A powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck the southern Philippines has displaced more than 32,000 people, killed at least 37, and injured nearly 500, as widespread panic over possible tsunami forced thousands to flee coastal and inland communities. Rescue teams continued search and recovery operations on Wednesday across damaged areas in Mindanao, the country’s second-largest island, […]
Tsunami
Strong Earthquake Hits Northeast Japan, Tsunami Advisory Issued
A strong earthquake measuring 6.7 struck northeast Japan on Friday, triggering a tsunami advisory and increasing public concern. The Japan Meteorological Agency reported that waves up to one metre could reach coastal areas. The quake hit at 11:44 a.m. off Aomori’s coast and had a depth of 20 kilometres. The tremor followed a stronger 7.5-magnitude […]
Residents survey damage after powerful Japan quake
Soma, Japan : People in northeast Japan were cleaning up and surveying the damage on Thursday after a powerful 7.4-magnitude quake derailed a bullet train, opened cracks in highways and initially cut power to over two million homes. At least one death was directly caused by the overnight quake, government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno said, but […]
7.3-magnitude quake hits east Japan, tsunami advisory issued
Tokyo :A powerful 7.3-magnitude quake jolted east Japan on Wednesday night, rattling the capital Tokyo and prompting a tsunami advisory for parts of the northeast coast, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. The quake was centred off the coast of the Fukushima region at a depth of 60 kilometres and shortly after it hit at 11:36 […]
Not just Covid: earthquakes, typhoons pose threat at Tokyo Olympics
The coronavirus might top the risks at the Tokyo Olympics, but organisers in Japan have other deadly, unpredictable threats to contend with: natural disasters. Japan is regularly rattled by earthquakes and battered by typhoons, and experts warn that disaster preparation for a major event like the Games should not take a back seat because of […]
New Zealand cancels tsunami alert after powerful quake
A powerful 7.2-magnitude earthquake stuck near the remote Kermadec Islands northeast of New Zealand Sunday, briefly prompting a tsunami warning. After initially forecasting “a threat to beach, harbour, estuary and small boat activities”, New Zealand’s Civil Defence organisation gave the all-clear eight minutes later. The earthquake was give a preliminary magnitude of 7.4, but later […]
Gained in translation
Sometimes one wishes to bang one’s head against a wall. Like when the learned minister for climate change asserts piously that the recent rainfall in the country was solely due to our prime minister being virtuous. Makes one wonder about the role of the ‘corrupt’ leaders over the past 10 years in the kind of […]
Indonesian tsunami volcano lost two-thirds of its height
The Indonesian volcano which caused a tsunami that killed more than 400 people last week lost more than two-thirds of its height following the eruption which triggered the killer waves. A section of Anak Krakatoa’s crater collapsed after an eruption and slid into the ocean, generating the tsunami last Saturday night. A visual analysis by […]
Crumpled hotel becomes focus in Indonesia rescue effort
Squads of orange-clad rescue workers clambered over the tangled remains of an Indonesian hotel Sunday, hoping to dig out 50 to 60 guests still feared trapped by an earthquake-tsunami disaster. Authorities believe the 80-room Hotel Roa-Roa in the city of Palu on Sulawesi island was near capacity when the district was ravaged by a 7.5 […]
Hundreds killed in Indonesia quake-tsunami
Nearly 400 people were killed when a powerful quake sent a tsunami barrelling into the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, officials said Saturday, as hospitals struggled to cope with hundreds of injured and rescuers scrambled to reach the stricken region. The national disaster agency put the official death toll so far at 384, all of them […]