2012-05-14 14:34:22 – Extreme Weather – Bosnia and Herzegovina

Sunbathing one day, snowstorm the next: Bosnians are getting whiplash from the latest crazy weather to hit the Balkans.Weeks after Bosnians had stashed away their winter clothes and their memories of last winter’s unbearably heavy snow, residents had to drag out the shovels Monday after waking up to a blanket of snow in the middle of an otherwise unusually hot May.Some 50 remote villages in a mountainous area near the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo lost power due to the snow.The unseasonal weather followed a week of summer-like temperatures with 27 C (80.6 Fahrenheit) registered in Sarajevo on Saturday.Temperatures hit 5 Celsius (41 Fahrenheit) on Monday, causing traffic jams as people struggled to get to work.The cold spell is forecast to last until at least the middle of the week, when the snow is expected to be replaced by heavy rain.rn

Posted:2012-05-14 14:34:22 [UTC]

2012-05-14 05:58:25 – Fire – Spain

Seven Formula One personnel were taken to hospital, and 31 tended to by circuit doctors, after a fire gutted the Williams garage while the team were celebrating winning Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix.The former champions had earlier gathered outside the Circuit de Catalunya garage for a team photograph to mark Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado’s first career victory and their first in nearly eight years.Team founder and principal Frank Williams, who is in a wheelchair, had been in the garage when it filled with smoke and flames but was quickly wheeled to safety, his daughter Claire told Reuters.The blaze was fought by staff from Williams, Caterham and Force India from the pit lane side before circuit fire services arrived.The governing International Automobile Federation (FIA) said in a statement that all but seven of the 31 team members who went to the Circuit Medical Centre had been released.The seven were transferred to local hospitals for treatment.Williams said the fire had “originated from the fuel area” and three of their staff were in hospital.”The team, the fire services and the police are working together to determine the root cause of the fire and an update statement will be released in due course,” Williams added.Caterham, who have an adjacent garage to Williams, said four of their staff had been taken to the medical centre for examination – one with a minor hand injury and three with respiratory issues.Force India deputy team principal Bob Fernley said one of his staff had suffered smoke inhalation.The fire, with thick, acrid black smoke billowing out of the garage and across the paddock, started about 90 minutes after the end of the race.Maldonado was photographed carrying his 12-year-old cousin piggyback through the smoke, with the youngster clutching the winner’s trophy.Photographs also showed Brazilian Bruno Senna’s car in the middle of a gutted and charred garage. Maldonado’s had been parked elsewhere under post-race parc ferme rules.Team officials and guests were ushered to safety and the area cordoned off. A medical helicopter was seen to take off after a while.The fire was the second in the Formula One paddock in five races this season, with one breaking out in the Lotus hospitality area at the Malaysian circuit in March.

Posted:2012-05-14 05:58:25 [UTC]

2012-05-14 06:11:41 – Extreme Weather – China

Heavy rainstorms have battered several areas in Southern China, destroying houses and cropland. The rain comes after China’s national observatory upgraded the warning level from blue to yellow for a new round of rainstorms over the next few days.Torrential rains have affected South China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Several cities, including the capital city Nanning, have issued their first red alert for torrential rain this year. The rain inundated roads and damaged old buildings in several cities.In Hunan province, local authorities say torrential rains have affected the lives of more than 1.9 million people and forced the relocation of almost 80,000 people.Elsewhere, Jiangxi Province was also hit by heavy rains, as the water in some rivers rose above warning levels. In Shicheng city, 84 houses were destroyed and over 1,500 hectares of crop land were inundated. Local authorities have evacuated more than 3,000 people, and continued to monitor the possible geological disasters.Finally, the continued rain raised the water level of a hydro power station in Nanping city, in Fujian Province. It forced the station to empty some of the water, in order to guard against possible heavy rain in the coming days.

Posted:2012-05-14 06:11:41 [UTC]

2012-05-14 11:09:15 – Fire – United Kingdom

A 13-year-old boy has died in hospital days after five of his siblings were killed in a house fire in Derby.Duwayne Philpott and his brothers and sisters were asleep upstairs at their Allenton home when the blaze began.Their father Mick Philpott, who is believed to have 17 children, made “valiant attempts” to save them.Police are treating the fire on Friday as suspicious. A man, 38, and woman, 28, have been bailed after being held on suspicion of murder.Jade Philpott, 10, and her brothers John, nine, Jack, seven, Jessie, six, and Jayden, five, all died when the fire started on Victory Road in the early hours.Duwayne had received treatment at Birmingham Children’s hospital, before his life support machine was switched off overnight.Assistant Chief Constable Steve Cotterill said: “I am sad to confirm the news that Duwayne has died as a result of the injuries he suffered in the fire.”My deepest sympathies go out to Mr and Mrs Philpott at this distressing time.”A spokesman from Birmingham Children’s Hospital said: “Despite the intensive care team’s greatest efforts, the injuries that Duwayne received in the fire were too great for him to survive.”Our thoughts are with his family at this difficult time.”Mr Cotterill said on Sunday that police had not had the opportunity to speak to Mr and Mrs Philpott because they had been caring for their son.He said police would like to speak to anyone who was in or around Victory Road between 03:00 BST and 04:00 BST on Friday.”I want to thank the local community who have already come forward but I would urge anyone with any information, regardless of how insignificant you think it may be, to contact us,” he said.Mr Cotterill also asked people to let police know if they spotted anything on social media sites that might aid the investigation.”Please tell us what is being said. We don’t necessarily get to know all of that,” he said.”If you’ve got access to Facebook and you see something there that you think is going to be important to us, please come forward.”The family were the subject of media scrutiny in 2006 when Mr Philpott asked the council for a larger house to accommodate his wife, girlfriend and 14 children.In 2007, ex-Conservative MP Ann Widdecombe spent a week living with the family as part of an ITV documentary and Mr Philpott also appeared as a guest on the channel’s Jeremy Kyle Show.On Saturday, prayers were said for the children at a special service in Derby and a candlelit vigil was held.People on the estate where the family lived said they had set up an online charity to help with funeral costs and anything else the family may need.

Posted:2012-05-14 11:09:15 [UTC]