News Wrap: At least 16 dead amid catastrophic flooding in Central Europe

In our news wrap Monday, at least 16 people have died amid catastrophic flooding in Central Europe, Palestinian officials say Israeli airstrikes killed 16 people across the Gaza Strip, the U.S. State Department marked the second anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s death in Iran to call on the country’s new president to do more to protect women and a gas pipeline exploded in Texas.

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Geoff Bennett: The day’s other headlines start in Central Europe, where authorities say at least 16 people have died amid catastrophic flooding.

A slow-moving storm system is pounding the region with unrelenting rain. Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Southern Germany are among the hardest hit.

Sejal Karia of ITV news has our report.

Sejal Karia: Such is the size and scale of the flooding across Central Europe, it’s being called a catastrophe.

In Poland, raging rivers and torrential downpours have swallowed whole towns and villages in the Southwest of the country, leaving people stranded on the roofs of their homes, this the only means of rescue, whole swathes of the continent submerged by some of the worst flooding to hit in 30 years, from Austria to Romania, the gushing force of the floodwaters sweeping away everything in their path, destroying lives and livelihoods.

The death toll rising from the devastation caused by Storm Boris, the waters in Klodzko in Poland ripping through, leaving no stone unturned and no street and road untouched. The highest rainfall has been in the Czech Republic, in the town of Jesenik. They spoke of barely believable water levels.

“The water was rolling in here,” this man said. “The flooding here is a disaster. It’s really terrible.”

In Lower Austria, the areas surrounding the capital, Vienna, has been declared a disaster zone. Two elderly men died here after being trapped by rising floodwater in their homes. A firefighter also lost his life.

“These are difficult, dramatic times,” the regional governor said. The country and the people are under immense strain.”

And it could get worse in places before it gets better. More rain is expected today and tomorrow before drier conditions move in and Storm Boris moves on, Italy next in its path.

Sejal Karia, ITV News.

Geoff Bennett: Turning now to the Middle East, where Palestinian officials say Israeli airstrikes killed 16 people today across the Gaza Strip.

One of the strikes crushed a home and a refugee camp in Central Gaza, killing at least 10 people. Meantime, political tensions are growing within Israel amid reports that Defense Minister Yoav Gallant may lose his job. Israeli media say Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may fire the popular former general. Gallant has become the prime minister’s biggest rival in the Cabinet.

Speaking in Washington, D.C., today, Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid, who is himself a Netanyahu critic, urged the prime minister to keep Gallant.

Yair Lapid, Former Israeli Prime Minister: I expect him to run the country better than he does in ways and I sure hope he will not fire Minister Gallant, who is doing a good job under terrible circumstances.

Geoff Bennett: For its part, the U.S. State Department today said that the U.S. continues to engage with partners like Egypt and Qatar to try to present a revised cease-fire proposal for Gaza. But no timetable for such a proposal has been provided.

The U.S. State Department has marked the two-year anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s death in Iran to call on the country’s new president to do more to protect women. The 22-year-old died after she was arrested by Iran’s morality police for allegedly not wearing a headscarf properly.

In a joint statement with other nations, U.S. officials urged the new Iranian administration to ease pressure on civil society in Iran and to end the use of force to enforce the hijab requirement. Amini’s death sparked mass protests around the world. A crackdown in Iran killed more than 500 people and some 22,000 were detained.

A gas pipeline that exploded in the Houston suburbs this morning sent a geyser of fire into the sky. A nearby neighborhood and some schools were evacuated. Officials say some homes caught fire. Firefighters tried to contain the flames. The operator of the pipeline says the gas feeding the flames was shut off, but that it could take hours or longer for all of the material to burn off.

Officials say the focus is on keeping the fire controlled.

Jerry Mouton, Mayor of Deer Park, Texas: All the resources that can be extended or are here and present. Again, we’re just in a containment mode to any of the facilities that are in close proximity.

Geoff Bennett: One firefighter suffered minor injuries. It’s not yet clear what caused the blaze.

The head of the U.S. Postal Service says he is personally fully committed to ensuring that all 2024 election ballots are delivered on time. Those comments come after a group of election officials raised concerns last week about the Postal Service’s ability to deliver millions of ballots in November.

In a letter today, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy wrote that some 650,000 postal workers are committed to providing a secure, efficient and effective way for citizens to participate in the election. He added that, in 2020, 99.9 percent of ballots were delivered within seven days.

Boeing says it’s freezing all hiring and will consider temporary layoffs to offset the impact of an ongoing strike by factory workers. More than 30,000 Boeing staff on the West Coast are on their fourth day of a strike for better pay. Negotiations are expected to restart tomorrow. Boeing has seen a drop in orders for new planes after a piece of a passenger jet broke off back in January, sparking safety and production concerns.

On Wall Street today, the Dow closed at an all-time high ahead of this week’s Federal Reserve meeting. The index added more than 200 points, erasing its losses from earlier this month. The Nasdaq closed lower on the day, losing more than 90 points. And the S&P 500 made minimal gains.

And a passing of note. Tito Jackson, one of the five brothers who formed the hugely popular Jackson 5, has died. He was the third of nine children in what would become a legendary Music-making family. That’s him in the back left. He sang background vocals and played the guitar for the iconic group, which ignited the career of younger brother Michael Jackson.

(Music)

Geoff Bennett: Known for defining hits like “ABC” and “I’ll Be There,” The Jackson 5 were inducted into the Rock ‘n’ roll Hall of Fame in 1997. Tito Jackson was 70 years old.