At least 60 killed in central India Hindu temple stampede
Panic broke out as tens of thousands of Hindu pilgrims tried to cross a bridge on the Sindh river on the way to Ratangarh temple in central India’s Madhya Pradesh state, said a report.
At least 115 people were killed and more than 110 others injured in the stampede, which left the victims “flattened to the ground in the midst of the melee,” said an eye witness.
“Most of the victims were killed in the stampede, while others drowned after jumping off the bridge,” said a report.
“The narrow bridge is about 500m long, and had only recently been rebuilt following another stampede in 2007.”
Hundreds of pilgrims have been killed at various Hindu festivals in India over the past five years.
Meantime, death toll from storm PHAILIN reached at least 14, as of posting.
Other Global Disasters/ Significant Events
Washington, USA: Hundreds of college students clash with police
Hundreds of college students rioted in Bellingham, Washington state, after police broke up a large party late Saturday, early Sunday and tried to disperse the revelers using pepper spray.
The students responded by throwing bottles and other projectiles at police, as they occupied an intersection and refused to disperse.
“There was drinking, it became disorderly and pretty much an out and out riot,” a police officer told AP.
At least two dozen students were arrested, said reports.
Bellingham, located about 120km north of Seattle, is home to Western Washington University.
Greece: Greek authorities on Alert after M6.4 quake
Greek authorities were put on alert on Saturday for the next two days after a magnitude 6.4 quake struck in the Aegean Sea off the western coast of Crete, about 30km W of Platanos.
Centered at 35.487°N, 23.261°E, the quake occurred at a depth of about 36.2km, reported USGS/EHP.
The authorities are uncertain weather the quake was a mainshock or a foreshock, with a larger event looming.
“We will have to wait and see what happens over a 48-hour course. It has been proved that if nothing big happens within the first two days after a big tremor, there is about 85 percent possibility that this was the main quake,” Professor Costas Makropoulos, Director of the Geodynamic Institute of the Athens National Observatory said.
Large earthquakes throughout the Mediterranean region have also been known to produce significant and damaging tsunamis. One of the more prominent historical earthquakes within the region is the Lisbon earthquake of November 1, 1755, whose magnitude has been estimated from non-instrumental data to be about 8.0. The 1755 Lisbon earthquake is thought to have occurred within or near the Azores-Gibraltar transform fault, which defines the boundary between the African and Eurasian plates off the west coast of Morocco and Portugal. The earthquake is notable for both a large death toll of approximately 60,000 people and for generating a tsunami that swept up the Portuguese coast inundating coastal villages and Lisbon. An earthquake of approximately M8.0 near Sicily in 1693 generated a large tsunami wave that destroyed numerous towns along Sicily’s east coast. The M7.2 December 28, 1908 Messina earthquake is the deadliest documented European earthquake. The combination of severe ground shaking and a local tsunami caused an estimated 60,000 to 120,000 fatalities. —USGS/EHP.
March Against Monsanto: Global march to raise awareness about GMO food products
Thousands of activists from around the world Marched against Monsanto on Saturday, calling for the permanent boycott of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and other harmful agro-chemicals, said March Against Monsanto (MAM).
Marches occurred on six continents, in 52 countries, with events held in over 400 cities. In the US, solidarity marches occurred in 47 states, said MAM. http://www.march-against-monsanto.com.
More events to follow…
Fire Earth 