In the Aftermath of the "Himalayan Tsunami"

During the months of May and June pilgrim-tourists in the millions make their way up into the mountains of the north Indian state of Uttarakhand. Their destinations include the divine sources of the Yamuna and Ganga rivers, the abode of the god Shiva in Kedarnath, the famous residence of the god Vishnu in Badrinath, and the Sikh site of Hemkund Sahib, associated with Tenth Guru of the Sikh tradition, Guru Gobind Singh. This year in mid-June the monsoon rains came early and poured down upon the Land of the Gods with the sort of unexpected intensity that comes once in centuries. Flash flooding, landslides, and rising waters stranded tens of thousands of visitors and destroyed roads, buildings, livelihoods, and bridges. It is too early to know how many people have died but the number will probably be in the thousands. The numbers may be low compared to global-scale disasters of recent years, but there is a wrenching poignancy to what is...

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108 corpses abandoned in Lagos mortuaries

A mortuary consultant to the Lagos State government, Mrs Taiwo Ogunsola, on Thursday, disclosed that no fewer than 108 corpses were abandoned at mortuaries in the state. Disclosing this at a public hearing on the state of mortuaries, organised by the state House of Assembly, the consultant said dead bodies under 25 years were mostly abandoned by their families. While calling for prompt response of government in the area of timely approval for mass burial, Ogunmola said this would assist in decongesting the mortuaries and, as well, preventing outbreak of epidemics in the affected areas. Speaking in the same vein, the speaker of the state assembly, Honourable Adeyemi Ikuforiji, expressed dismay over the state of mortuaries in the state, while he stressed the needs for timely disposal of corpses, through incineration or burning of unclaimed dead bodies, due to lack of land space for burial purposes in Lagos. Speaking through Honourable...

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Assam Flood Situation Still Grim, Death Toll Reaches 117

The situation in flood-ravaged Assam remains grim with the toll rising to 117 and the water level of Brahmaputra river and its tributaries flowing above the danger level though showing a receding trend in some affected districts. Altogether 101 people have died due to the floods and 16 in landslides caused by incessant rainfall while 16 people are still missing, official sources said today. An estimated 22 lakh people have been affected in the worst floods in recent years, causing large-scale devastation in 2809 villages in 27 of the 28 districts of the state.  The current wave of floods has devastated the world famous Kaziranga National Park where more than 540 animals, including 13 rhinos, have perished, the sources said. The situation in the world's largest river island Majuli was also grim. Almost the entire island is submerged and more than 75 families have been rendered homeless due to heavy floods and unabated erosion. The...

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Uganda: Two More Bodies Found in Bududa Landslide Rubble

Rescue workers have recovered two more bodies buried in the mud after a landslide roared down rain-saturated hills and engulfed homes in Bududa two weeks ago, local authorities said. This brings to...

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