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Over 200 whales stranded in Australia

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More than 200 whales have been found stranded on a remote beach on the west coast of Tasmania, Australia.

Half of the pod, thought to be pilot whales, are believed to be still alive. Rescuers are being sent to the area.

It’s unclear what caused the whales to beach on a sandflat at the entrance to Macquarie Harbour, the same remote location where Australia’s worst stranding occurred two years ago.

It comes a day after a separate mass stranding in northern Tasmania.

The incident on Tuesday saw 14 young sperm whales found dead on King Island, in the Bass Strait.

Experts were planning a rescue of the 230 whales discovered on Wednesday but the operation would be “complex” due to the location, Tasmania’s Department of Natural Resources and Environment said in a statement.

“It appears about half of the animals are alive.”

Macquarie Harbour is a large, shallow inlet in a rural area. More of the whales are expected to die overnight.

Locals have been covering the stranded whales with blankets and pouring buckets of water over them to try to keep them alive.

(BBC News)

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Baltimore bridge collapse : 2 Bodies recovered

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The bodies of two people have been recovered from a red pickup truck, which was under water where the Baltimore bridge collapsed.

Eight construction workers were on the bridge when a ship struck it, plunging them into the waters below.

Two of the workers were rescued on the day, but the search continues for the other four – all presumed dead.

Salvage crews are working to address hazardous materials and accident investigators are on the scene.

Four of the six victims of the bridge collapse have been named so far.

At a press conference on Wednesday, Maryland State Police identified Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, 35, and Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, 26, as the two workers recovered by divers from inside the truck. Mr Fuentes is originally from Mexico and Mr Cabrera is from Guatemala.

But divers are no longer able to safely navigate the waters because of concrete and debris found in the river, police said. They are now using sonar scans and believe that vehicles that may contain other bodies are “encased in superstructure and concrete” that came down from the bridge, an official said.

Two other missing victims, who are presumed dead, have also been named: Miguel Luna, originally from El Salvador, and Maynor Suazo Sandoval, a Honduran citizen.

Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said earlier that two of its citizens were presumed dead – one of whom is now identified as Mr Fuentes – while another was rescued from the water.

One person who was in hospital after being pulled out of the water was released, officials said late Wednesday.

First responders spent hours on Tuesday searching the waters of the Patapsco River for the six construction workers, who were working on potholes on the bridge around 01:30 (05:30 GMT) when the ship crashed into the bridge. The US Coast Guard called off the search around sunset, saying cold water temperatures and hours gone by meant the workers were presumed dead.

(BBC News)

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Saudi Arabia to contest Miss Universe pageant for the first time

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Saudi Arabia will participate in the Miss Universe pageant for the first time, making it a historic event for the Islamic country.

Rumy Alqahtani, a beauty pageant veteran and an influencer on Monday announced this news on her Instagram handle that she will be representing the kingdom in one of the most popular pageants in the world.

She shared glamourous pictures of herself. In the picture, model can be seen wearing a strapless sequined gown.

Along with the photos, she wrote, “I am honoured to participate in the Miss Universe 2024 competition. This is the first participation of Saudi Arabia in the Miss Universe competition,” she wrote in Arabic on Instagram.

According to the Khaleej Times, born in Riyadh, Alqahtani is no stranger to the spotlight. She has joined numerous global pageants, with the latest one being Miss and Mrs Global Asian in Malaysia a few weeks ago.

Last year, Miss Nicaragua Sheynnis Palacios was crowned Miss Universe 2023.

For the first time, a contestant from Nicaragua became the winner of the contest while Antonia Porsild from Thailand and Moraya Wilson from Australia secured the second and third positions respectively.

The organizers of the event had announced last year that the next edition will be held in Mexico.

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Search operation underway after Baltimore bridge collapse

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A huge search operation is under way for at least seven people after a major bridge in the US city of Baltimore has collapsed into the Patapsco River after a container ship crashed into it today (March 26).

According to reports, two people have been pulled from the water.

The bridge snapped and plunged into the water at around 01:30 ET (05:30 GMT) along with vehicles and people.

According to maritime data, the container ship involved appears to be a Singapore-flagged vessel named Dali. It had departed the port in Baltimore at around 1 a.m. and was headed for the Sri Lankan capital Colombo, where it was due to arrive in late April.

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