About 1,000 houses have been flooded in the southern province of Narathiwat, hard hit by heavy rain for almost a week.

Many roads are impassable and government offices and houses are under water. All trains have been halted due to inundated stretches of track making passage impossible.

Flash floods from the Sankalakhiri mountain range in Sukhirin district poured into the main rivers in the province, with rivers and waterways overflowing and causing flooding in 13 districts.

More than 3,000 homes have been affected while eight districts were hardest hit by the flooding.

A portion of train track was damaged and all train services were suspended when railway workers were fixing the track.

Rescue workers are ready to respond to any emergency situation in five southern provinces while the local meteorological department warned local residents in disaster-prone areas to beware of possible flash flood as the northeastern monsoon prevails the Gulf of Thailand and the southern region.

In Phattalung, five low-lying districts are under about one metre of floodwater. Some 30 households moved to stay at roadside temporary shelters.

In Yala’s Raman district, the Saiburi river overflowed its banks, flooding low lying areas along the river, forcing local residents to move their belongings to higher ground. Some roads are under two metres of floodwater and villagers must use small boats to travel.

Yala declared three districts as disaster zone areas as almost 100 villages are flooded, with more than 7,600 residents of Raman, Yaha and Kronpinang districts affected by the floods.

Military units are helping evacuate locals to higher ground as most roads are impassable. (TNA)

MCOT English News :

Four men were swept away in floods and one woman drowned when her small fishing boat sank in a swollen river as heavy rains hit Quang Nam and Quang Ngai provinces, said the National Flood and Storm Control Committee in Hanoi.

More than 5,000 houses were destroyed or damaged, and almost 75,000 hectares of crops were under water, it said in an online report.

According to the state-run Vietnam News Agency (VNA), 20 to 30 centimetres of rain fell in recent days and caused flooding of up to 80 centimetres.

Vietnam is hit by a series of typhoons, tropical storms and floods every year - mostly between July and November - which in 2008 killed at least 550 people, according to the communist government’s General Statistics Office.

Total material damage reached more than US$700 million (S$1.02 billion) during the year, VNA said. — AFP

5 dead in Vietnam floods

At least 5,480 families or about 27,375 persons in Cagayan de Oro City alone were affected by flash floods that hit the region’s capital city since Friday, the City Disaster Coordinating Council (CDCC) and the military reported.

The villages severely affected in Cagayan de Oro were Barangays 6, 7, 13, 15, 17 and Barangays Carmen, Balulang, Consolacion, Gusa, Taguanao, Kauswagan, Macasandig and Tablon, authorities said.

The CDCC and the Army’s 4th “Diamond” Division said flood victims are temporarily housed in various evacuation centers located in barangay halls, health centers and the city’s tourism hall.

They said that at least 3,954 families or 19,766 persons have already been served their immediate needs by the CDCC and the city government.

Rescue teams from the CDCC and the Rescue 2000 group are also stepping up their search and rescue operations for the reported seven missing persons.

Maj. Gen. Ricardo A. David Jr., area command chief of the 4th Infantry Division that covers Northern and Northeastern Mindanao, said the division’s “Diamond Rescue Team” have joined in the search and rescue operations.

Two of the missing were identified as 5-year-old Christina Dapasula and 6year-old Angel Vencio.

“Some of the flood victims have returned to their respective homes late Sunday afternoon while other victims are still at various evacuation centers,” said regional Army spokesman Maj. Michele B. Anayron, Jr.

He said that in Gingoog City, at least 1,264 families or about 5,989 persons were affected by the flash floods, with one reported dead.

In Iligan City, at least 10 barangays were reportedly flooded with 7,591 families or about 34,279 persons affected, while 28 houses were totally damaged.

Rescue teams from the different disaster councils in the three affected cities were already deployed in several floodprone and low-lying areas as overflowing creeks and rivers nearby aggravated the problems of residents in Iligan, Cagayan de Oro and Gingoog, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) reported.

A separate report also reaching this city said that an undetermined number of persons were trapped in the Bayug and Manauang areas when cascading floodwaters hit the two barangays on Thursday and Friday in Iligan City.

“We are still verifying these reports and we cannot confirm yet until official reports come in,” said Northern Mindanao OCD Director Carmelito Lupo.

Reports reaching the OCD also said that two children were rescued by disaster teams from a lowlying barangay here in Cagayan de Oro.

Some of the flood victims, particularly those families living in nearby creeks and rivers in the three cities, have already fled and evacuated to safer areas, some of them in barangay halls, health centers and basketball courts, the OCD report said.

The Regional Disaster Coordinating Council (RDCC) in Northern Mindanao had already mobilized all disaster councils to assist the flood victims, added Lupo.

A landslide was also reported along the national highway in Lanuza, Surigao del Sur.

It was learned that a low pressure area along the eastern part of Surigao triggered heavy rains in several areas in Northern and Northeastern Mindanao regions.

Meanwhile, search and rescue (SAR) teams of the Philippine Coast Guard also rescued at least 1,000 persons from various flooded barangays in Cagayan de Oro City, using rubber boats to pluck out affected residents marooned by high water levels that reached the roofs of houses.

As of yesterday afternoon, Coast Guard commandant Vice Admiral Wifredo D. Tamayo identified four of those rescued as John Sanchez, 22, of Barangay Bonbon, Orthan Lagam, 35, Alvin Gaaca, 42, and Rudy Lazaro, 40.

Lagam, Gaaca and Lazaro were spotted by PCG rescue teams on top of a half-submerged motor banca. Lagam and Garcia were conscious but Lazaro was unconscious and was given first aid by PCG medical teams.

Tamayo said the survivors were turned over to local rescue unit “Oro Alert’ head Sindolfo Edrote.

He said Coast Guard SAR vessels BRP Romblon (SARV 3503) with special operations group divers were continuing rescue operations and have proceeded to Gingoog City in Misamis Oriental and Iligan City in Lanao del Norte.

The Coast Guard operations were launched in support of the Office of Civil Defense, Philippine Army, local government units and other government agencies, including the Philippine National Red Cross and the Department of Social Work and Development, said Tamayo.

Manila Bulletin Online

The 4.0-magnitude earthquake struck at 7:10 a.m. (0510 GMT) Sunday at sea off the Peloponnese, 195 kilometers (122 miles) southwest of Athens. Quakes of that magnitude occur frequently in Greece, causing little or no damage and generating little attention.

In this case, however, tons of refuse had been stacked against one of the walls of the compound, located in the town of Hora. Heavy rains over the past few days had weakened the wall, which collapsed under the weight of the refuse during the earthquake.

Firefighters who raced to the compound found the migrant woman’s body and helped dig her 21-year-old husband out from under the ruins. He was rushed to a hospital with injuries.

Young woman dies in Greek earthquake - International Herald Tribune

The quake, which had its epicentre in the Hindu Kush mountain range and occurred at about 4.15 am, shook Islamabad, the North West Frontier Province, parts of Punjab province and the Northern Areas. The local met office said.

There were no reports of loss of life or damage to property.

Many parts of Pakistan were rocked by an earthquake measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale on Sunday.

The Hindu News Update Service

One 7.3-magnitude tremor was felt as far away as Australia and sent small tsunamis into Japan’s southeastern coast, the Associated Press reported.

The first quake, magnitude 7.6, struck at 4:43 a.m. local time about 135 kilometers from Manokwari at a depth of 35 kilometers, the U.S. Geological Survey said. Dozens of aftershocks followed.

At least four people died in Papua, where the runway of the airport nearest the epicenter was split by the force, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono told reporters.

“I’ve instructed emergency steps be taken to help our brothers and to restore power and other vital utilities,” Yudhoyono said.

Among the dead was a 10-year-old girl, identified as Yolanda Mandofi, whose head was crushed, said local hospital director Hengky Tewu.

“Our ambulances are picking up two more,” he said.

Another 19 patients at the hospital were treated for broken bones, cuts, crush wounds and other injuries.

Papua police chief Maj. Gen. Bagus Ekodanto said he had received reports that a hotel and a rice warehouse had been “destroyed”, but he did not know if anyone had been killed in the incidences. A search for victims was under way.

Several stories of the Mutiara Hotel in the main city Manokwari collapsed, said Ina, a nurse at a navy hospital, adding that she had already treated 20 quake victims. The quakes also reportedly damaged the Kalidingin hotel.

Electricity was cut off to the coastal city of population 167,000, where people fled their homes in the dark fearing a tsunami, said Hasim Rumatiga, a local health official.

The quakes forced thousands of people to take refuge, including in military fields in the city, said Manokwari Military Commander Col. Inf. Irham Waroiham.

About 1,000 residents had taken shelter in a military field, 500 in a navy field, 500 in the yard of the Manokwari regent office and 7,000 others in Masni district, which lies just outside of Manokwari city.

The Meteorology and Geophysics Agency had issued a tsunami alert, but it was revoked within an hour after it was determined the epicenter of the main quake had been within the mainland.

Quakes centered well within the mainland do not pose the threat of a tsunami to Indonesia, but can still spread large waves to neighboring countries, such as Japan.

Japan’s Meteorological Agency said tsunamis 10 to 40 centimeters in height swept into towns along the coast.

The quakes were also felt in Sorong regency. The regency police spokesman Snr. Comr. Agus Rianto told The Jakarta Post the quakes had damaged 18 houses, injuring 11 residents.

The latest quakes in Manokwari occurred on Oct. 10, 2002, the largest recorded at magnitude 7.6, killing three people. Another strong quake hit in 1996, triggering enormous waves that hammered into the north coastal area of Papua, as well as Sorong, Biak and Manokwari.

Nethy Dharma Somba and Angel Flashy contributed to this article from Jayapura, Papua

The Jakarta Post

Hundreds of earthquakes have hit Yellowstone National Park, raising fears of a more powerful volcanic eruption.

The earthquake swarm, the biggest in more than 20 years, is being closely monitored by scientists and emergency authorities.

The series of small quakes included three last Friday which measured stronger than magnitude 3.0. The strongest since this latest swarm of quakes began on December 27 was 3.9.

No damage has yet been reported but scientists say this level of activity - there have been more than 500 tremors in the last week - is highly unusual.

“The earthquake sequence is the most intense in this area for some years,” said the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory. Some of the larger earthquakes have been felt by park employees and guests, according to the observatory.

The swarm is occurring beneath the northern part of Yellowstone Lake in the park. Yellowstone sits on the caldera of an ancient supervolcano and continuing geothermal activity can be seen in the picturesque geysers and steam holes, such as Old Faithful.

About 1,000 to 2,000 tremors a year have been recorded since 2004. The most devastating earthquake in recent history in the Yellowstone region occurred on August 17, 1959, when a magnitude 7.1 earthquake hit.

It was centered near Hebgen Lake, Montana and it caused landslides that killed 28 people and caused more than $11 million in damage.

Geysers in Yellowstone National park changed eruption times, and new ones began to erupt. On June 30, 1975, a magnitude 6.4 tremor hit the park.

Professor Robert B. Smith, a geophysicist at the University of Utah and one of the leading experts on earthquake and volcanic activity at Yellowstone, said that the swarm was significant.

“It’s not business as usual,” he said. “This is a large earthquake swarm, and we’ve recorded several hundred. We are paying careful attention. This is an important sequence.”

The last full-scale explosion of the Yellowstone Supervolcano, the Lava Creek eruption which happened approximately 640,000 years ago, ejected about 240 cubic miles of rock and dust into the sky.

Geologists have been closely monitoring the rise and fall of the Yellowstone Plateau as an indication of changes in magma chamber pressure.

The Yellowstone caldera floor has risen recently - almost 3in per year for the past three years - a rate more than three times greater than ever observed since such measurements began in 1923.

From mid-summer 2004 through to mid-summer 2008, the land surface within the caldera moved upwards as much as 8in at the White Lake GPS station. The last major earthquake swarm was in 1985 and lasted three months.

The observatory said similar swarms have occurred in the past without triggering steam explosions or volcanic activity. However, the observatory said there is some potential for explosions and that earthquakes may continue and increase in intensity.

Joe Moore, director of the Wyoming Office of Homeland Security, said his office is tracking the events at Yellowstone on a minute-by-minute basis. “It’s being followed very closely,” Mr Moore said.

Fears over earthquake ’swarm’ at Yellowstone National Park - Times Online

The quake was a strong aftershock following a 7.2-magnitude earthquake which jolted eastern Indonesia’ West Papua at 4:43 a.m. local time on Sunday (1943 GMT Saturday), Indonesia’s leading website Detik News quoted BMG as saying.

The epicenter of the 7.6-magnitude aftershock was 0.88 degrees southern latitude and 133.38 degrees eastern longitude with a depth of 10 km below the sea level, the BMG said.

There was no immediate report of casualties or damage so far.

7.6-magnitude quake hits Indonesia’s West Papua_English_Xinhua

The Indonesian Meteorology and Seismology Agency warned that with a preliminary magnitude of 7.2 it was strong enough to cause a tsunami. However, there were no immediate reports of giant waves and the warning was lifted within an hour.

The tremor struck at 2:43 a.m. local time, around 85 miles off the coast of Manokwari, Papua, at a depth of 6 miles.

The U.S. Geological Survey put the strength at a more powerful 7.6 magnitude and nearly three times the depth. Shallow earthquakes generally cause more damage than deeper ones.

Electricity went off and people fled their homes in the dark, fearing a tsunami, said Hasim Rumatiga, a local health official.

In the town of Sorong, very near to the epicenter, a resident told El Shinta radio buildings and houses had been slightly damaged.

Indonesia straddles a chain of fault lines and volcanoes known as the Pacific ”Ring of Fire” and is prone to seismic activity. A huge quake off western Indonesia caused the 2004 Asian tsunami that killed around 230,000 people, more than half of them in Sumatra.

(This version CORRECTS RECASTS lede, UPDATES with tsunami alert lifted, ADDS details, color. corrects Asian tsunami was 2004, sted 2005.)

Tsunami Alert Issued After Indonesian Quake - NYTimes.com

The magnitude-7.6 tremblor occurred about 4:43 a.m. (2:43 p.m. Saturday ET), about 95 miles (150 kilometers) west-northwest of Manokwari, Indonesia, and about 105 miles (170 kilometers) east-northeast of Sorong, two cities in the Indonesian province of West Papua.

No tsunami warning was issued after the earthquake, according to the U.S.-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.

The quake was centered at a depth of 21.7 miles (35 kilometers).

7.6 earthquake strikes near West Papua, Indonesia - CNN.com