Deadly flood hits Congo, 100+ dead
Kinshasa, May 12: At least 100 people have died in floods that swept through the Fizi territory in South Kivu Province, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, overnight from Friday to Saturday, the provincial government confirmed on Sunday. Torrential rains triggered flash floods in the locality of Kasaba, destroying approximately 150 homes, according to a provisional toll. The provincial government expressed deep concern over the heightened risk of waterborne diseases, respiratory infections, and malnutrition amid ongoing heavy rains. (ANI)
Mother’d day blaze kills four in Milwaykee
Milwaukee, May 12: A Milwaukee apartment building fire that began in a common area and spread to multiple floors Sunday killed four people and critically injured four others. Several more were treated for lesser injuries in the fire that began sometime before 8 am on Mother’s Day. The blaze rendered the 85-unit building uninhabitable, displacing an estimated 200 people, Milwaukee Fire Chief Aaron Lipski said at a news conference. Calls came in that people were trapped and jumping from the four-storey building’s second floor to escape. The first firefighters to arrive were “far, far outmatched” by intense flames, Lipski said. Platform fire trucks rescued people from windows while other firefighters went inside, some crawling on hands and knees to get people out, Lipski said. In all, about 30 people were rescued. The cause was unclear but Lipski expressed confidence it would be figured out in time. Built in 1968, the building predated a law that would have required it to have a sprinkler system and was never retrofitted with one, Lipski noted. “Nobody was required to go back in and make that building fire safe,” Lipski said. “I have four fatalities here today. I’m not sure what people think is more expensive right now.” (AP)
13 dead in Indonesia ammo disposal explosion
Jakarta, May 12: An explosion occurred in Indonesia’s West Java province on Monday, killing at least 13 people, including four soldiers. The Indonesian army was disposing of unusable and expired ammunition in an environmental conservation area in Sagara village of Garut district. The initial explosion was followed by another blast, killing nine civilians and four army members. The cause of the incident is still being investigated, with a focus on whether the standard procedure for ammunition disposal was followed. The location, vacant land under West Java’s Natural Resources Conservation Agency, is far from residential areas and often used for munitions disposal. Local residents often take metal fragments, copper, or scrap iron from grenades and mortars, and there might be an unexpected second explosion after that. Local television footage showed an explosion lighting up the sky and thick black smoke, followed by a second blast a few minutes later. (AP)