Quakes and storms cause $US95 billion in insurance losses in 2023 -Munich Re
Munich, GermanyReuters Earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, storms in the United States and other natural disasters caused an estimated $US95 billion in insured losses in 2023, down from the previous year but still above the long-term average, Munich Re said on Tuesday. The tally of losses from natural catastrophes covered by insurance is less than […]
Afghan earthquakes death toll revised to “over 1,000” from over 2,400 by Taliban-run ministry
Kabul, AfghanistanReuters Afghanistan’s disaster management ministry on Friday revised downward the death toll from multiple earthquakes to around 1,000 from an earlier figure of over 2,400, a spokesman said. Multiple earthquakes struck in the western province of Herat on Saturday and Wednesday, destroying entire villages in the war-battered country, many of which were scattered in […]
Aid agencies call for urgent funds in aftermath of deadly Afghan earthquakes; US announces it will provide $US12 million
Kabul, Afghanistan Reuters Aid agencies launched fresh appeals for funds to deal with the fallout of deadly earthquakes in Afghanistan as local authorities called on Thursday for urgent help for thousands of people left homeless in the aftermath of the tremors. Multiple earthquakes struck in the western province of Herat on Saturday and Wednesday, destroying […]
Afghanistan earthquakes a “disaster on top of a disaster” – World Food Programme
Karachi, Pakistan Reuters The World Food Programme on Wednesday called the recent Afghanistan earthquakes a ‘disaster on top of a disaster,’ urging the international community to provide humanitarian aid to the war-torn nation. Limited aid makes relief work difficult after earthquakes and aftershocks since Saturday rattled the religiously conservative nation. The tremors killed at least […]
Multiple quakes kill at least 16 in western Afghanistan
Kabul, Afghanistan Reuters Multiple earthquakes struck western Afghanistan on Saturday, killing at least 16 people and injuring scores, a health department official said. The quakes hit 35 kilometres north-west of the city of Herat, with one measuring 6.3 magnitude, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said. The tremors caused panic in Herat, said resident Naseema. “People […]
Anguish and scuffles as rescuers struggle to reach quake victims in Turkey and Syria
Antakya/Adana, Turkey Reuters Rescue workers in quake-devastated Turkey and northern Syria struggled on Tuesday to reach some of the worst-hit areas, held back by destroyed roads, poor weather and a lack of resources and heavy equipment and confronted by angry survivors. Turkish authorities say more than 12,000 search and rescue personnel and 9,000 troops are […]
Volcanologists seek answers as island in Portugal’s Azores keeps shaking
Sao Jorge, PortugalReuters Fatima Viveiros was a little girl when she decided to become a volcanologist. It was a dream come true and now, at age 44, she is putting her skills to use to protect her home in Portugal’s Azores islands. The lush mid-Atlantic volcanic island of Sao Jorge, where she grew up, has […]
More than 1,000 small earthquakes hit Portuguese volcanic island
Lisbon, PortugalReuters Around 1,100 small earthquakes have rattled one of Portugal’s mid-Atlantic volcanic islands in less than 48 hours, prompting authorities to activate an emergency plan as experts assess what they have described as a “seismic crisis”. Rui Marques, head of the Azores archipelago’s seismo-volcanic surveillance centre CIVISA, told Reuters on Monday the earthquakes, with […]
Earthquakes in Congo raze buildings, stoke fear of second volcanic eruption
Goma, Democratic Republic of CongoReuters An earthquake on the border of Congo and Rwanda razed buildings in the city of Goma on Tuesday and stoked fears a nearby volcano would erupt again three days after dozens of people were killed and 17 villages were destroyed by lava. The quake, measured at 5.3 magnitude by the […]
Wow!: Japanese smart city offers residents quake, privacy protection
RINA CHANDRAN, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports on a new technological push to safeguard residents in Aizuwakamatsu city…