
As a landslide threatens an Alpine village, Swiss authorities expand evacuation order
On Monday, authorities in Valais announced the complete evacuation of the village of some 300 people, with the exception of two areas, citing a risk of falling rocks and landslides. It wasn't immediately clear when residents would be able to return home. Local official Matthias Ebener told public broadcaster SRF that "the situation is very acute.'
There have been repeated small rockfalls in the area. In 2023, residents of the village of Brienz in eastern Switzerland were evacuated before a huge mass of rock slid down a mountainside, stopping just short of the settlement. Brienz was evacuated again last year because of the threat of a further rockslide.

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Arab Times
a day ago
- Arab Times
Yacht-sized passenger boat runs aground in high surf off Hawaii beach
HONOLULU, Aug 11, (AP): A yacht-sized passenger boat ran aground in the high surf off a Hawaii beach over the weekend, with the vessel precariously riding a set of powerful waves and appearing to nearly flip on its side before coming to rest. KHON-TV reported that the events occurred around 8 am Saturday when the swells were peaking and the tide was bottoming out. Two crew members were on the 60-foot (18 meter) vessel, named Discovery, when it ran aground near Honolulu's Kewalo Basin Harbor, the US Coast Guard said in a statement. The reason Discovery had such trouble remains under investigation, and there were no apparent mechanical failures prior to the event, the Coast Guard said. The vessel's operator reported that he took two large waves to the stern, disrupting his course. The boat lost propulsion after it went aground. The boat's fuel, oil and batteries were removed, preventing the threat of pollution, the Coast Guard said. A company planned to tow the boat away at high tide Sunday afternoon. The grounding was captured on video from various vantage points as onlookers screamed and the Discovery careened down a swell on its side before temporarily righting itself in the surf. Ramon Brockington, 41, a surfing filmmaker, said he and others had been expecting the higher swells for three days after monitoring weather apps that use data from ocean buoys. He was filming body surfers in an area off the harbor known as Panic Point when the passenger boat barreled into his line of sight, riding a wave. "Basically they were coming in trying to beat this wave,' Brockington told The Associated Press. "And the boat didn't have enough power to get in front of this wave. So what happened was a wave ended up picking up the boat, and the captain basically lost all steering whatsoever.' The powerful surf pushed the vessel into water that's about two-feet deep or less, Brockington said. He'd never seen anything like it. "Basically, the boat was surfing like a giant surfboard,' he said. "I've never seen a boat of that size and caliber being picked up like a toy and basically launched across the beach.' The Discovery eventually drifted against a concrete wall that lines the shore.


Arab Times
a day ago
- Arab Times
Torrential rains in southern Japan cause flooding, mudslides and travel disruptions
TOKYO, Aug 11, (AP): Downpours on Japan's southern main island of Kyushu caused flooding and mudslides on Monday, injuring a number of people and disrupting travel during a Buddhist holiday week. Evacuation advisories were issued and several reported missing. A low-pressure system has been stuck over the region since last week, dumping torrential rain over the southern prefecture of Kagoshima and the island's northern part. The Japan Meteorological Agency early Monday issued the highest-level warning in the prefecture of Kumamoto, saying rainfall had exceeded 40 centimeters (15.7 inches) in the last 24 hours and more was expected through Tuesday afternoon over Kyushu. The agency later downgraded the alert for Kumamoto as the showers moved east toward the Tokyo region, but kept a lower-level warning for western Japan, where up to 20 cm (7.8 inches) of rainfall was expected by noon Tuesday. The Fire and Disaster Management Agency said local authorities have issued evacuation advisories to tens of thousands of people in Kumamoto and six other prefectures in the region. Defense troops were deployed to Kagoshima to provide fresh water to the residents in the affected areas, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said. In Kumamoto, rescue workers were looking for three people: a family of three hit by a mudslide while driving to an evacuation center. Two were dug out alive, but a third person was still missing. Two others were missing elsewhere in the prefecture. Several other people were also reported missing after falling into swollen rivers in Kumamoto and the nearby Fukuoka prefecture. In Kamiamakusa city, about 20 people stranded at a camping site and a couple of other residential areas are waiting for the rescuers, NHK public television reported. Television footage showed muddy water gushing down, carrying broken trees and branches, and residents wading through knee-deep floodwater. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said his government was supporting search and rescue operations for the missing and helping others in affected areas. He urged residents "to use maximum caution," encouraging them to "please prioritize actions to save your lives.'


Arab Times
2 days ago
- Arab Times
5.9 magnitude quake strikes off Guatemala's southwest coast
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, Aug 10, (AP): A 5.9 magnitude earthquake struck off Guatemala's southwest coast on Saturday. There were no immediate reports of damage. The quake occurred about 60 miles (100 kilometers) south-southwest of Champerico, Guatemala, at a depth of 6 miles (9 kilometers), according to the US Geological Survey. People on social media reported feeling the earth shake in Guatemala's capital and other areas. The quake also was felt in parts of southern Mexico. Earthquakes are common in Guatemala. The Central American country is located on a major fault zone that serves as the boundary between the North American and Caribbean plates.