Twenty-one dead after tornadoes sweep through US Midwest
At least 21 people are reported to have died and dozens others injured after tornadoes tore through parts of two US states, BBC reported.
Officials in Kentucky said there had been 14 deaths due to severe weather while seven people were killed in Missouri, including five in the city of St Louis.
The Kentucky tornado struck in Laurel County, in the south-east of the state, in the early hours of Saturday. Officials said they expected the death toll to rise.
Missouri officials said 5,000 buildings were damaged, roofs destroyed and power lines knocked downed as a tornado struck on Friday, according to BBC.
The US National Weather Service said tornadoes also hit neighbouring Illinois, with more severe weather conditions stretching eastwards to the Atlantic coast. On Saturday, it warned of few tornadoes that could hit northern Texas over the weekend as a result of strong to severe storms in the area.
Earthquake Strikes Central Peru
The German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) reported a 6.1-magnitude earthquake in central Peru at 10:22:06 GMT on Saturday.
The earthquake's epicenter was at a depth of 10 kilometers, around 14.67°S latitude and 74.04°W longitude, as reported by Xinhua.
China’s LandSpace Launches Methane-Powered rocket with six satellites
China’s LandSpace successfully launched its methane-powered Zhuque-2E Y2 rocket on Saturday, deploying six satellites into orbit from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.
This marks the fifth flight of the Zhuque-2 series. LandSpace, the first company to launch a methane-liquid oxygen rocket in 2023, is focusing on methane for its cost efficiency, lower emissions, and suitability for reusable rockets, Xinhua reported.
The payload, developed mainly by Spacety, included a radar satellite, two multispectral satellites, and three for scientific experiments, weighing 20 to 300 kilograms.
Lightning strikes kill fourteen in Odisha, several injured
At least fourteen people lost their lives and several others were injured following lightning strikes across Odisha on Friday, according to Xinhua.
The severe weather, which included heavy rain and thunderstorms, impacted several districts, including Koraput, Jajpur, Dhenkanal, Mayurbhanj, Ganjam, and Gajapati.
The India Meteorological Department has issued an advisory for prolonged bad weather, warning of further rain, thunderstorms, and lightning in the area, Xinhua reported.
Lightning-related fatalities are a recurring tragedy during India’s monsoon season, claiming hundreds of lives annually.
