Natural Disasters

Japan was rocked by a massive earthquake Tuesday, creating a path of destruction that trapped multiple people inside a mall.

The visuals from the aftermath of the magnitude 7.1 quake are terrifying ... buildings are on fire, bridges are collapsed, trains cars are derailed and laying on their sides, and a shopping center exploded.

The tremor hit Kumamoto on Japan's southern main island of Kyushu, shortly before 4:30 PM local time ... leveling the second floor at the Aeon Mall shopping center and trapping people inside.

A powerful earthquake tore through Peru's Andes region over the weekend ... leaving at least five people dead, more than 20 injured and hundreds forced from their homes, authorities say.

Officials say the 5.5-magnitude quake struck Saturday night near the city of Sicaya in central Peru at a shallow depth of about 6 miles, triggering widespread damage across the region.

Authorities say several buildings partially collapsed, including a church and convent, while homes in some of the hardest-hit farming communities were reduced to rubble. Images from local TV showed residents huddled outside overnight as emergency crews searched damaged neighborhoods.

Folks down in Central America had their morning disrupted when a massive earthquake rocked the region's western coast ... and it was BIG.

The United States Geological Survey announced a magnitude-7.4 earthquake hit off the coast of southern Mexico near the country's border with Guatemala just before 8 AM PT Friday. The quake triggered a tsunami warning.

The magnitude may change slightly as the USGS continues to review the data ... but anything over 7 is pretty big.

The quake is reportedly affecting three countries ... Mexico, Guatemala, and El Salvador.

A deadly fire engulfed a bar in Bangkok ... killing at least 28 people and injuring dozens more ... and the massive blaze is on video.

Horrifying footage shows giant flames shooting out of the beer hall like a giant blowtorch ... as people scream and escape onto the street.

A thick pillar of black smoke billowed out of the doors and windows, creating a haze around the establishment as people continued to flee the scene.

Soccer star Lucas Trejo's worst nightmare didn't end when the shaking stopped ... it ended three days later, when rescuers found the bodies of his wife and two young children.

The Argentine player was with his club in Caracas when Venezuela's devastating earthquakes tore through the country last week ... and while he desperately waited for news, teammates, volunteers and family members searched nonstop for his loved ones.

Authorities confirmed Saturday night that Trejo's wife, Yanina Maranella, and the couple's children, Aarón and Ainhoa, had all been found dead after spending roughly 72 hours missing beneath the rubble.

Venezuela's devastating twin earthquakes left a trail of destruction -- and the heartbreak wasn't limited to humans, with one terrified puppy pulled alive from the rubble.

Check out the video ... the frightened little pup clings to a rescuer as firefighters offer it sips of water after it was dug out from the wreckage of a collapsed building in Caracas Wednesday night.

The poor pooch looks completely shell-shocked, seemingly trying to make sense of the chaos. It's unclear where its owners are, but the puppy is now in the care of the Caracas Fire Department.

Two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela Wednesday night ... one of them sent professional baseball players running for their lives as the stadium shook before them.

Check out the surreal clip -- the ground begins to rumble at Estadio Universitario de Caracas as the players continue the game ... until they can't ignore the movement any longer. Players and officials flee to the center of the field, while you hear the crowd erupt in chaos as the stadium shakes under them.

The U.S. Geological Survey reports the first earthquake was initially measured at a magnitude of 7.2, while a more powerful quake followed less than a minute later, measuring at 7.5.

The search for four missing Italian tourists in the Maldives has come to a devastating end ... because rescue divers have recovered their bodies from a notorious underwater cave following the country's deadliest diving disaster ever.

Officials say an elite team of Finnish rescue divers located the bodies Monday deep inside the "Shark Cave" -- nearly 500 feet below the surface -- days after the group vanished during an exploration dive.

The victims were identified as 52-year-old Monica Montefalcone; her 20-year-old daughter Giorgia Sommacal; Muriel Oddenino, 31; and Federico Gualtieri, 31. The body of dive instructor Gianluca Benedetti, 44, had already been recovered Friday.

Absolute tragedy in Mexico ... a massive fire ripped through a packed fairground, killing at least 5 people.

Video from the horrifying scene Thursday night shows huge flames tearing through the Parque Tabasco shopping mall fair in Villahermosa in Southern Mexico. Terrified crowds of fairgoers scrambled to escape flames and thick smoke billowing into the sky.

Officials say they finally got the blaze under control by Friday morning, according to Tabasco’s Civil Protection agency.

Tabasco Governor Javier May Rodríguez confirmed investigations are now underway to determine what sparked the deadly inferno ... and he also announced the state will provide economic recovery for impacted businesses.

Florida authorities leapt into action after a boat started to go down on a lake ... with dramatic video showing first responders saving 6 souls.

The Osceola County Sheriff's Office shared the video of the May 2 catastrophe ... which begins with the boat already sinking -- water lapping up the sides and into the craft.

As the water level rises, a few of the occupants grab life vests and jump into the water ... while others remain onboard.

11:50 AM PT -- The Nevada County Sheriff, Shannan Moon, announced on Wednesday that eight of the nine skiers missing have been found dead.

Rescuers continue to look for the one person still missing.

NCSO said this is the deadliest avalanche in the U.S. for more than 40 years.

Nine skiers are still missing in the Lake Tahoe area after an avalanche ... as rescuers desperately work to find the missing people.

The Nevada County Sheriff's Office said the incident occurred around 11:30 AM on Tuesday at Castle Peak ... as a group of 15 backcountry skiers returned from a day-long trip.

Due to extreme weather, rescue crews spent several hours searching before locating six skiers and bringing them to safety. Nine others remain unaccounted for.

A singer narrowly avoided serious injury during a show in Peru ... collapsing to the ground because of an electric shock he suffered while grabbing the mic.

Carlos Suarez and his rock band Mi Mejor Amigo Scott were playing in Lima over the weekend when Suarez stepped up to start a song and wrapped his right hand around the equipment ... before letting out a primal scream and falling backward.

A couple people onstage rushed to unplug the equipment ... and, once unplugged, others tended to Suarez, according to local outlet Buenos Días Perú.

Reggae star Shenseea recently joined the Hurricane Melissa relief effort in a major way -- with one of the largest artist-led relief efforts in Jamaica, which she personally funded!!!

We obtained several pics of the Grammy-nominated singer on deck in the heart of the devastation areas, coordinating the distribution of the 5,000 relief packages she had sent to her homeland.

Shenseea hails from St. Elizabeth and began the relief efforts there ... where they issued food, clean water, shelter materials, household items, and essential supplies to citizens in need.

Grey/Ven CEO Scott Weissman opened up his home to host the fashion company's third annual Miami Art Week Bash ... and we're told that the star-studded event raised $20K so far to aid some of the Palisades/Malibu wildfire's toughest first responders!!!

We're hearing the party was well-attended and lasted until 4 AM ... Cuba Gooding Jr., Lil Pump, designer Ugo Mozie, and crypto czar Michael Terpin were just a handful of the who's who on the guest list.

Weissman posted up for a flick with super producer Scott Storch and DJ Brooke Brazelton, who spun on the turntables alongside Willy Monfret.

Shaggy was one of the handful of musicians who rushed to aid Jamaica with resources and awareness to the destruction caused by Hurricane Melissa ... but the country isn't out of the danger zone yet!!!

TMZ caught up with Mr. Boombastic in NYC last week ... the reggae legend was on another awareness mission for a big fundraising relief concert going down there next month.

Shaggy kept it real ... his and the existing efforts have gone a long way, but says 60-70% of the island is still without electricity or water, and things might not bounce back until February -- whatever you're seeing online is 100% worse!!!

DJ Khaled has released several reggae/dancehall bangers and hates to see Jamaica in ruins following Hurricane Melissa -- now he's springing his We The Best Foundation into action!!!

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with Khaled outside Chelsea Television Studios on Thursday and he had nothing but positive affirmations for the Jamaican survivors and first responders.

Khaled tells us he's working closely with the foundations of fellow collaborators and superstars Vybz Kartel and Bounty Killer to deliver aid to local citizens.