OFFICIAL PORTAL
PRIME MINISTER'S DEPARTMENT
NATIONAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT AGENCY
PRIME MINISTER'S DEPARTMENT
NATIONAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT AGENCY
Four dead after landslide triggered by flash floods in northern Vietnam’s Bac Kan province
- Admin UKK
- Berita
HANOI, May 19 — A landslide following flash floods in a mountainous area of northern Vietnam has killed four people, the government said today, as forecasters warned of further downpours.
The landslide occurred early yesterday in Ba Be district of Bac Kan province following torrential rain on Saturday.
“A very big (noise, like an) explosion was heard from the top of the mountain. Then soil, rock and water poured down from the mountain,” a statement on the government’s website quoted local official Tieu Xuan Tai as saying.
Tai said local residents had been aware of a two-metre-wide crack on the top of the mountain that appeared several years ago.
Provincial authorities have issued warnings to the public, and called for immediate safety checks for communities along streams, rivers and other areas vulnerable to landslides.
Residents must be immediately evacuated if they are at risk, authorities said.
Forecasters said rain in the area had been higher than normal so far this month and further heavy downpours were expected in northern and central areas.
Vietnam is prone to tropical storms, which often cause deadly flash floods and landslides, but they usually hit the country between June and November.
Experts say human-driven climate change is causing more intense weather patterns that can make destructive floods more likely.
Last year, 514 people died in Vietnam due to natural disasters, three times more than in 2023, the agriculture ministry said.
In September, northern Vietnam was devastated by Typhoon Yagi, which claimed 345 lives and caused an estimated economic loss of $3.3 billion. — AFP
JAKARTA (Bernama): One person was killed while 19 others were reported missing after severe flooding swept through a remote gold mining area in Indonesia’s West Papua province, officials said on Monday.
Four others were reportedly injured after floodwaters swept through a temporary miners’ settlement in Jim village, located in the Catubouw district of Arfak Mountains regency, on Friday evening.
National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) spokesperson Abdul Muhari said the flooding occurred following heavy rain between 1pm and 8pm local time.
"Floodwaters from the upstream area swept through a temporary settlement used by traditional gold miners at around 9pm, destroying tents and washing away equipment,” he said in a statement on Monday.
A joint search and rescue team was deployed to the affected area, but efforts were hindered by poor communication networks and harsh terrain, he said.
"The search for the 19 missing victims is being carried out intensively by the joint team on the ground,” Abdul Muhari added.
Flash floods and landslides are frequent in eastern Indonesia during the rainy season, particularly in mountainous regions such as West Papua. - Bernama
HONG KONG: Heavy weekend rains in China’s southern Guangdong and Guangxi provinces killed at least six people and disrupted trains and power supply, state media said, with alerts issued for severe flooding and geological disasters in parts of the country.
China’s national meteorological centre issued multiple heavy rain warnings in the Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangxi and Guangdong regions and the northwestern province of Xinjiang from yesterday to today, the official Xinhua news agency said.
It said a yellow alert was issued in parts of Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong and Guangxi, indicating a relatively high risk of mountain flooding.
At least 10 railway lines connecting the southern city of Shenzhen with other cities halted operations today due to heavy rainfall, according to Shenzhen railway authorities.
More than 620,000 households in Guangxi lost power in recent days due to rain, state media reported.
Local power supplier had since restored electricity for some 600,000 households as of this morning.
China has a four-tier weather warning system with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow and blue.
Chinese meteorological data show 2024 was the warmest year for the country since comparable records began over six decades ago, the second straight year in which milestones were broken.
Last year’s warmer weather was accompanied by stronger storms and higher rainfall and led to spikes in power consumption in China, the world’s second-largest economy.
State broadcaster CCTV said heavy rain was also expected from today to tomorrow in areas including the far western region of Xinjiang along the Tianshan Mountains.
NEW YORK, May 19 (Xinhua) -- A severe storm system was expected to bring strong winds and large hail, possibly the size of baseballs, to parts of the Midwest of the United States through Monday night, a day after tornadoes downed power lines and trees and damaged buildings across the Great Plains.
Forecasters warned of potential for "all severe hazards," including tornadoes, especially in the central and southern Plains. The National Weather Service in Wichita, Kansas, warned that severe thunderstorms were likely on Monday afternoon and evening, primarily along and east of Interstate 135.
Midwest Energy Inc., an energy provider in Kansas, was quoted by The New York Times as saying early Monday that crews were working to restore power after a tornado caused damaged in the city of Plevna.
On Sunday, more than 20 tornadoes were reported across Colorado, Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma and Nebraska, according to the National Weather Service. The outbreak of severe weather comes just days after tornadoes killed at least 25 people in Missouri and Kentucky alone.
KOTA BHARU: Pembinaan tembok kekal yang berfungsi sebagai tebatan banjir dan pagar menjadi solusi terbaik membendung aktiviti penyeludupan di sempadan Malaysia-Thailand di negeri ini.
Ketua Polis negeri, Datuk Mohd. Yusoff Mamat berkata, bentuk muka bumi dan jarak yang panjang sejauh 136 kilometer (km) bermula dari Pengkalan Kubor, Tumpat sehingga Jeli memberi kesukaran kepada pihaknya untuk mengawal sempadan yang disifatkan ‘terbuka’ itu.
“Saya akui perkara ini menjadi cabaran kepada penugasan terutama Pasukan Gerakan Am (PGA) dalam mengawal sempadan khususnya dari segi kekuatan tenaga kerja.
“Bagaimanapun, kawalan sempadan terus diketatkan dengan bantuan unit risik dan pasukan khas dalam memastikan penyeludupan dibendung dengan sebaik mungkin,” katanya kepada Utusan Malaysia di sini, semalam.
Mohd. Yusoff berkata, pembinaan tembok dan pagar itu perkara yang sering diperjuang Polis Kelantan dalam mencegah penyeludupan di sempadan Malaysia-Thailand.
Katanya, sebagai langkah pencegahan ketika ini, Polis Kelantan menguatkuasakan Akta Imigresen 1959/1963 (Akta 155).
“Tetapi paling berkesan adalah membina tembok dan pagar sepertimana titah Tuanku Sultan Kelantan, Sultan Muhammad V semasa perasmian Sidang Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) Kelantan tempoh hari.
“Saya harap perkara ini dapat disegerakan. Selagi perkara ini (tembok) tidak direalisasikan ia memberi kesukaran buat kami,” ujarnya.
Mohd. Yusoff berkata, minggu lalu pihaknya menerima maklumat berkaitan kemasukan senjata api ke negeri ini namun apabila serbuan dilakukan, barangan tersebut tidak ditemukan.
Akhbar ini melaporkan, pelbagai helah digunakan opara penyeludup untuk membawa masuk senjata api ke negara ini termasuk menggunakan lori sayur, ikan dan kontena.
Penyeludup turut dikesan menggunakan perkhidmatan kargo, kereta api dan laluan laut selain menggunakan ‘khidmat’ pendatang asing tanpa izin (PATI) dan melalui lorong-lorong tikus di sepanjang sempadan Malaysia-Thailand. – UTUSAN