MEXICO CITY/PUERTO ESCONDIDO (Reuters) -Hurricane Erick weakened after slamming into Mexico's southern Pacific coast as a major hurricane on Thursday, leaving a trail of damaged businesses, wrecked boats and flooded streets in the state of Oaxaca as authorities warned of risks from heavy rain.

Erick made landfall near the resort town Puerto Escondido around 5:30 a.m. local time (1130 GMT) as a Category 3 hurricane. It was later downgraded to Category 1 as it moved inland, with sustained winds slowing to 85 mph (137 kph).

In coastal towns, residents began clearing debris. "There are many boats sunk here," said fisherman Eduardo Gonzalez in Puerto Escondido. "We're here to help our colleagues."

Despite having weakened, officials cautioned that Erick's intense rains remained dangerous.

"Life-threatening flooding and mudslides are expected, especially in areas of steep terrain," the U.S. National Hurricane Center said, forecasting up to 16 inches (41 cm) of rain for Oaxaca and neighboring Guerrero state.

Mexico's environment ministry also warned of waves of up to 10 meters (33 feet).

No deaths were immediately reported, Laura Velazquez, the head of Mexico's civil protection agency, said at a press conference.

Two hospitals had suffered damage and power supply was compromised, she added. State-owned utility CFE reported that more than 120,000 users had lost power in Oaxaca, with service restored to 26% by late morning.

Oaxaca Governor Salomon Jara said roads and highways were significantly damaged.

Erick is the earliest major hurricane to make landfall in the eastern Pacific, meteorologists from AccuWeather said.

"Rapid intensification near coastal cities is a major concern this hurricane season...as water temperatures continue to increase," said Alex DaSilva, AccuWeather lead hurricane expert.

Areas around Acapulco are especially vulnerable, AccuWeather said, as the beach town is still recovering from the impact of Hurricane Otis which hit in 2023.

(Reporting by Aida Pelaez-Fernandez; Additional reporting by Jose Cortes in Puerto Escondido, Mexico; Editing by Himani Sarkar; Editing by Toby Chopra, Bernadette Baum, Andrea Ricci and Deepa Babington)

KUPANG: Pusat Vulkanologi dan Mitigasi Bencana Geologi (PVMBG) memperluaskan kawasan larangan aktiviti di sekitar Gunung Lewotobi Laki-laki selepas ia meletus dan memuntahkan abu setinggi 10 kilometer ke udara.

Menurut laporan Jabatan Geologi, tahap amaran Gunung Lewotobi Laki-laki dinaikkan daripada tahap bersiap siaga kepada amaran bahaya tahap keempat. 

Radius kawasan bahaya kini diperluaskan kepada tujuh kilometer, manakala kawasan sekitar barat daya ke timur laut dikenakan larangan aktiviti dalam radius lapan kilometer dari pusat letusan.

PVMBG berkata, keputusan ini dibuat berdasarkan hasil analisis visual dan alat pemantauan yang menunjukkan peningkatan ketara dalam aktiviti gunung berapi tersebut.

Semalam, gunung berapi itu mencatatkan 50 gegaran dalam tempoh dua jam, jauh melebihi purata harian iaitu antara lapan hingga 10 gegaran.

“Masyarakat dan pelancong dinasihatkan agar tidak melakukan sebarang aktiviti dalam kawasan berisiko tinggi tersebut,” menurut laporan PVMBG yang diterima CNN Indonesia.

Penduduk di kawasan sekitar juga diingatkan agar berwaspada terhadap kemungkinan berlakunya banjir lahar, terutama jika hujan lebat turun di kawasan aliran sungai yang berpunca dari puncak gunung, seperti di kawasan Dulipali, Nobo, Hokeng Jaya dan Nurabelen.

Penduduk yang terdedah kepada hujan abu juga disarankan supaya memakai pelitup muka bagi melindungi saluran pernafasan.

Setakat ini, 12 keluarga sudah dipindahkan dari kawasan berhampiran sebagai langkah berjaga-jaga.

Puluhan penerbangan melibatkan lokasi pulau peranginan Bali juga terpaksa dibatalkan ekoran letusan tersebut.

TOKYO – Gempa bumi berukuran 6.1 magnitud menggegarkan perairan Semenanjung Nemuro di timur Hokkaido, Jepun, pagi Khamis, menurut Agensi Meteorologi Jepun (JMA).

Gegaran berlaku pada jam 8.08 pagi waktu tempatan (2308 GMT Rabu) di kawasan cetek luar pesisir tenggara semenanjung tersebut.

JMA memaklumkan, gempa itu mungkin menyebabkan perubahan kecil pada paras air laut di sepanjang pantai timur Lautan Pasifik Hokkaido, namun tiada risiko kerosakan atau amaran tsunami dikeluarkan setakat ini. – Agensi

PUTRAJAYA, June 19 — Malaysia and Russia are expected to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on disaster management cooperation later this year.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the MoU would establish a practical framework for joint training, knowledge exchange and coordinated emergency response.

“As Asean Chair this year, Malaysia remains committed to regional leadership in disaster response,” he said at a joint press conference with Russian Emergency Situations Minister Colonel General Alexander Kurenkov here today.

Ahmad Zahid, who also chairs the Central Disaster Management Committee, said Malaysia welcomed Russia’s offer to provide capacity-building programmes for Malaysian officers — including a specialised training course in Vladivostok this September.

“We are exploring broader collaboration, including technology transfer in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) applications for disaster monitoring,” he said.

He added that Malaysia’s National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) was among the first to respond to the recent earthquake in Myanmar, operating alongside international teams including Russia’s RUS-03.

Malaysia and Russia have also agreed to conduct joint search and rescue (SAR) training between the Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (SMART) and the RUS-03 team.

Ahmad Zahid expressed appreciation for Russia’s offer to train the SMART team and for inviting senior officers from the Fire and Rescue Department of Malaysia to attend a specialised course at a top university in St Petersburg.

He also welcomed Emercom’s cultural ensemble, describing its participation as a meaningful gesture that fosters people-to-people ties and deepens the bilateral relationship.

He said Emercom’s visit marked a significant step forward in disaster management cooperation between both countries.

Ahmad Zahid also acknowledged the strong working relationship between Nadma and Emercom, especially through platforms such as the International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (Insarag) and the Asean Committee on Disaster Management (ACDM).

He added that he looked forward to attending an international conference and disaster management event hosted by Russia in Azerbaijan.

Earlier today, Ahmad Zahid received a courtesy call from Kurenkov, which he said marked an important milestone in bilateral ties.

Meanwhile, Kurenkov said the meeting covered key areas such as training and education for firefighters and rescue personnel.

“Emercom’s academies offer a wide range of programmes for international specialists — not only for firefighters and rescuers, but also for medics, dog handlers and UAV operators,” he said.

He noted Emercom’s interest in learning about Malaysia’s modern fire and rescue training methods and the importance of exchanging best practices.

He added that both countries are committed to enhancing early warning systems and risk communication for natural disasters, especially in prevention, prediction and risk management using space monitoring and remote sensing technologies.

“In Russia, these functions are handled by the National Crisis Management Centre. Overall, our countries have great potential for deeper cooperation in managing the aftermath of natural and manmade disasters,” he said. — Bernama