Category: explosions

9 Held in Netherlands, Belgium Over German ATM Explosions

BERLIN—Nine men suspected of involvement in blowing up dozens of cash machines in Germany and stealing some 5.2 million euros (nearly $5.7 million) have been arrested in the Netherlands and Belgium, German authorities said. The arrests were made during raids on 16 properties in the two neighboring countries on Jan. 30, prosecutors and police in…


‘Close Call’ in Shelling Near Nuclear Reactor on Ukraine’s Frontline

KYIV—Ukraine narrowly escaped disaster during fighting at the weekend that rocked Europe’s largest atomic power plant with a barrage of shells, some falling near reactors and damaging a radioactive waste storage building, the U.N. nuclear watchdog said. Russia and Ukraine on Monday traded blame for at least a dozen explosions at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power…


Somalia’s President Says at Least 100 Killed in Car Bombings

MOGADISHU, Somalia—Somalia’s president says at least 100 people were killed in Saturday’s two car bombings at a busy junction in the capital and the toll could rise in the country’s deadliest attack since a truck bombing at the same spot five years ago killed more than 500. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, at the site of…


2 Explosions Rock Somalia’s Capital, Killing at Least 30

MOGADISHU, Somalia—Two car bombs exploded Saturday at a busy junction in Somalia’s capital near key government offices, causing “scores of civilian casualties” including children, national police said. One hospital worker counted at least 30 bodies amid fears of possibly many more. The attack in Mogadishu occurred on a day when the president, prime minister, and…


When Planets Go Boom: Scientists Explore Big Explosions in Solar System—Asteroids, Lurching Landmasses, and More

At one time during Earth’s history, elemental forces heaved the great landmasses in the direction of the equator. So colossal was this shift, it was like Boston being dragged down to zero latitude—a distance more than 1,600 miles. This massive shift occurred 800 million years ago, explained Adam Maloof, an associate professor of geosciences at Princeton…


Big Explosions Rock Ammunition Dump in Russian-Annexed Crimea

An ammunition depot in Russian-annexed Crimea exploded on Tuesday, injuring two people and disrupting railway traffic between the peninsula and the rest of southern Ukraine and Russia, the region’s top Russian-backed official said. Russia blamed saboteurs for orchestrating the explosions. Sergei Aksyonov, the top Russian official in Crimea, said around 2,000 local people had been…


Moscow Blames Saboteurs for Explosions That Rock Ammo Dump in Russian-Annexed Crimea

LONDON—Russia on Tuesday blamed saboteurs for orchestrating a series of explosions at an ammunition depot in Russian-annexed Crimea. The incident follows a series of explosions last week at a Russian-operated air base in Crimea which Ukrainian officials hinted were part of some kind of special operation but which Moscow said at the time was an…


Wildfires in Germany, Czechia Threatening Tourist Region

BERLIN—A large wildfire on the German-Czech border is spreading and threatening to destroy a forested national park popular with tourists. The fire in the region, called Bohemian Switzerland on the Czech side and the Saxon Switzerland national park on the German side, started last weekend. It had seemed to be under control but spread again…


2 Days After Deadly Blasts, Bangladesh Container Depot Still Burns

DHAKA—Firefighters battled for a third day on Monday to control a huge fire that killed dozens when it triggered explosions at a Bangladesh container depot, as officials warned of the risk of further blasts if the flames spread to chemicals stored nearby. Drone footage from the BM Container Depot at Sitakunda, 40 km (25 miles)…


Omaha Chemical Plant Fire Extinguished; Evacuations End

OMAHA, Neb.—A large fire that raged through a Nebraska chemical plant was extinguished by Tuesday morning and nearby residents who were initially evacuated were allowed to return to their homes, authorities said. Thick smoke billowed from the Nox-Crete facility just southwest of downtown Omaha that could be seen as far away Monday evening as the…