EUROPE

Croatia (Security threat level – 2): At approximately 2130 local time (1930 UTC) on 9 September 2022, a local passenger train carrying 13 people crashed into a stopped freight train near the town of Novska, located approximately 90 km (60 mi) southeast of the capital Zagreb. At least three passengers were killed and 11 others were injured in the crash, including an unknown number of foreign nationals. The passenger train was en route to the city of Vinkovci at the time of the crash. Authorities have launched an investigation to determine the cause of the crash.

Ireland (Security threat level – 2): On 10 September 2022, Aer Lingus canceled all outbound flights from Dublin Airport (EIDW/DUB) to the U.K. and other European destinations due to a computer system malfunction. More than 50 flights were canceled due to the issue. The carrier later announced that the issue was resolved, and flights to and from Dublin Airport resumed on 11 September.

Ukraine (Security threat level – 5): On 11 September 2022, Ukrainian nuclear power agency Energoatom reported a complete shutdown of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Russian-occupied territory in southeastern Ukraine as a safety precaution in light of increased shelling in the plant’s vicinity. According to Energoatom officials, the plant will initially transfer to a cooling state and then a cold state following the disconnection of its last operational reactor. The Ukrainian government has urged civilians to vacate residential areas located near the plant. The Ukrainian and Russian governments have accused one another of conducting bombardments close to the facility, increasing risks of a nuclear disaster during military engagements for control of the region.

United Kingdom (Security threat level – 3): Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral is scheduled to be held at London’s Westminster Abbey at 1100 local time (1000 UTC) on 19 September 2022. A procession with the queen’s coffin is currently underway in Edinburgh, Scotland — where the coffin will lie at rest in St. Giles’ Cathedral until 13 September. The coffin is then expected to be flown in an aircraft to London from Edinburgh during the evening of 13 September, at which point the coffin will be taken to Buckingham Palace and kept in the palace until 14 September. The coffin will then be transported to Westminster Hall and will lie in state at the House of Parliament for four days until 18 September. The queen’s lying in state will end on 19 September and the coffin will be taken to Westminster Abbey for the planned state funeral. Following the funeral, the coffin will travel to Ellington Arch, then to Windsor Chapel for committal service. These events are likely to result in significant ground transportation delays; airport operations may also be affected as foreign dignitaries arrive in London for the planned services. The U.K. government has released a travel advisory for the ongoing mourning period, which is available here.

MIDDLE EAST

Turkey (Security threat level – 3): On 11 September 2022, a gunfight occurred between two armed groups at a cafe in a shopping mall in the northern Sariyer Ayazaga area of Istanbul. Five people were injured — including one Turkish national, four Azerbaijani nationals and one Iranian national. The suspects remain at large. Authorities believe the gunbattle was gang related.

OCEANIA

Papua New Guinea (Security threat level – 5): As of 12 September 2022, search and rescue operations remain ongoing following a 7.6 magnitude earthquake that struck approximately 65 km (40 mi) east of the town of Kainantu, located in Eastern Highlands province, the previous day. The quake struck at a depth of 90 km. Powerful shaking was reported in Kainantu, Madang and areas as far as 110 km from the epicenter, while weak shaking was reported as far away as Port Moresby, located about 370 km south of the epicenter. The U.S. Tsunami Warning system briefly issued a tsunami advisory before declaring that the threat had passed shortly afterward.

The earthquake caused cracks to appear in roadways in Eastern Highlands, Madang and Morobe provinces. A total power outage also occurred in those provinces. State internet provider PNG DatCo reported its undersea cable network was damaged, disrupting internet services across the region. Buildings and residences across the three provinces sustained damage due to shaking, landslides and ground liquefaction. Minor structural damage was reported in Port Moresby; however, operations at Port Moresby International Airport (AYPY/POM) were not disrupted. At least seven people were killed and four more were injured due to the earthquake.

SOUTH AMERICA

Chile (Security threat level – 2): On the afternoon of 11 September 2022, police officers clashed with demonstrators in central Santiago, the capital, during the annual march to commemorate the 49th anniversary of the 1973 coup d’état. Protesters threw Molotov cocktails and set vehicles on fire along Esmerelda Street as they marched to the General Cemetery from Los Heroes Plaza. Security personnel fired water cannons to disperse the protesters and extinguished the flames. The Santiago Metro suspended operations along Line 2 amid the disruptions. One police officer was injured in the clashes. There were no immediate reports of arrests.

SOUTHEAST ASIA

China / Japan / Taiwan (Security threat levels – 4 / 1 / 2): Typhoon Muifa made landfall in the southern portion of Japan’s Ishigaki Island, located in Okinawa prefecture, in the early morning hours of 12 September 2022. The storm’s strong winds and slow-moving speed prompted local authorities in Okinawa to issue shelter-in-place warnings for the Ishigaki, Yaeyama, Miyakojima, and Sakishima regions. Widespread heavy rainfall, storm conditions and high waves have resulted in disruptions to maritime and air traffic in the region. At least 49 scheduled flights to and from the islands of Miyako and Ishigaki were canceled; operations at Miyako Airport (ROMY/MMY), Kushiro Airport (RJCK/KUH), and Tanegashima Airport (RJFG/TNE) were temporarily disrupted during the storm’s passage.

As of 0000 local time on 13 September (1500 UTC on 12 September), Typhoon Muifa was located approximately 415 km (260 mi) west-southwest of Okinawa, Japan, and was moving north-northwest at a speed of about 7 kph (5 mph), according to the U.S. Joint Typhoon Warning Center.At that time, Muifa had maximum sustained winds of 150 kph, with gusts of up to 185 kph. Muifa is expected to slightly weaken as it travels toward the Chinese coast and makes landfall near the city of Zhoushan, located in Zhejiang province, on 14 September. Chinese authorities have activated the Level-IV emergency response warning protocol — the lowest level warning — for areas in the provinces of Jiangsu, Shandong and Zhejiang, as well as for the municipality of Shanghai, in anticipation of heavy rainfall and subsequent flooding during 14-15 September. The storm is also expected to affect Taiwan as it passes the island’s northeastern coast in its trajectory toward China; Taiwanese authorities have issued an orange alert for the northern portion of the island — where the capital Taipei is located — and issued a sea warning suspending maritime traffic.

GOVERNMENT WARNINGS

Guatemala (Security threat level – 4): On 11 September 2022, the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala City issued a Security Alert, which reads in part as follows: “The U.S. Embassy has received reports that starting at 6:00 am on Monday, September 12, 2022, demonstrators plan to march from Boulevard Vista Hermosa in Zone 15, from Km 12 of Calzada Roosevelt in Zone 11, and from Puente Belize in Zone 6, converging at Plaza de la Constitución in Zona 1.

“As always, the timing, size, and duration of planned demonstrations and roadblocks can change. Demonstrations can grow quickly in size and often move from one location to another, thus potentially disrupting movement. The Embassy recommends that U.S. citizens be aware and vigilant.”

Mozambique (Security threat level – 4): On 9 September, the U.S. Embassy in Maputo issued a Security Alert, which reads in part as follows: “Due to the threat of attacks by ISIS-Mozambique in the Erati and Memba districts, U.S. Embassy Maputo personnel are restricted from traveling to those areas of the Nampula province until further notice.”