A wild Asian elephant wandered into a temporary border checkpoint in southwest China's Yunnan Province in the early hours of Friday, prompting police and auxiliary officers to evacuate to safety before the animal calmly left without causing damage.
The elephant approached the checkpoint in Jiangcheng Hani and Yi Autonomous County of Pu'er, bypassed barriers and traffic cones, and eventually walked away peacefully.
Officers followed established procedures, withdrawing to safe areas and ensuring no disturbance to the elephant, personnel or facilities.
The county, located at the junction of China, Laos and Vietnam, is a key habitat for wild Asian elephants. Local checkpoints often see elephants "drop by," and officers have developed a routine response when facing such an elephant encounter.
Upon receiving alerts or spotting elephant activity, officers are expected to immediately clear the area, close access routes, and monitor the animals until they depart, before swiftly restoring order.
Wild Asian elephant strolls into border checkpoint in Yunnan
Flights from across Japan to the country's Kumamoto have been suspended after a strong earthquake struck near the prefecture on Tuesday.
The earthquake, with a preliminary magnitude of 7.1, rocked Kumamoto and had a focal depth of 10 kilometers, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said.
As of 17:20 local time, 11 aftershocks, including a magnitude 6.1 temblor, have rocked the country's southwestern region, after the powerful quake, measuring max seven on Japan's seismic intensity scale, hit Kumamoto at around 16:27 local time, the weather agency said.
"Currently, flights from all over Japan to Kumamoto have been suspended. The fastest way to reach the disaster area in Kumamoto is to travel overland from Fukuoka or Kagoshima in Kyushu region to the epicenter," China Media Group (CMG) reporter He Xinlei reported at Tokyo's Haneda Airport.
As of now, more than 30 aftershocks have been recorded within about three hours after the main quake.
Apart from flights, all train services, including Shinkansen bullet and local trains, were halted in Kyushu after the quake, Kyodo News reported.
According to the JMA, this is the first time seismic intensity seven has been recorded in Japan since the Noto Peninsula Earthquake in January 2024, and also the first time Kumamoto Prefecture has recorded a seismic intensity of seven since the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake, during which intensity seven was observed twice.
A tsunami warning of one meter has been issued for the Ariake Sea and Yatsushiro Sea in southwestern Japan.
Flights to Kumamoto suspended after strong quake
Flights to Kumamoto suspended after strong quake
