Disasters and Hazards

There are concerns a blaze which destroyed parts of an agricultural supplies warehouse may stretch fertiliser and chemical supplies thin for farmers across Western Australia ahead of the seeding season.

Tasmanian authorities unable to contain a toxic chemical leak at a waste management facility in Spreyton will instead truck the chemical drums back to the mine site they came from and bury them.

Queenslanders are urged to be alert to the hazards of mud left by flooding after a record number of melioidosis cases in Cairns during January.

The company produces ammonium nitrate emulsion at the Bogan Gate Explosives Reserve, and has been contacted by the regulator multiple times.

Authorities have confirmed 64 deaths, with thousands of buildings, vehicles and boats damaged. It's possible that more strong shocks could hit in coming days, the Japan Meteorological Agency warned. 

A series of powerful earthquakes struck central Japan on Monday, killing at least 55 people, officials say, and destroying buildings, knocking out power to tens of thousands of homes, and prompting residents in some areas to flee.

The Glenorchy landslide of 1872 is still used to model future debris flow risks in parts of Tasmania with heavy rainfall deemed the biggest risk.

A year on from South Australia's River Murray floods, a "long list" of infrastructure repairs remain unfinished, popular tourist destinations are still in ruin and some residents are having to go it alone.

A train and a truck have collided at a level crossing in Geelong, south-west of Melbourne. The driver of the truck has died at the scene.

The powerful quake struck off the coast of the Pacific island nation Vanuatu just before midnight, with residents anxiously waiting for initial warnings of hazardous tsunami waves to be lifted. 

Your cyclone plan may revolve around your flood zoning, your pets, and the tide times. Here's everything you need to know to prepare ahead of Tropical Cyclone Jasper and beyond.

With very hot temperatures in Broome projected to increase from 56 to 87 days per year by 2030, Kimberley doctors are coming together to call for stronger climate action to prevent a health disaster.

The government is being urged to restrict land release in the Wollondilly Shire, especially in light of a report warning of eight-hour evacuation times during bushfires.

Rescuers trying to reach workers trapped in a collapsed highway tunnel in the Indian Himalayas since last weekend, suspend work temporarily after hearing a sudden "cracking sound".

Two people have been taken to hospital after a chemical spill at an alumina refinery site south of Perth.

At least 40 Indian workers trapped inside a collapsed Himalayan highway tunnel will spend a second night there, pending the arrival of rescue material. 

New Zealand pledged to improve its workplace health and safety record, but 13 years later, Pike River Mine families say "we have learnt absolutely nothing".  

Cyclone Lola is expected to weaken as it moves towards the capital Port Vila on Wednesday night, but destructive winds, flooding and damage are still expected. 

A US commercial airline pilot who tried to cut engines mid-flight while he was riding in an extra cockpit seat told police he had recently taken psychedelic mushrooms as his mental health worsened, documents say.

Philippine officials say a Chinese coast guard ship and militia vessel bumped two of its vessels in separate incidents off a disputed shoal in the South China Sea. 

A advice warning is in place as a bushfire continues to burn near the tourist WA town of Yallingup.

The death toll of a flash flood in Indian's Himalayan north rises to at least 41 people, with rescuers still digging through debris and fast-flowing water in the search for survivors.

More than 100 people are dead and 150 injured in a fire at a wedding celebration in the district of Hamdaniya in Iraq's Nineveh province, Iraqi state media reports. 

Penny Buchan, from Sydney's south, loves living in a place that fronts onto bush, except for the "scary days".

Two tourism companies on trial over the deadly Whakaari White Island volcano eruption have had charges dismissed.