Environment

Mumbai, Jul 2 (PTI) Mumbai was Tuesday paralaysed by incessant rain, which left many parts of the financial capital waterlogged and 21 dead in a wall collapse in the city.

Fourteen persons died in rest of Maharashtra in rain- related incidents in the last 24 hours, officials said.

Heavy rains lashing Mumbai since Sunday threw rail, air and road traffic out of gear, with several trains and flights cancelled.

TOKYO, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Around 600,000 people have been ordered to evacuate in the city of Kagoshima in Japan's southwest, public broadcaster NHK said here Wednesday.

The evacuation order came as torrential rain continues to pummel southwest Japan, with Kyushu Island, which comprises Kagoshima City, the capital of Kagoshima Prefecture, one of the hardest-hit regions.

Mumbai, Jul 2 (PTI) As many as 52 flights were cancelled and another 55 diverted to nearby airports due to the inclement weather and skidding of a SpiceJet aircraft at Mumbai airport Monday night, an official said Tuesday.

Efforts are underway to remove the Boeing 737 aircraft from the runway and restore operations as early as possible, the official said.

MOSCOW, July 2. /TASS/: Firefighters are working on extinguishing over 100 wildfires on the territory of around 50,000 hectares, the press service of the Aerial Forest Protection Service said on Tuesday. On Monday, forest fires covered around 40,000 hectares.

"As of 12am on 2 July 2019, 116 forest fires are reported on the territory of 49,941 hectares, with active firefighting efforts underway," the press service said.

MOSCOW, July 2. /TASS/: Three earthquakes have rocked Russia's Far Eastern region of Kamchatka over the last 24 hours, with the strongest one reaching 5.1 magnitude, the Russian Emergencies Ministry said on Tuesday.

"According to Obninsk urgent reports , three earthquakes were registered in Kamchatka over the last 24 hours. None of them generated tsunamis, and none were felt in local settlements. Residents did not report anything to regional emergency services," the ministry said.

Patna, Jul 1 (PTI) The spectre of a "terrible drought" is looming large on Bihar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said in the assembly on Monday, urging members of both houses of the legislature to discuss means to combat the impending crisis.

Kumar made the grim prediction while intervening in a debate on an adjournment motion on the outbreak of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES), which has claimed the lives of more than 150 children across the state.

Mumbai, Jul 2 (PTI) Rain fury claimed 27 lives in Maharashtra, including 18 in a wall collapse in Mumbai, while the authorities declared a holiday in the city and adjoining regions, asking people to avoid stepping out of their houses.

Eighteen people were killed and over 50 injured in a wall collapse in the northern suburb of Malad in Mumbai early Tuesday following heavy rains.

MUMBAI, India (AP) — Heavy rainfall in the western India city of Mumbai caused a wall to collapse onto shanties, killing at least 15 people and injuring 66, police said Tuesday, as forecasters warned of more rains.

Multiple rescue teams with sniffer dogs were searching the area after the wall collapsed during the night, said Sunil Deshmukh, a police officer.

Three other deaths occurred elsewhere in Mumbai, and Deshmukh said more casualties were feared at the site of another wall collapse.

Lucknow, Jun 30 (PTI) Isolated places in eastern Uttar Pradesh witnessed light to moderate rain or thunderstorm on Sunday, while some parts in the western region saw light showers, bringing people some relief from the heat wave sweeping the state.

The Meteorological (Met) Department office here said Barabanki received 6 cm rainfall, followed by Karadharighat with 5 cm, Nawabganj 4 cm, Kaiserganj 3 cm, 2 cm each in Katerniaghat and Lucknow, and 1 cm each in Palliakalan, Mahrajganj and Sahswan.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Sea ice along northern Alaska disappeared far earlier than normal this spring, alarming coastal residents who rely on wildlife and fish.

Ice melted as a result of exceptionally warm ocean temperatures, the Anchorage Daily News reported .

The early melting has been “crazy,” said Janet Mitchell of Kivalina. Hunters from her family in early June traveled more than 50 miles (80 kilometers) by boat to find bearded seals on sea ice. Bearded seals in the past could be hunted just outside the village but sea ice had receded far to the north.