In-telligent Emergency Alerts Feed

As of 7 p.m. on Tuesday, August 24, India has administered as many as 594,765,751 COVID-19 vaccine doses in total with about 5,467,551 of those being administered that day. Of those who were vaccinated on Tuesday, 3,829,038 people were receiving their first dose while the remaining 1,638,513 were receiving their second. On the same day, the first Indian-produced vaccine was found to be safe in its interim Phase 1 trial and was approved for Phase 2 and Phase 3 trials. At the time of reporting, the country had experienced 37,593 new COVID-19 cases and 648 deaths in the previous 24 hours. https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/india-has-administered-at-least-594-million-covid-vaccine-doses-till-now-101629866048986.html

At least five people are dead and six others are injured after an offshore oil platform in Mexico erupted into flames on Sunday. The incident has reportedly reduced the country's oil production by about 25 percent. According to Pemex Chief Executive Octavio Romero, the fire broke out when workers were performing maintenance on the platform; some workers are still missing and are being searched for. With the platform out of commission, about 421,000 barrels of oil are being lost per day with 125 wells offline.The company intends to restore power to the facility by Wednesday, aiming to resume gas and oil production afterward. The extent of the impact on Pemex's monthly production and exports has not yet been estimated. Pemex has had a checkered past in relation to security and safety at their facilities in the past. https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/one-dead-five-missing-after-pemex-offshore-platform-fire-2021-08-23/

Indonesian President Joko Widodo said on Monday that the country will begin easing up on COVID-19 restrictions, as vaccination rates have increased and new cases of the virus have fallen dramatically since their peak. Beginning on Tuesday, restaurants and places of worship will be able to operate at 25 percent capacity and shopping centers will reopen at 50 percent capacity. Monday was the first day since mid-June that the country experienced fewer than 10,000 new cases; daily deaths were also below 1,000 for the first time in more than a month. While cases have been dropping in Jakarta and parts of Java, the COVID-19 Delta variant continues to drive surges in cases in other parts of the country, including Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi and Papua. Authorities will continue to assess the situation every week or two and adjust restrictions as necessary. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/indonesia-allow-restaurants-shops-reopen-jakarta-bali-2021-08-23/

Hurricane Grace made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane just south of Tulum, Mexico at about 4:45 a.m. on Thursday. According to the National Water Commission, the storm generated winds of about 130 kmph (80 mph) with gusts up to 155 kmph (96 mph). There have been reports of minor damage and 149,000 homes have been left without power. Grace is forecasted to weaken as it travels along the Yucatan Peninsula before restrengthening over the Gulf of Mexico and making a second landfall on the coast of Veracruz as a Category 1 hurricane late Friday or early Saturday. Torrential rain is expected to continue to fall on Yucatan and Quintana Roo over the next 24 hours. https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/grace-touches-down-in-tulum-as-category-1-hurricane/

Seven people were killed Monday when gunmen attacked a convoy transporting workers to a Shell oil and gas project in southeast Nigeria. Six workers and one police officer were killed in the attack. Police initially blamed the Biafra separatist group, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), but the organization has since denied responsibility. The incursion comes while the region has been experiencing a wave of violence directed toward security personnel and government facilities. Nobody has claimed responsibility for the murders as of yet but authorities have launched an investigation to arrest the perpetrators and determine the motive for the attack. The violence came on the same day that President Muhammadu Buhari signed a new energy bill into law that aims to provide a clearer framework for oil companies who want to invest and work in Nigeria. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/8/18/seven-killed-in-attack-at-shell-facility-in-nigerias-southeast

At least one person is dead and 29 others are injured after a gas leak caused an explosion in an apartment block in Mexico City, Mexico. Scores of families have been left homeless by the incident. The deceased victim passed away in the hospital, several hours after the explosion and two others have second or third-degree burns on upwards of 60 percent of their bodies. Some people on the scene said that they had smelled gas in the building for days leading up to the blast. The apartments of 30 families in the building were left completely uninhabitable but repairs will be covered by insurance. Benito Juárez Mayor, Santiago Taboada, has said that housing and psychological assistance will be provided to the 63 families who reside in the building until the building can be repaired. https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/gas-leak-blamed-for-explosion-in-mexico-city-apartment-building/

At least 13 people have been killed and several others injured after a grenade attack in Karachi, Pakistan. According to Geo News, the attack occurred near the Baldia Town's Mawach Goth area at around 9:30 p.m. local time on Saturday. Authorities inspected the remnants after the blast and determined that the explosive used was a grenade. In an official statement, additional inspector general of police Imran Yaqoob said police suspect a family dispute or act of terrorism as the cause of the attack, but have not yet been able to identify the perpetrator. At least six women and four children are among the deceased. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/pakistan-13-killed-several-injured-in-karachi-grenade-attack/articleshow/85344885.cms

A massive explosion in an important weapons-producing factory killed three employees and injured two others late on Thursday night. The military and local authorities have confirmed the incident and stated that the blast was an accident. According to their statement, the explosion took place in one of the Pakistan Ordinance Factories that is located about 25 miles from the capital, Islamabad. No further details have been made available but authorities say that the situation is under control. The factory supplies weapons to Pakistan's military and exports arms. https://apnews.com/article/asia-pacific-business-pakistan-accidents-278f03d16577c9b40ccdfc6a663f7cdb

Flooding in the Jama'are Local Government Area (LGA) of Bauchi state in Nigeria has killed five people and destroyed 1,567 farms. A storm that lasted for 20 hours caused the Jos river to overflow, submerging farmlands and destroying crops in seven villages in the area. Only one of the five victims has been identified thus far but pictures were taken of the other four before burial to try to identify them. Local authorities have created a committee to assess the situation to determine what level of action will be necessary to mitigate the damage. They have also distributed food and other necessities to surviving victims in the area. https://guardian.ng/news/flood-destroys-1567-farmlands-kills-5-in-jamaare-bauchi/

At least 10 people have been killed and dozens of others are still trapped in a landslide in Himachal Pradesh, India. Authorities are working to rescue those who are still missing but are being hampered by boulders that are still falling at the site of the accident. Both Border Police and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are involved in the ongoing rescue efforts. Five people have been rescued thus far but authorities believe that about another 30 people are still trapped. Rescue operations are expected to continue through the night. This incident is one of several deadly landslides that have occurred in recent months due to a particularly severe monsoon season. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-58171679