Fires uncharacteristic for this time of year are raging in South America
The fires in Colombia this month are unusual for a country where people are more accustomed to heavy rain and landslides than fires and ash. They have been linked to high temperatures and drought, exacerbated by the climate phenomenon known as El Niño. In Brazil, fires have destroyed large swaths of rainforest in recent years. Chile has declared two days of national mourning for those killed in the devastating forest fires that engulfed the Valparaiso region. Already 112 people have become victims of the disaster.
Large-scale floods and landslides continue in South America
Typically, the rainy season in Colombia begins in August, but this year some areas of the country were hit by heavy rains as early as late March and early April. Between 1998 and 2020, climate change-related natural disasters killed 312,000 people in Latin America and the Caribbean. Overall, more than 277 million people were affected to some extent.
Roscosmos continues to establish international cooperation in space
At the Baikonur Cosmodrome, intensive preparations have begun at the Vostok launch complex at site No. 31 for the launch of the next batch of spacecraft from the OneWeb satellite company as part of mission No. 38, the Roscosmos press service reports.
More than a hundred people became victims of floods in Brazil
On February 15, in just 6 hours, more than a month’s rainfall fell in the city of Petropolis. At least 104 people were killed in landslides and floods caused by heavy rains.