Children of Chernobyl

Fifteen years after the world’s worst-ever nuclear accident, Israeli and Ukrainian researchers have reported that new evidence of genetic damage from the Chernobyl disaster has been discovered. Mutations in children born to victims who were subjected to high levels of exposure to radiation after the Chernobyl accident were said to be 600% higher than offspring whose parents were not exposed to radiation. Scientists from the University of Haifa fingerprinted the DNA of children born to the so-called “liquidators,” who were the first workers to go into the nuclear facility after the reactor exploded.

Heat and Dust

Relentless heat and drought have sent hundreds of thousands of people fleeing parched areas of three states in India, including quake-ravaged Gujarat. Temperatures soaring to as high as 123 degrees Fahrenheit have dried up reservoirs and streams across northern India and parts of neighboring Pakistan. At least 20 people have perished from malnutrition and heat-related disorders. Millions of head of livestock are in peril due to the lack of adequate water and food. Wildlife officials report that antelope, elephants and deer are wandering into villages in search of water in the eastern Indian state of Orissa.

Bay of Bengal Storms

Floods and tornadoes hit Bangladesh, injuring numerous residents. Storms dumped more than three inches of rain on the capital city of Dhaka within 27 hours. At least three people were killed by lightning strikes that accompanied the storms. More than 100 others were injured when a tornado lashed five communities in the northwestern part of the delta nation, damaging 1,000 homes. Traffic was paralyzed and crops were destroyed as roads and fields throughout most of the country became flooded.

Earthquakes

At least 100 strong aftershocks of the deadly temblors that devastated El Salvador during January and February rocked the country. One man was killed. Earth movements were also felt by oil crews in the North Sea, and in northern Arkansas, central Utah and the Alaska Peninsula.

Kamchatka Eruption

Russia’s Shiveluch Volcano began erupting with explosions that sent gas and ash 6,500 feet into the sky above the Kamchatka Peninsula. Officials reported that no nearby communities were in immediate danger. The closest city of Klyuchi is about 30 miles from the 10,770-foot-high mountain. Shiveluch is the northernmost active volcano in Kamchatka where 28 of about 120 others are active. The RIA Novosti news agency reported that the Shiveluch’s two previous eruptions were in 1854 and 1964.