>>20251356 LB
Time flies when you're having fun.
TYB for all the good times.
Cyclone Belal: Mauritius assesses damage after flash flooding
16th January 2024, 01:45 PST
The country's meteorological service said the storm was now moving away eastwards, but warned that "other environmental risks" still existed.
At least one person has died in Mauritius and another on Réunion.
Mauritius upgraded the cyclone warning to the maximum level for a while, but said the worst danger had now passed.
About 100 vehicles were damaged and abandoned by their owners as a result of floods that hit the capital Port Louis on Monday.
But flood levels substantially decreased on Tuesday and authorities were able to clear up debris from the streets.
Scenes from the waterfront in Port Louis showed widespread destruction.
Authorities said they were carrying out a full assessment of the main roads and critical infrastructure.
The Mauritius Meteorological Services (MMS) said a "safety bulletin" was now in force as the storm was moving away from Mauritius - this came a few hours after it announced it was raising its alert to four, the maximum level.
It said the storm was now moving eastwards, in the direction of the Indian Ocean, at a speed of about 18km/h (11mph).
"There are no longer any risks of having cyclonic conditions over Mauritius but other environmental risks exist," it said, urging people to remain in safe places and not to go out to sea, or walk along shorelines, because of the potential for storm surges.
On Monday, Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth confirmed one death, and criticised the MMS for its response to the storm. The MMS director has resigned.
"I have to admit that the country has had a difficult time because of Cyclone Belal," he said, adding that government decisions had relied on information from the meteorological service.
"I share the anger of the people of Mauritius at this time. I am determined that the responsible of this situation must assume their responsibilities."
The international airport remained closed on Tuesday.
Sheets of metal clattering in the howling wind could be heard in the deserted streets of the Mauritius capital, Port Louis, on Monday, while people further south on the island were dealing with the worst of the weather.
Videos showed severe flash flooding in Port Louis, as well as cars submerged in fast-flowing flood waters.
The International Federation of Red Cross Africa said that more than 1,000 people had been evacuated, and about 8,400 people in Mauritius were without power.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-67990946
Two passenger jets collide at Japanese airport weeks after deadly crash inferno
UPDATED: 07:56 EST, 16 January 2024
Two passenger jets have collided at a Japanese airport, weeks after a deadly crash left five dead in the country.
A Korean Air Lines plane clipped a Cathay Pacific Airways aircraft at New Chitose Airport on Japan's northern island of Hokkaido on Tuesday.
The accident happened when the Korean Air plane was preparing for take-off, the airline official said.
The fire department said that the Cathay Pacific aircraft was parked on the tarmac when it was struck by the moving Korean Air plane.
There were 289 passengers on board the Korean Air plane during the incident, STV Japan said. No injuries were reported, Japanese broadcaster NTV said.
No other details, including the extent of damage to the aircraft or what caused the taxiing aircraft to clip the parked one, were immediately available.
But Hong Kong-based Cathay said that its 'flight CX583 from Sapporo to Hong Kong will not operate as scheduled.'
Airport firefighters were on standby following the accident, but no oil leaks or fires had been confirmed, according to Hokkaido Cultural Broadcasting.
The operator of the airport received a report of contact between the two passenger planes around 5:30 pm (0830 GMT), public Japanese broadcaster NHK said.
Hokkaido has been hit by a cold front in recent days with heavy snow warnings issued in several cities.
According to reports, 46 flights were cancelled on Tuesday due to heavy snow.
'Cathay Pacific confirms that there was an incident involving a Cathay Pacific aircraft while it was parked at New Chitose Airport in Sapporo today (16 January),' Cathay said in a statement.
'Our aircraft, which was stationary at the time with no customers nor crew onboard, was struck by a Korean Air A330 which was taxiing past.'
An airport spokesperson was not immediately available for comment.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12968551/Two-passenger-jets-collide-Japanese-airport.html