HIROSHIMA, Japan (AFP) — Rescue workers, police and troops in Japan battle to reach people feared trapped by devastating flooding and landslides after days of record rainfall killed at least 75 people. https://youtu.be/_VmIUTXywrA
International
Landslide warnings as Japan digs through rain devastation
by Hiroshi Hiyama Agence France-Presse Desperate relatives braced for bad news Monday as rescuers dug through landslides in the wake of severe floods that have killed 75 people and left swathes of central and western Japan under water. As floods receded, emergency workers were able to reach previously cut-off places where authorities fear they could find more bodies in the wreckage of homes devastated by rivers of mud and debris. “I have asked my family […]
Treacherous Thai cave rescue bid enters day two
by Thanaporn Promyamyai and Richard Sargent Agence France Presse MAE SAI, Thailand (AFP) — A treacherous rescue bid to free a youth football team trapped in a flooded Thai cave entered its second day Monday, with nine of the “Wild Boars” still inside after elite divers guided four out. Looming rain was one of the main enemies of the operation, threatening to flood the cave complex in mountainous northern Thailand, although a bewildering array of […]
Chopper crashes into US townhouse, 1 dead: reports
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A helicopter crashed into a townhouse complex in the US state of Virginia on Sunday, leaving one person dead and the building ripped apart and damaged by fire, local media said. The incident occurred in Williamsburg, in the state’s southeast and not far from Norfolk, which is home to a naval station which supports the US Navy’s Atlantic Fleet. The Daily Press newspaper quoted Virginia State Police as saying there […]
UPDATED: Turkey train disaster leaves 24 dead, hundreds hurt
by Stuart WILLIAMS Agence France Presse ISTANBUL, Turkey (AFP) –Twenty-four people were killed and hundreds injured when a train packed with weekend passengers derailed in northwest Turkey due to ground erosion afer heavy rains, officials said Monday. The train, with over 360 people on board, was traveling from the Edirne region on the Greek and Bulgarian borders to Istanbul’s Halkali station on Sunday when six carriages derailed in the Tekirdag region. Deputy Prime Minister Recep […]
British woman dies after exposure to Novichok nerve agent
by Alice Ritchie Agence France Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP)– British police launched a murder inquiry Sunday after a woman died following exposure to the nerve agent Novichok in southwest England, four months after the same type of chemical was used against a former Russian spy in an attack blamed on Moscow. Prime Minister Theresa May said she was “appalled and shocked” by the death of Dawn Sturgess, a 44-year-old mother of three, and […]
Official death toll from record Japan rains rises to 75
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — The toll in record rains that have devastated parts of Japan rose to 75 on Monday, according to an official tally, as rescue operations continued. The toll could rise further with dozens of people still missing after the days of torrential rains that have caused flash floods and landslides. © Agence France-Presse
Six boys rescued from flooded Thai cave: defense official
MAE SAI, Thailand (AFP)–A total of six boys among a group of 13 trapped inside a flooded Thai cave have been rescued, a defence ministry official said on Sunday. “Six of them came out,” the official, who asked not to be named, told AFP.
30 dead as record rains devastate parts of Japan
by Shingo Ito and Sara Hussein Agence France Presse TOKYO, Japan — Record rainfall devastated parts of Japan on Saturday, killing at least 30 people, as homes disappeared beneath floodwaters and landslides, and authorities ordered over 1.9 million evacuations. The unprecedented downpours have wreaked havoc primarily in the west of the country, with flash floods and landslides leaving dozens more missing in addition to those killed. A local official in Ehime, in western Japan, said […]
Pompeo in North Korea to seek ‘details’ on denuclearization
PYONGYANG, North Korea (AFP) — US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived in Pyongyang Friday to press Kim Jong Un for a more detailed commitment to denuclearization following the North Korean leader’s historic summit with President Donald Trump. Pompeo was greeted in the North Korean capital by Kim’s right hand man Kim Yong Chol and Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho. Since meeting Kim in Singapore last month Trump has been bullish about hopes for […]
Boys trapped in Thailand cave not yet ready to dive to freedom as rescuer perishes
by Thanaporn PROMYAMYAI / Joe Freeman Agence France Presse The Thai boys trapped inside a flooded cave for two weeks are not yet ready to attempt a dangerous dive to freedom, rescuers said Saturday, after the death of a military diver underscored the huge risks they face. The diver’s death on Friday brought heartache for rescuers and anxious relatives waiting outside the Tham Luang cave in the country’s mountainous north — and raised serious doubts […]
British PM wins cabinet backing for UK-EU free trade area
by Dario THUBURN Agence France-Presse LONDON, United Kingdom – British Prime Minister Theresa May won agreement Friday from her warring cabinet to pursue “a UK-EU free trade area” after Brexit, as she bids to unblock negotiations with the bloc amid warnings time is running out to get a deal. The proposal would create “a common rule book for industrial goods and agricultural products”, May said in a statement following a day of talks at Chequers, […]
