Global Disasters/ Significant Events – November 18, 2013
Deadly Tornadoes Attack U.S. Midwest
At least SIX people were killed and dozens more injured after 67 tornadoes [confirmed total] spawned by a massive weather system struck parts of 9 states, including Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan and Kentucky. Some 442 events have so far been reported across NINE states after Sunday storm attacks, which flattened large section of the city of Washington, Ill.
Plane crash in Russia’s Kazan kills 50 people on board
Russian authorities confirmed that all 50 people aboard a passenger plane were killed when the aircraft crashed on landing in central Russia’s city of Kazan, capital of Tatarstan Republic.
Egypt train and bus crash kills 24 near Cairo
24 people were killed and 20 others injured when a train crashed into a pickup truck and a bus near Cairo, the state news agency MENA said on Monday.
50 Children were killed when a train hit their school bus near Manfalut, about 350km south of Cairo, on November 17, 2012.
Guided-missile cruiser struck by “friendly” drone: LATimes
The guided-missile cruiser Chancellorsville was struck by an aerial-target drone during a training exercise off Ventura County, officials said.
BQM-74E target drones are launched from the guided-missile destroyer McCampbell in 2010. (Ensign Colleen R. Praxmarer / U.S. Navy)
The US Navy vessel was struck on its port side by an BQM-74 series drone, leaving two sailors with burns.
“The drone, controlled from Point Mugu, was being used during a routine exercise meant to test the ship’s radar system’s tracking ability. The test was not designed for the ship to shoot down the drone,” LATimes quoted officials as saying.
Navy technicians are examining the extent of damage to the ship, as other specialists try to establish the possible cause of the drone malfunction, said the report.
Bomb attack kills 31 in Syria including 4 generals
A bomb attack by Saudi-backed foreign terrorists on an army base near Damascus killed at least 31 Syrian military personnel including four generals, according to reports.
“Three generals and a brigadier-general were among 31 troops killed in a bomb attack that caused a building in the army transport base in Harasta to collapse,” said director for Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Libya declares a State of Emergency in Tripoli as deadly violence erupts
A 48-hour state of emergency has been declared in the Libyan capital Tripoli after gun battles between rival militia groups left at least 45 people dead and more than 400 wounded.
However, eyewitnesses say the death toll is much higher than the official figures.
“Officially, there were more than 40 victims in the clashes in Tripoli in the past two days, but according to our data, the number of victims is much larger,” a medic on the scene told reporters.
Potentially Disastrous Fuel Rod Removal Operation Starts at Fukushima Daiichi
The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. TEPCO, has begun removing nuclear fuel rods from a storage pool at a damaged No. 4 reactor building.
The pool contains 1,533 fuel units, of which 1,331 are highly radioactive spent rods. The operator decided to remove unused units first because they release less radiation and heat than the used ones.
Philippines Mega Disaster Update – SitRep No. 27
Super Typhoon HAIYAN affected up to 14 million Filipinos, leaving 5,578 dead or missing, 4,009, 074 homeless, and causing at least PHP10.4 billion worth of damage to the country’s agriculture and infrastructure.
Source: SitRep No. 27 released by Philippines National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRMC) November 18, 2013. [$1 = 43.66 Philippine pesos]
Mass Burials
Town officials bury some of the victims of the Super Typhoon HAIYAN in a mass grave. Credit: Local news media.
This post will be updated throughout the day as more information becomes available.
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