In brief: No tsunami threat from Chile quake
HONOLULU – Officials say there is no threat of tsunami to U.S. coastal states in the Pacific from a magnitude-7.8 aftershock that struck off Chile.
The Pacific and national tsunami warning centers said Wednesday there was no threat to Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington.
The aftershock rocked Chile’s northern coast, which was hit by a magnitude-8.2 earthquake Tuesday night.
The temblor caused buildings to shake in the port of Iquique which saw some damage from the big quake on Tuesday.
Tourist, hotel worker abducted at resort
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – Suspected Filipino insurgents seized a Chinese tourist and a hotel worker from a dive resort in eastern Malaysia and then fled by speedboat, Malaysian and Philippine officials said Thursday.
The incident took place late Wednesday in the Semporna district of Sabah state, which is on the Malaysian side of Borneo island.
The raid underlines persistent security threats in Sabah, a popular tourist destination and dive spot that is a short boat ride from the southern Philippines, where Muslim militants and kidnap gangs have long found safe haven.
It will likely add to negative sentiment in China over the safety of its citizens in Malaysia, which is still hunting for a jetliner that went missing March 8 with 153 Chinese citizens on board.
Six men armed with pistols raided the Singamata Reef Resort, a midrange resort popular with Chinese tourists, according to a police report sent to the Associated Press by a security official.
It said the Chinese victim was a 28-year-old woman from Shanghai, while the hotel worker was a 40-year-old Philippines national.
A Philippines intelligence official said the attackers were believed to be from the Abu Sayaff group, a militant Muslim group that claims allegiance to al-Qaida and has been implicated in other kidnappings for ransom in the region before.
Shark kills woman in open-water swim
SYDNEY – A shark killed a woman today as she swam with a group of swimmers off a popular Australian east coast beach, police said.
The woman, in her 60s, was taken as she attempted to swim the 660 yards between the wharf and beach near the village of Tathra, 210 miles south of Sydney, police said in a statement.
The Thathra Wharf to Waves – a swim from the wharf to the beach and back again – is an annual event that attracts hundreds of swimmers each summer.
Local council general manager Leanne Barnes said the victim was part of a group of Tathra locals who meet at the beach every morning to swim out to the wharf and back.