A passenger flight from Colombia's capital Bogota to Cali, one of the worst-hit cities by the magnitude-7.5 earthquake on Monday, was forced to return mid-air on Tuesday due to the sudden closure of the airport in the disaster zone.
According to the Colombian Geological Service, the powerful earthquake struck western Colombia at 07:34 local time (1234 GMT) on Monday. Its epicenter was near San Jose del Palmar, in the department of Choco, at a depth of 96 km.
The death toll from the disaster has risen to 132 so far, with more than 570 others injured, the Colombian government said in its latest update on Tuesday.
According to the preliminary report, 32 cities across the country have been seriously affected, while five departmental capitals -- Pereira, Cali, Quibdo, Manizales and Armenia -- remain under red alert.
According to a China Media Group (CMG) correspondent, she and other passengers had initially waited for more than five hours at the El Dorado International Airport in Bogota before their flight to Cali, Colombia's third-largest city, finally took off. The airport serving Cali had been temporarily closed after the quake but was later reopened.
The journey, however, took an unexpected turn. Mid-flight, the pilot announced that Cali's airport had once again been shut down, citing technical issues. With no alternative landing site nearby, the aircraft was forced to turn around and return to Bogota.
The Colombian government has declared a state of national disaster to respond to the impact of the earthquake.
Flight to Colombia's quake-hit Cali forced to return amid airport shutdown
Typhoon Dolphin has brought strong winds and heavy rainfall to east China after making two landfalls along the coast of east China's Zhejiang Province, prompting local authorities to take active measures for disaster response.
The typhoon made its second landfall at Yueqing in Wenzhou City of east China's Zhejiang Province at around 18:40 on Sunday, about an hour after it first landed at Yuhuan in Taizhou City, Zhejiang.
China's National Commission for Disaster Prevention, Reduction and Relief on Monday activated a Level-IV national disaster relief emergency response for Zhejiang Province after the region was severely affected by Typhoon Dolphin, the 13th typhoon of the year.
The county-level city of Yuhuan has seen infrastructure damage and crop losses. Police officers and sanitary workers have been working overnight to clear fallen trees and debris from roads, as well as push stalled vehicles to safety.
Heavy rainfall has caused severe flooding in Chatou Village of Qinggang Town, trapping villagers and blocking roads. Rescue teams arrived promptly with inflatable boats to conduct door-to-door evacuations and assist stranded residents.
In Yueqing, persistent heavy rain has led to nine localized flooding areas since Sunday night. Over 400 flood relief personnel have been mobilized to carry out drainage operations.
As the typhoon is gradually moving away from Zhejiang, both airport and railway services in Wenzhou City have resumed orderly operations.
Shanghai issued an orange alert for rainstorm on Monday morning. Some road sections were severely flooded, affecting traffic. Communities in low-lying areas have seen water logging.
Meanwhile, water levels continued to rise in the Suzhou River, submerging some waterfront platforms. Emergency services deployed high-capacity pumping devices, manually transferring water from the river into the Huangpu River to safeguard flood defenses along 25 drainage systems.
Suzhou City and Nantong City in Jiangsu Province also experienced strong winds, prompting rapid deployment of typhoon response measures, including vessel control at fishing ports and traffic restrictions on cross-river bridges.
In Wuxi, a steel plate from a construction site was blown onto the road by strong winds, and a car was accidentally crushed by the steel plate. Firefighters lost no time to reach the scene and promptly handled the situation.
Authorities are monitoring flood-prone river channels, mountain runoff areas, waterlogged bridges and key transportation infrastructure to prepare for emergencies.
China has a four-tier color-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe, followed by orange, yellow and blue. It also has a four-tier emergency response system, with Level I being the highest.
Typhoon Dolphin hits east China with heavy rains, prompting emergency response
