Seychelles declares state of emergency after blast, floods

Seychelles declares state of emergency after blast, floods
by AFP Staff Writers
Nairobi (AFP) Dec 7, 2023

Seychelles President Wavel Ramkalawan declared a state of emergency on Thursday, ordering citizens to stay at home after a blast at an explosives store and flooding due to heavy rain caused massive damage.

The explosion happened in an industrial area in Mahe, the largest island in the Indian Ocean archipelago, causing huge damage at the site and to surrounding areas, the presidency said in a statement.

The archipelago is famous for its idyllic white beaches and high-end tourism although around 40 percent of the country’s 98,000 inhabitants live in poverty.

“Following an explosion at the CCCL explosives store that has caused massive damage… and major destruction caused by flooding due to heavy rains, the president has declared a State of Emergency for today the 7th December,” the presidency said.

“All schools will be closed. Only workers in the essential services and persons travelling will be allowed free movement. This is to allow the emergency services to carry out essential work,” the statement added.

The international airport is still operational and ferry services between islands are running for visitors, the tourism-dependent country said on its official Visit Seychelles account on X, formerly Twitter.

The Seychelles Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) reported that heavy rains on Wednesday night caused serious damage in several areas of Mahe.

Photos on SBC’s official Facebook account showed collapsed houses, fallen trees, landslides and severe cracks along the surface of roads in Mahe.

A former British colony, the Seychelles is made up of 115 islands and according to 2021 World Bank data is the richest African country as measured by per capita gross domestic product, with tourism and fishing the biggest contributors to the economy.

However, the high cost of living means many still live in poverty.

– El Nino –

Mahe, where the capital Victoria is located, is home to 87 percent of the country’s population.

Parts of Africa — particularly Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia — have experienced heavier rainfall than usual since October, linked to the El Nino weather phenomenon.

According to the UN, the situation has been exacerbated by the combined impact of El Nino and the Indian Ocean Dipole — a climate system defined by the difference in sea surface temperature between western and eastern areas of the ocean.

El Nino is typically associated with increased heat worldwide, as well as drought in some parts of the world and heavy rains elsewhere.

El Nino last occurred in 2018-2019 and was followed by an exceptionally long La Nina — El Nino’s cooling opposite — which ended earlier this year.

amu/ho/kjm

X

Meta

Related Links

Bringing Order To A World Of Disasters
A world of storm and tempest
When the Earth Quakes

The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2023 – Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled “by Staff Writers” include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report’s information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.

>>> Read full article>>>
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source : IndoDaily – https://www.terradaily.com/reports/Seychelles_declares_state_of_emergency_after_blast_floods_999.html