A powerful 6.5-magnitude earthquake rattled the central Philippines Thursday, US seismologists said, revising an earlier figure of 6.9. The quake hit at a depth of around six kilometers (four miles), on the central island of Leyte, the US Geological Survey said. There was no immediate warning of a tsunami, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said. … Read more
Rescue workers were Wednesday battling to reach remote areas of Bangladesh hit by landslides and heavy rains that have killed at least 137 people, with dozens more missing. Authorities say hundreds of hillside homes were buried by landslides in the southeast of the country as people slept in the early hours of Tuesday. The landslides … Read more
Sri Lanka announced plans Saturday to prosecute a slew of companies and individuals behind illegal construction projects blamed for landslides and flooding that have killed at least 211 people following heavy monsoon rains last week. The urban development ministry said they will press criminal charges against those illegally occupying marshlands earmarked to absorb flood waters … Read more
Three people drowned Thursday when their makeshift raft capsized in Sri Lanka, which has been hit by its worst flooding in 14 years. Police said the victims, who included a mother and her 14-year-old son, had ignored official warnings not to venture outdoors because they had a funeral to attend. The drownings in Nagoda in … Read more
India joined Sri Lanka’s relief operation Saturday as 230,000 people were driven from their homes after an intense monsoon deluge killed at least 103 people. Rainfall on Friday triggered the worst flooding and landslides in 14 years in the southern and western parts of the island, authorities said. The Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said 103 … Read more