Top stories from DAWNS Digest.
Nigeria: Worst Boko Haram Attack. Ever.
Nearly 200 people were killed in a major military-style confrontation between Boko Haram militants and Nigerian government soldiers. By all accounts, this was a pretty horrific battle. “The fighting in Baga began Friday and lasted for hours, sending people fleeing into the arid scrublands surrounding the community on Lake Chad. By Sunday, when government officials finally felt safe enough to see the destruction, homes, businesses and vehicles were burned throughout the area. The assault marks a significant escalation in the long-running insurgency Nigeria faces in its predominantly Muslim north, with Boko Haram extremists mounting a coordinated assault on soldiers using military-grade weaponry.” (AP http://bit.ly/13pBmcv)
Death Toll Rises in China Earthquake
A devastating earthquake struck in rural China on Saturday. “The death toll from the 7.0-magnitude earthquake had risen to 193, up from 157 on Saturday night, with more than 10,574 people injured, as of 10:30 a.m. (8 a.m. IST) on Sunday…The earthquake struck the city of Ya’an, home to 1.5 million residents, in Lushan county, located around 140 km from the provincial capital Chengdu. The impact of the earthquake was strong enough to rattle buildings in Chengdu and to be felt in as many as five surrounding provinces, with landslides reported in Yunnan province and at least one death reported in neighbouring Shaanxi.” (The Hindu http://bit.ly/XYCgOT)