Premier David Eby enacted the measures while fire crews battled more than 100 active blazes across the region.

Evacuation orders targeted approximately 12,000 people in Summerland and roughly 8,000 residents in Peachland.

Provincial authorities confirmed substantial property destruction, though ongoing active hazards prevented immediate damage assessments on the ground.

The fire moved so quickly that emergency management staff had to abandon their post.

Regional District representative Erick Thompson said he had to evacuate from his own home with his family while navigating heavily congested highways heading south.

Police are looking into a suspected wildfire death near Summerland, but dangerous environment conditions have blocked investigators from reaching the area to confirm the details.

Search and rescue teams also worked to locate residents stranded by the advancing flames.

In total, officials deployed 18 aircrafts, which helped to extract more than 50 trapped individuals to safety.

The Bald Range fire was first detected Friday evening. Within hours, it expanded across more than 52 square miles and traveled roughly 9 miles directly toward the shore.

Official mapping indicated the destruction swept through multiple residential areas before reaching the lake.

Online recordings captured the moment houses became engulfed in flames as families escaped down roads bordered by active fire.

The blaze eventually grew intense enough to create its own weather patterns and lightning strikes.

The director of operations for the British Columbia Wildfire Service, Cliff Chapman, described the atmosphere as volatile and cautioned that neighboring towns remain vulnerable to similar rapid shifts.

The emergency declaration grants provincial authorities expanded powers, including mandatory travel bans and the ability to secure emergency housing for displaced residents.

Highway 97 was also shut down between Peachland and Penticton to accommodate the surge of fleeing traffic.

Disastrous wildfire seasons have grown more frequent across Canada, causing widespread displacements and spreading smoke over extensive parts of North America.

Local shelters hosted evacuated residents who described the sky turning dark as they escaped before dawn with their pets and basic belongings.

The post British Columbia Wildfires Forces 20,000 to Evacuate appeared first on Gazette Review.

The Alpine Club of Pakistan confirmed that he was discovered approximately 5,700 meters up the mountain, alongside three other bodies.

Purja’s company, Elite Expeditions, officially announced his death on Saturday, saying he was among the 10 individuals who lost their lives in the avalanche.

His older brother, Kamal, also confirmed in a statement that his beloved younger brother is no longer with us.

Purja, who previously served in the British Army, became known after climbing the world’s 14 highest peaks in just a few months in 2019.

According to the Alpine Club, the recovered bodies will be taken to a Japanese camp by a ground team.

Before Purja’s death was announced, officials had discovered the bodies of three other climbers from the same expedition – Pur Bahadur Gurung from Nepal, Mallory Geis from the U.S., and Nadhira Ahmed from Oman.

Since the news of his death, many have paid tribute online, including Prince William, who described Purja as “one of the greatest mountaineers.”

Wes Streeting, the UK Defence Secretary, also described Purja as “an inspirational man who served with their military for several years” and offered his condolences.

Rescue teams have been searching the area for survivors since the avalanche on Thursday, which occured on the 26,400 ft peak in the Karakoram range.

The multi-national expedition was led by Purja, who at just 43 years of age, had set several mountaineering records.

Prior to his mountaineering career, he served in the British armed forces for 16 years. In 2018, he was given the Member of the Order of the British Empire by the late Queen Elizabeth II, for his outstanding achivements in mountaineering.

While serving in the army, Purja, who lived with his wife and young daughter in Hampshire, England, also became the first Gurkha to climb Mt. Everest.

In his final X post on Monday, he said climbing Broad Peak was never part of his original plan.

He had intended to climb only Gasherbrum II, another peak in the Karakoram range.

But before departing for Pakistan, he realized that if he also climbed Broad Peak, it would leave him just one mountain short of becoming the first person to climb all 14 eight-thousanders (mountains with peaks higher than 8,000 meters) twice without supplemental oxygen.

The post Body of Mountaineer Nirmal Purja Found After Avalanche appeared first on Gazette Review.

The fire, which was discovered on Friday, quickly grew to 26 square kilometers, forcing residents to evacuate.

Several properties have already been destroyed in the fire, according to Okanagan Indian Band (OKIB) Chief Dan Wilson. The extent of the damage is not yet clear.

Amber Cardenas, who lives with her family on the OKIB reserve, is one of the many residents who lost their home in the wildfire.

She said they initially thought they were safe, as the fire was over 15 kilometers away from their property.

However, the wind eventually changed, causing the situation to deteriorate quickly. By Saturday afternoon, she and her neighbours were told to evacuate by firefighters.

Cardenas recalls grabbing what they could, including a few family heirlooms, and leaving.

According to Wilson, officials will still have to assess damage to the roads, water systems, and utilities, before coming up with a plan for when residents can return to the area.

Another Wildfire Grows In Size

On Monday, the evacuation order was expanded after another wildfire began to burn out of control near Okanagan Lake.

Officials ordered anyone in the Caesars Landing Area, approximately 25 kilometers away from Kelowna, to leave due to the blaze.

Several other regions including Cinnabar Creek, Secret Point, and Shelter Cove, have been given an evacuation alert.

The wildfire, which started on the weekend, was 5.5 square kilometers in size on Saturday. By then, it had already forced over 2,200 residents to evacuate.

Due to the fire, parts of Highway 97 remain closed.

According to the B.C. Wildfire Service, temperatures cooled slightly on Monday, which allowed firefighters to get closer to the blaze. The winds were also weaker than on the weekend.

At its worst, the Bradley Creek Fire grew quickly as winds hit up to 115 km per hour.

Over the weekend, more than 5,000 individuals were forced to leave their homes, as firefighters faced lightning and strong winds.

In the northwest, the French Bar Creek Fire has grown to over 370 square kilometers, while the Pear Lake wildfire, which is threatening communities in 70 Mile House and Clinton, has grown to 1150 square kilometers in size.

As of Monday morning, there were over 130 wildfires burning in B.C.

In total, 4,700 properties were given an evacuation order. Another 3,600 were placed under evacuation alert, meaning residents in the area should be ready to leave at a moment’s notice.

The post B.C. Wildfire Near Vernon Forces Thousands to Evacuate Despite Holding Size appeared first on Gazette Review.

Many individuals at a nearby factory also remain unaccounted for, after the chimney collapsed.

Another person was killed when their house came down during the quake.

Video footage shared by NHK showed multiple fires, damaged buildings, as well as derailed trains, in the area.

Chiharu Hara, a 35-year-old who was working in Kumamoto at the time, said she was terrified when the quake struck.

She recalls the office swaying side by side and said everyone was scared that it would all come down.

The 7.1-magnitude quake, which struck at approximately 4:27pm local time, reached seven on Japan’s Shindo scale, which measures the seismic intensity of earthquakes.

The US Geological Survey put the magnitude at 6.8.

A series of aftershocks followed, including one with a magnitude of 6.1.

While Japan experiences hundreds of earthquakes every year, the majority of them cause little damage.

Damage From the Quake

Several roads remained closed due to the earthquake; shinkansen train services were also suspended.

Kumamoto airport also halted operations for several hours before re-opening in the evening.

Two local hospitals took in at least 50 injured individuals each, many of whom were rescued from under large debris.

The hospital themselves also suffered damage – including electrical system issues and water leaks.

Officials confirmed that 10 people were also injured at a nearby nursing home for the elderly.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi confirmed on X that there have been several fatalities, building collapses, road damage, fires, and water and power outages.

To help with rescue efforts, Japan’s military deployed 3,600 service members directly to the impacted zone; 20 aircraft were also sent to assess the damage from the air, according to the defense minister.

A tsunami alert was initially issued following the main quake, but was withdrawn at around 6:10 pm.

Parts of a wall at the Kumamoto Castle in Chuo-ku, Kumamoto, also collapsed; the scene could be seen in a video clip which has since been shared online.

The Nuclear Regulation Authority confirmed that there were no abnormalities at the local plants.

According to Kyushu Electric Power, about 45,000 households and facilities had no power in the region.

However, the firm said the three nuclear reactors operating in the region are functioning normally.

The post At least One Dead After 7.1-Magnitude Earthquake Hits Japan appeared first on Gazette Review.

The Air and Sea Heritage Foundation, working alongside Discovery Channel, announced earlier this week that the Pan Am wreckage has been found off the coast of Puerto Rico.

The aircraft disappeared into the Atlantic shortly after taking off from Puerto Rico on April 11, 1952. There were a total of 69 onboard, including five crew members.

While everyone survived the initial water landing, only 17 people were rescued before the aircraft sank into the ocean.

Investigators later determined that the high death toll was partly due to the lack of safety briefings before the flight.

The incident ultimately led to major changes in airline safety practices.

For decades, the exact location of the Douglas DC-4 had remained unknown. The wreck was finally located about 2,000 feet beneath the ocean’s surface on June 2 with the help of an autonomous underwater drone.

The search got a lucky break when a research vessel fitted with one of the world’s most advanced sonar systems happened to cross the team’s search area.

The crew agreed to spend two days scanning the seafloor, helping locate the aircraft.

Sonar images showed the aircraft had broken into two main sections.

The wreckage will remain undisturbed as it’s the final resting place of those who lost their lives in the crash. Currently, there are no plans to recover any part of the aircraft.

The Air and Sea Heritage Foundation, along with Puerto Rican officials, will be strengthening protections around the crash site. The group is also pushing for a memorial to honor the victims.

Crash Led to Major Aviation Safety Changes

The Pan Am flight was on its way to New York when the engines on the right side failed after takeoff. The pilot was forced to make an emergency landing on the water just minutes later.

While the aircraft carried enough life rafts and life jackets for everyone on board, the evacuation quickly turned chaotic.

Not only did the passengers not receive a preflight safety briefing, but language barriers also created confusion.

After crash landing, the aircraft sank in less than three minutes.

Today, only two known survivors are still alive. One is a 102-year-old former nurse who helped open the aircraft door so passengers could escape.

The other was a baby who was found floating in the water and revived by rescuers. Both were deeply moved after learning the wreckage had finally been found.

The post Pan Am Plane Wreckage Found 74 Years After Crashing Off Puerto Rico appeared first on Gazette Review.

On Friday, 61-year-old Ljubisa Karović was pulled headfirst toward the opening after part of the aircraft’s engine reportedly failed, sending debris through the acrylic window.

His wife, Svetlana Grković, told media outlets that his body was hanging outside the plane up to his chest.

She grabbed hold of his legs right away and with help from two other passengers, managed to pull him back inside after about two minutes.

During the ordeal, he reportedly lost consciousness three times.

As the cabin rapidly lost pressure, many passengers rushed away from the damaged section of the aircraft to other seats.

The Malta Air flight, operated on behalf of Ryanair, had taken off from Thessaloniki, Greece, and was heading to Memmingen, Germany. Flight tracking data shows the plane dropped around 9,000 feet roughly 10 minutes after departure.

According to other passengers, Karović had been wearing his seatbelt at the time, which prevented him from being completely pulled out of the aircraft as other travellers held onto him.

Karović remains in a hospital in Greece with serious injuries and is still recovering from the shock of what happened.

According to his wife, one of his hands was badly hurt; he also suffered burns, and has little memory of the incident.

For now, however, she is just grateful he survived.

Grković also expressed her thanks to the passengers who stepped in to help, especially a man she believes was Albanian.

While she never learned his name, she hopes to meet him again one day so she can thank him in person.

Photos and videos from inside the cabin show oxygen masks dropping from the ceiling after the window shattered and the aircraft lost cabin pressure.

One passenger said many people feared the plane was about to crash; the decompression in the cabin also made it hard to breathe.

She said Karović was bleeding and repeatedly passed out, likely because of the lack of oxygen and the trauma.

Another passenger thought someone had opened one of the emergency exits.

According to Thessaloniki Airport operator Fraport Greece, Greece’s air and rail safety investigation authority is currently looking into what caused the incident.

Ryanair said the aircraft safely returned to Thessaloniki after taking off.

The plane eventually landed without further problems; passengers were also taken back to the terminal, and a replacement aircraft was arranged so they could continue to Memmingen later that day.

The post Woman Speaks After Her Husband Was Almost Sucked Out Of Airplane Window appeared first on Gazette Review.

According to the UN’s refugee agency (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the two vessels capsized after leaving Myanmar’s Rakhine state in late June.

Most of those onboard were thought to be Rohingya, a Muslim minority that has faced years of violence and persecution.

Some passengers reportedly came from the overcrowded refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, where more than one million Rohingya continue to live in difficult conditions.

Many Rohingya risk dangerous sea crossings each year in hopes of finding safety or a better future. They often travel on overcrowded and poorly maintained boats run by people-smuggling networks.

The first boat, which was believed to be carrying around 250 people, reportedly disappeared soon after setting off.

A second vessel, with about 280 people onboard, is believed to have sunk near Myanmar’s Ayeyarwady coast on July 8.

Officials have not yet confirmed exactly what happened or how many people were on the boats.

They also noted that the voyages took place outside the usual sailing season, when rough seas and poor weather make travel even more dangerous.

Heavy rain and flooding across the region are believed to have made conditions even worse.

While authorities have not officially confirmed the reports of the boats capsizing, the IOM and UNHCR said they are “gravely concerned by the potentially devastating loss of life.”

If the reports are confirmed, the deaths would add to the nearly 300 people who have already been reported missing or killed this year while attempting sea crossings in the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal.

The UN agencies said the latest incident highlights the ongoing humanitarian crisis facing the Rohingya.

They highlighted the worsening conflict in Myanmar, limited support and opportunities in refugee camps in Bangladesh, and the continued exploitation of vulnerable people by smuggling and trafficking groups as key reasons why so many people continue to risk these dangerous journeys.

The agencies said governments need to do more to save people at sea and to protect those forced to flee; criminal groups should also be prevented from profitting from smuggling and trafficking.

The post More Than 500 Believed Dead After Two Boats Sink Off Myanmar appeared first on Gazette Review.

Authorities are looking into whether emergency exits were obstructed, making it difficult for people to flee the burning Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao pub.

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who visited the site early Monday, said smoke rapidly spread through the pub after the fire broke out, forcing many people toward the back of the venue near the bathrooms.

At least 63 people were injured, said Suriyachai Rawiwan, the director of Bangkok’s disaster administration.

An initial investigation determined that the fire was caused by a malfunctioning air conditioner.

Officials said the fire started around midnight at the front stage section of the pub and spread ‌throughout the building quickly.

According to authorities, the owner of the pub was also inside the building when the fire broke out; he is currently receiving medical treatment at a local hospital.

On Monday, grieving family members gathered at the police headquarters morgue to identify the victims.

Some were accompanied by support workers, while others were survivors of the fire who had come to identify relatives or loved ones.

Morgue staff said most of those who lose their lives were Thai nationals between the ages of 25 and 50.

Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao, a popular live music venue in Chatuchak, is best known for its sprawling weekend markets popular with tourists.

According to its Facebook page, it also features live Thai performers and bands.

Kan Kutirat, a tourist who was visiting the area, said he “heard loud screaming from a lot of people inside” after the fire broke out.

A video posted online showed people fleeing the venue as flames burst through the doorway, with several patrons’ shirts still on fire.

The blaze broke out while the Thai band Tossakan was on stage. According to another member of the band, the lead singer did not survive the fire.

He said the band’s drummer was seriously injured, and two other members were still unaccounted for.

The mother of one of the missing band members went to the morgue hoping to find him, despite his name not appearing on the list of those confirmed dead.

On Monday, Tossakan bass player Anan Prasert returned to the pub, his arm wrapped in bandages, to retrieve some of the band’s equipment.

Speaking to reporters, he said he noticed something was wrong and managed to escape through the venue’s front entrance.

Usa Tadsree, 40, had stepped outside with a friend for a cigarette shortly before the fire broke out. She said she attempted to go back inside to help others but was forced back by the thick smoke.

Two of her friends were killed in the blaze, while another remained in critical condition.

Body camera footage captured by an emergency responder showed firefighters wearing oxygen masks navigating the smoke-filled interior with flashlights as they searched for survivors.

Several victims were seen lying near the pub’s restroom area while rescue crews carried stretchers through the building.

The footage also revealed the venue’s heavily damaged main room, where charred bar tables and stools were still standing.

The post At Least 27 Dead, 22 Critically Injured In Bangkok Pub Fire appeared first on Gazette Review.

Officials said one woman died after she was bitten by a snake, possibly a cobra that escaped from a flooded snake farm. Several other people have also reportedly been bitten.

Videos shared by residents show snakes swimming through floodwaters with only their heads above the surface.

Authorities initially downplayed the danger but have since warned residents to avoid any snakes they encounter.

Snake catchers have been deployed, and hospitals are also stocking up on antivenom as medical staff are preparing for the possibility of more snakebite patients.

The flooding also allowed several zoo animals to escape, including zebras, horses, donkeys, as well as ostriches, emus and raccoons.

The privately owned zoo issued an emergency alert asking people to report any escaped animals; they also warned that frightened animals could become aggressive.

The disaster also affected local farms, with more than 16,000 pigs reportedly swept away by the floodwaters. Videos shared online show heavy machinery being used to recover the animals from the water.

About the Region

Hengzhou is located in Guangxi in southern China, where a flat central plain is surrounded by mountains and hundreds of rivers.

The city is widely recognized as China’s jasmine capital and has been growing the fragrant flower, commonly used in tea, for around 500 years.

Snake farming is another major industry in the region. Guangxi is home to more than 100 snake species, and catching snakes for food has long been part of local tradition.

Snake meat is still considered a delicacy by many people.

By 2020, the region was home to nearly 20 million snakes spread across more than 14,000 breeding farms.

Today, many of these snakes are raised for pharmaceutical and biomedical research purposes.

Cobras and common rat snakes are among the most commonly bred species. While rat snakes are harmless to humans, cobra bites can be fatal.

A volunteer in Hengzhou said its seven or eight members spent two straight days searching for escaped snakes, catching an estimated 2,000 to 3,000 of them.

Most of the snakes they recovered were non-venomous rat snakes.

The team explained that after flooding, snakes often hide in sheltered places such as the corners of homes.

Residents report sightings, and the captured snakes are then turned over to specialists, who release them back into the wild.

The post Rainstorm Brings Devastating Flood and Snake Invasion to Chinese City appeared first on Gazette Review.