Latest news with #ABCNewsAustralia
Yahoo
a day ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
19 People Stranded in Cars amid Heavy Snowfall Rescued in 'Treacherous' Conditions: Reports
More than 20 people became stranded in their vehicles during a heavy snowstorm near Mount Hotham in Victoria's High Country, Australia over the weekend Travelers got stuck in their vehicles "following more than 50cm of snowfall in the area," the Victoria State Emergency Service reported All 19 people who were trapped in their vehicles at Mount Hotham have since been rescued, ABC News Australia reported 19 people have reportedly been rescued after being trapped in their vehicles during a heavy snowstorm at Mount Hotham in the Victorian Alps, Australia. On Sunday, June 7, emergency services conducted a search and rescue operation to recover those who were stranded near Hotham Heights after 'more than 50cm of snowfall in the area,' the Victoria State Emergency Service (SES) announced in a press release on Facebook on Sunday, June 8. All 19 people who were trapped in their vehicles at Mount Hotham have now been rescued, ABC News Australia reported. While 13 were rescued on Sunday, a further six were brought to safety on Monday, June 9. No one remains trapped in the area, The Guardian reported, citing SES and police. The Guardian and 9 News reported that 13 motorists and two hikers were rescued on Sunday after getting trapped in the snow near Mount Hotham the previous night. They got stuck at around 10:50 p.m. traveling along Blue Rag Range Track near Dargo High Plains Road. 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. Half a dozen of those trapped were forced to spend a second night in their vehicles, ABC News Australia reported, citing SES Regional Duty Officer James Boler. "The rescue operation has actually been pretty treacherous," Boler told the outlet. The conditions up on the mountain have been very, very difficult to deal with." There has been 62 cm of snowfall in the region over the past week, with temperatures falling to -4.3-degree Celsius (24.2-degrees Farenheit), ABC News Australia reported. The Country Fire Association, Wangaratta ski club, and Hotham alpine resort have assisted SES in their rescue efforts, according to The Guardian. 'We were very surprised at the number of vehicles that we did come across yesterday…' SES Unit Controller Graham Gales said, per the U.K. outlet. 'The experience of our drivers going into the Dargo High Plains Road yesterday was even they were having difficulty, and these are people that basically work in the snow all year round.' On June 6, the Alpine Shire Council posted a weather warning on Facebook, stating that travelers should 'avoid the Dargo High Plains Road over the King's Birthday long weekend' due to 'snow and high winds' in the [Victorian] alps. 'If you're heading out on the roads, please drive to the conditions, pay attention to signage and don't drive on roads with closure notices in place,' the post read. PEOPLE has reached out to Victoria State Emergency Services for comment, but did not immediately hear back. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
a day ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
19 People Stranded in Cars amid Heavy Snowfall Rescued in 'Treacherous' Conditions: Reports
More than 20 people became stranded in their vehicles during a heavy snowstorm near Mount Hotham in Victoria's High Country, Australia over the weekend Travelers got stuck in their vehicles "following more than 50cm of snowfall in the area," the Victoria State Emergency Service reported All 19 people who were trapped in their vehicles at Mount Hotham have since been rescued, ABC News Australia reported 19 people have reportedly been rescued after being trapped in their vehicles during a heavy snowstorm at Mount Hotham in the Victorian Alps, Australia. On Sunday, June 7, emergency services conducted a search and rescue operation to recover those who were stranded near Hotham Heights after 'more than 50cm of snowfall in the area,' the Victoria State Emergency Service (SES) announced in a press release on Facebook on Sunday, June 8. All 19 people who were trapped in their vehicles at Mount Hotham have now been rescued, ABC News Australia reported. While 13 were rescued on Sunday, a further six were brought to safety on Monday, June 9. No one remains trapped in the area, The Guardian reported, citing SES and police. The Guardian and 9 News reported that 13 motorists and two hikers were rescued on Sunday after getting trapped in the snow near Mount Hotham the previous night. They got stuck at around 10:50 p.m. traveling along Blue Rag Range Track near Dargo High Plains Road. 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. Half a dozen of those trapped were forced to spend a second night in their vehicles, ABC News Australia reported, citing SES Regional Duty Officer James Boler. "The rescue operation has actually been pretty treacherous," Boler told the outlet. The conditions up on the mountain have been very, very difficult to deal with." There has been 62 cm of snowfall in the region over the past week, with temperatures falling to -4.3-degree Celsius (24.2-degrees Farenheit), ABC News Australia reported. The Country Fire Association, Wangaratta ski club, and Hotham alpine resort have assisted SES in their rescue efforts, according to The Guardian. 'We were very surprised at the number of vehicles that we did come across yesterday…' SES Unit Controller Graham Gales said, per the U.K. outlet. 'The experience of our drivers going into the Dargo High Plains Road yesterday was even they were having difficulty, and these are people that basically work in the snow all year round.' On June 6, the Alpine Shire Council posted a weather warning on Facebook, stating that travelers should 'avoid the Dargo High Plains Road over the King's Birthday long weekend' due to 'snow and high winds' in the [Victorian] alps. 'If you're heading out on the roads, please drive to the conditions, pay attention to signage and don't drive on roads with closure notices in place,' the post read. PEOPLE has reached out to Victoria State Emergency Services for comment, but did not immediately hear back. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Experts sound alarm after invasive, acid-spraying ants spread along coast: 'It's extremely concerning'
Tiny hitchhikers are threatening the Fraser Coast of eastern Australia. Acid-spraying yellow crazy ants have been found at the gateway to K'gari, also known as Fraser Island. Locals and experts are calling for biosecurity checks to keep this invasive species from wreaking havoc on the World Heritage Site. According to ABC News Australia, "the 500,000 annual visitors to the island are not subject to routine checks and vehicles belonging to residents, tourists and four-wheel drive enthusiasts could transport yellow crazy ants or other invasive species to the island." Yellow crazy ants are number six on the Global Invasive Species Database's list of the 100 worst invasive species. The aggressive creatures came to Australia through its ports in the 1930s and have since spread to a few areas on the continent. The main concern is that these ants could travel into new areas, like the Fraser Coast, on vehicles without people knowing. Having stations where vehicles could be cleaned and inspected could help keep the ant species from spreading. "My first reaction is fear," Sue Sargent, Natural Integrity Alliance for K'gari chair, told ABC. "It's extremely concerning." The spread of an invasive species can destroy native ecology by outcompeting native species for important resources. This is especially important with the changing climate forcing some species to migrate and adapt to new environments. Protecting native species is important because native plants and animals have a synergistic relationship from centuries of evolution. Declining populations of important ecosystem members like pollinators jeopardize the food supply of the animals in the ecosystem and the global food supply. Invasive species also have important impacts on population health, sometimes driving native species to the brink of extinction. They can also introduce new illnesses to humans, such as the West Nile virus, and to plants, like the Chestnut blight. Should we be actively working to kill invasive species? Absolutely It depends on the species I don't know No — leave nature alone Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Around the world, conservationists are working to protect ecosystems and native species from invasive threats. In South Carolina, officials are working to protect honeybees from invasive wasps. Much of the United States is dealing with the invasive lanternfly. A restaurant in Phuket is dealing with invasive species by cooking them into Michelin dining. According to ABC, K'gari officials will have a biosecurity strategy completed by the end of 2025. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Birds on a Remote Island Make 'Gut-Wrenching Crunching Sounds' Because They Are Full of Littered Plastics
Researchers in Australia have discovered excessive amounts of plastic in birds on the remote Lord Howe Island The birds have plastic making up about 20% of their body mass, which can cause the birds to crunch when both dead and alive Scientists say they found one bird with 778 individual pieces of plastic inside its bodyScientists in Australia have discovered a disturbing new feature of the birds found around the remote Lord Howe Island in New South Wales: they crunch. The picturesque landscape, located about a two-hour flight from Sydney, is home to a variety of wildlife. Unfortunately, this far-flung location doesn't protect the island's animals from the increase in discarded plastics. Ecologist Alex Bond, principal curator at Britain's Natural History Museum, shared with The Washington Post that during a recent trip to Lord Howe Island, he and a team of researchers found a bird with 778 pieces of plastic packed in its stomach "like a brick." "We're talking items up to and including the size of bottle caps and tetra pack lids, cutlery, clothes pegs, the takeaway soy sauce fish bottle that you get from restaurants," Bond noted. "That's the sort of thing that we're finding in the stomachs of these 80-day-old chicks." Bond works with Adrift Labs, an organization that studies the impact of plastic pollution on the world's oceans. Some of the birds the organization discovered on Lord Howe Island — both alive and dead — had so much plastic in their bodies that it amounted to 20% of the birds' total mass. Many birds made what Bond described as a "gut-wrenching crunching sound" when pressed on their sternum. "In the most severely impacted birds, you can hear that while they are still alive," he added. 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. Dr. Jennifer Lavers, a marine scientist working with Adrift Labs, told ABC News Australia, "There is now so much plastic inside of the birds you can feel it on the outside of the animal when it is still alive." She brought Peter Whish-Wilson, a senator for Tasmania, to see the affected animals on the island. "We are poisoning this planet and killing nature by the way we are living and the decisions we are making," Whish-Wilson told ABC News Australia of what he learned. Bond believes the birds on the island are a sign of what's coming. "The things that we're seeing now in sable shearwaters are things that we're absolutely going to see in a lot more species in the years and decades to come," Bond told The Washington Post. According to Recycle Track Systems, an additional 33 billion tons of plastic enter marine environments annually. In April, a new sculpture of a whale made entirely out of recycled plastics found in the ocean was unveiled in London's Canary Wharf. The piece, titled Whale on the Wharf (Skyscraper), was created to highlight the impact of plastic pollution. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Birds on a Remote Island Make 'Gut-Wrenching Crunching Sounds' Because They Are Full of Littered Plastics
Researchers in Australia have discovered excessive amounts of plastic in birds on the remote Lord Howe Island The birds have plastic making up about 20% of their body mass, which can cause the birds to crunch when both dead and alive Scientists say they found one bird with 778 individual pieces of plastic inside its bodyScientists in Australia have discovered a disturbing new feature of the birds found around the remote Lord Howe Island in New South Wales: they crunch. The picturesque landscape, located about a two-hour flight from Sydney, is home to a variety of wildlife. Unfortunately, this far-flung location doesn't protect the island's animals from the increase in discarded plastics. Ecologist Alex Bond, principal curator at Britain's Natural History Museum, shared with The Washington Post that during a recent trip to Lord Howe Island, he and a team of researchers found a bird with 778 pieces of plastic packed in its stomach "like a brick." "We're talking items up to and including the size of bottle caps and tetra pack lids, cutlery, clothes pegs, the takeaway soy sauce fish bottle that you get from restaurants," Bond noted. "That's the sort of thing that we're finding in the stomachs of these 80-day-old chicks." Bond works with Adrift Labs, an organization that studies the impact of plastic pollution on the world's oceans. Some of the birds the organization discovered on Lord Howe Island — both alive and dead — had so much plastic in their bodies that it amounted to 20% of the birds' total mass. Many birds made what Bond described as a "gut-wrenching crunching sound" when pressed on their sternum. "In the most severely impacted birds, you can hear that while they are still alive," he added. 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. Dr. Jennifer Lavers, a marine scientist working with Adrift Labs, told ABC News Australia, "There is now so much plastic inside of the birds you can feel it on the outside of the animal when it is still alive." She brought Peter Whish-Wilson, a senator for Tasmania, to see the affected animals on the island. "We are poisoning this planet and killing nature by the way we are living and the decisions we are making," Whish-Wilson told ABC News Australia of what he learned. Bond believes the birds on the island are a sign of what's coming. "The things that we're seeing now in sable shearwaters are things that we're absolutely going to see in a lot more species in the years and decades to come," Bond told The Washington Post. According to Recycle Track Systems, an additional 33 billion tons of plastic enter marine environments annually. In April, a new sculpture of a whale made entirely out of recycled plastics found in the ocean was unveiled in London's Canary Wharf. The piece, titled Whale on the Wharf (Skyscraper), was created to highlight the impact of plastic pollution. Read the original article on People
