A crocodile sits on the bottom in the eel grass with school of fish above. teeth and tail are showing. (Gregory Sweeney/Getty Images)
(PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico) — A 28-year-old man was killed in a crocodile attack on a popular beach in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on Friday evening, according to state authorities.
The victim, who was from Mexico, was on the beach in front of the Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort and Spa when he was allegedly attacked by the reptile and dragged out to sea, Jalisco State Police said in a statement on Sunday.
The incident happened around 6 p.m. local time, police noted.
The victim’s body was recovered Saturday morning about 300 meters offshore after an overnight search and rescue operation at sea and on land.
Local authorities are reminding the public to obey warning signs and avoid entering the water where wildlife is known to be present, particularly in estuary and mangrove areas.
“The safety and security of our guests and associates are our top priority,” the resort said in a statement to ABC News. “At the Marriott Puerto Vallarta we have appropriate signage, as well as night patrolling and red flags to indicate caution in the area and all were and are properly in place.”
The resort said it reviews its “plans and procedures often” and works “closely with the appropriate authorities on an ongoing basis and our staff is trained in how to respond to safety matters appropriately.”
“We extend our thoughts to the individual and their loved ones during this difficult time and are providing appropriate support in line with our policies,” the resort said.
ABC News’ Ahmad Hemingway and Madeline Wheeler contributed to this report.
China’s national flag flutters in the wind next to the CITIC tower on May 12, 2026 in Beijing, China. (Maxim Shemetov Pool/Getty Images)
(BEIJING) — A small aircraft crashed into Beijing’s tallest skyscraper before falling down in front of the building, according to eyewitnesses who spoke with Reuters and the Associated Press.
Videos taken by people near the Citic Tower appeared to show the plane striking a high floor before it spun downward and crashed to the ground in front of the tower’s entrance.
Photos showed what appeared to be a hole or broken glass on one side of the building.
Authorities have yet to address the incident. Videos, images and search results of the crash are actively being scrubbed from the Chinese internet.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck Venezuela and other regions in the Caribbean on June 24, 2026, in Caracas, Venezuela. (Photo by Edilzon Gamez/Getty Images)
(CARACAS, Venezuela) — When the first of two massive earthquakes hit Venezuela, American tourist Jason Wang said he was on a mountaintop outside Caracas, about to get on a cable car to head down.
It was just after 6 p.m. local time on Wednesday when a 7.2 magnitude jolted the South American country’s coastal region, followed 39 seconds later by an even stronger 7.5 magnitude tremor, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
High up on El Ávila mountain, about 7 miles outside the capital city, the 39-year-old Wang of Las Vegas said he was caught in a scene of confusion and panic, unsure what had just occurred.
“I was about to board the cable car. I started recording myself going in, and the whole building just started shaking. The floor under me was shaking, and then all of a sudden everyone started panicking,” Wang told ABC News on Thursday morning.
He said he and other tourists charged toward the exit of the cable car building.
“We were just rushing for the door to exit the building, and none of us knew what was going on until a few minutes afterwards,” Wang said. “We realized we got hit with a massive earthquake.”
Videos that Wang posted on social media showed him and others walking down the mountain back toward Caracas on a road blocked by numerous toppled trees. Wang said that as the sun was setting, he managed to get a ride back to his hotel in Caracas.
“I saw some people like cutting down trees that fell on the road to create a tunnel for us to get past,” Wang said.
He said that when he finally reached his hotel and was able to get a WiFi signal, he learned that the twin tremors were the biggest earthquakes to hit Venezuela in a century, causing massive destruction and widespread death across Caracas, a city of more than 2 million people.
“Once I got back on WiFi, I was able to contact my family and friends and tell them I was OK,” said Wang, adding that he was traveling out of the city to the jungle on Thursday morning to escape the danger being caused by numerous aftershocks.
Jorge Rodriguez, president of Venezuela’s National Assembly, said that at least 188 people were killed in the earthquakes, and nearly 1,520 more were injured.
But the death toll is expected to grow. The USGS said there is a risk of more than 10,000 deaths, though official casualty tolls have been slow to be reported.
President Donald Trump said there could be a “devastating number of deaths,” as Secretary of State Marco Rubio added that the U.S. is deploying rescue teams to Venezuela to help search for victims.
In Caracas, the scenes of devastation and desperation were evident in all directions. Online videos showed apartment and commercial buildings lying in heaps of rubble, houses knocked off foundations and thousands of people in the streets, shellshocked and watching as emergency crews searched for survivors.
At one point, more than 25,000 people were unaccounted for, officials said.
During the earthquakes, people ran from swaying buildings in Caracas, many visibly shocked when they turned back to see destroyed walls that left furniture visible from the street.
“It’s like a horror movie,” one frantic woman who escaped her damaged building said.
One Caracas resident, Armando Nori, posted a video on social media from inside an apartment building that began to shake violently during the earthquakes. The footage showed Nori and others in the building fleeing as walls and shelves collapsed, and items, including what appeared to be a water container, crashing to the floor.
Another Caracas resident, Gabriel Higuera, told ABC News that he lives on the top floor of an apartment building with his girlfriend, and described their harrowing race to escape. He said his girlfriend almost fell from one of the floors due to the violent tremors.
“The shaking made it impossible to move,” Higuera said.
Another video verified by ABC News showed people in an apartment building in Junquito, west of Caracas, falling to the floor and holding onto each other as the building started to collapse around them. The man filming the video was heard in the footage screaming for his mother as he started to run for cover.
Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said numerous buildings had been brought down in Caracas, and that the cities of Trujillo, Yaracuy, Carabobo, Aragua, and Miranda had also been affected.
There were reports of widespread power outages and cell phone disruptions throughout the country. Gas to many buildings was turned off to prevent fires, officials said.
Rodriguez declared a state of emergency, saying the earthquakes had turned the coastal state of La Guaira into a “disaster zone.”
“Dozens of buildings have collapsed there, about 30 kilometers north of Caracas, and we are currently carrying out intensive rescue operations to save lives,” Rodriguez said in a televised address to the nation, according to The Associated Press.
She said Metro and rail services are suspended in the city and that the heavily damaged Maiquetía “Simón Bolívar” International Airport is closed.
Video posted online and verified by ABC News showed people at the airport running for their lives as part of its roof collapsed, creating a cloud of dust. In the footage, people could be heard screaming as the sound of crashing glass and chunks of falling concrete echoed in the background.
Amid the devastation came reports of heroic efforts to rescue people trapped in the rubble. Eighteen people were rescued from one of the two buildings that collapsed in the Chacao municipality, about 7 miles east of Caracas, authorities said.
Dozens of aftershocks have been reported following the initial tremors, forcing many people to sleep on the street on Wednesday night out of fear of more buildings collapsing.
Following the quake, a tsunami advisory was issued, with the potential for hazardous tsunami waves possible for coasts within 300 kilometers, or about 186 miles, of the earthquake epicenter. However, the tsunami advisory later expired.
ABC News’ Will Gretsky, Shannon Kingston, Victoria Beaule and Aicha El Hammar Castano contributed to this report.
A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck Venezuela and other regions in the Caribbean on June 24, 2026, in Caracas, Venezuela. (Photo by Edilzon Gamez/Getty Images)
(CARACAS, Venezuela) — Two powerful earthquakes — a 7.2 magnitude quake followed just seconds later by a 7.5 — rocked the coast of Venezuela on Wednesday evening, killing dozens of people, knocking down buildings in the capital and sending residents racing into the street.
In an address the nation Wednesday night, Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodriguez said her office received reports of at least 32 deaths and more than 700 injuries. She declared a nationwide state of emergency and said there was severe damage in the capital Caracas and other areas in the aftermath of the quakes.
She said Metro and rail services are suspended in the city and the Maiquetía International Airport, which was earlier reported to have sustained damage, is closed.
At least 20 aftershocks have been reported following the initial tremor, she said.
Photos and videos from Caracas showed some crumbled buildings, rescue crews searching through rubble and people being cared for on the street.
Crews responded to collapsed buildings in the areas of Alta Mira and Palos Grandes, according to authorities.
The U.S was preparing to send search-and-rescue teams, according to the State Department.
In a post on social media, Deputy Secretary of State Chris Landau said the U.S. was “mobilizing assistance” for Venezuela.
“The US stands with the Venezuelan people in the aftermath of this evening’s devastating earthquakes. We’re in touch with the authorities and mobilizing assistance,” he said.
Jeremy Lewin, the State Department’s under secretary for foreign assistance, said the department has “mobilized a disaster assistance team and task force to deliver and coordinate critical assistance to the Venezuelan people.”
He added: “Working with our partners in the interim Venezuelan government, the U.S. will be sending search and rescue teams, medical and humanitarian supplies and other resources in the crucial first days after this tragic natural disaster.”
Another State Department official confirmed that all staff at the U.S. embassy in Caracas are accounted for.
The first earthquake — a magnitude 7.2 — was what the U.S. Geological Survey calls a “foreshock,” recorded near San Felipe, Venezuela. Just 39 seconds later, a more powerful 7.5 “mainshock” was recorded in Yumare, according to the USGS.
The USGS estimated a “red alert” for potential fatalities from the quake, saying: “High casualties and extensive damage are probable and the disaster is likely widespread.”
Past red alerts have required a national or international response, according to the USGS.
Following the quake, a tsunami advisory was issued, with the potential for hazardous tsunami waves possible for coasts within 300 kilometers of the earthquake epicenter. However, the tsunami advisory later expired.
A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck Venezuela and other regions in the Caribbean on June 24, 2026, in Caracas, Venezuela. (Photo by Edilzon Gamez/Getty Images)
(CARACAS, Venezuela) — Two powerful earthquakes — a 7.2 magnitude quake followed just seconds later by a 7.5 — rocked the coast of Venezuela on Wednesday evening, killing dozens of people, knocking down buildings in the capital and sending residents racing into the street.
In an address the nation Wednesday night, Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodriguez said her office received reports of at least 32 deaths and more than 700 injuries. She declared a nationwide state of emergency and said there was severe damage in the capital Caracas and other areas in the aftermath of the quakes.
She said Metro and rail services are suspended in the city and the Maiquetía International Airport, which was earlier reported to have sustained damage, is closed.
At least 20 aftershocks have been reported following the initial tremor, she said.
Photos and videos from Caracas showed some crumbled buildings, rescue crews searching through rubble and people being cared for on the street.
Crews responded to collapsed buildings in the areas of Alta Mira and Palos Grandes, according to authorities.
The U.S was preparing to send search-and-rescue teams, according to the State Department.
In a post on social media, Deputy Secretary of State Chris Landau said the U.S. was “mobilizing assistance” for Venezuela.
“The US stands with the Venezuelan people in the aftermath of this evening’s devastating earthquakes. We’re in touch with the authorities and mobilizing assistance,” he said.
Jeremy Lewin, the State Department’s under secretary for foreign assistance, said the department has “mobilized a disaster assistance team and task force to deliver and coordinate critical assistance to the Venezuelan people.”
He added: “Working with our partners in the interim Venezuelan government, the U.S. will be sending search and rescue teams, medical and humanitarian supplies and other resources in the crucial first days after this tragic natural disaster.”
Another State Department official confirmed that all staff at the U.S. embassy in Caracas are accounted for.
The first earthquake — a magnitude 7.2 — was what the U.S. Geological Survey calls a “foreshock,” recorded near San Felipe, Venezuela. Just 39 seconds later, a more powerful 7.5 “mainshock” was recorded in Yumare, according to the USGS.
The USGS estimated a “red alert” for potential fatalities from the quake, saying: “High casualties and extensive damage are probable and the disaster is likely widespread.”
Past red alerts have required a national or international response, according to the USGS.
Following the quake, a tsunami advisory was issued, with the potential for hazardous tsunami waves possible for coasts within 300 kilometers of the earthquake epicenter. However, the tsunami advisory later expired.
A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck Venezuela and other regions in the Caribbean on June 24, 2026, in Caracas, Venezuela. (Photo by Edilzon Gamez/Getty Images)
(CARACAS, Venezuela) — Two powerful earthquakes — a 7.2 magnitude quake followed just seconds later by a 7.5 — rocked the coast of Venezuela on Wednesday evening, killing dozens of people, knocking down buildings in the capital and sending residents racing into the street.
In an address the nation Wednesday night, Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodriguez said her office received reports of at least 32 deaths and more than 700 injuries. She declared a nationwide state of emergency and said there was severe damage in the capital Caracas and other areas in the aftermath of the quakes.
She said Metro and rail services are suspended in the city and the Maiquetía International Airport, which was earlier reported to have sustained damage, is closed.
At least 20 aftershocks have been reported following the initial tremor, she said.
Photos and videos from Caracas showed some crumbled buildings, rescue crews searching through rubble and people being cared for on the street.
Crews responded to collapsed buildings in the areas of Alta Mira and Palos Grandes, according to authorities.
The U.S was preparing to send search-and-rescue teams, according to the State Department.
In a post on social media, Deputy Secretary of State Chris Landau said the U.S. was “mobilizing assistance” for Venezuela.
“The US stands with the Venezuelan people in the aftermath of this evening’s devastating earthquakes. We’re in touch with the authorities and mobilizing assistance,” he said.
Jeremy Lewin, the State Department’s under secretary for foreign assistance, said the department has “mobilized a disaster assistance team and task force to deliver and coordinate critical assistance to the Venezuelan people.”
He added: “Working with our partners in the interim Venezuelan government, the U.S. will be sending search and rescue teams, medical and humanitarian supplies and other resources in the crucial first days after this tragic natural disaster.”
Another State Department official confirmed that all staff at the U.S. embassy in Caracas are accounted for.
The first earthquake — a magnitude 7.2 — was what the U.S. Geological Survey calls a “foreshock,” recorded near San Felipe, Venezuela. Just 39 seconds later, a more powerful 7.5 “mainshock” was recorded in Yumare, according to the USGS.
The USGS estimated a “red alert” for potential fatalities from the quake, saying: “High casualties and extensive damage are probable and the disaster is likely widespread.”
Past red alerts have required a national or international response, according to the USGS.
Following the quake, a tsunami advisory was issued, with the potential for hazardous tsunami waves possible for coasts within 300 kilometers of the earthquake epicenter. However, the tsunami advisory later expired.
Beachgoers in Hamburg, Germany. (Photo by Georg Wendt/picture alliance via Getty Images)
(LONDON) — Countries across Europe were on Thursday in the middle of one of the most brutal heat waves within the last 50 years, with temperatures breaking June records in the United Kingdom and France.
Weather officials in the United Kingdom said temperatures on Wednesday rose in some areas to 35.7 degrees Celsius, or about 96.2 degrees Fahrenheit, topping a June 1976 record of 35.6 C.
The Met Office updated its Red Extreme Heat Warning, spreading the warning along most of the southern and western areas of the United Kingdom.
“This is exceptional heat for June with temperature records expected to be broken this week,” Met Office Chief Forecaster Matthew Lehnert said in a statement. “Red warnings are reserved for the most severe events and we’re expecting significant impacts from this heatwave, with health issues likely, even beyond those who are more vulnerable to the heat.”
The Met also set Amber Heat Warnings for Friday and Saturday.
Warnings were still under review and constantly being updated, with the Met Office predicting that Friday could be the peak of the heat wave here in the United Kingdom, with temperatures soaring up as high as 100.4 F.
In France the north, west, and half of the southern areas of the country were on Thursday under red heat warnings, under which residents were being told to stay “Absolutely vigilant.”
French authorities said on Thursday they expected that the heat to stay in the red for many hours ahead.
The country on Wednesday notched its highest-ever temperature, according to weather officials at Meteo-France, the national weather service. They said the country’s national heat index — a daily average including regions around the country — hit 30 C, or about 86 F.
“Another exceptional day is expected in terms of temperatures, with the peak of this historic heatwave anticipated,” Meteo-France said in a bulletin on Thursday.
The Louvre and the Eiffel Tower were closing early for a third day in a row.
To stay safe in the heat everyone is being encouraged to stay hydrated, avoid the sun during peak hours, around midday, and staying home to keep cool.
They have recommended keeping curtains, blinds and windows closed during the day and opening windows at night to keep your house as cool as possible.
(NEW YORK) — France has confirmed its first Ebola case linked to the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as the United Nations warned that the outbreak is the fastest-growing in Africa’s history.
The patient in France is a humanitarian doctor who recently returned from the DRC and has been transferred to a specialist hospital, authorities confirmed.
French health officials said the case was detected quickly, the necessary precautions are in place and that there is no indication of local spread.
“France has specialized capabilities for managing highly transmissible infectious diseases,” France’s Ministry of Health said in a statement announcing the case. “Patients are treated in a designated healthcare facility, following strict biosafety protocols (negative pressure room, dedicated equipment and protocols). Health authorities are fully mobilized and the situation is being continuously monitored.”
“All precautionary measures, including the patient’s isolation, were taken upon his arrival in the country, with transfer to the hospital under secure conditions to prevent any risk of contamination,” the statement continued.
Officials said a thorough epidemiological investigation is underway to identify individuals who may have been in contact with the patient and that they will be contacted “without delay” by the regional health agency before undergoing 21 days of home isolation while being closely monitored the entire time.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said on Wednesday that the risk of infection is “low” for European residents and travelers to areas of active transmission, and “very low” for the general European population.
The development comes as U.N. officials warned on Tuesday that the Ebola outbreak in the DRC is spreading at an unprecedented pace.
As of Monday, there were 1,048 confirmed cases and 267 deaths, making it the largest number of confirmed Ebola cases recorded during the first month of an outbreak in Africa, according to Dr. Abdirahman Mahamud, director of heath and emergency alert and response operations at the World Health Organization.
Mahamud said it took just 37 days for the current outbreak to reach 250 deaths, compared to 78 days during the 2014 and 2016 West Africa outbreaks and 130 days during the 2018-2019 DRC outbreak.
Mahamud added that there are some signs the response has been scaled up to match the pace of the outbreak’s spread.
The number of beds available for treatment has risen in the last two weeks, “going from a handful to over 500 beds across 19 health zones,” he said.
Additionally, the U.N. said laboratory capacity has also increased from 30 tests a day in Kinshasa, the DRC’s capital, at the start of the outbreak to more than 2,000 tests per day through eight labs in the three provinces at the center of the outbreak.
Paolo Cravero, senior office of communications and media relations at the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, said there is “a lack of trust in the response” among affected communities and that the organization is “working hard with communities to bridge that gap.”
“Rumor and misinformation are creating some difficulties,” he said.
(NEW YORK) — France has confirmed its first Ebola case linked to the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, officials said.
The patient is a humanitarian doctor who recently returned from the DRC and has been transferred to a specialist hospital, authorities confirmed.
French health officials say the case was detected quickly, the necessary precautions are in place and that there is no indication of local spread.
“France has specialized capabilities for managing highly transmissible infectious diseases,” France’s Ministry of Health said in a statement announcing the case. “Patients are treated in a designated healthcare facility, following strict biosafety protocols (negative pressure room, dedicated equipment and protocols). Health authorities are fully mobilized and the situation is being continuously monitored.”
“All precautionary measures, including the patient’s isolation, were taken upon his arrival in the country, with transfer to the hospital under secure conditions to prevent any risk of contamination,” the statement continued.
Officials said a thorough epidemiological investigation is underway to identify individuals who may have been in contact with the patient and that they will be contacted “without delay” by the regional health agency before undergoing 21 days of home isolation while being closely monitored the entire time.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control has assessed the risk of infection as “low” for European residents and travelers to areas of active transmission, and “very low” for the general European population.
Startup Katalyst Space is teaming up with NASA to try and rescue the Swift telescope using the company’s newly developed robotic spacecraft. (NASA)
(LONDON) — Satellites don’t always stay in orbit. As they get closer to Earth, atmospheric drag can pull them lower and lower until they burn up, with solar activity speeding up the process.
NASA’s Swift Space Observatory is facing that fate — its orbit is decaying, and if left alone, it will be destroyed in a matter of months.
But in a first-of-its-kind mission, Katalyst Space, a startup, is teaming up with NASA to try and rescue Swift using the company’s newly developed robotic spacecraft, LINK.
“This is a historic mission, you know, some would call it the first of its kind, a robotic spacecraft that can go and capture an unprepared satellite,” said Robert Lamontagne, vice president of strategic partnerships at Katalyst Space.
Swift’s original orbit was around 370 miles above the Earth’s surface. But over the years, it’s fallen to less than 250 miles, according to NASA. Now it’s a race against the clock to keep Swift from falling even further and burning up in Earth’s atmosphere.
To save the satellite before time runs out, the Arizona-based company built its 935-pound rescue spacecraft in just 250 days. LINK was designed to physically interact with Swift despite the observatory not being designed for this kind of operation.
“Over the last nine months, we have gone from a clean sheet to a spacecraft that is currently integrated on a rocket, on an airplane ready to go to college for launch,” added Kieran Wilson, the principal investigator for LINK at Katalyst Space. “This is an absolutely unprecedented development timeline for this program.”
If all goes as planned, LINK will be launched into space on Saturday aboard a Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket, which will be launched from a Lockheed L-1011 TriStar carrier aircraft taking off from Kwajalein Atoll in the South Pacific.
Once in orbit, it will take about three weeks for LINK to rendezvous with and capture the 22-year-old observatory. Over two to three months, the spacecraft will use its thrusters to raise Swift into a more stable orbit. The two will then separate as LINK lowers itself back into Earth’s atmosphere, where it will burn up, keeping it from adding to the rest of the space debris in our orbit.
The hope is that the maneuver will add 10 years to the mission and allow NASA to resume its scientific operations. The space agency had to stop most of the observatory’s scientific operations to reduce drag and slow its descent from orbit.
“No one thought it was going to be possible,” said Shawn Domagal-Goldman, NASA’s division director for astrophysics. “No one thought we would get as far as we’ve already gotten today.”
The clock is ticking for the $30 million mission to be completed. According to NASA, Swift is currently falling at roughly eight kilometers per month, and the space agency estimates it will drop below 300 kilometers sometime around October.
According to Wilson, at that point, the satellite will be “too low” for the rescue mission to be executed.
A potential blueprint for saving satellites
Earth’s orbit is littered with lots of aging satellites. If the mission is successful, NASA and Katalyst hope it could help establish a blueprint for future satellite rescues so fewer spacecraft are abandoned. Katalyst envisions having a fleet of spacecraft that can repair, refuel and upgrade satellites in need of help.
“Katalyst is here really to kind of mark the end of that throwaway model and the start of a new model where we think the spacecraft operators should no longer be constrained by the silly decisions that were made before launch,” Lamontagne said.
There’s no guarantee the rescue will be successful. Swift wasn’t designed to be grabbed by another spacecraft, and its age could make it vulnerable to damage during the capture.
“We still have to get spacecraft on orbit. We have to operate the spacecraft there successfully. And as we’ve all seen before, that’s a very challenging thing to do,” said Wilson.
“Rendezvous is going to be a challenge. It’s always a technical challenge, but we think we’re ready to handle that,” he added.
NASA says space weather and how the Earth’s atmosphere interacts with the spacecraft could also impact the outcome.
“If my confidence proves true and this team pulls off everything perfectly, the darn sun puffing up the darn atmosphere, at the wrong time,” Domagal-Goldman said. “There are still unknowns, both in terms of the dynamic nature of this part of Earth’s atmosphere, and its response to solar activity that is beyond all of our control.”
The Swift Space Observatory is a NASA satellite built to study gamma-ray bursts, the brightest and most powerful explosions in the universe. Swift uses multiple instruments, including three multiwavelength telescopes that can collect data in visible, ultraviolet, X-ray and gamma-ray light. NASA has used it to study black holes, stars, comets and other celestial objects.
“Swift can routinely conduct follow-up with things that go bump in the night within minutes. It really is NASA’s first responder,” said Brad Cenko, Swift’s principal investigator at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.
Launched in 2004, the observatory was supposed to last only two years. But it’s been operating for more than two decades.
“Last year, Swift received five requests from the community to follow up newly discovered sources each and every day. That’s more annual community requests than any other NASA facility,” Cenko added.
