Earth Report – Global Disaster Watch
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global
5.7 Earthquake hits Mindoro in the Philippines.
5.3 Earthquake hits Mindoro in the Philippines.
5.1 Earthquake hits north of Severnaya Zemlya, Russia.
5.0 Earthquake hits Mindoro in the Philippines.
5.0 Earthquake hits Fiji.
Tropical Storms – Roundup of Tropical Storms:
In the South Indian Ocean: Tropical cyclone Ernie (tc) 15s, located approximately 435 nm north-northwest of Learmonth, Australia, is tracking south-southwestward at 02 knots.
In the South Pacific Ocean: Tropical cyclone 16p (Sixteen), located approximately 441 nm north-northeast of Noumea of Nadi, New Caledonia, is tracking west-southwestward at 04 knots.
NewsBytes:
India – Six people were killed and two were reported missing in India’s northern region of Kashmir on Friday, after heavy rain and snowfall swept the region, setting off avalanches and turning mountain rivers into raging torrents. Snowfalls triggered multiple avalanches, defence spokesman Rajesh Kalia told Reuters. “A post in Batalik sector was buried,” he added. “Two out of five soldiers have been rescued. A rescue operation for three soldiers was in progress and three bodies have been recovered.”
Ethiopia Declares Another Diarrhoea Outbreak
Ethiopia has declared an outbreak of acute watery diarrhoea, also known as AWD, in the country’s Somali region, where people are already struggling to cope with a persistent drought. The World Health Organization said on Friday that 16,000 cases of AWD had been recorded in the region since January.
Ethiopian officials insist on describing the outbreak as one of AWD, not cholera, which has similar symptoms. On Monday, a woman who spoke to the press saying that she had lost five relatives to cholera and that hundreds of people were suffering from the disease was reportedly arrested by Ethiopian authorities. She was released Wednesday.
In neighbouring Somalia, government officials have reported more than 13,000 cases of cholera and 300 deaths since January. WHO said cholera cases were five times greater than what the country experienced last year.
China – Bird Flu
The Chinese National Health and Family Planning Commission announced 14 additional human cases of avian influenza A(H7N9), including one death, were recorded from March 31 to April 6.