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Billionaire tech tycoon and daughter missing after tornado strikes

<p>Six people, including a billionaire tech tycoon and his daughter, have been declared missing off the coast of Sicily after a tornado struck the area, causing their luxury super yacht to capsize and sink. </p> <p>Four British are reportedly among six people missing at sea, including billionaire Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah.</p> <p>At the time of the tragedy, 22 people were onboard and 15 were rescued by coastguard patrol boats and firefighters, including Mr Lynch’s wife Angela Bacares.</p> <p>The coast guard said that divers had been sent to inspect the wreck of the Bayesian, which was lying at a depth of 49 metres.</p> <p>Authorities confirmed that one body, believed to be that of the yacht's chef, has been found during their search of the vessel's hull. </p> <p>Charlotte Golunski, who was on board the vessel, told local news outlet La Repubblica newspaper of how she saved her daughter Sofia as the boat sank.</p> <p>She said, “I held her afloat with all my strength, my arms stretched upwards to keep her from drowning."</p> <p>“It was all dark. In the water I couldn’t keep my eyes open. I screamed for help but all I could hear around me was the screams of others.”</p> <p>Charlotte, her husband James and their daughter Sophia are among those onboard being treated at hospital. </p> <p>The captain of a nearby boat, Karsten Borner, said that when the storm hit he turned the engine on to keep control of the vessel and avoid a collision with the Bayesian.</p> <p>"We managed to keep the ship in position and after the storm was over, we noticed that the ship behind us was gone," he said, adding that the Bayesian "went flat on the water, and then down."</p> <p>Storms and heavy rainfall have swept down Italy in recent days after weeks of scorching heat, which had lifted the temperature of the Mediterranean sea to record levels, raising the risk of extreme weather conditions, experts said.</p> <p><em>Image credits: AFP/Alberto Lo Bianco/LaPresse/Shutterstock Editorial </em></p>

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“Get in the basement!”: Weatherman calls son during live report

<p>Doug Kammerer, NBC Washington chief meteorologist, was reporting live on a tornado when he realised its projected movement would see the storm pass directly over his house.</p> <p>Kammerer interrupted his live segment to call his kids and warn them about the storm, instructing them to wait in the basement.</p> <p>“I’m tracking this so closely now. This is going to go right over my house. So, very close to my house,” Kammerer said as he was showing that the Chevy Chase area of Maryland was under a tornado warning.</p> <p>Calling his son, he instructed him to grab his sibling and wait it out in the basement.</p> <p>“You there, buddy?” he said. “All right, hey, man, I want you to get down in the basement. We got a tornado warning.”</p> <p>“Get in the bedroom down there and just kind of wait for 10, 15 minutes,” he said before he hung up and resumed his broadcast.</p> <p>Addressing the audience after the call, Kammerer said: “I’ve gotta warn my kids because I know what they’re doing right now.”</p> <p>“They’re probably online gaming and they’re not seeing this!”</p> <p><em>Image: NBC</em></p>

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Two babies survive being flown through a tornado in a BATHTUB

<p>When a terrifying tornado started on its path of destruction in the US state of Kentucky last week, grandmother Clara Lutz jumped into action. </p> <p>Clara's house began to shake, as she grabbed her grandchildren and sheltered them in the bathtub along with a blanket, a pillow and a Bible. </p> <p>15-month-old Kaden and his three-month-old Dallas were then ripped from their grandmother as the whole bathtub was pulled out of the house by the storm along with the babies, as Clara told the local <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.14news.com/2021/12/17/2-babies-survive-after-tornado-carries-them-away-bathtub/" target="_blank">Channel 14 News</a>. </p> <p class="css-1316j2p-StyledParagraph e4e0a020">“Next thing I knew, the tub had lifted and it was out of my hands,” she said.</p> <p class="css-1316j2p-StyledParagraph e4e0a020">“I couldn’t hold on. I just – oh my God.”</p> <p class="css-1316j2p-StyledParagraph e4e0a020">Clara began looking for the kids through the wreckage, after she had just been struck in the back of the head from the bath's water tank. </p> <p class="css-1316j2p-StyledParagraph e4e0a020">Her house was stripped down to the foundation, as the extent of the damage was shared on Facebook.</p> <p><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=476&amp;href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Ftrevion.benton.9%2Fvideos%2F1060808244737027%2F&amp;show_text=false&amp;width=267&amp;t=0" width="267" height="476" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe></p> <p class="css-1316j2p-StyledParagraph e4e0a020">“All I could say was, ‘Lord please bring my babies back safely,” she said.</p> <p class="css-1316j2p-StyledParagraph e4e0a020">“Please, I beg thee.”</p> <p class="css-1316j2p-StyledParagraph e4e0a020">The bathtub was found upended in her backyard, with her grandchildren inside. </p> <p class="css-1316j2p-StyledParagraph e4e0a020">Three-month-old Dallas was taken to hospital for a head injury he sustained during the terrifying ordeal, but has made a full recovery. </p> <p class="css-1316j2p-StyledParagraph e4e0a020">More than 90 people have been confirmed dead after more than 40 tornadoes tore their way trough several states in the US.</p> <p class="css-1316j2p-StyledParagraph e4e0a020"><em>Image credits: Facebook - Sierra Lutz</em></p>

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One death and multiple injuries after freak Sydney mini tornado

<p>A woman has died and many others have been left injured after a brief freak storm ripped through Sydney's Northern Beaches on Sunday afternoon.</p> <p>Police have confirmed that a woman in her 70s lost her life due to a fallen tree, while another woman in her late 70s and a woman in her teens have been critically injured from debris. </p> <p class="css-1316j2p-StyledParagraph e4e0a020">“Officers from Northern Beaches Police Area Command along with NSW Ambulance paramedics, Fire &amp; Rescue NSW, and the Westpac helicopter responded to a carpark on Ocean Street, Narrabeen, after reports a tree and powerlines had come down,” police said in a statement.</p> <p class="css-1316j2p-StyledParagraph e4e0a020">“One person was declared deceased, while two others were critically injured and transported to Royal North Shore Hospital."</p> <p class="css-1316j2p-StyledParagraph e4e0a020">“The area is still considered hazardous, and members of the public are advised to avoid the area."</p> <p class="css-1316j2p-StyledParagraph e4e0a020">Fire and Rescue NSW said fallen trees have taken out powerlines across suburbs from Forestville to Mona Vale, leaving more than 25,000 people without electricity. </p> <p class="css-1316j2p-StyledParagraph e4e0a020">In Dee Why, an air-conditioning unit was ripped out of a building and sent flying through the streets below. </p> <p class="css-1316j2p-StyledParagraph e4e0a020">Meanwhile, metal sheeting was pulled off an apartment building roof and smashed into parked cars.</p> <p class="css-1316j2p-StyledParagraph e4e0a020"><span>Mackellar MP Jason Falinski described the damage from the storm as a “mini tornado”, as he shared pictures of the chaos on Twitter. </span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">There appears to have been a mini tornado, centred on the Northern Beaches. We are waiting to find out more but there seems to be some very serious injuries and damage. ⛈ <a href="https://t.co/MHkdlYUEyT">pic.twitter.com/MHkdlYUEyT</a></p> — Jason Falinski MP - For The Beaches (@JasonFalinskiMP) <a href="https://twitter.com/JasonFalinskiMP/status/1472446572315045889?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 19, 2021</a></blockquote> <p class="css-1316j2p-StyledParagraph e4e0a020"><span>He said, </span>“Emergency services and Ausgrid are rapidly responding across the LGA, with widespread power outages from Curl Curl to Palm Beach."</p> <p class="css-1316j2p-StyledParagraph e4e0a020">“Our hearts go out to those negatively impacted, and we will do everything we can to ensure the recovery is swift and full.”</p> <p class="css-1316j2p-StyledParagraph e4e0a020">Throughout the storm, over 400 calls were made to the SES for help, with that number expected to rise as the massive clean-up effort begins. </p> <p class="css-1316j2p-StyledParagraph e4e0a020"><em>Image credits: Twitter @JasonFalinksiMP</em></p>

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Woman speaks out after brother dies in Amazon warehouse

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">US-based retail giant Amazon is facing questions and criticism over its health and safety policies after six workers died when an Illinois warehouse was destroyed by a tornado on Friday.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The tornado was one of at least 30 that left areas across several states in devastation, and caused the Amazon warehouse in Edwardsville, Illinois, to collapse.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">One person was injured and 45 others were rescued safely.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Speaking at a news conference on Saturday, Edwardsville Fire Chief James Whiteford said walls on both sides of the building collapsed inwards, while the roof collapsed downward. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">According to the National Weather Service, the tornado touched down in Edwardsville at approximately 8.35pm.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 0px; height: 0px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7846342/amazon1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/b402df1e66454952971e7c37c5d36492" /></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">First responders surrounded the Edwardsville warehouse, where around 100 people were trapped. Image: Getty Images</span></em></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Amazon has said its team had “worked quickly” in response to the tornado, and that site leaders told employees on duty to take shelter at around 8.16pm local time.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When contacted by the <em>BBC</em>, Amazon said in a statement that the site received tornado warnings between 8.06pm and 8.16pm local time, before the tornado struck at 8.27pm.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">However, Rachel Cope, the sister of one of the victims, told the </span><em><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.bbc.com/news/business-59641784" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">BBC</span></a></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> she understood from a conversation between her brother and parents that workers weren’t immediately told to shelter following the first warning siren. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Her brother, 29-year-old Clayton Cope, spoke to his family on the phone shortly before the building was struck, with his mother Carla saying she called to warn him of the approaching tornado.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“We told him it looked like the storm was heading that way and that he needed to get to shelter,” Carla told NBC-affiliated television station KSDK.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Clayton, formerly trained in the Navy, told his mother that he would warn his coworkers before taking shelter.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Rachel has since taken to social media calling for publicity around the company’s approach to health and safety.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Everyone knows that this warehouse didn’t let everyone get to shelter after he [sic] first siren was heard,” she </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2021/12/13/torn-d13.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">wrote</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> in a Facebook post.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Everyone knows that all Amazon cares about is productivity. My brother never would have died if this company actually gave 2 shits about their employees and got them to safety after the storm started to get bad and took it seriously…</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I want them to answer for this, I want this to be a starting point of places taking the lives of their employees seriously and treating them as more than a number. This never would have happened if they cared about lives over productivity and you all know that.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Another victim, father-of-four Larry Virden, reportedly texted his long-term girlfriend telling her the company wouldn’t let workers leave.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Cherie Jones, his partner of 13 years, told </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Post</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> he had texted her at 8.23pm local time, with her messages sent at 8.51pm going unanswered.</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Horrifying details are emerging about the tornado disaster at Amazon's warehouse in Illinois, where at least 6 workers were killed on the job.<br /><br />Before he died, Larry Virden reportedly texted his girlfriend: "Amazon won’t let us leave." He leaves behind four children. <a href="https://t.co/3ZRLik9VIs">pic.twitter.com/3ZRLik9VIs</a></p> — More Perfect Union (@MorePerfectUS) <a href="https://twitter.com/MorePerfectUS/status/1470513075489054720?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 13, 2021</a></blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I got text messages from him. He always tells me when he is filling up the Amazon truck when he is getting ready to go back,” she </span><a href="https://au.news.yahoo.com/dad-of-fours-last-text-16-minutes-before-death-in-amazon-warehouse-104740521.html"><span style="font-weight: 400;">said</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. “I was like ‘OK, I love you’. He’s like, ‘well Amazon won’t let me leave until after the storm blows over’.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“We heard the tornado didn’t touch down until 8.39 so he had 20 minutes to get home.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I messaged him and that was the last text message I got from him.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I told him where we live, it was only lightning at the time. After that, I got nothing from him.” </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has announced it will </span><a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/13/osha-opens-probe-into-deadly-amazon-warehouse-collapse-in-illinois.html"><span style="font-weight: 400;">investigate the collapse</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Founder Jeff Bezos has also been the target of criticism after posting pictures of himself and his Blue Origin space crew following the incident.</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CXWLFkxr5td/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CXWLFkxr5td/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Jeff Bezos (@jeffbezos)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He later issued a statement expressing his condolences to the families of the victims.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The news from Edwardsville is tragic. We’re heartbroken over the loss of our teammates there, and our thoughts and prayers are with their families and loved ones,” he wrote.</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">(2/2) All of Edwardsville should know that the Amazon team is committed to supporting them and will be by their side through this crisis. We extend our fullest gratitude to all the incredible first responders who have worked so tirelessly at the site.</p> — Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) <a href="https://twitter.com/JeffBezos/status/1469849247042334721?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 12, 2021</a></blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Amazon has said it will donate $USD 1 million ($AUD 1.41 million or $NZD 1.48 million) to the Edwardsville Community Foundation, which represents 0.0000009 percent of the company’s earnings in </span><a href="https://techcrunch.com/2021/10/28/amazon-stock-falls-on-revenue-miss-rising-costs-due-to-macroeconomic-conditions/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Q3 2021</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The company has also said it will provide relief supplies such as transport, food and water.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Images: Getty Images</span></p>

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Severe thunderstorm and mini tornado damage Sydney properties

<p>A severe thunderstorm and mini tornado that struck Sydney on Wednesday afternoon has caused damage to many Sydney properties.</p> <p>The State Emergency Service received more than 300 calls for assistance due to ripped off roofs and fallen trees.</p> <p>Some Sydneysiders even called in because their trampolines had blown onto their roofs.</p> <p>The thunderstorm also left more than 35,000 homes without power and some traffic lights were out in peak hour traffic.</p> <p>The streets of Paramatta and Picton were hit by flash flooding as people tried to navigate the roads and make their way home.</p> <p>Public transport was also impacted all over Sydney as Paramatta Weir overflowed and buses were forced to replace ferries in some areas of Sydney.</p> <p>Sydney residents can expect little relief from the rain with the weather expected to continue throughout winter.</p> <p>Weatherzone meteorologist Rob Sharpe said, “Autumn is one of the wettest times of the year but what has been unusual is how many days of rain there have been already in March – almost every day has seen showers,' he said.</p> <p>“It has been quite a bit wetter than usual along the New South Wales coast.”</p> <p>“The reason why it's been so wet is because there has been a very high pressure system sitting in the Tasman Sea for the vast majority of the past three weeks. We've had lots of low pressure systems which haven't been moving as easily and frequently. But for the next few months, we are more likely to have these fronts move along the south of the country more freely.”</p> <p><em>Image credit; NSW Ambulance via Twitter</em></p>

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