Israeli military recovered the bodies of five Israelis taken to Gaza as hostages

5-Hostages-recovered-from-Gaza-Reuters

Important Takeaways:

  • The bodies of kindergarten teacher Maya Goren as well as the soldiers Major Ravid Aryeh Katz, Master Sergeant Oren Goldin, Staff Sergeant Tomer Ahimas and Sergeant Kiril Brodski were found during an operation in the Khan Younis area.
  • The military said it had determined that Ms. Goren was murdered in captivity, while the soldiers were killed in combat on 7 October and their bodies then abducted.
  • The announcement means 111 of the 251 people taken hostage are still being held in Gaza, including 39 who the military says are presumed dead.
  • The Hostages and Missing Families Forum praised what it called the “crucial and decisive military action that provides their families with important closure and eternal rest for the murdered”.

Read the original article by clicking here.

Death toll rises in Brazil due to heavy rains and flooding

Brazil-flood

Important Takeaways:

  • The death toll from heavy rains in Brazil’s Rio Grande do Sul state rose to 143, up from 136 on the day before, the local civil defense government body said on Sunday, as rains continue to pour on the state.
  • Another 125 people remain unaccounted for in the state, where rivers are reporting rising levels. Weather service Metsul called the situation “extremely worrying.”
  • On Saturday evening the government announced around 12.1 billion reais ($2.34 billion) in emergency spending to deal with the crisis that has displaced more than 538,000 people in the state, out of a population of around 10.9 million.
  • With this new money, more than 60 billion reais in federal funds has already been made available to the state, said the federal government in a statement on Saturday.
  • Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said the state will rebuild what was destroyed.

Read the original article by clicking here.

Kansas City Chiefs fans tackle one of the shooters at Super Bowl parade that left 21 injured and one dead

KC-Suspect-in-handcuffs

Important Takeaways:

  • Kansas City cops claim Super Bowl parade shooting that left one dead and 21 others injured – including NINE kids – was NOT targeted – as hero who took down gunman armed with high-caliber rifle speaks out
  • Heroic fans who tackled one of the Kansas City Chiefs parade shooters have described holding him down and snatching his rifle after it fell onto the ground.
  • Three people are in custody in connection with the incident that sparked panic among the crowds yesterday after the Chiefs celebrated their win, including the young man tackled as he attempted to flee the scene.
  • Shots rang out moments after Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes left the stage next to Union Station, hundreds of thousands had gathered to party.
  • What exactly led to the shooting remains unclear. Police last night said it was not ‘targeted’, but are yet to explain why the shooter was carrying a rifle. None of the suspects have been named.
  • No charges have been announced, and police said no motive has been determined. Police have referred to the people in custody as being detained.

Read the original article by clicking here.

6.2 shakes China’s provinces of Gansu and Qinghai: reports say it was the deadliest in 9 years

China-Earthquake-damage

Important Takeaways:

  • At least 131 killed, 700 injured in China’s deadliest earthquake in 9 years
  • A devastating earthquake, measuring 6.2 in magnitude, rocked northwestern China shortly before midnight on Monday. The seismic event, impacting Gansu and Qinghai provinces, stands as the most lethal earthquake in China in the past nine years, claiming the lives of at least 131 individuals and injuring over 700.
  • The disaster left residents in dire conditions, with many spending the night in tents in freezing temperatures, the newswire noted.
  • The quake also caused landslides, complicating rescue efforts. Emergency workers are searching for missing persons, with Qinghai officials reporting 16 missing in a landslide.
  • According to Reuters, 78 people were found alive in Gansu, where rescue operations concluded Tuesday afternoon. Attention is now turning to treating the injured and resettling residents as they brace for the challenges of the approaching months-long winter.

Read the original article by clicking here.

Search ends on Mount Marapi with 23 dead and 52 rescued

Hiker-killed-Marapi-eruption

Important Takeaways:

  • The search has ended for any more victims among climbers who were caught by a weekend eruption of Indonesia’s Mount Marapi volcano that killed 23 people and injured several others, officials said Thursday.
  • About 75 climbers started up the nearly 2,900-meter (9,480-foot) mountain in Agam district of West Sumatra province on Saturday and were on the volcano when it erupted the following day.
  • West Sumatra Police Chief Suharyono said earlier that the discovery of the body of a female university student Wednesday had raised the confirmed death toll to 23. Officials said Thursday that they believed all the dead had been recovered.
  • After an evaluation of the search and rescue results, “authorities have ended the search and rescue operation in Mount Marapi as all the victims have been found by late Wednesday,” said Abdul Muhari, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesperson.
  • The National Search and Rescue Agency said all the bodies had been taken to a hospital by late Wednesday for identification.
  • Some 52 climbers were rescued after the initial eruption Sunday, with about a dozen taken to hospitals with serious to minor injuries.

Read the original article by clicking here.

Cat 5 Storm Hurricane Otis leaves Acapulco in disarray

Hurricane-Otis-Acapulco

Important Takeaways:

  • Nearly 100 dead and missing in Mexico from hurricane -state governor
  • The number of people dead and missing due to Hurricane Otis, a Category 5 storm which hammered the Mexican Pacific resort city of Acapulco last week, has risen to close to 100, authorities in the state of Guerrero said on Monday.
  • Otis battered Acapulco with winds of 165 miles per hour (266 km per hour) on Wednesday, flooding the city, tearing roofs from homes, hotels and other businesses, submerging vehicles, and severing communications as well as road and air connections.
  • Evelyn Salgado, governor of Acapulco’s home state of Guerrero, said 45 people were confirmed dead and 47 others were missing, citing figures from state prosecutors. Salgado had said on Sunday morning the death toll stood at 43.
  • On Sunday afternoon, Mexico’s federal civil protection authorities said there were 48 dead, consisting of 43 in Acapulco and five in nearby Coyuca de Benitez.

Read the original article by clicking here.

Manhunt under way after mass shooting in Lewiston Maine leaving 18 dead

Important Takeaways:

  • Lewiston, Maine mass shooting suspect Robert Card wanted on murder charges, with 18 dead
  • Maine State Police Col. William Ross said Thursday an arrest warrant for fugitive Robert Card has been issued on at least eight counts of murder as the victims are still being identified from a series of mass shootings in Lewiston, Maine, Wednesday night.
  • He said eight people were killed at Schemengees Bar and Grill while seven were killed at the Just-In-Time Recreation bowling alley, while another three died after being transported to local hospitals.
  • A massive manhunt is underway to find 40-year-old Card of Bowdoin, who has been identified by authorities as the suspect.
  • Maine Gov. Janet Mills said there were 18 people dead in the shootings and 13 injured.
  • “In memory of those we lost and in honor of those who were injured, President Biden and I have ordered all U.S. flags and state of Maine flags to be lowered to half-staff immediately for the next five days,” she said.

Read the original article by clicking here.

Hurricane Otis slams into Mexico causing widespread power outages and mudslides

Hurricane-Otis-aftermath

Important Takeaways:

  • Hurricane Otis caused 27 confirmed deaths and left 4 missing, Mexican authorities report
  • Mexican authorities gave the first human toll for Hurricane Otis’ destruction along the country’s Pacific coast Thursday: at least 27 dead and four missing.
  • Tens of thousands of residents in damaged homes without electricity awaited help more than a day after Otis roared ashore in Acapulco.
  • López Obrador said the destruction was so complete that not a single power line pole remained standing in the impact zone. Small farmers had their corn crops devastated by Otis’ wind and pounding rain, he said. Restoring power to the area was a top priority, he said.
  • The early images and accounts were of extensive devastation, toppled trees and power lines lying in brown floodwaters that in some areas extended for miles. The resulting destruction delayed a comprehensive response by the government, which was still assessing the damage along the coast, and made residents desperate.
  • Many of the once sleek beachfront hotels in Acapulco looked like toothless, shattered hulks after the Category 5 storm blew out hundreds — and possibly thousands — of windows

Read the original article by clicking here.

6.3 Earthquake shakes Afghanistan reducing villages to rubble

Afghanistan-Earthquake

Important Takeaways:

  • Afghanistan earthquake has killed more than 2,000, Taliban say
  • “More than 2,060 people are dead and over 10,000 are injured,” he told the Guardian. “Many more people are still under the rubble.”
  • Saturday’s magnitude-6.3 quake – followed by eight strong aftershocks – jolted hard-to-reach areas 19 miles (30km) from the provincial capital of Herat, toppling rural homes and sending panicked city dwellers into the streets.
  • “Twelve villages in Zindah Jan and six in Ghoryan district are completely reduced to rubble. We expect the death toll will rise and efforts are under way to take people out,” the official added. “Rescue teams from Helmand and Kandahar have arrived in Herat.

Read the original article by clicking here.

Recovery teams assess losses after Libya’s catastrophic floods

Derna-Libya-Flooding

Important Takeaways:

  • As Storm Daniel pounded the area with torrential rains, dams above the Wadi Derna river valley collapsed, sweeping away entire neighborhoods and the families who lived in them.
  • The floods have left thousands dead, missing and displaced.
  • 16,000 children are among the displaced and warned that many more lack access to basic services such as health and schooling.
  • International and local search and rescue teams and survivors continued the work of recovery

Read the original article by clicking here.