Earthquakes strike Japan's Ryukyu islands, Taiwan's coast
Meanwhile, a 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck 128 kilometers off Taiwan's northeastern coast on Thursday, the island's Central Weather Administration said, with no immediate reports of damage.
The quake, which shook some buildings in Taiwan's capital Taipei, had a depth of 88.1 km.
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Arab News
8 minutes ago
- Arab News
Pakistan forecasts more showers till Aug. 13 as monsoon death toll rises to 303
ISLAMABAD: Weather authorities have forecast another spell of monsoon rains in Pakistan from Aug. 8 till Aug. 13, with weeks of heavy showers and floods claiming at least 303 lives in the country. The unusually heavy rains, which began on June 26, have injured more than 700 people and raised fears of a repeat of the catastrophic 2022 floods that submerged a third of Pakistan and killed more than 1,700 people. 'Under the influence of low-pressure systems developing in the surrounding regions, along with a western disturbance, isolated rainfall is expected across most parts of the country from August 8th to 13th,' Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said on Thursday. The development came as a glacial lake outburst flood from Shisper Glacier swelled the Hassanabad Nullah in Hunza and damaged infrastructure, putting dozens of homes at risk in the mountainous Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) region, local media reported, citing officials. The heavy flood eroded the protective walls of the Karakoram Highway (KKH), a key road connecting Pakistan with China, and damaged farmland. More showers are expected in GB's Astore, Skardu, Hunza, Shighar and surrounding areas, along with Bagh, Neelum Valley and Muzaffarabad in Azad Kashmir between Aug. 8 and Aug. 13, according to the NDMA. Rains are also likely in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Murree, Galliyat, Attock, Chakwal, Jhelum, Mianwali, Hafizabad, Sargodha, Faisalabad, Sialkot, Narowal, Okara, Lahore, Gujranwala, Gujrat and surrounding areas in Punjab, with occasional gaps during the forecast period. 'We request citizens to take precautionary measures during the monsoon season,' Irfan Ali Kathia, Director General of Punjab's Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), said on Thursday. 'Keep children away from streams, low-lying areas, rivers and canals and strictly avoid swimming during rainfall.'
Al Arabiya
2 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
France's huge wildfire will burn for days, authorities warn
France's biggest wildfire in decades will continue burning for several more days, authorities warned Friday, even though the flames have been brought under control. The massive blaze in the southern department of Aude has scorched more than 17,000 hectares (42,000 acres) — an area larger than Paris — killing one person, injuring 13, and destroying dozens of homes. About 2,000 firefighters remain on duty around the fire zone, which was declared under control on Thursday night. But the fire won't be 'declared extinguished for several days,' said Christian Pouget, the prefect for Aude. 'There is still a lot of work to be done.' Authorities have banned access to the affected forests until at least Sunday, saying roads in the area are too dangerous due to downed power lines and other hazards. Pouget said roughly 2,000 people who were forced to flee the flames have not yet been allowed to return home. Hundreds are spending the nights in school gyms and village halls across the region. The fire is the largest in France's Mediterranean region in at least 50 years, according to government monitors. Southern France is particularly prone to wildfires. At its peak, the flames were consuming about 1,000 hectares of land per hour, authorities in the nearby city of Narbonne said. Two days of shifting, powerful winds made the blaze difficult to contain. A 65-year-old woman who refused to evacuate was found dead in her burned home. Thirteen others — including 11 firefighters — were injured. – 'Unprecedented catastrophe' – Prime Minister Francois Bayrou called the wildfire a 'catastrophe on an unprecedented scale' during a visit to the region on Wednesday. 'What is happening today is linked to global warming and linked to drought,' Bayrou said. Environment Minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher wrote on X Thursday that the blaze was the largest in France since 1949. The country has already recorded around 9,000 wildfires this summer, mostly near the Mediterranean coast. The Aude department has seen a sharp increase in areas burned in recent years, worsened by low rainfall and the uprooting of vineyards that once served as natural firebreaks. In Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse, the village worst hit by the fire, thick smoke rose Thursday from pine-covered hills above the vineyards, where dry grass continued to smolder. With Europe facing more heatwaves this August, several countries remain on high alert for wildfires. Portugal on Thursday extended emergency measures due to the elevated fire risk. In Spain, fire crews near the southern town of Tarifa secured areas around hotels and tourist spots after bringing a major blaze under control. That fire also destroyed hundreds of hectares. Andalusia's regional interior minister, Antonio Sanz, said on X that 'the return of all evacuated people' had been authorized after the fire was 'stabilized.' Spanish media reported the fire began in a camper van parked at a beach campsite and spread rapidly due to strong winds. Around 1,550 people and 5,500 vehicles were evacuated from camps, homes, and hotels, Sanz added. Spain is currently experiencing a heatwave, with temperatures nearing 40°C in many regions. Officials have reported more than 1,000 excess deaths in July that could be attributed to the extreme heat. Climate experts say global warming is driving longer, more intense, and more frequent heatwaves around the world — creating more favorable conditions for wildfires.
Arab News
11 hours ago
- Arab News
France's largest wildfire in decades contained after devastating southern region and wine country
Late Thursday, the region's top government official said the fire was containedThe fire swept through 15 communes in the Corbières mountain region, destroying or damaging at least 36 homes, with a full damage assessment still underwayVILLEROUGE LA CREMADE, France: France's largest wildfire in decades was contained Thursday after burning more than 160 square kilometers (62 square miles) in the country's southern wine region and claiming one life, local authorities blaze erupted Tuesday and tore through the Aude region, spreading rapidly due to hot, dry weather. Cooler overnight temperatures and calmer winds slowed its advance and allowed firefighters to make Thursday, the region's top government official said the fire was contained. However, residents were warned not to return home without authorization, as many roads remained blocked and fire swept through 15 communes in the Corbières mountain region, destroying or damaging at least 36 homes, with a full damage assessment still underway. One person died at home, and at least 13 others were injured, including 11 firefighters, according to local authorities. Three people who were reported missing have been found investigation is underway to determine what sparked the fire was the largest recorded since France's national fire database was created in France's minister for ecological transition, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, called the blaze the worst since 1949 and linked it to climate change.'It is a fire that is clearly a consequence of climate change and drought in this region,' she told France Info the breakthrough, officials warned the situation remained fragile.'We still have a few days before we can say that the fire is completely out,' region administrator Christian Pouget said. 'The battle is not over region's economy relies heavily on winemaking and tourism — both fire began in the village of Ribaute, in a rural, wooded area known for its wineries. Pouget said between 8 and 9 square kilometers (more than 3 square miles) of vineyards had burned. Officials estimate 80 percent of local vines were either destroyed or damaged — and even the grapes that survived may be too smoke-tainted to produce quality wine.'The vineyards are burnt and the landscape is gone,' said Batiste Caval, a seventh-generation winemaker near vineyards acted as natural firebreaks, leaving a surreal patchwork of scorched hills and untouched green vines. But across the Corbières, entire stretches of historic vineyards were reduced to ash. Caval, who owns 60 of the 400 hectares farmed by a local cooperative, said the fire may tip already struggling winemakers into crisis after years of drought and other harsh vines typically take three years to bear usable fruit. Some can produce wine for decades, even up to half a century.'It's very sad to think about the image we're going to give of our Corbières region, with its devastated landscapes and desperate women and men, not just today or tomorrow, but for weeks and months to come. It will take years to rebuild,' said Xavier de Volontat, the mayor of Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse, speaking to and tourists in nearby areas had been asked to stay indoors unless ordered to evacuate. Those forced to flee were housed overnight in emergency shelters across 17 Europe has seen multiple large fires this summer. Scientists warn that climate change is exacerbating the frequency and intensity of heat and dryness, making the region more vulnerable to wildfires. Last month, a wildfire that reached the southern port of Marseille, France's second-largest city, left around 300 people is the world's fastest-warming continent, with temperatures increasing at twice the speed of the global average since the 1980s, according to the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service.
