natural catastrophes News

Thai-Chinese Firm Denies Flouting Safety Measures in Probe of Skyscraper Collapse

A Thai-Chinese company denied Monday allegations its steel rods did not pass safety standard tests after nationwide criticism prompted an investigation into the collapse of a high-rise building under construction after an earthquake last month in Bangkok. Authorities are probing …

Global Natural Disasters Cost Insurers $53B in Q1, With Economic Losses of $83B

Global natural catastrophes had an insured price tag of more than $53 billion during the first quarter of 2025 – claims driven by California’s wildfires of approximately $38 billion, or 71% of total insured losses across the globe, according to …

Catastrophe Bonds Among Few Asset Classes Withstanding Meltdown

A bond market designed around natural catastrophes is proving remarkably resilient to a man-made market meltdown. While most markets have seen deep selloffs since Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariff announcement, investors in catastrophe bonds have sailed through with hardly a …

Severe Storms Batter Greek Islands, With Crete Hit Hardest

Severe storms battered islands in Greece for a second day on Tuesday [April 1], with Crete experiencing the heaviest rainfall. Authorities on Paros and Mykonos, meanwhile, worked to clear overturned cars and debris following hailstorms and torrential downpours. On Monday, …

Japan Warns Potential Megaquake Could Kill Nearly 300,000

A long-feared megaquake off Japan’s southern coast could result in almost 300,000 deaths, according to a new model released by the government. In the worst-case scenario, a megaquake in the Nankai Trough would destroy 2.34 million buildings and kill 298,000 …

Australia Outback Lashed by Year’s Worth of Rain in Week, With Many Livestock Killed

Australia’s remote outback in western Queensland has been swamped by flooding after being lashed with a year’s worth of rainfall in a week, sweeping away tens of thousands of livestock. Up to 500 millimeters (19.7 inches) of rain has flooded …

Thailand Says Collapsed Bangkok Tower Used Substandard Steel

The contractors of an under-construction tower that crashed in Bangkok during last week’s earthquake apparently used substandard steel bars made by a factory that had been shuttered by authorities. Samples of two different sizes of steel bars collected from the …

War-Torn Myanmar Struggles With Quake Rescue as Toll Rises

The death toll from Myanmar’s biggest earthquake in a century is set to climb from more than 1,700 following the end of a critical 72-hour rescue window, with aid efforts hampered by the ongoing civil war and sweltering heat. About …

Thailand Probes Collapse of Only Skyscraper to Crumble in Quake

The collapse of a skyscraper under construction in Bangkok — the lone building to crash during the massive earthquake last week — has become the center of Thai investigations as questions swirl around the construction and quality of the materials …

Myanmar Junta Asks for Aid as Death Toll From Massive Quake Nears 150

Myanmar’s military leader requested international aid on Friday to help deal with the aftermath of a massive earthquake that they said has left at least 144 people dead. The quake on Friday measured 7.7 in magnitude, according to the US …