Earthwatch: A Diary of the Planet

Floods and Contamination

Several tons of waste sludge contaminated with uranium poured from a mining operation in western Romania into nearby streams and then the Fekete Koeroes River in eastern Hungary. The pollution followed significant spills of cyanide and heavy metals earlier in the year and comes at a time when large parts of Eastern Europe are experiencing their worst flooding in recent memory. Officials reported that tens of thousands of people in Romania and Hungary were threatened by floodwaters. The Tisza River rose above record marks near the city of Tokaj. The Bodrog River, a tributary to the Tisza, was reported to be flowing backward because of the immense pressure from the main river.

Earthquakes

Three earthquakes hit India’s western state of Maharashtra, with the strongest registering a magnitude of 4.5. No damage or injuries were reported. Earth movements were also reported in Japan, Taiwan, Indonesia’s Sulawesi Island, Athens, Iran, western Turkey, southwest Mexico, the southern Sierra Nevada and northwest Oklahoma.

Tropical Storm

More than 7,000 people were left homeless in parts of Bangladesh after a powerful tropical storm raged through the country, leveling homes and injuring scores of residents. The Sangbad daily reported that at least 1,000 homes were flattened by pounding rains and 50-mph winds in the rice-growing region of Moulvibazar, 100 miles northeast of Dhaka. Another 2,000 homes were destroyed near the city of Netrakona. The capital Dhaka was blanketed in dust that was deposited over the city during a 20-minute blast of wind from the storm.

Ecuadoran Eruption

Ecuador’s Guagua Pichincha volcano exploded at least 18 times in a single day, sending columns of rose-tinted ash 2,625 feet into the sky and filling the air with the strong odor of sulfur. The Geophysical Institute of the National Polytechnic School reported that more than 100 seismic tremors were recorded during the eruptions. A yellow alert was issued for the capital Quito, six miles to the east, as well as other cities close to the mountain. The 15,728-foot-high volcano blanketed Quito with hundreds of tons of volcanic ash during its last major eruption on Nov. 25.

Rabid Hyena Attack

One woman was killed and 24 other people were clinging to life in a hospital in the Machinga district of Malawi after being attacked by a rabid hyena that has run wild throughout the countryside. A 70-year-old woman was bitten to death by the crazed animal. After the initial attack, the hyena returned and charged a group of 20 other people. One elderly man had his arm severed in the attack. The hyena returned later to a neighboring community and bit at least two dozen people as they were sleeping. Game wardens from Liwonde National Park in Machinga have been dispatched to hunt down the animal.

Distributed by The Los Angeles Times Syndicate

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