KUCHING (Aug 10): Heavy rain and thunderstorms have been forecasted in several parts of Sarawak this afternoon until 6pm.

The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia), in an update, said the weather would affect Kuching (Bau and Kuching), Serian, Samarahan (Samarahan and Asajaya), Sibu (Kanowit and Selangau), Mukah (Dalat and Mukah), Kapit (Song), Miri (Telang Usan) and Limbang.

Strong winds were reported earlier this afternoon, followed by heavy rain that caused flash floods in several areas in Kuching.

A video shared by Facebook user ‘Bella Hayati’ showed several penambang boats colliding due to the strong winds.

It is believed the video was taken while she was walking on the Darul Hana Bridge on her way to work.

This was followed by another bout of heavy rain, during which Bella recorded a second video showing downpours along the Kuching Waterfront.

MADRID: Lebih 1,000 orang dipindahkan pada Ahad di bahagian barat laut Sepanyol apabila kebakaran hutan merebak, dipacu oleh suhu yang melampau dan angin kencang, menurut pihak berkuasa.

Sekitar 400 orang dipindahkan dari dalam dan sekitar bandar Carucedo, manakala 700 lagi dari beberapa pekan berhampiran Tapak Warisan Dunia UNESCO Las Médulas iaitu kawasan bekas lombong emas Rom yang terkenal dengan landskap merah yang unik.

Ketua kerajaan wilayah Castile dan Leon, Alfonso Mañueco, berkata pakar percaya beberapa kebakaran tersebut berpunca daripada perbuatan khianat.

“Kami tidak akan berkompromi dengan mereka yang melakukan serangan terhadap nyawa, keselamatan orang awam, serta warisan sejarah dan alam semula jadi kami,” tulisnya di X.

Unit Kecemasan Tentera Sepanyol (UME) telah mengerahkan hampir 60 anggota tentera dan 20 kenderaan ke kawasan terbabit, menyertai operasi besar-besaran memadam kebakaran yang turut melibatkan pesawat dan jentolak bagi mewujudkan garisan pemutus api (firebreaks).

Pasukan bomba berkata, suhu panas terik, kelembapan udara yang rendah dan angin kuat yang sering berubah arah menyukarkan usaha mereka memadamkan kebakaran.

Kebakaran hutan turut menjejaskan kawasan utara Galicia dan Navarre ketika Sepanyol sedang mengalami gelombang haba yang kini memasuki minggu kedua, dengan suhu mencecah hampir 40 darjah Celsius di banyak kawasan.

Haba melampau ini dijangka berterusan sekurang-kurangnya sehingga Khamis. Pihak berkuasa perlindungan awam telah mengeluarkan amaran risiko kebakaran hutan tinggi hingga melampau di sebahagian besar negara.

Perdana Menteri Sepanyol, Pedro Sanchez, menulis di X bahawa beliau sedang “memantau rapat kebakaran hutan” dan mengucapkan terima kasih kepada pasukan kecemasan “atas usaha mereka yang tidak mengenal penat lelah.”

ISTANBUL: Gempa bumi 6.1 magnitud melanda barat Turkiye lewat Ahad, lapor Anadolu Ajansi.

Agensi Pengurusan Bencana dan Kecemasan (AFAD) memaklumkan gempa berpusat di daerah Sindirgi, wilayah Balikesir dan gegaran dikesan pada kedalaman 11 kilometer.

Menteri Dalam Negeri Ali Yerlikaya berkata seorang lelaki berusia 81 tahun meninggal dunia selepas diselamatkan dari bangunan yang runtuh.

Seramai 29 lagi mangsa cedera turut diselamatkan dan tiada yang berada dalam keadaan kritikal.

Penilaian awal menunjukkan 16 bangunan di 68 kejiranan runtuh akibat gempa dan gegaran susulan.

Presiden Turkiye Recep Tayyip Erdogan menyampaikan ucapan takziah kepada semua yang terjejas, sambil menegaskan beliau akan memantau rapat perkembangan selepas bencana itu. – BERNAMA-ANADOLU

MADRID, Aug 11: More than 1,000 people were evacuated on Sunday in north-west Spain as wildfires spread, fueled by scorching temperatures and strong winds, authorities said.

Around 400 people were displaced in and around the town of Carucedo, and another 700 from several towns near the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Las Medulas, a former Roman gold-mining area known for its striking red landscape, local officials said.

The head of the regional government of Castile and Leon, Alfonso Manueco, said experts suspect several of the blazes were set by arsonists.

“We will be relentless with the perpetrators of these attacks against the lives and safety of people and our historical and natural heritage,” he wrote on X.

Spain’s Military Emergency Unit (UME) has deployed nearly 60 soldiers and 20 vehicles to the area, joining a large firefighting operation that includes aircraft and bulldozers working to create firebreaks.

Firefighters said scorching temperatures, low air humidity levels and strong winds which often changed direction were complicating their efforts to put out the flames.

Wildfires were also affecting the northern regions of Galicia and Navarre as Spain endures a heatwave which is entering its second week, with temperatures nearing 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in many regions.

The extreme heat is expected to last until at least Thursday. Civil protection authorities have warned of a high to extreme wildfire risk across much of the country.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez wrote on X that he was “closely following the wildfires”, and thanked emergency teams “for their tireless efforts.” – TVS