AFP, New Delhi
Heavy monsoon rains that sparked floods and caused buildings to collapse have killed at least 49 people in north India’s Uttar Pradesh state since Thursday officials said, as the national weather agency issued further storm warnings.
Some of the victims died after they were buried by collapsing buildings, while others were drowned, electrocuted or killed in traffic accidents caused by the rain, disaster management officials said.
Death toll climbs to 88 from Greek wildfires
AFP, Athens
A woman has died in hospital taking the death toll from Greece’s worst wildfires to 88, many of them children, officials said Saturday. The unnamed woman in her 40’s had been in hospital since fire ravaged the seaside village of Mati, east of the capital Athens, on Monday.
The Health Ministry said a dozen other people remained in hospital with serious injuries.Forensics experts have faced a difficult task trying to identify the bodies of those who perished, many completely charred.
Landslides kill 7 in Thailand
Reuters, Bangkok
Landslides in northern Thailand, triggered by days of heavy downpours, killed seven people on Saturday and left one missing, an official said.
All of the victims lived in the mountainous district of Bo Kluea in Nan province, where the landslides have also caused damage to houses and roads, Prasit Dussadeewong, a district security official, told Reuters.
Gaza teen dies of wounds from Israeli fire
AFP, Gaza City
A Gaza teenager died of his wounds on Saturday after being shot by Israeli troops during protests along the border, the health ministry in the Hamas-run Palestinian territory said. A ministry statement identified him as Mohmen al-Hams, 17, and said he was shot in the chest during protests near the southern Gaza town of Rafah on Friday.
There has been persistent violence between the Israeli army and Palestinian protesters along the Gaza-Israel border since late March in which at least 157 Palestinians have been killed.
Japan braces for powerful typhoon
AFP, Tokyo
A powerful typhoon hurtled towards Japan on Saturday, prompting local authorities to issue early evacuation orders, with western areas recently devastated by floods and landslides in the storm’s crosshairs.
Typhoon Jongdari, packing winds of up to 180 kilometres (110 miles) an hour, is forecast to make landfall on the country’s main island on Saturday night or early Sunday, according to Japan’s Meteorological Agency..
