Author: edward

 A powerful earthquake, 7.2 on the Richter scale struck eastern Turkey on Sunday, 23 October 2011 at 13:41 local time. It was so powerful that it managed to reduce multi-storey buildings into twisted rubble. Extensive areas sustained heavy damage to their structures, and as many as 250 people are already confirmed dead but as many as a thousand are feared dead. Multiple news reports suggest that up to 1300 are injured as a result of the earthquake with many still stuck under rubble.  

 Around 98 percent of Turkey is prone to earthquakes, while about a third of the country is at high risk, including the areas around the major cities of Istanbul and Izmir and the region of East Anatolia.

Three major fault lines, where geological plates meet, cross Turkey and small tremors are a daily occurrence. Two of these fault lines are located right below Van and Ercis, some 100 km to the north of the provincial capital.

In 1939 almost 40,000 people died in a massive quake in eastern Turkey, while the last major earthquake occurred only 12 years ago, when a 7.4 magnitude quake killed up to 20,000 people in north-western Turkey.

Watch this video showing victims being pulled alive from rubble.



Thailand is currently facing its worst flooding in 50 years. Heavy monsoon rains since the end of July have flooded swathes of the country and left more than 350 people dead. Flood waters have swamped more than two-thirds of the country, submerging rice fields and shutting down hundreds of factories while over 900,000 families and businesses have been impacted and hundreds of lives have been tragically lost. National relief efforts are now focused on providing essential food, clean water and shelter to displaced people and restoring damaged infrastructure.

Watch short video clips on the devastating impacts of these floods (1), (2), (3), (4)

A 47,000 tonne container vessel “Rena” hit Astrolabe Reef off New Zealand’s North Island about 22 kilometres off the coast of Tauranga leaking oil into the sea.  The  oil leak from the Liberian-flagged freighter has spread over an area of four kilometers and if the ship breaks up, it could release 1,700 tonnes of heavy fuel oil into the Bay of Plenty, home to whales, dolphins, seals, penguins and a variety of other birds.

The Astrolabe Reef is covered with colourful sponges and anemones, according to the Department of Conservation, with seals and gamefish such as marlin common in surrounding waters. Maritime authorities have said they are treating birds including little blue penguins brought in covered with oil. Animal welfare workers said the disaster had struck in the middle of breeding season for native birds on the bay.

New Zealand navy and salvage ships are working to pump off the ship’s fuel oil and move it to safety before attempting to free the ship. Dispersants sprayed from the air on to the slick have not worked and bad weather is expected to hamper the containment effort.