US weather: One dead and another injured after avalanche at California ski resort
Rescue teams searching a California ski resort near Lake Tahoe following an avalanche say one person has died and another has been injured.
A major storm with snow and gusty winds moved into the region after a series of powerful winter storms swept through parts of the eastern US and Canada, claiming the lives of at least five people and leaving more than half a million people without power.
The avalanche in California took place around 9.30am at Palisades Tahoe, according to the resort.
Authorities said a man had died and another man was injured – and that no one else was missing.
The mountain was closed for the day, with weather experts recording 110mph (177kph) gusts on Tuesday afternoon at the summit of Alpine Meadows, the neighbouring sister resort of Palisades.
Sergeant David Smith, a spokesperson for the Placer County sheriff, earlier told The Associated Press there were “no confirmed reports” of people trapped in the avalanche, but search teams were assessing the area.
It comes as a storm sweeps across the country towards the west coast of the US, following a series of strong winter storms in the east of the country.
The Atlantic Ocean spills over the seawall and flows on to a road in Hampton, New Hampshire. Pic:Deb Cram/Foster’s Daily Democrat via AP
A flood road in Hampton, New Hampshire. Pic: Deb Cram/Foster’s Daily Democrat via AP
Near Cottonwood, Alabama, a small city near the Georgia and Florida borders, an 81-year-old woman was killed when her mobile home was tossed from its foundation, the Houston County coroner said.
A suspected tornado had touched down in the area.
Police in Clayton County, south of Atlanta, said a man died during heavy rain when a tree fell on his car on a state road in Jonesboro.
Another man was also crushed to death by a tree that came down in Birmingham, Alabama, on Tuesday morning, local media, citing local officials, reported.
Authorities in Missouri said a 17-year-old female driver from Rolla was killed Tuesday evening after she lost control of the car, struck a portion of the overpass, and then was hit by a tractor-trailer.
In North Carolina, one person died and two others were in critical condition after a suspected tornado struck a mobile home park in the town of Claremont, north of Charlotte, said Amy McCauley, a spokesperson for Catawba County.
Storm-related injuries were reported in Florida, but no deaths.
Flood waters at Hampton Beach, New Hampshire. Pic: Henry Swenson via AP
Meanwhile, more than 630,000 households in the eastern US, from Florida to New York State, were without electricity, as of Tuesday evening.
New Jersey governor Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency and New York City officials evacuated nearly 2,000 migrants housed at a sprawling tent complex.
In Maine, Governor Janet Mills delayed the opening of all state offices until noon on Wednesday due to the storm.
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Rain and high winds extended into the nation’s capital, forcing vice president Kamala Harris’s aircraft to divert from Joint Base Andrews to Dulles International Airport near Washington when it encountered wind shear, a sudden shift in wind direction or speed.
Many areas of Florida remained under flood watches, warnings and advisories early Wednesday morning amid concerns that streams and rivers were topping their banks.
Damage after a tornado struck the city of Bamberg, South Carolina
Damage following a tornado in the city of Bamberg, South Carolina
Governor Ron DeSantis, who gave his State of the State address as tornado warnings were active outside the Capitol, issued an executive order to include 49 counties in North Florida under a state of emergency.
The storm also caused severe coastal flooding in New Hampshire, and in Bamberg, South Carolina, a possible tornado knocked down several old brick storefronts.
Another storm that began on Monday buried cities across the Midwest in snow, stranding people on roads.
Some areas saw up to a foot of snow on Monday, including Kansas, eastern Nebraska and South Dakota, western Iowa, and southwestern Minnesota.
City teams remove snow as it falls during a blizzard at the Linn County Courthouse in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Pic: AP
People stand on an enormous snow pile in downtown Oskaloosa, Iowa, on Tuesday. Pic: AP
In southeastern Wisconsin, an SUV driver died on Tuesday in a head-on collision with a semitrailer on a slushy, snowy state highway, authorities said.
In western Michigan, a 35-year-old woman died after she lost control of her minivan on a slushy road and it collided with an SUV, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said.
The ambulance taking her to a Grand Rapids hospital, where she was pronounced dead, was struck by another vehicle en route there, and a second ambulance was needed to finish the transport to the hospital.
Children are among the fatalities in a mass shooting at a child’s birthday party in California.
Police said four people had died and 10 were wounded in the incident in Stockton, about 60 miles east of San Francisco.
Officers were called on Saturday to a banquet hall just before 6pm local time (2am UK time) and district attorney Ron Freitas said children were among the dead.
He said the attacker was still at large.
First responders walk through a parking lot near the scene of a mass shooting in Stockton, California. Pics: AP
“We can confirm at this time that approximately 14 individuals were struck by gunfire, and four victims have been confirmed deceased,” San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office said on X.
The post said early indications suggest it could be a “targeted incident” but that information remains limited.
Police have so far not disclosed the attacker’s identity and the motive is unclear.
Stockton’s vice mayor Jason Lee confirmed on Facebook that the shooting on Lucile Avenue happened at a child’s birthday party.
Pics: AP
Mayor Christina Fugazzi also said that “families should be together instead of at the hospital, standing next to their loved one, praying that they survive”.
California governor Gavin Newsom’s office added that he had been briefed on the “horrific shooting”.
Venezuela has accused Donald Trump of a “colonial threat” after he said the airspace “above and surrounding” the country should be considered closed “in its entirety”.
Mr Trump made the declaration amid growing tensions with President Maduro – and as the US continues attacking boats it claims are carrying drugs from Venezuela.
He wrote on Truth Social: “To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY.”
Air traffic above Venezuela on Saturday afternoon. Pic: FlightRadar24
Venezuela’s foreign affairs office called it a “colonial threat” and “illegal, and unjustified aggression”.
It accused the president of threatening “the sovereignty of the national airspace… and the full sovereignty of the Venezuelan state”.
President Trump’s words were part of a “permanent policy of aggression against our country” that breached international law and the UN Charter, it added.
The Pentagon and the White House have so far not given any additional detail on the president’s statement.
Mr Trump’s post comes after the American aviation regulator last week warned of a “potentially hazardous situation” over Venezuela due to a “worsening security situation”.
Nicolas Maduro is widely considered a dictator by the West. Pic: Reuters
The South American nation revoked operating rights for six major airlines that went on to suspend flights to the country.
Mr Trump warned a few days ago that land operations against suspected Venezuelan drug traffickers would begin “very soon”.
Such a move would be a major escalation in Operation Southern Spear – the US naval deployment in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific that’s so far attacked at least 21 vessels.
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Venezuela has said the attacks, which have killed more than 80 people, amount to murder.
The US has released videos of boats being targeted, but hasn’t provided evidence – such as photos of their cargo – to support the smuggling claims.
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The Pentagon has sought to justify the strikes by labelling the drug gangs as “foreign terrorist organisations” – putting them on par with the likes of al Qaeda.
It claims the boats targeted are carrying drugs bound for the US, although Sky’s chief correspondent says the final destination is likely to be Europe and West Africa.
President Maduro has denied Mr Trump’s claims he is involved in the drugs trade himself and said his counterpart wants to oust him so he can install a more sympathetic government.
Venezuelan officials have also claimed Mr Trump’s true motivation is access to the country’s plentiful oil reserves.
Mr Maduro is widely considered a dictator who’s cheated elections and has been president since 2013.
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