Dhaka, Feb 21 (UNB) – At least 81 people were killed and around 41 others injured in a devastating fire that broke out at a chemical warehouse and raged through four other adjacent buildings in the city’s Chawkbazar area on…
Category: Disasters
Govt’s irresponsibility behind Chawkbazar fire: BNP
Dhaka, February 21 (UNB) – BNP on Thursday blamed the government’s mismanagement and irresponsibility for the loss of huge lives in fire at a chemical warehouse in Chawkbazar area of Old Dhaka. “The government has failed to deliver on all…
600 thousand Rohingyas ‘exposed’ to cyclone risks: IFRC
Dhaka, Feb 18 (UNB) – International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has said an estimated 574,000 people in Cox’s Bazar Rohingya will face the coming cyclone seasons with only rotting bamboo and shredding plastic to protect…
Media plays role in disasters as part of society: Journos
Nalaka Gunawardene Starting in 2008, the Indian government has been convening a global event platform called World Congress on Disaster Management to bring together researchers, policy makers and practitioners from around the world to discuss challenges of disaster risk reduction…
A-2oC temperature rise could melt half the Himalaya glaciers
Dhaka, Feb 04 – A Two-degree C temperature rise could melt half of the laciers in Hindu Kush Himalaya region, destabilizing Asia’s rivers, according to a new study. The comprehensive study of the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region, known as…
Angelina Jolie in Cox’s Bazar to assess needs of Rohingyas
Cox’s Bazar, Feb 4 (UNB) – UNHCR special envoy and Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie arrived here on Monday morning to assess the humanitarian needs of the Rohingyas. During her three-day mission in the district, she will also assess some of…
Heavy rain, flooding causes 12 deaths in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, Jan 31 (AP/UNB) — Saudi Arabia says 12 people have died and more than 170 have been injured this week due to flooding from heavy rain in the northwest. The Civil Defense says Thursday that 10 people died…
$4 bn must to protect 41 mn children from conflict, disaster
Tens of millions of children living through conflict, disaster and other emergencies in dozens of countries urgently need protection, UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Tuesday, in an appeal for $3.9 billion to support its humanitarian work around the world.…
World Summit on Disaster Management begins in Mumbai, India
Mostafa Kamal Majumder A world summit on disaster management is being held in Mumbai the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra from 29th of January to the 1st of February. It will have a special media session to share…
40 dead, many feared buried in mud after Brazil dam collapse
Brazil, Jan 27 (AP/UNB) — Hope that loved ones had survived a tsunami of iron ore mine waste from a dam collapse in Brazil was turning to anguish and anger over the increasing likelihood that many of the hundreds of people…
Dam with mine waste collapses in Brazil; 7 dead, 200 missing
Sao Paulo, Jan 26 (AP/UNB) — A dam that held back mining waste collapsed Friday in Brazil, inundating a nearby community in reddish-brown sludge, killing at least seven people and leaving scores of others missing. Parts of the city of…
Climate change as ‘threat multiplier’ – impacts peace
25 January 2019, Climate Change As climate change is increasingly recognized as a “threat multiplier” by scientists, political representatives, and civil society across the world, the United Nations Security Council held an open debate on Friday to discuss its concrete…
UN stresses Dhaka’s strong disaster response capacity
Dhaka, Jan 24 (UNB) – UN Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh Mia Seppo on Thursday highlighted how a strong response capacity to disasters ties into longer-term needs by allowing countries to focus on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). She made…
Fire burns Nat’l Jute Mills in Sirajganj
Around 400 bales of jute were gutted in the fire that broke out at National Jute Mill at Raipur in Sadar upazila on Wednesday.
Million dead fish cause environmental stink in Australia
As many as a million fish are believed to have died along the banks of a major river system in drought-battered eastern Australia, and the authorities warned Monday of more deaths to come.
An optimist’s guide to climate change
by Lynn Scarlett Washington, DC – During a recent commute to work, as my car inched along in rush-hour traffic, I watched a heron stalk the banks of the Potomac River. The majestic bird was a timely reminder that nature…
Coal mine roof collapse in Shaanxi kills 21
At least 21 miners died when a roof collapsed in a coal mine in northern China, officials say. Sixty-six miners were rescued after the accident on Saturday at the Lijiagou mine near the city of Shenmu in Shaanxi province. The…
Signal 2 for BD maritime ports over cyclone Pabuk
Maritime ports of Chattogram, Cox’s Bazar, Mongla and Payra have been advised to keep hoisted distant warning signal no 2 as the cyclonic storm ‘Pabuk’ over the Andaman sea and adjoining areas moved northwestwards.
Russian baby rescued after nearly 36 hours in frozen rubble
Moscow, Jan 2 (AP/UNB) — Laboring through sub-freezing temperatures, Russian rescue workers were digging into a sprawling heap of jagged rubble from a collapsed apartment building when one heard the faintest sound. It was the sound of life.
Philippines landslides, flooding Death toll rises to 61
The death toll from landslides and flooding triggered by heavy rains in the Philippines has risen to 61, the government said on Monday.
Indonesia’s Bali volcano erupts
Indonesia’s Mount Agung volcano of Bali Island, located in northern part of the resort island, erupted on early Sunday, Indonesian authorities said.
Indonesia raises alert, widens danger zone around volcano
Indonesia raised the danger level for an island volcano that triggered a tsunami on the weekend, killing at least 430 people in Sumatra and Java, and widened its no-go zone.
Fire burns to ashes 180 rooms at Gazipur workers’ colony
At least 180 rooms at the workers colony in Chakrawarty area of the city were gutted in a fire early Thursday.
Stealth Indonesia tsunami turns perfect night into nightmare
As the white strobe lights flashed hypnotically, the band’s lead singer screamed into the crowd: “We are! We are Seventeen! Seventeen!” He then let loose with a long note as the guitarist wailed behind him.
Tsunami triggered volcano kills 62 Indonesia beach
A tsunami apparently caused by the eruption of an island volcano killed at least 62 people around Indonesia’s Sunda Strait, sending a wall of water crashing some 65 feet (20 meters) inland and sweeping away hundreds of houses including hotels,…
Cyclone Fethai rain spoil Tk 10mn dry fish in Bd coasts
Rain and fog in the last couple days have taken a serious toll on the fish-drying process in different fishing colonies across the coastal area adjacent to the Sundarbans resulting in fish worth over Taka 1 crore going bad.
Sea ports asked to hoist signal 3, Bay low heads towards Bd
Maritime ports of Chattogram, Cox’s Bazar, Mongla and Payra have been advised to keep hoisted local cautionary signal no three as the deep depression over coastal Andhra Pradesh and adjoining area moved north-northeastwards weakened into depression and then into a…
‘Cyclone Phethai’ intensifies, my hit India coast
Coastal areas in India’s Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu are on high alert as the cyclonic storm developing over the Bay of Bengal is set to make landfall around Kakinada Monday afternoon, according to the Indian Met office.The National Disaster…
Global warming increases frost damage on trees in Europe
Global warming increases frost damage on trees in large areas of Central Europe, according to a new Finnish-Chinese study by researchers from the University of Eastern Finland, the Chinese Academy of Science and Zhejiang A&F University.
Scale 7.0 quake rattles Alaska; food, fuel supply in tact
Anchorage, Dec 3 (AP/UNB) — The supply chain of food and other goods delivered to the Port of Anchorage from the Lower 48 has not been disrupted by the powerful earthquake that caused widespread damage to roads in the Anchorage…