A Thousand Dead

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 966, 8 May 1930, Page 9

A Thousand Dead

TRAIL OF ’QUAKE IN BURMA Earth Swallows Up Homes AMERICA SUFFERS FROM TORNADOS disaster has followed the earthquake at "■ Burma, where homes, with their inhabitants, disappeared into huge fissures in the ground, and where the death-roll has reached the alarming total of from 600 to 1,000. A tornado in America caused 84 deaths and wiped out the whole business section of a Texas town.

United P.A.—By Telegraph—Copyright Reed. 9.40 a.m. DELHI, Wednesday.

Survivors of the Pegu disaster who are arriving at Rangoon state that the town is almost wiped out. From 600 to 1,000 are dead and 30,000 are homeless. Several houses, with their inhabitants, have completely disappeared into huge fissures in the ground.

All the shops are wrecked and the post office and railway station are severely damaged.

Destruction of bridges and the permanent way caused a dislocation of the service.

When the gaol collapsed many prisoners escaped and troops and police were sent from Rangoon to-round them up and prevent looting. The injured and killed are still being extricated from the ruins and taken to hospital, where many deaths from injuries are reported hourly. The town of Kayan also suffered severely, by the earthquake. Many persons were buried alive by the collapse of the Mosque and the Courthouse. All the bazaar buildings were wrecked.

The death-roll is estimated at 50. It is reported that the Island of Tjongwa in the Hanthawaddy district, completely disappeared. The casualities are unknown. FOREST FIRES RAGING NEW’ YORK, Tuesday. Forest fires continue to rage over a wide area in, New Jersey. Rain

is still awaited, but there is no sign of its appearance. Military forces are engaged in fight ing the flames. The Red Cross organisation is aiding thousands of homeless victims. Fires also are burning in dangerous proximity to Portland, Maine, where a force of fighters is attempting to save the city’s power-houses from the flames. Several towns in Maine have been evacuated.

FIERCE TORNADO

TEXAS LOSES 84 LIVES WIDESPREAD DAMAGE Reed. 9.5 a.m. NEW YORK, W’ednesday It is believed that 84 lives were lost as the result of a “grasshopper” tornado, which leaped from one area to another in widely-separated parts of Texas yesterday, injuring hundreds of persons and causing tremendous damage. The tornadoes were accompanied by heavy rain and hail. The entire State experienced great wind storms. The whole business section of the town of Frost was destroyed. Communications with the areas affected have been dislocated.