A park ranger was killed and three people — a driver and two British tourists — were kidnapped in Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on May 11. The tourists and ranger were heading to the city of Goma after visiting a gorilla sanctuary in the park.
The ranger was the eighth one killed in the park in 2018. Since 1998, more than 170 rangers have been killed in the park either by militant groups operating in the area or by poachers.
Three US citizens held prisoner in North Korea, one since 2015, were released on May 10 ahead of a proposed meeting between US president Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The three men were the last US citizens held in North Korea.
A massive dust storm killed at least 61 people across India on May 13. The worst hit was the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, where at least 38 were killed, but deaths also occurred in Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal and Delhi.
As reported last month, a number of deadly storms hit northern India in April and May, with storms in April toppling two minarets at the Taj Mahal and another storm, on May 4, killing more than 140 people.
At least 65 people died from heatstroke during a heat wave in Karachi, Pakistan, in late May, with temperatures reaching 111ºF.
The heat wave occurred during the first days of Ramadan, during which adult Muslims fast from food and drink during the daylight hours, increasing the risk of dehydration and overheating. Children, the elderly and the infirm are exempt from the fast.
Heavy rains in Rwanda from February through May caused multiple mudslides that killed at least 200 people, including three in the capital, Kigali. This year’s rainy season has caused flooding throughout the region, particularly in Somalia, Uganda and Kenya.
The Fuego Volcano, 25 miles southwest of Guatemala City, Guatemala, violently erupted on June 2, spewing out a pyroclastic flow that buried villages around the mountain, killing at least 25 people. More than 3,000 people in the area were evacuated, with about 1.7 million people around the volcano experiencing ash falls.
Fuego is one of the most active volcanoes in the Americas, last erupting in February of this year. However, that eruption was small and caused no injuries.
The Patel Dam, an earthen embankment dam in central Nigeria, burst in heavy rain on May 9, flooding the town of Solai and killing at least 47 people. More than 40 people were still missing as of press time.
A city bus in Rome, Italy, burst into flames on May 8, slightly injuring one person and completely destroying the bus. The fire was believed to have been caused by a short circuit. It was the ninth city-bus fire in Rome in 2018. In 2017 there were 22 bus fires in the city. There were no injuries in any of the other fires.
The US Department of State posts up-to-date travel advisories on every country and many territories, ranking each 1 (Exercise normal precautions), 2 (Exercise increased caution), 3 (Reconsider travel) or 4 (Do not travel). Note: A country’s regions are also ranked and may have different rankings than the country as a whole. Visit travel.state.gov and click on “Travel Advisories” at the top of the page.
This month’s winner is JANE B. HOLT of Hinesburg, Vermont:
Kyoto was booked solid for the 2018 sakura (cherry blossom) season, so my husband, Clyde, and I stayed a 9-minute train ride away in Otsu at the Prince Hotel, on the shores of Lake Biwa. We took the hotel’s free shuttle to the train station to dine at a different nearby restaurant each night.