Cyclone hits Madagascar, killing 2 and making 1,400 homeless

ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar (AP) — Cyclone Belna has hit northwestern Madagascar, with 2 dead and three missing from the first tropical storm of the season, according to local officials. Belna blew into the coastal town of Soalala, where more than 1,400 residents were made homeless because their houses were...

Stories of injured, missing in New Zealand volcano eruption

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Officials say 47 people from New Zealand, United States, Australia, Germany, Britain, China and Malaysia were on a New Zealand volcanic island when it suddenly erupted. Of those, dozens were killed, injured or are missing. Details are scarce because conditions on the island...

6 dead from New Zealand volcano as helpers describe horror

WHAKATANE, New Zealand (AP) — Survivors of a powerful volcanic eruption in New Zealand ran into the sea to escape the scalding steam and ash and emerged covered in burns, say those who first helped them. The accounts Tuesday came as some relatives were forced to continue waiting for news of their loved...

Police say an injured person has died in a New Zealand hospital, bringing the death toll from volcanic eruption to 6

WHAKATANE, New Zealand (AP) — Police say an injured person has died in a New Zealand hospital, bringing the death toll from volcanic eruption to 6.

Sydney choked by hazardous haze from Australia bush fires

SYDNEY (AP) — Wildfires engulfed the Australian city of Sydney on Tuesday in haze so thick in some places it was 11 times worse than the level considered “hazardous," and was apt to trigger fire alarms. The city canceled ferries and some offices in the downtown area were evacuated. Local health...

11 Australians missing, 13 injured in New Zealand eruption

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia’s prime minister said Tuesday that 11 Australians remained unaccounted for and 13 had been hospitalized after a volcano eruption in New Zealand. Three Australians were suspected to be among the initial five confirmed dead, Prime Minister Scott Morrison told...

Backcountry skier killed in northern Colorado avalanche

FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) — A 29-year-old woman has died in an avalanche while skiing in northern Colorado, where communities along the Rocky Mountains have seen record or near-record snowfall since September. The unidentified woman from Fort Collins was buried in the powerful slide Sunday, authorities...

Up to 13 feared dead in volcanic eruption off New Zealand

TAURANGA, New Zealand (AP) — A volcano off the New Zealand coast erupted Monday with a towering blast of ash and scalding steam as dozens of tourists were exploring its moon-like surface, killing five people and leaving eight others missing and feared dead, authorities said. Helicopter crews landed on...

PG&E's stock surges 16% on tentative wildfire settlement

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — PG&E's stock surged Monday after the utility reached a tentative $13.5 billion settlement resolving all major claims related to the Northern California wildfires of 2017 and 2018. The fires were blamed on Pacific Gas and Electric's outdated equipment and negligence. The utility...

Voicemail said couple burned by volcano; then silence

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Relatives of a newlywed American couple are desperately seeking information after learning that the husband and wife were severely burned from a volcano eruption in New Zealand. Barbara Barham told The Washington Post on Monday that daughter Lauren Urey, 32, and husband Matthew Urey,...