Russia declares federal emergency in flood-hit region
Moscow, April 7: Russia’s government has declared on Sunday flood-hit areas in the Orenburg region a federal emergency, state media reported. The floods, caused by rising water levels in the Ural River, forced over 4,000 people, including 885 children, to evacuate, the regional government said. State news agency Tass said that a further 2,000 homes were flooded, bringing the total to nearly 6,300 in the region. Russia’s Emergency Situations Minister Alexander Kurenkov arrived in Orsk – one of the most hard-hit cities – on Sunday to supervise rescue operations. Orsk, less than 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) north of the border with Kazakhstan, suffered the brunt of the floods which caused a dam to break on Friday, according to Orsk mayor Vasily Kozupitsa. A criminal probe has been launched to investigate suspected construction violations that may have caused the dam to break. Local authorities said the dam could withstand water levels up to 5.5 metres. (AP)
‘Drones attack Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant’
Kyiv, April 7: Officials at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant said that the site was attacked Sunday by Ukrainian military drones, including a strike on the dome of the plant’s sixth power unit. According to the plant authorities, there was no critical damage or casualties and radiation levels at the plant were normal after the strikes. The International Atomic Energy Agency said Sunday that its experts had been informed of the drone strike and that “such detonation is consistent with IAEA observations.” Without apportioning blame, the head of the UN’s atomic watchdog agency, Rafael Mariano Grossi, warned of the safety risks of such attacks. (AP)
Nepal Army to collect tonnes of garbage from Mt. Everest
Kathmandu, April 7: Nepal Army on Sunday said that it will collect around 10 tonnes of garbage and five bodies lying at Mt. Everest as it launches Mountain Cleaning Campaign 2024 in the Everest region. A 12-member team led by Maj. Aditya Karki will embark on the Everest base camp on April 14 to bring the garbage from Mt. Everest, Mt. Lhotse and Mt. Nuptse, according to a source from the Nepal Army. The source said an 18-member Sherpa team will assist the army in its cleaning expedition. The expedition, to be flagged off by Nepal Army chief Gen. Prabhuram Sharma here on April 11, will bring at least 10 tonnes of garbage and five dead bodies of climbers lying unattended in the mountain, Nepal Army spokesperson Brig. Gen. Krishna Prasad Bhandari said. Biodegradable waste will be brought to Namche Bazaar below the base camp and handed to the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC) for proper treatment. The non-biodegradable waste and dead bodies will be brought to Kathmandu, the spokesperson said. The cleaning campaign will control human-made pollution in the Himalayas and address the problems related to climate change, Bhandari said. (PTI)