Hundreds Feared Dead in Mediterranean Migrant Shipwreck Amid Cyclone, While Southern Africa Battles Floods and Australia Faces Heatwave and Bushfires
Hundreds of people are feared dead after attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea during Cyclone Harry, while devastating floods in southern Africa have claimed over 100 lives and displaced hundreds of thousands. Simultaneously, Australia is grappling with a severe heatwave and bushfires, leaving thousands without power.
The Italian coastguard reported that up to 380 people may have drowned last week as Cyclone Harry battered southern Italy and Malta. Maltese authorities confirmed a shipwreck where 50 lives were lost, with only one survivor who was hospitalized in Malta, according to The Guardian.
In southern Africa, more than 100 people have died in floods since the beginning of the year, with hundreds of thousands displaced in South Africa, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe, The Guardian reported. Authorities and aid workers are warning of potential hunger, cholera outbreaks, and dangers posed by crocodiles that have spread due to the floodwaters. More than 70 deaths were reported in Zimbabwe and 30 in South Africa, where hundreds were evacuated.
Meanwhile, in Victoria, Australia, a severe heatwave and bushfires are ongoing. According to Victoria's emergency management commissioner, Tim Wiebusch, the state's north is experiencing eight consecutive days with temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius and night-time temperatures in the mid to high 20s. As of today, it is day five of the heatwave. Six major fires are burning across the state, with bushfire warnings in place. Wiebusch stated that 11,000 homes are without power due to heat stress on power infrastructure. "A state of disaster still remains in place at this time, and we can’t emphasise enough that if you don’t need to be in the areas where warnings are current, then you should not be in those areas," he said. Bushfires have already destroyed two structures in the Larra area.
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