Torrential rains close down Philippine
capital Manila
Published on Aug 19, 2013
9:38 AM
Residents wade through a flood street in Manila on Aug 19, 2013 as heavy rains hit the Philippine capital. Torrential rains
have brought the Philippine capital to a standstill, making streets impassable to vehicles and sending thousands of people
into emergency shelters. -- PHOTO: AFP
MANILA (AP) - Torrential rains have brought the Philippine capital to a standstill, making streets
impassable to vehicles and sending thousands of people into emergency shelters.
Schools, offices, the stock exchange, courts and embassies were closed on Monday as the weather bureau
placed metropolitan Manila under red alert. The national disaster agency and local officials reported at
least two dead and several missing.
Many areas are submerged in waist-deep floodwaters following a night of heavy rains brought by the
monsoon which is enhanced by Tropical Storm Trami. It hovered over the North Philippine Sea and
drenched the main northern island of Luzon with up to 30 millimeters of rain per hour.
Several dams were forced to open flood gates because of rising waters and thousands of residents
downstream were told to move.
Pakistan floods affect 300,000, kill 108:
Officials
Published on Aug 18, 2013
7:42 PM

Pakistani villagers sit in the open by their home which has been partially washed away by flood waters in Muridke near
Lahore, Pakistan on Aug 17, 2013. Heavy monsoon rains have triggered floods affecting more than 300,000 people across
Pakistan in the last two weeks and killed 108 others, disaster management officials said on Sunday, Aug 18, 2013. -- FILE
PHOTO: AP
ISLAMABAD (AFP) - Heavy monsoon rains have triggered floods affecting more than 300,000 people
across Pakistan in the last two weeks and killed 108 others, disaster management officials said on Sunday.
"The rains affected 334,764 people, killed at least 108 people and wounded 104," said a senior National
Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) official.
The rains have hit 770 villages and completely destroyed 2,427 houses across Pakistan, he said.
The NDMA has established 44 relief camps in flood-hit areas to accommodate affected people, the official
added.
Japan's volcano in spectacular eruption:
Report
Published on Aug 19, 2013
1:21 AM
TOKYO (AFP) - A volcano in southern Japan erupted in spectacular fashion on Sunday, spewing an ash
plume up to 5,000m into the air, meteorological officials said, according to a report.
The eruption of the 1,117m Mount Sakurajima near Kagoshima city took place around 4:30pm (0730
GMT), Jiji Press said.
A large amount of volcanic ash fell in the northern and central parts of the city, causing a delay in train
services and temporary poor visibility, forcing car drivers to use their headlights.
The eruption also resulted in a small flow of volcanic material up to about one kilometre from the crater,
Jiji said.
Smoke rises after an eruption of Mount Sakurajima in Kagoshima, south-western Japan, in this handout photo taken and
released by Kagoshima Local Meteorological Observatory Aug 18, 2013. A volcano in southern Japan erupted in
spectacular fashion on Sunday, spewing an ash plume up to 5,000m into the air, meteorological officials said, according to a
report. -- PHOTO: REUTERS