Floods and heavy rains leave 22 dead in Nicaragua

Twenty-two people are dead and 32,000 are homeless after torrential rain caused flooding near Nicaragua's capital Managua.

Days of torrential rains in Nicaragua has left 22 people dead and 32,000 homeless.

Nine of the victims died when a retaining wall collapsed and flattened four shacks near the capital Managua, government spokeswoman Rosario Murillo said on Saturday.

The report said 4,544 homes were damaged or destroyed by floods or were evacuated due to flood risk.

The rains impacted 17 departments in the country and 5,630 people are in temporary shelters and receiving food aid, Murillo said.

The bodies of nine people died in the populous neighborhood, Barrio 18 de Mayo, in southeast Managua when a wall around a housing development collapsed because of the heavy rains

Sunday 26 October 2014

http://www.topworldheadlines.com/2014/10/flood-and-heavy-rains-leave-22-dead-in.html

Government confirms Chinese boat with 15 people missing since July

A boat with a crew of 15 has been missing in the South China Sea since July, authorities in Shandong Province, where the boat is registered, said on Saturday.

The announcement came after a report on local TV station Qilu claiming widespread concern on social media.

The Rongcheng city government did not say why it had not revealed the incident until three months after the fact.

Owner of the boat numbered Lurongyu 2860 told the police he lost contact with his boat on July 9, according to the Rongcheng government. The boat embarked on its voyage on Feb. 26.

Fishery regulator and marine police are still investigating the boat's whereabouts.

Sunday 26 October 2014

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2014-10/25/c_133742390.htm

16 killed in northwest China coal mine collapse

A coal mine shaft collapsed in northwestern China, killing 16 miners, an official said Saturday, highlighting the persistence of safety problems in the industry despite a leveling off of demand.

Another 11 miners were injured in the disaster, which struck just before midnight Friday in Tiechanggou township outside the Xinjiang regional capital of Urumqi.

Thirty-three miners were in the shaft when the accident occurred, six of whom were brought out by rescuers, said an official with the State Administration of Work Safety. The official, speaking on routine condition of anonymity, said that all of the injured were in stable condition and that the cause of the cave-in was under investigation.

State broadcaster CCTV showed footage of injured miners sitting up in their hospital beds and describing their experiences to a reporter.

A man who answered the phone at the mine's offices said he could not comment, and calls to the Xinjiang regional safety administration rang unanswered.

China's mines are among the most dangerous in the world, although improved safety measures have vastly lowered the number of fatalities in mine accidents in recent years.

The government's China National Coal Administration reported 1,067 deaths in 604 coal mining accidents in 2013, down 23 percent from the year before. That's down from more than 6,000 a decade ago, largely due to increased inspections and the closure of small and unregulated mines.

The decline has coincided with plateauing demand for coal as the Chinese economy cools from the dizzying heights of the last few years.

While China still produces and consumes almost as much coal as the rest of the world combined, the amount it burned in the first three quarters of 2014 was off by about 2 percent from the same period last year, according to Greenpeace energy analysts in China.

That came despite slower but still robust economic growth of 7.4 percent during the same period, showing that China's economy is becoming somewhat more efficient in its energy use.

Widespread use of coal is largely blamed for the choking smog that envelops major cities in the country. Beijing on Saturday was smothered in a toxic cloud that prompted many citizens to don air filtering masks when venturing outside.

Sunday 26 October 2014

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11348318

One out of 26 bodies from Lake Kariba disaster retrieved

Only one body out of the 26 people who drowned Friday in Lake Kariba, Gwembe area has so far been retrieved.

And the Zambia Army and police are struggling to retrieve other bodies and may fail due to lack of marine equipment.

Meanwhile, some affected families were heard murmuring and complaining that had government provided modern water transport in Gwembe district, the deaths would not have occurred.

Zambia Reports understand that the Zambian government is trying to engage Zimbabwe to help retrieve the other 25 bodies.

This came to light when Vice-President Guy Scott visited the bereaved families in the rural area.

Inspector-General of Police Stella Libongani told Scott that the only body that had been retrieved by Saturday evening was that of a one-year-old child, which has since been buried.

Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit coordinator Patrick Kangwa was heard telling the Vice-President that the search is hampered by unsuitable equipment being used. He said his team was trying to ask Zimbabwe for help as he also thought the bodies may have floated to the Zimbabwean side.

Twenty-six people, most of them pupils of Henga Primary School in Gwembe died on Friday after the boat they were on capsized on Lake Kariba.

Vice-President Scott told mourners “your loss is our loss, too. Even if we cannot heal your emotions, as Government we will do everything possible to lighten this burden. We will make available coffins, food and all logistical needs.”

Earlier, Police inspector General Libongani explained to Vice-President Scott that the incident happened around 07:30hours on Independence Day as the victims were travelling to Kalelezhi, a school across the lake, for golden jubilee celebrations.

Libongani said 34 people were on a 14-seater banana boat.

Of the 34, eight survived aged between six and 16.

Sunday 26 October 2014

http://zambiareports.com/2014/10/26/one-26-bodies-lake-kariba-disaster-retrieved/