emergency crews

Investigators, cleanup crews begin scouring oil pipeline spill in Kansas

Investigators, cleanup crews begin scouring oil pipeline spill in Kansas

Emergency crews on Friday were preparing to labor through the weekend to clean up the largest U.S. crude oil spill in nearly a decade, with workers descending on this farming community from as far away as Mississippi. A heavy odor of oil hung in the air, according to a Reuters witness, as tractor trailers ferried generators, lighting and ground mats to a muddy site. Federal investigators were at the scene trying to help determine what caused a leak of some 14,000 barrels of oil from Western Canada, an official said.

At least 8 killed as major floods swamp Australia

At least 8 killed as major floods swamp Australia

Parts of Australia's third-most populous city Brisbane were under water Monday after heavy rain brought record flooding to some East Coast areas and killed eight people. The flooding in Brisbane and its surrounds is the worst since 2011 when the city of 2.6 million people was inundated by what was described as a once-in-a-century event. The latest fatality was a man in his 50s who drowned on Monday after driving his car into floodwater before dawn at Gold Coast city, south of Brisbane, Queensland state police said.