At least 35 dead in Iran floods; Quake rattles northern Chile

At least 35 people were killed and eight declared missing as flash floods hit northwestern Iran, state media reported on Saturday.

"Thirty-five people have been killed in the floods" across four provinces, the head of Iran's emergency response organisation, Esmail Najar, told the ISNA news agency.

Torrential rains that began on Friday lashed East Azerbaijan province, with state television showing images of rivers bursting their banks, flooded houses and cars being swept away by the surging water.

The districts of Ajabshir and Azarshahr were the worst hit.

6.2-magnitude quake rattles northern Chile: USGS
Santiago (AFP) April 15, 2017 - An earthquake measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale shook northern Chile Saturday, according to the United States Geological Survey, but there was no tsunami alert and no immediate report of damage or injuries.

The powerful quake, at a depth of 135 kilometers (84 miles), hit at approximately 5:19 am (0819 GMT) with an epicenter about 67 kilometers southeast of the San Pedro de Atacama tourist zone, US seismologists said.

Chile's National Office of Emergency said the "medium-intensity" quake was felt in the northern regions of Tarapaca, Antofagasta and Atacama.

Chile lies on what is known as the "Ring of Fire" -- an arc of fault lines that circles the Pacific Basin and is prone to frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

The north of the country was struck by an 8.3 temblor followed by a tsunami in September 2015, killing 15 people. A coastal evacuation order had limited the number of casualties.

In 2010 another quake measuring 8.8, also followed by a tsunami, struck the center and south of the country, killing more than 500 people.

Relief as flood peak passes in Australia town
Sydney (AFP) April 6, 2017
Residents bracing for major flooding in an Australian town breathed a sigh of relief Thursday after a swollen river peaked lower than forecast, although hundreds of homes were still inundated. There were fears the Fitzroy River in Rockhampton could rise to nine metres (29-feet), potentially spilling "an incredible" body of water onto thousands of properties, 10 days after a cyclone dumped ma ... read more

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