Video shows mudslide engulf Indian village after deadly flash floods
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Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
France's biggest wildfire of the summer has eclipsed the size of Paris and is still spreading
SAINT-LAURENT-DE-LA-CABRERISSE, France (AP) — France's biggest wildfire in years was spreading quickly Wednesday in a Mediterranean region near Spain after leaving one person dead and several injured, authorities said. The fire burned an area larger than Paris, and the military was called in to help. French Prime Minister François Bayrou deplored a 'disaster on an unprecedented scale' in the region. Over 2,100 firefighters and several water bomber aircraft battled the blaze that broke out Tuesday afternoon in the village of Ribaute in the Aude region, a rural, wooded area that is home to wineries. The fire, which has burned 16,000 hectares (39,500 acres), remained 'very active' on Wednesday and continued to progress as night fell, the local administration said. The weather was hot, dry and windy, making it difficult for firefighters to contain the blaze. Villagers sought to help douse the flames or save their homes and small businesses, and described their alarm at the fire's speed. Ash filled the air and coated windows and cars, and several roads were closed around the region. ''The sky was blue, and then less than an hour later the sky was orange,″ said Andy Pickup of Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse, at the heart of the fire zone. 'That's when we went out and tried to help.' ''We heard pops and cracks — it was the trees, it was the village,″ he told The Associated Press. ''We could see the fires taking hold on all the hills around Saint-Laurent.″ At dusk, he said, they saw fires in every direction, some as near as 100 meters (yards) away. Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said the military will reinforce efforts starting from Thursday, with several dozens of soldiers to be deployed. One person died in their home, and at least 13 others were injured, including 11 firefighters, local authorities said. Three people were missing, the prefecture said. Jacques Piraux, mayor of the village of Jonquières, said all residents have been evacuated. 'It's a scene of sadness and desolation," he told broadcaster BFM TV after visiting there on Wednesday morning. 'It looks like a lunar landscape, everything is burned. More than half or three-quarters of the village has burned down. It's hellish.' Residents and tourists in nearby areas were requested to remain in their homes unless told to evacuate. Two campgrounds were evacuated as a precaution. The prime minister met Wednesday afternoon with firefighters and residents at Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse, where the fire service's command post has been set up. He said he came to express 'national solidarity.' The area's economy is relying on winery and tourism and 'both sectors are affected,' he stressed. Bayrou said an investigation is ongoing to determine the cause of the fire. The environment ministry said the Aude region has been experiencing a drought this month, with water use restrictions in place. Lack of rainfall in recent months 'played a major role in the spreading of the fire, since the vegetation is very dry,' the statement said. This week's fire was the biggest since the creation of a national fire database in 2006, according to the national emergency service. Southern 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 aroundTh 300 people injured. Europe 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. ''We've lived here for 10 years and we've seen nothing like that,'' Pickup said. ''Consistently the summers are getting hotter, there is less and less rain, and that is a major problem.'' ''We have been told the wind might come stronger tomorrow,'' he added. ___ Corbet reported from Paris. Associated Press journalists German Martinez in Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse and Angela Charlton in Paris contributed to this report. Sylvie Corbet And Hernan Munoz, The Associated Press
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
1 Dead, Thousands Evacuated as Firefighters Battle Raging Wildfire: 'A Catastrophe of Unprecedented Scale'
Officials reportedly said this is the largest wildfire to burn in the area in 80 yearsNEED TO KNOW One person has died after another wildfire tore through southern France, forcing thousands of people to evacuate Two other people reportedly have been hospitalized, including one person who is in critical condition This new wildfire comes about a month after another blaze near Pennes-Mirabeau left more than 100 people injuredOne person is dead and thousands of people have been evacuated as a wildfire rages in southern France. The fire has burned more than 13,000 hectares (50 square miles) of land since it began near the village of La Ribaute in the Aude region on Tuesday, Aug. 5, according to the BBC and The Guardian. As of Wednesday, Aug. 6, the blaze is considered France's biggest wildfire in almost 80 years, according to Reuters. Officials have said one person has died in the village of Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse. She has been described by the BBC as an elderly woman. Two other people have been hospitalized, including one person who is in critical condition. Several firefighters have been injured as well, according to the reports. All residents in the village of Jonquières have been evacuated, Mayor Jacques Piraux said, per The Guardian. Campgrounds in surrounding areas have been evacuated as well. In a post on X, President Emmanuel Macron urged residents to follow evacuation orders and exercise 'the utmost caution' near the blaze. At least 25 homes have been damaged by the fire, according to the BBC and Reuters. France's Prime Minister Francois Bayrou described the fire as 'a catastrophe of unprecedented scale.' He is expected to visit the area on Wednesday, Aug. 6. Meanwhile, Lucie Roesch, secretary general of the Aude area, said the fire 'is advancing in an area where all the conditions are ripe for it to progress,' according to the BBC. She also said the blaze "will keep us busy for several days,' describing it as 'a long-term operation.' This new wildfire comes about a month after a separate wildfire in southern France left more than 100 people injured after burning near Pennes-Mirabeau, north of Marseille. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. France's interior minister, Bruno Retailleau, said at the time that over 400 people were "ordered to evacuate" their homes due to the blaze, while another "14,000 were told to stay home." Read the original article on People
New York Times
8 hours ago
- New York Times
Rains and Broken Roads Complicate Flood Rescue in Indian Himalayas
Harsh rains, collapsed roads and uprooted electrical lines have complicated ongoing rescue efforts in the Indian Himalayas, officials said Wednesday, after flash floods killed at least four people and left dozens missing the day before. Confirming the precise death toll may take up to a week, officials said, warning that the number of casualties could rise substantially. On Wednesday, Pushkar Singh Dhami, the chief minister of the northern state of Uttarakhand, told an Indian news outlet that at least 190 people had been rescued from the wreckage, after a muddy torrent of water ripped into the village of Dharali the day before, bulldozing buildings and burying the area in mud. The town's central marketplace was destroyed, according to the district office managing the disaster relief, and roads were damaged and transportation was difficult. People in the area were evacuated to shelter sites, and many families were anxiously waiting to find out the fate of relatives caught in the natural disaster, the office added. Indian Army forces, equipped with tracking dogs, drones and earth-moving equipment, have supplemented the rescue effort. Images of the effort published by Reuters show teams using ziplines to rescue marooned victims and deploying heavy machinery to move large boulders and pieces of debris. The floods and landslide caused large boulders to block narrow mountain roads that lead into Dharali, and ripped mobile phone towers and electric lines from the ground, making it difficult to establish communication with the area. Those factors, along with strong, continued rains, have made it harder for rescue workers to quickly locate missing people, officials said. Uttarakhand is prone to floods and landslides. In 2013, the state suffered its deadliest floods, which left over 6,000 people dead. The monsoon rains this year have also created significant damage in the neighboring state of Himachal Pradesh. Nearly 200 people have been killed over the past six weeks in monsoon-related disasters, according to official data, and 300 others have been injured and three dozen missing.
