47 dead in record floods in China | The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

47 dead in record floods in China

BEIJING: At least 47 people have died as rains caused historic floods and landslides in southern China’s Guangdong province, state media reported on Friday, while authorities warned of even more extreme weather conditions in other parts of the country.

State broadcaster CCTV announced on Friday afternoon that another 38 people had died in a county under the jurisdiction of the city of Meizhou. Nine other people from other parts of Meizhou had already died previously.

According to CCTV, heavy rains caused landslides, floods and mudslides that severely damaged eight townships in Pingyuan County, where the latest deaths were reported. The heaviest rains occurred on Sunday, with an average rainfall of 7.83 inches, with one township receiving as much as 14.4 inches. The report did not say when the deaths occurred.

The extreme weather conditions also destroyed around 355 kilometres of roads, damaged over a hundred bridges and flooded farmland.

The previous day, CCTV reported four deaths in Meixian district of Meizhou and five in Jiaoling county.

Sunday’s heavy rain continued into Tuesday, with trees falling and houses collapsing. A road leading to Meixian district collapsed completely during the heavy rains.

US tourist killed by elephant in Zambia

JOHANNESBURG – A U.S. tourist was killed by an elephant in the Zambian town of Livingstone on Wednesday, the second such attack in the country this year, local officials said.

Officials said Friday that 64-year-old Juliana Gle Tourneau was killed when an elephant, part of a herd the tourists were watching, attacked their vehicle, ejected Tourneau and trampled her.

She was part of a group that stopped near the Maramba Cultural Bridge because the herd of elephants near the bridge was blocking traffic, they added.

“Juliana Gle Tourneau, 64, of New Mexico, United States of America, died on Wednesday after she was pushed from a parked vehicle that had come to a stop due to traffic caused by elephants around the Maramba Cultural Bridge,” Southern Province Police Commissioner Auxensio Daka told Zambian national broadcaster ZNBC.

This is the second attack of this kind this year. In March, another American tourist was killed during a safari in a Zambian national park when an elephant attacked and overturned a truck. The tourist died and five others were injured.

Zambian authorities have urged tourists to exercise extreme caution when viewing wildlife across the country.

Wind-fuelled flames kill eleven people in Turkey

ANKARA, Turkey — A fire that apparently started in farm stubble spread overnight through settlements in southeastern Turkey, killing 11 people and sending dozens more to hospital, officials and news reports said Friday.

In neighboring Greece, authorities evacuated several villages in the southern Peloponnese region due to forest fires.

The fire in Turkey broke out in an area between Diyarbakir and Mardin provinces. Fanned by wind, it quickly spread through the villages of Koksalan, Yazcicegi and Bagacik, said Diyarbakir Governor Ali Ihsan Su. The fire was brought under control early Friday.

Health Minister Fahrettin Koca posted on the social media platform X that eleven people had died. Around 80 others needed treatment, including six whose condition was serious.

Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said authorities had launched an investigation into the cause of the fire that lit up the night sky.

According to the independent news website Gazete Duvar, residents believe the fire was caused by sparks from a power line setting fire to crop residue. Among those taken to hospital were villagers who tried to put out the flames, it said.

Ukrainian drones attack Russian refineries

KIEV, Ukraine — The Ukrainian military launched a wave of drone strikes overnight that attacked three oil refineries in southern Russia, a security official said Friday, in an attempt by Ukraine to disrupt infrastructure that supplies the Russian military.

Russia said its air defenses shot down numerous drones, including half a dozen that launched a naval attack in the Black Sea.

The Ukrainian security official said his country’s armed forces also attacked a drone launching facility in Russia, but declined to say how that target was attacked. The operations involved the armed forces and the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU), the official said. The official spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to publicly disclose the information.

SBU drones attacked oil refineries at the Russian sites of Afipsky, Ilsky and Krasnodar that supply fuel to the ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, the official said.

Ukrainian forces also attacked a drone facility in the southern Russian city of Yeisk where Iranian-made Shahed drones are stored and launched, the official said. A “series of explosions” were recorded there, the official said.

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, rescue workers clear away debris at a flood-affected area in Sishui township, Pingyuan county, Meizhou city, south China’s Guangdong province, June 20, 2024. Several people have died and others are missing after downpours caused historic flooding in rural areas of south China’s Guangdong province, while authorities warned of more flooding in other parts of the country on Friday. (Lu Hanxin/Xinhua via AP)