 Kilometern pro Stunde auf die Küste. Der Hurrikan schwächte sich im Laufe des Tages, nachdem er auf Land getroffen war, immer weiter ab und erreicht inzwischen nur noch Windgeschwindigkeiten von 120 Kilometern pro Stunde.

Der Sturm traf um 9.30 Uhr MESZ bei Sabine Pass (Texas) auf das Festland, nahe der Grenze zu Louisiana. Mit dem Sturm kamen sintflutartige Regenfälle im gesamten Gebiet, das der Hurrikan bedeckt. Augenzeugen verglichen das Eintreffen des Sturms mit einer Wasserwand, die über sie hereingebrochen sei. Der Hurrikan, der inzwischen auf die Stufe eins (tropischer Wirbelsturm) herabgestuft worden ist, wird die Küstenregion am Golf von Mexiko noch einige Tage im Griff halten, wie der Wetterdienst mitteilte. Der Direktor des Hurrikan-Zentrums in Miami, Max Mayfield, schätzt die zeitliche Dauer des Sturms auf vier bis fünf Tage. Die Experten erwarten große Schäden, weil der Sturm sich nur langsam vorwärts bewegt und im Grenzgebiet von Texas, Arkansas und Oklahoma einige Tage verweilen wird. Trotz der Abschwächung der Windstärke ist die Gefahr nicht geringer geworden. Nach Ansicht von Experten gehen die größten Gefahren von den Regenfällen aus, die „Rita“ mitbringt. Ein Experte des Wetterdienstes Meteomedia sagte: „Der Wind lässt bald nach, aber die Regenmassen, die dann noch tagelang abregnen, werden verheerende Überschwemmungen anrichten.“

Die größte texanische Stadt Houston wurde nicht wie befürchtet vom Auge des Hurrikan getroffen. Der Sturm veränderte kurz vor seinem Eintreffen an der Küste seine Richtung und traf dann an der Grenze zwischen den beiden Bundesstaaten Texas und Louisiana auf die Küste. Auch Galveston, dessen vollständiger Untergang durch den Sturm prophezeit worden war, blieb vom Schlimmsten verschont.

In Houston, Pasadena und Galveston und mehreren anderen Städten brachen als Folge des Sturms Großfeuer aus, dessen Ursache noch unklar blieb. Mehrere Häuser des historischen Zentrums der Stadt standen in Flammen. Die Löscharbeiten gestalteten sich jedoch schwierig, weil das Wasser der Löschfahrzeuge durch die heftigen Winde in alle Richtungen geweht wurde.

In weiten Landesteilen fiel der Strom aus. Allein in Texas sollen 55.000 Haushalte vom Stromausfall betroffen sein. Einer unmittelbaren Gefahr für Leib und Leben konnten die meisten Menschen jedoch dank der größten Evakuierungsaktion aller Zeiten entrinnen. Der Sturm traf auf fast menschenleere Gebiete. Aus den verheerenden Folgen des Hurrikans „Katrina“ wurden offenbar Konsequenzen gezogen.

Besonders hart getroffen wurde die Stadt Port Arthur (Texas). Ein Augenzeuge berichtete: „Jeder Baum, den man sehen kann, liegt am Boden.“ In der Stadt, die auch ein Zentrum der Erdölproduktion der USA ist, wurden als Vorsichtsmaßnahme zahlreiche Raffinerien geschlossen. Ungefähr 15 Anlagen sollen nicht mehr in Betrieb sein. Nach dem bereits der Hurrikan „Katrina“ die Ölförderung stark getroffen hatte, werden nun weitere Ausfälle befürchtet. Die gesamte Öl- und Gasförderung in der Region ist faktisch ausgefallen.

Durch „Rita“ fallen im Golf von Mexiko nach Schätzungen 1,486 Mio. Barrel Ölproduktion weg. Nach Angaben der zuständigen US-Behörde sind das 99,1 Prozent der Ölförderung. In dieser Region wird etwa ein Viertel der amerikanischen Öl- und Erdgasproduktion erwirtschaftet. 30 Prozent der US-amerikanischen Raffineriekapazitäten produzieren zurzeit nicht. Zehn große Pipelines, die die USA mit Erdöl und Erdgas versorgen, sind ebenfalls stillgelegt. Entsprechend hart wird die US-Wirtschaft durch den Hurrikan getroffen. Nach der Herabstufung des Hurrikans „Rita“ auf die Stufe drei sank jedoch der Preis für Rohöl zunächst um 2,31 US-Dollar auf 64,19 US-Dollar je Barrel (1 Barrel=159 Liter). Einen Tag nach dem Auftreffen des Hurrikans „Katrina“ auf die Golfküste hatte der New Yorker Ölpreis mit 70,85 US-Dollar je Barrel ein Rekordhoch erreicht. Die Preissituation kann sich jedoch wieder ändern, wenn die tatsächlichen durch den Hurrikan „Rita“ angerichteten Schäden genauer beziffert werden können. Über zwanzig Raffinerien liegen auf dem Weg des Hurrikans. Als besonders gefährdet gelten die Raffinerien bei Port Arthur.

Nach ersten Schätzungen der auf die Quantifizierung von Sturmschäden spezialisierten Firma „Eqecat“ ist von Sturmfolgeschäden von neun bis achtzehn Mrd. Dollar auszugehen.


リタ、テキサス・ルイジアナ州境付近に上陸

NHK及びアメリカ合衆国ハリケーンセンターによると、カテゴリー3の勢力を持ったハリケーン・リタは、24日午前2時30分（中部夏時間、UTC-5、日本時間午後4時30分）過ぎ、アメリカ大陸に上陸した。上陸したのはアメリカ合衆国南東部のテキサス州とルイジアナ州の州境付近。今後速度を落とし、同地方に留まる見込みであり、両州では警戒をしている。

朝日新聞によればテキサス州を通過するのに3日かかると考えられ、長く強い雨が降ることによる被害が心配されている。テキサス・ルイジアナ両州で合計300万人が避難している。一方、当初上陸が懸念されたテキサス州ヒューストンでは、ハリケーン警報が解除された。

テキサス州ポートアーサーでは湖が増水して、浸水した。同市のオスカー・オーティス市長によると、市民の大多数は、すでに避難を終えていると、CNNが伝えている。同市近郊のレイクチャールズでは、降雨量が200ミリを超えた。

朝日新聞によればルイジアナ州の州都であるバトンルージュの付近では竜巻が発生した。


Hydrofoil collides with cargo ship near Sicily

A hydrofoil and a cargo ship have entered into collision this evening, at around 18:15 Italian local time (17:15 UTC) near the harbor of Messina, Sicily, Italy.

The hydrofoil, named "Segesta jet", was doing a regular passenger service from Reggio Calabria to Messina, carrying 151 passengers and 6 crew members.

The cargo ship is reported to be the "Susan Borchard", registered in Antigua and Barbuda.

The number of people dead or injured is not currently established, but during the night the number of fatalities rose to 4.


Collisione tra aliscafo e nave cargo nello stretto di Messina: almeno 4 morti

Attorno alle 18.15, ora locale italiana, un aliscafo in servizio di linea passeggeri dal porto di Reggio Calabria al porto Messina e una nave mercantile sono entrate in collisione un paio di miglia al largo del porto di Messina, nello Stretto di Messina

Secondo i bollettini diffusi prima delle ore 22, sono stati accertati almeno 4 morti (tutti membri dell'equipaggio) e almeno 88 feriti di cui, secondo quanto riferito dagli organi d'informazione, almeno sette in gravi condizioni. Il bilancio potrebbe non essere ancora definitivo.

L'aliscafo era il "Segesta jet", con a bordo 151 passeggeri e 6 membri dell'equipaggio, che ha riportato danni ingenti. La nave mercantile è una nave portacontainer, la "Susan Borchard", battente bandiera di Antigua e Barbuda

Nella tarda serata sono state trasmesse immagini dell'aliscafo: la sagoma della prua del portacontainer ha lasciato un ampio squarcio nella fiancata destra dell'aliscafo, distruggendo completamente la plancia di comando dell'imbarcazione. Fortunatamente l'aliscafo non è affondato. Sembra che i soccorsi siano stati allertati dagli stessi passeggeri mediante i loro telefoni cellulari, in quanto tutta la strumentazione di bordo era andata distrutta nella collisione.

La dinamica dell'incidente non è ancora chiara, ma sembra che la visibilità al momento dell'incidente fosse ottima.


Ice shelf breaks free in Canadian Arctic

The Ayles ice shelf, which is more than 11,000 football fields in size and is located just south of the North Pole, has broken free in the Canadian Arctic. Scientists say that global warming has played a "major" role in the break.

The entire 41 square miles of the shelf broke away from Ellesmere Island at least 16 months ago, and the break was discovered when a satellite took pictures of the region recently.

"This is a dramatic and disturbing event. It shows that we are losing remarkable features of the Canadian North that have been in place for many thousands of years. We are crossing climate thresholds, and these may signal the onset of accelerated change ahead," said Warwick Vincent, a Laval University scientist who studies conditions in the Arctic.

Higher temperatures are believed to have played a significant role in the break, and all 6 shelves in the Canadian Arctic have become at least 90% smaller since they were discovered in the early 1900's.

"It [the break] is consistent with climate change. We aren't able to connect all of the dots, but unusually warm temperatures definitely played a major role," added Vincent.

Seismographs detected the break and collapse of the shelf in August of 2005. The short amount of time it took for the event to occur has come as a surprise to scientists.

"What surprised us was how quickly it happened. Even 10 years ago scientists assumed that when global warming changes occur that it would happen gradually, so that perhaps we expected these ice shelves just to melt away quite slowly. It's pretty alarming," said head of the University of Ottawa's global ice lab, Luke Copland.


Une plate-forme de glace, plus grande que l'île de Manhattan, à la dérive dans l'océan Arctique

Une plate-forme de glace, plus étendue que l'île de Manhattan, s'est détachée, au cours de l'été 2005, de l'île d'Ellesmere, au Canada, à environ 800 kilomètres du pôle Nord, et dérive librement dans l'océan Arctique.

Un chercheur de l'université d'Ottawa, Luke Copland, professeur de géographie, a déterminé, en étudiant les données fournies par les photographies envoyées par les satellites d'observation et celles fournies par les laboratoires de surveillance sismologique, que le phénomène s'était déroulé le 13 août 2005, en un laps de temps d'environ une heure.

La plate-forme de glace a une longueur d'environ 15 kilomètres, pour une largeur d'environ 5 kilomètres et une épaisseur moyenne estimée à 30 à 40 mètres, et sa superficie est de 66 km² soit, selon un ordre de grandeur fourni par les médias, une surface équivalente à celle de 11 000 terrains de football.

Selon un chercheur de l'université Laval, Warvick Vincent, le choc provoqué par la séparation du bloc de glace du reste des glaciers de l'île d'Ellesmere a provoqué une secousse ressentie par des instruments de mesure sismologique situés à plus de 250 km du lieu du phénomène. M. Vincent s'est rendu sur place, à une date indéterminée, pour constater le phénomène, et s'est exprimé devant la presse, jeudi 28 décembre 2006, pour donner un aperçu de ses observations et réflexions. Il s'agirait selon lui d'un « événement dramatique et inquiétant », qui montrerait que des éléments importants du Grand Nord canadien seraient en train de disparaître, après avoir subsisté durant des millénaires. Il y voit notamment le signe d'une possible accélération d'un changement de climat.

De son côté, Luke Copland souligne que, si la plate-forme de glace est actuellement bloquée par les conditions hivernales de l'océan Arctique qui l'enserrent avec la banquise, il existerait un risque non négligeable, lors du dégel estival, d'une dérive de la nouvelle île de glace en direction du sud-ouest, vers la mer de Beaufort, où sont concentrées diverses activités de forage pétrolier et gazier. Cette dérive éventuelle serait susceptible de faire courir des dangers tant aux plate-formes de forage qu'aux navires qui circulent dans la zone.


Icelandic volcanic eruption prompts evacuation, flight diversions

A volcanic eruption started yesterday in south Iceland at or near the Eyjafjallajökull glacier.  The first signs of the eruption were seen between 23:00 and midnight GMT. It is still not clear where the exact location of the eruption is but it appears to be on Fimmvörðuháls.

People living in the area are  being evacuated. Police have closed the roads into the area and a state of emergency has been declared. The eruption is expected to result in flooding if it is under the glacier, but fortunately it appears to between Eyjafjallajökull and another glacier, Mýrdalsjökull, reducing the danger of flooding. It is reported that the eruption can be seen as far away as from Vestmannaeyjar. So far the lava flow is viscous and thick.

There is also a danger that this eruption could trigger another eruption on nearby Mt. Katla, which is an off-rift volcano beneath Mýrdalsjökull. In the past, eruptions at Eyjafjallajökull have triggered eruptions at Mt. Katla. If Katla does erupt, the effect would be far more significant than that of the current eruption, as lava could melt the ice at the top of the mountain, causing the potential for massive flooding.

The air carrier Icelandair has diverted flights which were destined for Iceland as a precaution, due to the risks to aircraft of flying into volcanic ash.  A notice to airlines prohibits flights within 120 nautical miles of the volcano.

Iceland is a volcanic island situated atop the Mid-Atlantic Ridge at the juncture of the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates.


Избухна Вулкан в Исландия

Рейкявик, Исландия В събота в южната част на Исландия е избухнал вулкан, близо до ледника Eyjafjallajokul на 160 км. от Рейкявик.

Рейкявик, Исландия: В събота в южната част на Исландия е избухнал вулкан, близо до ледника Eyjafjallajokul на 160 км. от Рейкявик.
Първите сигнали са наблюдавани в 23 ч. Универсално време, но мястото на изригванията не е точно локализирано, но се предполага че е близо до област Fimmvörðuháls. Обявено е бедствено положение а пътищата в местността за затворени. 600 жители са евакуирани от областта.

Изтекла е лава от 15 места и се образувала цепнатина от 1 км. Най-опасен е въздухът е наситен с вулканична пепел. Хората са евакуирани, но евакуацията на добитъка е трудно, а за растителността тази пепел е унищожителна. Актрисата Christina Bengtsson  разказва в ефира на местното радио, че е наблюдавала от зрелището на "почервеняло небе".

Pall Einarsson, геофизик към научния института за Науки за Земята се опасява  изригването да не  отключи  други гео-физични процеси и да изригне също Katla – опасен вулкан, който може да причини местни и световни огромни щети. Местността около Катла е по-гъсто населена от местността около Eyjafjallajokull. За сега не е възможно да се предвиди, колко дълго може да продължи изригването.

Tumi Gudmundsson, професор по физика и съветник на Гражданска Защита каза: "извадихме късмет, че вулканът не избухна непосредствено под ледниците, но тревогата остава, тъй като двата вулкана са много близко."

Ако изригването е непосредствено под ледника, се очакват наводнения, но специалисти предполагат, че изригването е между ледник Eyjafjallajökull и ледник  Mýrdalsjökull. Ако последната прогноза се окаже вярна, опасността и щетите ще са по-малки. Изригването може да бъде видяно от Vestmannaeyjar. Наблюдаваният поток лава,  е гъст и лепкав.

По съображение за сигурност Авиокомпания Icelandair е отклонила всички вътрешните и външните полети в небето на Исландия  NOTAM (Notice To Airmen информация за пилоти) забранява полетите на 120 морски мили в близост до вулкана. Затворени са три летища в страната, включително  и летището в Рейкявик за излитащи и кацащи самолети.

Вулканът не е активен от  1821. За последен път на острова  е изригвал вулкан през 2004 г.

•	((fr)) – Omar Valdimarsson, traduit par Clément Dossin (Reuters), « Un volcan entre en éruption en Islande, 500 personnes évacuées ». L'Express,

•	((fr)) – AP, « Eruption d'un volcan en Islande: 450 personnes évacuées ». Le Nouvel Observateur, 21 mars 2010.

•	((fr)) – AFP, « Un volcan entre en éruption en Islande ». Le Figaro, 21 mars 2010.

•	((fr)) – AFP, « Eruption volcanique en Islande: des centaines de personnes évacuées ». La Libre Belgique, 21 mars 2010.

•	((fr)) – leparisien.fr avec AFP, « Eruption d'un volcan en Islande : des centaines de personnes évacuées ». Le Parisien, 21 mars 2010.

•	((fr)) – « Du feu sous la glace islandaise ». Euronews, 21 mars 2010.

•	((fr)) – SWISS TXT, « Un volcan est entré en éruption en Islande, entraînant l'évacuation de plus de 600 personnes ». Télévision suisse romande,


Vulkanausbruch: Ausnahmezustand auf Island ausgerufen

Reykjavík (Isand), 21.03.2010 – In der Nähe des Eyjafjallajökull-Gletschers auf Island ist kurz nach Mitternacht ein Vulkan ausgebrochen. Die Behörden des Landes riefen für einige Gemeinden im Süden vorsorglich den Notstand aus. Zeitweilig mussten 700 Bewohner der Ortschaften in der Nähe des Gletschers ihre Wohnungen verlassen. Die Behörden rechneten mit der Möglichkeit von Überschwemmungen durch geschmolzenes Gletschereis. Im Laufe des Tages wurde klar, dass das Zentrum des Vulkanausbruchs nicht unter dem Gletscher, sondern jenseits der Eisgrenze bei dem Ausflugsgebiet Fimmvörduhals lag.

Bei Fljótshlíð soll es Berichten des Radiosenders RUV zufolge zu Ascheregen gekommen sein. Einwohner sollen von gleißenden Lichterscheinungen aus dem Gletscher berichtet haben. Geologen, die den Gletscher im Laufe des Vormittags überflogen, berichteten von einem Riss, der durch die Vulkanaktivitäten unter dem Gletscher entstanden sei. Außerdem wird mit einem bevorstehenden Ausbruch des Vulkans Katla gerechnet.

Der Flugverkehr von und nach Island wurde für mehrere Stunden eingestellt. Der internationale Flughafen Keflavík war von der Schließung des Flugbetriebes ebenso betroffen wie die nationalen Flughäfen Reykjavík und Akureyri. Drei Flugzeuge der Icelandair mussten umdrehen und wurden zu Flughäfen in den USA zurückbeordert, wo sie gestartet waren.

Die Insel Island besteht praktisch aus den Auswürfen von Vulkanen, aus denen sie einst entstanden ist. Größter Vulkan auf der Insel ist Hekla, der zuletzt vor zehn Jahren ausgebrochen war. Der Vulkan unter dem Eyjafjallajökull-Gletscher war zuletzt 1823 ausgebrochen.


Volcán hace erupción en Islandia

21 de marzo de 2010Reikiavik, Islandia —

Una erupción volcánica comenzó el sábado en el sur de Islandia, cerca del glaciar Eyjafjallajökull. Las primeras señales de la erupción fueron observadas entre las 23.00 UTC y la medianoche. Aún no es clara la localización exacta, pero parece estar ubicada en la población de Fimmvörðuháls.

Las personas que habitan esta área están siendo evacuadas. La policía ha cerrado las carreteras que conducen a la zona y fue declarado el estado de emergencia. Si la erupción se produjo bajo el glaciar, se esperan que se presenten inundaciones, pero algunos expertos afirman que esta parece haber ocurrido entre Eyjafjallajökull y el glaciar Mýrdalsjökull, reduciendo el peligro. Se reporta que la erupción puede visualizarse desde Vestmannaeyjar. El flujo de lava se observa viscoso y denso.

La aerolínea Icelandair ha desviado los vuelos que se dirigen a Islandia como precaución, debido a los riesgos de accidentalidad por las cenizas volcánicas. Una NOTAM (Notice To Airmen, información para aviadores) a las aerolíneas prohibe vuelos dentro de las 120 millas náuticas aledañas al volcán.

Islandia es una isla volcánica situada en medio de la cadena montañosa submarina Dorsal mesoatlántica, en la confluencia de las placas tectónicas Americana y Europea.


Tulivuorenpurkaus Etelä-Islannissa

Eyjafjallajökull-jäätikön tienoilla Etelä-Islannissa on keskiyön tienoilla alkanut vulkaaninen purkaus. Selfossin poliisin mukaan läheistä maaseutuasutusta on evakuoitu. Eyjafjallajökull–Mýrdalsjökull-alueelta on evakuoitu noin 500 henkeä. Väestönsuojeluviranomainen arvelee, ettei kukaan ole vaarassa. Tarkka purkauspaikka ei ole tiedossa.

Laavaa virtaa kohti itää, ja maassa on kilometrin pituinen halkeama. Huomattavaa maanjäristystä ei ole toistaiseksi havaittu. Keflavíkin kansainvälinen lentokenttä on ollut suljettuna, Egilsstaðirin lentokenttä on ollut toiminnassa.


Islande : le volcan Eyjafjöll en éruption

Le volcan Eyjafjöll, situé à 1 666 mètres d'altitude, dans le sud de l'Islande, est entré en éruption la nuit dernière, ouvrant une fissure d'un kilomètre.

En conséquence, la police a décrété l'état d'urgence local et près de 600 personnes habitant dans une zone entre Hvolsvöllur et Vík í Mýrdal ont été évacuées. Selon la radio RÚV, plusieurs aéroports du pays ont également été fermés, notamment celui de la capitale Reykjavík. Le panache est visible jusqu'aux îles Vestmann. Aucune victime ou dégât ne sont actuellement à déplorer.

Il s'agit d'une éruption de type sous-glaciaire : le volcan est recouvert par la calotte glaciaire Eyjafjallajökull. Dans ces conditions, si une importante masse de glace fond, l'eau accumulée sous le glacier menace d'être violemment libérée à la surface et de provoquer des inondations[1].

Par ailleurs, l'éruption du Katla, volcan voisin de l'Eyjafjöll réputé comme « dangereux », est redoutée. « C'est une éruption plutôt petite et calme, mais nous craignons qu'elle ne déclenche l'éruption du volcan voisin, le Katla, […] un volcan vicieux qui pourrait provoquer des dégâts locaux et mondiaux », a expliqué Páll Einarsson, géophysicien à l'Université d'Islande.

L'Eyjafjöll s'était réveillé pour la dernière fois entre 1821 et 1823. Cette nouvelle éruption, la quatrième connue, a été précédée d'une crise sismique. Pas moins d'environ 3 000 secousses avaient déjà été enregistrées en début de mois, du 3 au 5 mars.

L'Islande, île à l'activité volcanique intense, est localisée sur la dorsale médio-atlantique, à la jonction des plaques tectoniques nord-américaine et eurasienne.


Извержение подлёдного вулкана в Исландии

Вулканическое извержение началось вчера в Южной Исландии вблизи ледника Эйяфьялдаекюдль. Первые признаки извержения были замечены между 23:00 и полночью по Гринвичу. Пока еще не ясно точное место извержения но похоже, что извергается вулкан Fimmvörðuháls.

Люди, живущие в этом районе в настоящее время эвакуированы. Полиция закрыла дороги в этом районе и было объявлено чрезвычайное положение. Извержение может привести к наводнениям, если вулкан находится под ледником, но, к счастью, между Эйяфьялдаекюдль и Mýrdalsjökull опасность наводнений низкая. Сообщается, что извержение можно увидеть так далеко, как от Вестманнаэйяр. До сих пор потоки лавы остаются вязкими и густыми.

Авиаперевозчик Icelandair отменяет рейсы в Исландию в качестве меры предосторожности в связи с рисками полёта в вулканическом пепле. Авиакомпании запрещают полёты в пределах 120 морских миль от вулкана.

Исландия — это вулканический остров, расположенный на вершине Срединно-Атлантического хребта на стыке североамериканской и евразийской тектонических плит.

21 марта 2010 года


தெற்கு ஐசுலாந்தில் எரிமலை வெடித்தது

தெற்கு ஐசுலாந்தில் எரிமலை ஒன்று வெடிக்க ஆரம்பித்ததை அடுத்து, அப்பகுதியச் சூழவிருந்த பல நூற்றுக்கணக்கானோர் பாதுகாப்பான இடங்களுக்கு அனுப்பப்பட்டார்கள்.

Eyjafjallajoekull என்ற பனியாற்றுப் பகுதிக்கு அண்மையில் இன்று நள்ளிரவுக்கு சற்றுப் பின்னர் எரிமலை வெடிக்க ஆரம்பித்ததை அடுத்து பல வீதிகள் மூடப்பட்டன.

எவரும் இதுவரையில் பாதிக்கப்படவில்லை என அறிவிக்கப்பட்டாலும், பாதுகாப்புக் கருதி கிட்டத்தட்ட ஐநூறு பேர் அங்கிருந்து அப்புறப்படுத்தப்பட்டுள்ளதாக அதிகாரிகள் தெரிவித்தனர்.

இப்பகுதியில் கடைசியாக 200 ஆண்டுகளுக்கு முன்னர் 1821 ஆம் ஆண்டில் எரிமலை வெடித்தது.

இந்த எரிமலை வெடிப்பை அடுத்து வெள்ளப் பெருக்கு ஏற்படலாம் என்றும், இது பனிக்கட்டியாறுக்கு மேல் உள்ள பகுதி மேலும் ஒருக ஆரம்பிக்கலாம் எனவும் அச்சம் தெரிவிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது.

"பிளிஜோஸ்லிட் பகுதியில் ஏற்கனவே தூறுகள் விழ ஆரம்பித்துள்ளதாகவும், பனிக்கட்டியாற்றின் மேல் இருந்து பிரகாசமான வெளிச்சம் வருவதாகவும் உள்ளூர் மக்கள் தெரிவித்தனர்.

ஞாயிறு, மார்ச் 21, 2010


Ignored warnings 'worsened' situation in Myanmar

International Union for the Conservation of Nature

People studying the situation in Myanmar are claiming that an inadequate response of the government of Myanmar (formerly Burma) to scientists' warnings about the cyclone, coupled with large-scale destruction of protective mangroves along its coasts, aggravated the devastation wreaked by tropical Cyclone Nargis.

The cyclone has killed an estimated 22,980 people so far, with millions rendered homeless by the disaster, which struck the Irrawaddy Delta region of Myanmar last week (3 May).

Scientists at the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) in New Delhi, the World Meteorological Organisation's specialist centre for Asia, say they issued the first of the cyclone bulletins to Myanmar as early as 26 April.

Mrityunjay Mohapatra, director of IMD's cyclone-warning centre, told SciDev.Net that Myanmar was warned of the impending cyclone at least 48 hours in advance. But there was no acknowledgement from Myanmar's meteorological office, or any indication of a response.

Mohapatra says IMD's first warning bulletin, issued on 1 May, indicated the land area likely to be hit by the cyclone. It warned that a cyclone with wind speeds of 180 kilometres per hour would cross the southwest coast of Myanmar sometime between 8pm and midnight on the night of the 2 May.

IMD's bulletins contain information on the actual and predicted centre, intensity and movement of the cyclone, as well as sea conditions and maximum wind speeds around the cyclone centre.

Uma Charan Mohanty, from the Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre in Thailand, said that, according to the World Meteorological Organisation's data, Asian cyclones are fewer and less intense than hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean or typhoons in the Pacific Ocean region, but they cause more death and destruction. In 2005, 25 hurricanes in the Atlantic caused 10 deaths, but cyclone Sidr, which hit Bangladesh in 2007, left 3,500 dead.

Mohanty says that the Atlantic coast has a good early-warning system and people have the means to drive to safer areas. In contrast, Asian coasts are densely populated, with many poor fishing and farming communities who cannot evacuate on their own, even if they have been warned.

News agencies quote Maung Swe, Myanmar's minister for relief and resettlement, who told a press conference (6 May) that most deaths were caused by a 3.5-metre-high storm surge — a wall of water that develops when cyclonic winds churn up sea water.

Mohanty says that 85 per cent of cyclone deaths are due to storm surges and that predictions of the size and location of such surges are critical in disaster forecasting.

Asian coasts are also becoming increasingly vulnerable because of the loss of protective mangrove forests that serve as windbreaks and limit damage by storm and tidal surges.

In a 2006 report, the International Union for Conservation of Nature said that areas in Sri Lanka with mangrove forests suffered less damage in the 2004 Asian tsunami, compared with regions where forests had been destroyed.

And in January 2008, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization warned that Asia is fast losing its coastal mangroves, with more than 1.9 million hectares being destroyed each year.

The organisation's report reviewed the world's mangroves between 1980 and 2005. It found that the mangrove forests around Myanmar's Irrawady Delta had degraded because of "overexploitation" and the conversion of land for rice fields — promoted by the government as a way to ensure self-sufficiency in food production.

Government officials in Myanmar have said that 22,464 people have been confirmed dead from Cyclone Nargis.

Only once rescue workers reached the hardest hit areas of the storm did they begin to realize the extent of damage that had occurred. At least 10,000 people died in one town alone, Bogalay in the Pyapon District of the country.

The United Nations has reported that one million people are homeless, or in need of help in some other way.


En ignorant les avertissements, les autorités birmanes auraient aggravé la catastrophe

En se penchant sur la situation de la Birmanie, certains spécialistes estiment qu'en ne prenant pas en considération les mises en garde scientifiques, les autorités du pays ont aggravé les ravages causés par le cyclone tropical Nargis, également amplifiés par la destruction à grande échelle de la protection des forêts de mangroves le long des côtes birmanes.

Le cyclone a tué environ 22 980 personnes à ce jour. En outre, des millions de personnes se retrouvent sans-abri une semaine après la catastrophe qui a frappé la région du delta d'Irrawaddy en Birmanie le 3 mai.

Les scientifiques du Service météorologique indien[1] de New Delhi, spécialistes de l'Organisation météorologique mondiale pour le centre de l'Asie, ont indiqué qu'ils avaient envoyé à la Birmanie un premier bulletin sur le cyclone dès le 26 avril. Mrityunjay Mohapatra, directeur du centre d'alerte pour les cyclones de l'IMD, a indiqué à SciDev.Net que la Birmanie avait été averti de l'imminence du cyclone au moins 48 heures à l'avance. Mais l'agence birmane de météorologie n'a envoyé ni accusé de réception ni réponse. Mrityunjay Mohapatra a précisé que le premier bulletin d'alerte datant du 1er mai évoquait la superficie de territoire susceptible d'être touché par le cyclone. Le bulletin avertissait qu'un cyclone avec des vents de 180 kilomètres par heure allait traverser la côte sud-ouest de la Birmanie, entre 20 h et minuit (heure locale) dans la nuit du 2 au 3 mai. Les bulletins de l'IMD contiennent des informations sur le centre actuel et prévu, l'intensité et le mouvement du cyclone, ainsi que les conditions en mer et la vitesse maximale du vent au centre du cyclone.

Uma Charan Mohanty, du Centre asiatique de planification des catastrophes basé en Thaïlande, a indiqué que selon les données de l'Organisation météorologique mondiale, les cyclones asiatiques sont moins longs et moins intenses que les ouragans de l'océan Atlantique ou les typhons de l'océan Pacifique, mais qu'ils provoquent davantage de décès et de dégâts. En 2005, vingt-cinq ouragans dans l'Atlantique ont causé dix décès, alors que le seul cyclone Sidr, qui a frappé le Bangladesh en 2007, a fait 3 500 morts. Uma Charan Mohanty explique que la côte atlantique s'est doté d'un système d'alerte rapide et que les populations ont la possibilité d'être évacuées vers des zones sûres. A contrario, les côtes asiatiques sont densément peuplées, avec des communautés agricoles et piscicoles très pauvres qui ne peuvent pas évacuer seules, même si elles sont mises en garde.

Lors d'une conférence de presse le 6 mai, Maung Swe, du ministre birman pour le secours et la reconstruction, a indiqué que la plupart des décès ont été causés par une onde de tempête[2] de 3,5 mètres de haut. Uma Charan Mohanty rappelle que, lors des cyclones, 85 % des décès sont dûs aux ondes de tempête et que les prévisions sur la taille et la localisation de ces poussées sont donc donc essentielles pour anticiper la catastrophe.

Les côtes asiatiques sont également de plus en plus vulnérables à cause de la perte de protection des forêts de mangroves qui servent de brise-vent et limitent les dommages causés par les tempêtes et les raz-de-marée. Dans un rapport de 2006, l'Union internationale pour la conservation de la nature a démontré que les zones du Sri Lanka avec des forêts de mangroves avaient été moins touchées par le tsunami résultant du Tremblement de terre du 26 décembre 2004 par rapport aux zones où les forêts ont été détruites. En janvier 2008, l'Organisation des Nations unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture avait également signalé que l'Asie était en train de perdre toutes ses mangroves côtières, avec plus de 1,9 millions d'hectares détruits chaque année. L'organisation a examiné l'évolution des mangroves dans le monde entre 1980 et 2005. Les forêts de mangroves autour du delta Irrawady en Birmanie avaient dégradées en raison de « surexploitation » et de la conversion des ces terres à la culture du riz (promu par le gouvernement comme un moyen d'assurer l'auto-suffisance alimentaire du pays).


Illegal drug found to be used in the manufacture of toys

Bindeez beads, a children's toy from Australia and manufactured by Moose Enterprise in Hong Kong, is being pulled off toy store shelves in the United Kingdom after traces of an illegal drug, which is converted into gamma-Hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) when ingested, was found inside the toy. At least 20 million toys are affected.

So far at least three children from the U.K. and at least two from Auckland, New Zealand have fallen seriously ill and are currently receiving medical attention. The toy is also sold in the United States as Aqua Dots, with two reports received by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) of children needing hospitalization after ingesting the beads.

"We've asked all our customers to take them off the shelf while we retest everything to make sure the toys comply with all regulations," said the company in a statement, although no mandatory recall has been issued for the product. The statement also says that the plant in Hong Kong was not using a chemical mixture approved by the company.

"This substitution was not at any time approved by Moose nor was Moose made aware of any substitution by the supplier," added the statement.

The toys were supposed to contain a non-toxic chemical known as 1,5-pentanediol, but instead 1,4-butanediol, which is mainly used in creating the illegal drug GHB, was used in the toys. When humans consume 1,4-butanediol, the body converts it into GHB and could make the individual seriously ill, causing headaches, seizures, dizziness and in some cases death. GHB is a natural chemical found in a variety of things such as beef, wine and some varieties of citrus fruits. It is also used as a pharmaceutical which is sold as Xyrem.

Recent animal research indicates that drugs are available for human use which may work as antidotes to the poison, either by hindering its conversion to GHB with 4-methylpyrazole (fomepizole, Antizol) or by blocking GHB's effectiveness at the receptor (SCH 50911).  Rodent testing has found the lethal dose of 1,4-butanediol to range from 1.4 to 2.5 grams per kilogram body weight, but an antidote can increase the lethal dose by a factor of 10.

It is not known how the chemicals got mixed up, but officials for the toy company say that they are continuing the investigation. The toy is currently banned in all of Australia, but the company says all those who bought it will be refunded their money.

"The issue of how a dangerous substance was used in these beads and not the non-toxic substance ... that is going to take us a few more days to uncover," said Australia's Fair Trade Minister, Linda Burney in a statement to the press.

The toy was recently named Australia's number one toy for 2007.


Gefährliche Spielzeuge unter dem Weihnachtsbaum?

10.11.2007 – Der jüngste Rückruf von Kinderspielzeug bewegt nicht nur ferne Kontinente wie Australien und Amerika. Die Moose Enterprise aus dem australischen Melbourne ruft weltweit über 4 Millionen sogenannte „Bindeez“-Produkte zurück, die in China produziert und danach in 40 Länder wie auch nach Deutschland exportiert wurden.

„Bindeez“-Perlen, oder auch „Aqua Dots“ genannt, sind kleine flüssigkeitsgefüllte Kugeln in verschiedenen Farben, die vorrangig von Kindern zu kleinen Kunstwerken zusammengefügt werden können, um sie danach mit Wasser zu benetzen und somit dauerhaft zu fixieren. Eigentlich ein nette Idee! Nun haben jedoch Kinder in Amerika und Australien diese Perlen verschluckt und liegen seitdem im Koma. Wissenschaftler haben bei folgenden Untersuchungen festgestellt, dass die Außenhülle der Perlen den Weichmacher 1,4-Butandiol (BDO) enthält, der beim Verschlucken im Körper zu 4-Hydroxybutansäure (GHB) metabolisiert. Neben einer Verwendung dieses Stoffes für medizinische Zwecke (beispielsweise zur Behandlung von Entzugserscheinungen bei Alkoholkranken) wurde dieser Stoff bereits für Doping-Zwecke genutzt und trägt seit den letzten Jahren auch den Ruf „K. O.-Tropfen“, „Liquid Ecstasy“ oder „Vergewaltigungsdroge“.

Somit reißt die Serie von Rückruf-Aktionen für Spielzeugartikel nicht ab. Wie auf der Internetseite produktrueckrufe.de deutlich wird, kam es seit Mitte dieses Jahres bereits zu zahlreichen Spielzeugrückrufen wegen zu hohen Bleigehaltes von in China hergestellten Spielwaren. In der nun fünften Rückholaktion von Mattel innerhalb von 6 Monaten ist jetzt die so genannte „Lernspaß Küche“ (Artikelnummer L7138) betroffen, die lös- und verschluckbare Kleinteile beinhaltet, was insbesondere bei kleineren Kindern ein unvertretbar hohes Erstickungsrisiko birgt.

Zwar wird der Handel von den Herstellern alleine schon aus haftungsrechtlichen Gründen schnell über Rückrufe in Kenntnis gesetzt. Auch die Regale in den großen Spielwarenhäusern wie Toys´R´Us werden schnellstens leergeräumt. Zahlreiche, bereits verkaufte Spielzeuge befinden sich jedoch schon in deutschen Kinderzimmern und stellen dort auf Grund der wahrscheinlichen Gesundheitsgefährdungen ein enormes Gefahrenpotential dar. Auch waren sicher schon zahlreiche Eltern unterwegs, um bereits vor dem eigentlichen Ansturm auf Weihnachtsgeschenke das ein oder andere Kinderspielzeug zu sichern. Durch die Einkaufsquelle Internet und Versteigerungen bei Internetauktionen wie beispielsweise Ebay kommt dann auch ein Handel mit Waren zustande, die wegen vergangener oder laufender Rückruf-Aktionen besser nicht unter dem Weihnachtsbaum liegen sollten.


Imminent danger of famine in the Sahel

The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization reports that an estimated number of sixteen million people may soon suffer from food shortages in the Sahel region.
UNICEF prepares for a worst case scenario of providing food for 1.5 million children with acute malnutrition.

The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs announced that by Tuesday the United Nations had so far only received about a quarter of the US$1 billion required for the imminent food crisis; the United Nations had appealed to the international community for donations.

The situation is further complicated by Tuareg separatists in Mali, which are a security risk to the charities and have displaced residents to other states of the Sahel, as well as by workers in Niger, who have returned from Libya or Nigeria, but found no occupation in Niger. The government of Niger has initiated a program for this group consisting of relief food aid and labor schemes.

"We witnessed last year the situation spiraling out of control in East Africa as the aid community failed to act swiftly," explained Mamadou Biteye, the regional director of Oxfam for West Africa: "The worst can be avoided and thousands of lives will be saved if we act now. It's that simple."

The last food crises were the 2011 East Africa drought in the Horn of Africa and the 2010 Sahel famine.


Drohende Hungersnot in der Sahelzone

Addis Abeba (Sahelzone), 17.03.2012 – In der westlichen Sahelzone droht eine Hungersnot.

Die Vereinten Nationen gehen davon aus, dass zwischen sieben und elf Millionen Menschen in der Sahelzone Nahrungsmittelhilfe benötigen.
Anderen Quellen zufolge spricht die U.N. Ernährungs- und Landwirtschaftsorganisation (FAO) mittlerweile schon von 16 Millionen Betroffenen.
Aktion Deutschland Hilft geht von mehr als 12 Millionen Betroffenen in der Region Westafrika bzw. Sahel aus.
Die Gefahr der Hungersnot besteht in den Staaten der Sahelzone westlich des Sudans und Kameruns.

Die Situation wird noch erschwert durch Tuareg-Separatisten in Mali, die ein Sicherheitsrisiko für Hilfswerke darstellen und Bewohner in andere Staaten der Sahelzone vertrieben haben, außerdem durch Arbeiter in Niger, die aus Libyen oder Nigeria zurückgekehrt sind, aber in Niger keine Beschäftigung finden. Die Regierung von Niger hat für diese Gruppe auch eigene Hilfsmaßnahmen mit Nahrungsausgabe und Arbeitsbeschaffungsmaßnahmen (Food-for-Work-Programm) eingeleitet.

Oxfam-Regionaldirektor für Westafrika Mamadou Biteye erklärte gegenüber dem stern: „Das Schlimmste kann jetzt noch verhindert werden. Im vergangenen Jahr wurden wir Zeuge, wie die Situation in Ostafrika außer Kontrolle geriet, weil die internationale Gemeinschaft nicht schnell gehandelt hat.“
Die letzte Hungersnot in Afrika war die Hungerkrise am Horn von Afrika im vergangenen Jahr.
„In der Sahelzone sind die Warnsignale laut und klar und wir tun alles was wir können um die Auswirkungen der schlechten Ernte zu mildern und eine Hungersnot zu vermeiden“, verkündete Kristalina Georgiewa, die EU-Kommissarin für humanitäre Hilfe und Krisenschutz, in einer Presseerklärung im letzten Monat.

Die Europäische Union hat ihre Finanzierung für Hilfsmaßnahmen in der Sahelzone auf 275 Millionen Euro erhöht; die Vereinten Nationen gehen von einem Gesamtbedarf von mehr als einer Milliarde US-Dollar für die geplanten Maßnahmen der Vereinten Nationen aus und forderten zu Spenden auf.


In pictures: Japan earthquake and tsunami

A week ago today, at 2:46 pm JST, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck off the coast of the Tōhoku region in Japan. The earthquake created an extremely destructive tsunami that spawned 10 metre (33 ft) high waves just moments later. The tsunami travelled 10 km (6 mi) inland causing massive destruction in the country's northeast, including crippling a nuclear plant.

The earthquake and resulting tsunami have left 5,692 dead and over 9,506 missing, with nearly 450,000 homeless. The death toll is expected to rise.

In this special photoessay, Wikinews looks at the earthquake and tsunami, the destruction that resulted and efforts to bring aid to the Japanese people.


زلزله ژاپن به روایت تصویر

هفته قبل روز جمعه ساعت ۲:۴۶ بعد از ظهر زلزله‌ای به بزرگی ۹ ریشتر سندای ژاپن را لرزاند.این زلزله باعث ایجاد سونامی به ارتفاع ۱۰ متر شد که تا ۱۰ کیلومتر بر روی خشکی پیشروی کرد.همچنین این سونامی باعث از کارافتادن دستگاه خنک کننده رآکتورهای نیروگاه هسته‌ای فوکوشیما شد.

آمار اعلام شده تا کنون از مرگ ۵۶۹۲ نفر مفقود شدن ۹۵۰۶ نفر و بی خانمان شدن ۴۵۰۰۰۰ نفر خبر می‌دهد.

ویکی خبر عکس‌هایی را از زلزله و سونامی برای شما تهیه کرده‌است.

برای دیدن تصویر با اندازه بزرگ روی آن کلیک کنید


У сликама:Земљотрес и цунами у Јапану

Земљотрес код острва Хоншу 2011. године је потрес магнитуде 8,9 - 9,1 Рихтера који је погодио североисточни део острва Хоншу у Јапану у 14:46 JST (05:46 UTC) на петак 11-ог марта 2011. Епицентар је био 130км од источне обале Ошика полуострва Тохоку региона близу Сендаја, са хипоцентром на дубини од 32км. Ово је најјачи трус који је погодио ову далекоисточну земљу од када се врше мерења. Настрадао је велики број људи, за сада се воде бројке од 5.692 мртвих, 9.506 несталих и 450.000 је остало без крова над главом, број мртвих није коначан и очекује се да ће расти. Покренут је цунами висине 10 метара. Очекује се да ће серија слабијих земљотреса трајати месец дана, од чега ће најјачи достизати 7,0 степени.

Овај фото есеј је преузет са енглеских Викиновости (Wikinews) и идеја водиља је да приближи патње јапанског народа и помогне у прикупљању помоћи.


Indian airliner crashes; nearly 160 presumed dead

An Air India Express airliner crashed last night in Mangalore, India, killing an estimated 160 people after a flight from Dubai.

According to reports, the plane, a Boeing 737, crashed after landing and overshot the runway, coming to a stop in a forested valley before exploding.  According to the airline, a total of 166 people were on board the plane, 160 passengers and six crew. One of the seven survivors said that a tire on the plane had exploded as it was landing and "[w]ithin three seconds there was a fire blast. The inside was filled with smoke."

The cause of the crash is not yet known, though pilot error is presumed to be responsible. The pilot of the aircraft, a Serbian with around 10,000 hours of experience, had made no distress call before the crash.  Visibility was also said to be good; the head of India's airport authority said that "visibility was six kilometres (four miles) when the aircraft approached the runway which was more than sufficient."  Light rain was falling at the time of the crash.

Another survivor said that there had been no warning before the plane crashed.  "Immediately on touching the ground, the aircraft jerked and in a few moments hit something.  Then it split in the middle and caught fire. I just jumped from the gap."

An Air India official said that "[a]s far as the information available with us is concerned, eight persons were rescued and shifted to local hospitals in Mangalore for treatment."  He also said that one of these people, reportedly a seven-year-old boy, had died while being taken to a hospital.  A police official said that around 120 bodies have been recovered so far, some with severe burns.

Rescue workers had difficulty reaching the site of the crashed plane, as the valley is bordered by steep slopes, and heavy smoke hindered their progress.

The airport the aircraft had been attempting to land at is considered a challenging one, as it is on a flat plateau bordered by a valley.  A former official from India's aviation ministry said that "Mangalore is a difficult field because it is on a plateau.  From all accounts the visibility was all right. One can’t make any conclusions."

Families of the people killed in the crash will be compensated 200,000 Rupees (about $4,260 USD), while families of survivors will be compensated 50,000 rupees (about $1,064 (USD). All of the money will be provided by the government of India.

This crash is the first significant crash of a passenger jet in India since July 17, 2000, when 51 people on board a Boeing 737 were killed as it crashed into buildings during an attempt to land at an airport in the city of Patna.