Typhoon death toll rises to 389
Manila, Dec 27: The death toll from the powerful typhoon Rai in the Philippines has increased to 389, with 64 more missing, a government disaster agency said on Monday. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said that the typhoon, which made landfall in the Philippines on December 16, also injured 1,146 people, reports Xinhua news agency. The NDRRMC said the typhoon has affected more than 4.2 million people in 11 regions in central and southern parts of the Philippines, as well as parts of the main Luzon Island. According to the agency, nearly 315,000 of more than 570,000 displaced people are temporarily housed in 1,179 evacuation centres. (IANS)
Nepal’s vax struggles
Kathmandu, Dec 27: As the threat of the new Omicron Covid-19 variant looms large, Nepal is struggling to vaccinate its targeted population against the virus. Even though the South Asian country has been receiving a steady supply of vaccines in recent months, it is now struggling to store them and inoculate more of the population due to the lack of adequate storage capacity and necessary human resources, Xinhua news agency quoted officials as saying. Till date, 32.9 per cent of Nepal’s estimated 30-million population has been fully vaccinated, according to the Ministry of Health and Population. “The level of vaccination is still low amid the Omicron threat,” Sher Bahadur Pun, chief medical officer at the Kathmandu-based Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital, told Xinhua. (IANS)
Record snowfall in Japan
Tokyo, Dec 27: A powerful cold air mass has triggered record snowfall in some parts of Japan, leading to the disruption of transportation systems, local media reported on Monday. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, 68 cm of snow fell in Hikone city, Shiga Prefecture, and 71 cm accumulated in Asago City, Hyogo Prefecture in a 24-hour period through early Monday, both hitting record highs, reports Xinhua news agency. Due to the heavy snow, a car accident caused a traffic jam of about 20 vehicles at around 6.30 a.m. on the Maizuru-Wakasa Expressway in Kyoto Prefecture, western Japan. The road operator, West Nippon Expressway Co., closed both outbound and inbound lanes of the expressway until the snow was removed. The expressway was fully reopened past noon. (IANS)
Oz bushfires threaten lives
Perth, Dec 27: Amid an extreme summer heatwave, two raging bushfires in the state of Western Australia (WA) are threatening lives and properties. On Monday, the WA Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) issued a bushfire emergency warning for people in parts of Wooroloo, Chidlow and Gidgegannup in Shire of Mundaring and City of Swan, about 55 km east of the state capital Perth, as well as for people in Warrigal Estate, reports Xinhua news agency. Residents were urged to “act immediately to survive” as “there is a threat to lives and homes”. (IANS)