MAGNITUDE 5.1 NORTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us20005dql#general_region

Subject To Change

Depth: 38 km

Distances: 71km (44mi) NNW of Sinabang, Indonesia
113km (70mi) S of Meulaboh, Indonesia
232km (144mi) S of Reuleuet, Indonesia
236km (147mi) SSW of Bireun, Indonesia
605km (376mi) W of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

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MAGNITUDE 3.1 MOROCCO, AFRICA

http://www.emsc-csem.org/Earthquake/earthquake.php?id=497708

Subject To Change

Depth: 15 km

Distances: 195 km SE of Gibraltar, Gibraltar / pop: 26,544 / local time: 20:01:53.1 2016-03-31
36 km S of Al Hoceïma, Morocco / pop: 865,259 / local time: 19:01:53.1 2016-03-31
24 km S of Imzoûrene, Morocco / pop: 26,650 / local time: 19:01:53.1 2016-03-31

MAGNITUDE 4.7 IONIAN SEA

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us20005dnw#general_region

Subject To Change

Depth: 16 km

Distances: 86km (53mi) WSW of Katastarion, Greece
96km (60mi) WSW of Zakynthos, Greece
135km (84mi) W of Amalias, Greece
141km (88mi) W of Pyrgos, Greece
344km (214mi) W of Athens, Greece

MAGNITUDE 4.1 NORTHERN XINJIANG, CHINA

http://www.emsc-csem.org/Earthquake/earthquake.php?id=497685

Subject To Change

Depth: 80 km

Distances: 369 km E of Almaty, Kazakhstan / pop: 2,000,900 / local time: 19:11:12.5 2016-03-31
238 km E of Karakol, Kyrgyzstan / pop: 70,171 / local time: 19:11:12.5 2016-03-31
152 km NW of Kuqa, China / pop: 68,105 / local time: 19:11:12.5 2016-03-31

MAGNITUDE 5.4 GUAM REGION

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us20005dmz#general_region

Subject To Change

Depth: 10 km

Distances: 159km (99mi) SSW of Merizo Village, Guam
183km (114mi) SSW of Mangilao Village, Guam
186km (116mi) SSW of Tamuning-Tumon-Harmon Village, Guam
192km (119mi) SSW of Dededo Village, Guam
183km (114mi) SSW of Hagatna, Guam

MAGNITUDE 5.2 ANTOFAGASTA, CHILE

http://www.emsc-csem.org/Earthquake/earthquake.php?id=497630

Subject To Change

Depth: 92 km

Distances: 523 km SW of Sucre, Bolivia, Plurinational State of / pop: 224,838 / local time: 03:53:28.2 2016-03-31
223 km NE of Antofagasta, Chile / pop: 309,832 / local time: 04:53:28.2 2016-03-31
44 km NW of San Pedro de Atacama, Chile / pop: 2,000 / local time: 04:53:28.2 2016-03-31

MAGNITUDE 4.9 WESTERN IRAN

http://www.emsc-csem.org/Earthquake/earthquake.php?id=497623

Subject To Change

Depth: 30 km

Distances: 135 km SW of Eşfahān, Iran, Islamic Republic of / pop: 1,547,164 / local time: 11:45:19.8 2016-03-31
63 km S of Shahr-e Kord, Iran, Islamic Republic of / pop: 129,153 / local time: 11:45:19.8 2016-03-31
54 km S of Fārsān, Iran, Islamic Republic of / pop: 25,071 / local time: 11:45:19.8 2016-03-31

Tornadoes In Oklahoma 30th March 2016

Flyover Collapses Killing At Least 14 And 150 Trapped In India

At least 14 people have been killed and 150 are feared trapped after a partially built flyover collapsed in the Indian city of Kolkata, according to police.

 

Witnesses say rescuers are using their bare hands to try to save those caught under the rubble.

 

Television footage shows people passing water bottles through to those who are crying out for help from beneath the debris.

 

One witness has told the New Delhi Television news channel (NDTV): “We heard a loud rumble and then saw a lot of dust in the sky.”

 

Another added: “The area was very, very crowded. Motorised rickshaws, taxis … there was a lot of traffic.”

 

Large concrete slabs from the construction site fell onto traffic below, reports said.

 

Heavy duty cranes have apparently been brought in to move the wreckage, but attempts have so far been unsuccessful.

 

Senior police officer Akhilesh Chaturvedi said 15 critically injured people had been rescued.

 

“Most were bleeding profusely. The problem is that nobody is able to drive an ambulance to the spot,” he added.

 

There are conflicting reports about the number of casualties, with some officials putting the figure as high as 21.

 

Some witnesses have been critical of the initial response, with one saying there appears to be very little co-ordination on the ground.

 

Army officers and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been called in to help.

 

An NDRF official said: “Our team is on their way to the site with all required equipment, we are also pressing into service canines which will help find trapped people.

 

“We will start the operations as soon as possible.”

 

Construction of the 2km (1.2 mile) flyover was supposed to be completed three years ago, but it has been delayed several times.

 

The region’s chief minister, Mamata Banerjee, who is seeking re-election next month, is already facing tough questions over who is responsible for the tragedy.

 

A newspaper reported last year that she wanted the project finished by February, but project engineers expressed concern over whether this would be possible.

 

Building collapses are common in India, partly because of the poor enforcement of regulations and the use substandard materials.

Courtesy of Sky News

http://tinyurl.com/z2cchze

Several dead after plane crashes into a field in Eastern Quebec, Canada

The wreckage of the plane in eastern Quebec (Picture: AP)

A small plane crashed off an island in eastern Quebec, killing seven people, including former cabinet minister Jean Lapierre.

 

His wife, two of his brothers and one of his sisters also died when their plane crashed yesterday. They were travelling to the Iles-de-la-Madeleine after the recent death of Mr Lapierre’s father.

 

Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau said he was ‘shaken by the sudden death’ of Mr Lapierre and called it a great loss to the political world.

 

Former Canadian PM Paul Martin called Mr Lapierre, who served as his transport minister, a wonderful man who understood the issues and loved people.

 

The bilingual Mr Lapierre, 59, was much sought-after as a political commentator in English and French.

 

The plane was a Mitsubishi turboprop and is believed to have belonged to a private company. It had taken off from the St-Hubert regional airport south of Montreal earlier in the morning.

 

‘The crash took place in a field on approach to the airport,’ said Quebec provincial police Sgt Daniel Thibodeau, who described the weather as ‘not ideal’ for flying.

 

The plane crashed close to the airport in the Iles-de-la-Madeleine. The cause was not immediately known.

 

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is deploying a team of investigators.

 

Environment Canada had issued an alert for strong winds in the region.

 

Mr Lapierre was elected to Canada’s parliament as a federalist Liberal in 1979, representing a Quebec district.

 

He briefly served as youth and amateur sports minister in a short-lived government in 1984. At that time, he was just 28, the youngest cabinet minister ever appointed to that point.

 

He co-chaired Mr Martin’s campaign for the Liberal leadership in 1990, and then became a founding member of the separatist Bloc Quebecois, although he later said he was never really a supporter of an independent Quebec.

 

He quit federal politics in 1992 but returned after Mr Martin became Liberal leader in late 2003. He served as transport minister between 2004 and 2006.

 

He is survived by his two children, Marie-Anne and Jean-Michel.

Courtesy of metro.co.uk

http://tinyurl.com/jcvjfqj