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flash floods
At least 97 people have been killed by storms that hit Mexico earlier in the week, according to authorities.
In the village of La Pintada, near the Pacific coast, a landslide partially engulfed the town.
At least 15 bodies have been recovered and almost 70 residents are missing, the authorities said.
A helicopter involved in the rescue effort in the area has disappeared with three crew on board, according to Mexican media.
Officials are hoping that the helicopter had to land amid bad weather conditions and that the crew has been unable to update their base on their location.
Police and navy teams are to begin looking for the helicopter early on Friday when visibility improves, the Excelsior newspaper reports.
Meanwhile, President Enrique Pena Nieto has announced in a statement that he is cancelling a planned trip to the UN in New York next week to focus on relief efforts.
Tropical Storm Manuel, which on Thursday briefly became a hurricane, has now moved north, forcing hundreds from their homes in Sinaloa state.
As it hit land, Hurricane Manuel brought torrential rain and winds of up to 75mph and caused flash floods in Sinaloa.
Schools in the region have been closed and a fishing village of Yameto was evacuated as Hurricane Manuel approached.
At least 97 people have been killed by storms that hit Mexico
More than 100,000 were affected by the hurricane, the State governor, Mario Lopez Valdez told reporters.
It then gradually began losing strength, according to the United States National Hurricane Center, going back to being a tropical storm.
Hurricane Manuel is now expected to dissipate before the weekend.
However, weather conditions are expected to remain poor over the coming days as a third storm is forecast.
With the Gulf Coast having been hit by Hurricane Ingrid, this week was the first time since the 1950s that Mexico has had to deal with two storms simultaneously.
The resort town of Acapulco and its surrounding areas were worst hit by Hurricane Manuel earlier in the week.
Since then, more than 10,000 stranded tourists have been airlifted by military planes out of the resort town of Acapulco.
Several stores have been looted and residents of the outskirts of Acapulco have complained about being left to fend for themselves.
Residents of La Pintada, a remote village of about 600 people north-west of Acapulco, described how the hillside buried their homes as they were holding independence day celebrations on Monday evening.
The landslide tore through the middle of the village, destroying the church, the school and the kindergarten.
“We were eating when it thundered, and when the mountain collapsed the homes were swept away and the thundering noise became louder,” Erika Guadalupe Garcia told AFP news agency.
Ana Clara Catalan, 17, described the noise as “ugly, worse than a bomb”.
“More than half of La Pintada was demolished, few homes were left,” Maria del Carmen Catalan said.
Most of the residents have been now been evacuated by helicopter.
Hurricane Ingrid made landfall on Monday in the town of La Pesca on Mexico’s Gulf Coast. It mainly affected the state of Tamaulipas, where thousands of people were moved from low-lying areas to higher ground.
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More than 500 people are missing and at least 4 people have died, with another victim believed to be dead, after flash floods hit Colorado.
Many residents are still stranded in their homes as rescue workers try to reach them. Boulder county officials fear rescue attempts will be hampered by the extra 4in of rain due on Sunday.
Authorities who still haven’t reached all the stranded victims of floods in northeastern Colorado are bracing for a new round of storms on Sunday.
Already it is estimated that it will cost $150 million to repair more than 100 miles of road and at least 20 bridges that have been washed away.
County transportation director George Gerstle told CNN the repair bill is likely to be 10 to 15 the annual budget.
A sheriff’s office spokesman said hundreds of people were unaccounted for, but added that some residents may have reached safety but not been able to contact relatives to tell them.
Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle said authorities had to be “realistic” about the chances that the death toll will rise.
With the rain never seeming to end and the waters continuing to rise, more than 4,000 people near Boulder, Colorado, have been evacuated as nearby Milliken has been surrounded by water and turned into an island, according to reports.
More than 500 people are missing and at least 4 people have died, with another victim believed to be dead, after flash floods hit Colorado
The reality of what is becoming a long-term disaster is setting in, flooding has affected parts of a 4,500-square-mile area almost the size of Connecticut.
In the most recent developments, people are stranded in Milliken after the main road out of town was washed away by raging floodwaters, according to CBS Denver. As the devastating rapids rise, they wash away more of the road, and flood ever closer to even more homes.
“The fire department said Milliken is an island but I found a way out,” Jorge Garza told the station.
A CBS Denver helicopter flying over the town spotted a family of three and their dog being rescued from menacing waters via a motorized raft.
“[Milliken] has turned into a lake with campers, fields and cars submerged,” the station further reported.
172 people are unaccounted for, Boulder County officials told KDVR.
As rescuers broke through to flood-ravaged Colorado towns, they issued a stern warning Saturday to anyone thinking of staying behind: “Leave now or be prepared to endure weeks without electricity, running water and basic supplies.”
Authorities made clear that residents who chose not to leave might not get another chance for a while.
“We’re not trying to force anyone from their home. We’re not trying to be forceful, but we’re trying to be very factual and definitive about the consequences of their decision, and we hope that they will come down,” Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle said.
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At least seven people have died after heavy rains triggered flash floods in southern Spain, officials have said.
Among the victims were an elderly woman and a young girl.
The strength of the floods overturned cars, closed roads, damaged homes and forced hundreds to leave their properties.
The hardest hit areas were the provinces of Malaga and Almeria, and Murcia region.
At least seven people have died after heavy rains triggered flash floods in southern Spain
At least 600 people had to be evacuated from their homes in Andalucia region, which contains Malaga and Almeria, officials said.
Spain’s weather agency said that up to 245 litres (65 gallons) of water per square metre had fallen on Friday morning alone.
An elderly woman died when a river broke its banks and floodwater hit her home in Alora, north of Malaga, AFP reports.
Two other adults died in Andalucia, while three others, including a 10-year old girl were killed in neighboring Murcia.
“In Malaga province there are 800 staff working to return things to normal as quickly as possible. The rains are decreasing and seem to be shifting towards Granada and Almeria,” a regional government spokesperson told AFP.
However, torrential rain and violent thunderstorms are predicted to continue in the south of the country during the weekend.
The heavy rains in parts of the south follow months of drought and high temperatures across Spain which triggered dozens of wildfires.
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Typhoon Kai-Tak has killed at least 27 people as it swept across northern provinces of Vietnam over the weekend, officials have said.
Typhoon Kai-Tak made landfall on Friday, bringing intense rain and strong winds.
Nearly 12,000 houses were damaged and 56,800 acres (23,000 hectares) of cropland were flooded, officials said.
Some of those who died were carried away by floodwaters, one died in a flood-triggered landslide.
Typhoon Kai-Tak has killed at least 27 people as it swept across northern provinces of Vietnam over the weekend
In the capital, Hanoi, where some 200 large trees were uprooted, one taxi driver was killed when a tree fell on his car.
In Bac Giang province a 46-year-old woman died after a hill near her house collapsed in the middle of the night.
On Sunday, parts of Hanoi remained flooded and residents complained that flash floods still posed a risk despite insistence from the authorities that drainage in the capital had been improved.
The Vietnamese army had prepared 20,000 soldiers, along with helicopters, rescue boats and canoes for rescue operations, but only a small number were actually deployed, reports Agence France Presse news agency.
China’s Xinhua news agency said that the typhoon had also left two dead and two others missing as it passed across parts of southern China on Friday, destroying some 4,200 homes in Guangdong province.
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Russia has decided to have a day of mourning for the victims of the flash floods in southern Krasnodar region.
At least 171 people were killed in the disaster, officials said on Sunday.
President Vladimir Putin has ordered an enquiry into whether people were given enough warning of the disaster. A separate criminal investigation is under way into possible negligence.
Officials deny allegations blaming the ferocity of the floods on the opening of reservoir sluice gates.
The day of mourning and enquiry were called by Vladimir Putin after he toured the affected area in a helicopter on Saturday.
Russia has decided to have a day of mourning for the victims of the flash floods in southern Krasnodar region
It was the first major disaster in Russia since Vladimir Putin, 59, returned for a third-term earlier this year, after a four-year term as prime minister.
The flash floods, the worst in living memory in the region, struck in the Krasnodar region on Friday night, after days of torrential rain. People were reportedly given little or no warning.
The rains dumped as much as 28 cm (11 inches) of water overnight, forcing many residents to take refuge in trees or on house roofs.
TV pictures later showed thousands of houses almost completely submerged with people scrambling onto their rooftops to escape the rising waters.
Most of those who died were in and around Krymsk, a town of 57,000 people. But deaths were also reported in the Black Sea resort of Gelendzhik and in the port town of Novorossiysk.
Krasnodar governor Alexander Tkachev said on Sunday that more than 24,000 people had been affected by the floods, according to Russian media reports. The regional authorities say more than 5,000 houses were inundated.
“It’s an unprecedented tragedy. There has been nothing like it in our history,” Alexander Tkachev said.
Local activists blamed the ferocity of the flood on the opening of sluice gates at the local reservoir.
The authorities admitted that an “automatic discharge” of water had taken place.
However, investigator Ivan Sengerov said on Sunday it was not thought that this was the main cause of the disaster in Krymsk, the Interfax news agency reports.
“The discharges were carried out in a normal, planned manner,” he told the agency.
“There was no overflow over the dam, so the discharges could not have caused the disaster.”
More than 7,000 Russian children were attending summer camps in the area and one of the camps was evacuated, Russian media reported.
Oil pipeline operator Transneft said it had halted crude shipments out of Novorossiysk – a major port on the Black Sea.
But the company added that that its infrastructure had been unaffected by the weather.
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According to Russian officials, at least 99 people have been killed after flash floods caused by torrential rain swept the southern Krasnodar region.
The floods, the worst there in living memory struck at night, reportedly without warning.
Emergency teams have been sent from Moscow by plane and helicopter. TV pictures showed people scrambling onto their rooftops to escape.
At least 88 people died around the worst-hit town of Krymsk.
Crude oil shipments from the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk have suspended.
Russian TV showed thousands of houses in the region nearly completely submerged.
Some users of social media networks in Russia said Krymsk looked liked it was hit “by a tsunami”. Others accused the authorities of not telling the whole truth about the disaster.
At least 99 people have been killed after flash floods caused by torrential rain swept the southern Krasnodar region
At least nine died in Gelendzhik and two in Novorossiysk. Dozens of people are reportedly missing, and there are fears that the death toll will rise further.
The Krasnodar-Novorossiysk motorway was cut, and the transport system in the region is said to have collapsed.
A statement by the Krasnodar regional administration said altogether 13,000 people had been affected by the floods.
Emergencies Minister Vladimir Puchkov is on his way to the region.
Up to 1,000 rescuers are involved in searching for victims and evacuating survivors.
“The floods were very strong. Even traffic lights were ripped out,” regional police spokesman Igor Zhelyabin told AFP news agency, adding that evacuations were under way.
Regional governor Alexander Tkachev tweeted after flying over the affected area that there was “something unimaginable” going on in Krymsk.
He said, quoted by the Russian Itar-Tass news agency, that “no-one can remember such floods in our history. There was nothing of the kind for the last 70 years”.
Anna Kovalevskaya, who says she has relatives in Krymsk, said her family was caught unaware by the floods.
“The water started flooding in at 2:00 a.m.,” she said.
“People were running out into the streets in their underwear and wrapping their children in blankets. People were only able to save their passports.
“There is no electricity and the shops are shut. Many people have lost everything and are in a state of panic.”
The rains dumped as much as 28 cm (11 inches) of water on parts of the Krasnodar region overnight, forcing many residents to take refuge in trees or on house roofs.
Oil pipeline operator Transneft said it had halted crude shipments out of Novorossiysk, but that its infrastructure in the port had been unaffected by the weather.
“Of course, we limited shipments, the port is located in the lower part of town, the whole landslide has moved towards it. As we speak, the rain has started again,” spokesman Vladimir Sidorov told Reuters news agency.
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652 people were killed and 808 others missing in the flash floods triggered by typhoon Washi in the southern Philippines, The National Red Cross reported.
Rescuers teams are still searching for survivors, as naval vessels are scouring the coast along the island of Mindanao while soldiers searched swollen rivers.
According to officials, many bodies remained unclaimed, suggesting entire families had been swept away.
The flash floods were triggered by tropical storm Washi that coincided with high tides, trapping many in their homes.
The major ports of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan were among the areas worst hit on Friday night.
Almost 35,000 people were still sheltering in evacuation centres on Sunday, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said.
Many of the bodies were unclaimed after nearly 24 hours, raising the prospect that entire families had died, Philippines Red Cross Secretary General Gwendolyn Pang said.
“The affected area is so wide and huge and I believe they have not really gone to all areas to do a search,” she said.
“This thing happened so fast, it was very overwhelming.”
The navy joined the search for those who had been swept out to sea. About 60 people were reported to have been plucked from the ocean off El Salvador city, about six miles (10km) north-west of Cagayan de Oro.
Former congressman Ayi Hernandez said he and his family were at home in Cagayan de Oro late on Friday when they heard a loud “swooshing sound”.
He said the water rose to about 11 ft feet (3.3m) in less than an hour, filling his home to the ceiling.
The rescue effort, boosted by some 20,000 soldiers, continued through Saturday night but was being hampered by flooded-out roads and downed power lines, officials said.
National TV showed scenes of devastation, with streets strewn with mud and piles of debris. The remains of houses lay alongside cars that had been picked up by the water and left in culverts and along riverbanks.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sent condolences to the Philippines.
“The US government stands ready to assist Philippine authorities as they respond to this tragedy,” Hilary Clinton said.
Weather experts said Tropical Storm Washi dumped more than a month of average rain in just 12 hours over Mindanao.
Although the Philippines is hit by typhoons or tropical storms every year, Mindanao in the south is usually spared the worst of the damage.
Washi reached the western island of Palawan before dawn on Sunday and is moving west into the South China Sea, government forecasters said.
The storm has maximum winds of 80km/h (50 mph) and is expected to move west, away from the Philippines.
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