A British teenager who survived a crocodile attack in Zambia has said she had "fully accepted" she would lose a foot.
Amelie Osborn-Smith, from Andover, Hampshire, had been with friends on a gap-year holiday and was white-water rafting on the Zambezi River near the famous Victoria Falls when the incident happened.
The 18-year-old, who finished her A-levels at school in Winchester earlier this year, was said to have been resting her leg over the side of the boat when the crocodile bit her and dragged her under the water.
She was saved by a friend who reportedly punched the crocodile on the nose, with The Sun reporting that other rafters and guides also jumped in the water to fight the 10ft reptile off.
Image:She was said to have been resting her leg over the side of the boat when the crocodile bit her. Pic: Medland Hospital
She was then airlifted to a hospital in Zambia's capital Lusaka - about 240 miles away.
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And speaking from her hospital bed, she revealed: "When the accident happened I fully accepted that I was going to lose my foot…
"I said to my friends, 'I've lost my foot, but I'm still alive.'
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"And then I was told that my foot is going to be fine, and I'll be able to walk again, it was such a relief."
She also described the moment the attack happened in a video posted to the hospital's Facebook page on Saturday, which says she's set to fly home "within the coming 48 hours".
Image:Amelie finished her A-levels earlier this year. Pic: Instagram/@amelieosbornsmith
"A lot of people say you see your life flash before you, but you don't," she said.
"I just thought, 'how am I going to get out of this situation?'
"I was just very, very lucky."
The Zambezi River is a haven for those seeking water sports and wonderful views, but it is also home to a number of vicious - and potentially deadly - animals, including crocodiles.
ITV News Correspondent Lewis Warner has the latest developments on the Mount Semeru volcano eruption, which has prompted a desperate search for survivors
The death toll following the eruption of the highest volcano on Indonesia’s most densely populated island of Java has risen to 14, according to reports.
Mount Semeru in Lumajang district in East Java province spewed thick columns of ash more than 12,000 metres (40,000 feet) into the sky, and searing gas and lava flowed down its slopes after a sudden eruption on Saturday triggered by heavy rains.
Several villages were blanketed with falling ash.
“There’s no life there ... trees, farms, houses are scorched, everything is covered in heavy gray ash,” said Haryadi Purnomo of East Java’s search and rescue agency.
Search and rescue efforts were temporary suspended on Sunday afternoon because of fears that hot ash and debris could tumble down from the crater due to heavy rains.
Villagers look at the broken bridge destroyed by the lava flow following the eruption of Mount Semeru in Lumajang district. Credit: AP
A thunderstorm and days of rain, which eroded and finally collapsed the lava dome atop the 3,676-metre (12,060-foot) Semeru, triggered the eruption, said Eko Budi Lelono, who heads the geological survey centre.
He said flows of searing gas and lava travelled up to 800 metres (2,624 feet) to a nearby river at least twice on Saturday.
People were advised to stay 3.1 miles from the crater’s mouth, the agency said.
National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesperson Abdul Muhari said 56 people had been hospitalised, mostly with burns.
The ash from the eruption of Mount Semeru covers a village area in Lumajang distrct, East Java, Indonesia Credit: Trisnadi/AP
Several hundred people were moved to temporary shelters or left for other safe areas, he said, adding that a power blackout hampered the evacuation.
The debris and lava mixed with rainfall formed thick mud that destroyed the main bridge connecting Lumajang and the neighbouring district of Malang, as well as a smaller bridge, according to officials.
Despite an increase in activity since Wednesday, Semeru’s alert status had remained at the third highest of four levels since it began erupting last year, and Indonesia’s Volcanology Centre for Geological Hazard Mitigation did not raise it this week, Mr Lelono said.
Watch as people flee for their lives as the volcano starts spewing out ash and smoke
National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesperson Abdul Muhari had said at least 13 villagers died from severe burns and 57 were taken to hospital, including 16 in critical condition with burn injuries.
The Associated Press has reported the death toll now stands at 14.
Mr Muhari said rescuers were still searching for seven residents and sand miners along a river in Curah Kobokan village who were reported missing.
Entire houses in the village were damaged by volcanic debris and more than 900 people had fled to temporary government shelters, he said.
Liswanto, the head of Semeru’s monitoring post, said his office had informed the community and the miners that hot ash could tumble down from Semeru’s crater at any time, after sensors picked up increased activity in the past week.
But some residents who fled to a government shelter near Lumajang district’s head office said authorities did not convey any information to them about the volcano’s activities.
An Indonesian soldier walks by a house buried in the ash Credit: Trisnadi/AP
“Suddenly everything went dark, the bright afternoon turned into night. A rumbling sound and heat forced us to run to the mosque,” said Fatmah, a resident who fled to the shelter from Curah Kobokan, about three miles from the crater.
“It was a far stronger eruption than in January.”
Transport ministry spokesperson Adita Irawati said her office issued a notice Saturday for all airlines to avoid routes near the volcano.
The last time Semeru erupted, in January, there were no casualties.
Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 270 million people, is prone to earthquakes and volcanic activity because it sits along the Pacific Ring of Fire, a horseshoe-shaped series of fault lines.
Belgian police used tear gas and water cannon on protesters in Brussels to disperse crowds demonstrating against new coronavirus restrictions.
Thousands gathered to reject new measures introduced by the government on Friday, the third week in a row measures have been tightened, following a recent surge in COVID-19 cases.
Most of the protesters marched peacefully, with some carrying signs criticising COVID-19 vaccinations and against making jabs mandatory. Several were accompanied by children.
Image:Thousands of demonstrators railed against new lockdown measures on Sunday. Pic: AP
Shouting "Freedom! Freedom!" and carrying banners that said, "United for our freedom, rights and our children", the protesters marched to the European Union headquarters.
The main crowd had mostly dispersed by the time around 100 protesters clashed with a barricade of police wearing riot gear protecting access to the European Commission.
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Image:Protests had mostly been peaceful before some clashed with riot police. Pic: AP
According to the Associated Press news agency, after a brief stand-off, the protesters began to throw rubbish and other objects - including a bicycle - at police.
The protesters set off firecrackers and flares, while police used water cannon and tear gas to disperse the crowd. No injuries were immediately reported.
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Belgium's prime minister, Alexander De Croo, announced on Friday that day care centres and primary schools would close a week early for the Christmas holidays.
Mr De Croo added that children must wear masks from the age of six, and that indoor events would be limited to a maximum of 200 people.
Image:Several people brought their children along to the demonstration. Pic: AP
Nightclubs have already been ordered to close, and the government told bars and restaurants to shut at 11pm for three weeks.
Despite speculation that closing times would be brought forward to 8pm, ministers decided against it.
Image:Some of the signs expressed an opposition to vaccines. Pic: AP
According to the latest national health figures, cases in Belgium appear to have reached a plateau.
On a weekly average, 17,862 new daily cases were reported in Belgium, a rise of 6% compared to the previous week, reported the Associated Press.
Image:A little girl was pictures offering flowers to police in riot gear. Pic: AP
Hospital admissions rose 4%, leaving more than 3,700 people in hospital with COVID, 821 of them in intensive care.
More than 27,000 people with the virus have died in Belgium, which has a population of 11 million, since the outbreak began last year.
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Rescuers in Indonesia are searching for survivors in villages buried by hot ash, after Mt Semeru on Java island erupted on Saturday.
Fourteen people are known to have died and dozens were injured, emergency authorities said.
One volunteer in the nearby district of Lumajang filmed police and military officials working to dig out bodies with their bare hands.
Houses were buried to their rooftops and vehicles wholly submerged.
Taufiq Ismail Marzuqi, who filmed the struggle to excavate bodies, told Reuters the rescue efforts were "very dire".
At least 11 villages in Lumajang, in East Java, were coated in volcanic ash. At least 56 people have been injured, with many suffering burns after they mistook the hot mud flow for flooding.
"There were 10 people carried away by the mud flow," said Salim, who lives in the village of Kampung Renteng.
"One of them was almost saved. He was told to run away but said 'I can't, who will feed my cows?'"
One man searching for survivors said 10 people were missing in his village. Another described what happened.
"Locals here thought it was just usual floods. We did not know it was hot mud. All of sudden, the sky turned dark as rains and hot smoke came. Thankfully, it was raining so we could breathe," he told AFP.
Some relatives of the victims in Lumajang in East Java say they have not yet been able to collect their loved ones as some of the bodies have not yet been identified.
EPA
A spokesperson for Indonesia's disaster mitigation agency (BNPB) said the injured were being treated at various hospitals and medical facilities.
Some 1,300 people have been evacuated from the area so far, the agency said, and 10 sand mine workers who were trapped in buildings have been saved. Rescue shelters have been equipped with food, face masks, tarpaulins and body bags.
The evacuation has been hampered by choking smoke, a power blackout, and rainstorms during the eruption which turned the debris into mud. An important bridge from the area to the nearby city of Malang was also severed during the eruption.
EPA
Reuters
The head of Indonesia's geological agency said heavy rain falling on the lip of Mt Semeru's crater caused it to partially collapse, triggering the eruption. There had been no increase in seismicity to suggest any change in magma flow, he said.
The Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC) in Darwin, Australia said the ash cloud from the eruption appeared to have dissipated. The VAAC provides advice to the aviation industry about the location and movement of potentially hazardous volcanic ash.
Ash that solidifies on cooler parts of plane engines can disrupt airflow, which can lead to engines stalling or failing completely. It also affects visibility for the pilots and can affect air quality in the cabin - making oxygen masks a necessity.
Mt Semeru is in a near permanent state of eruption and regularly spews ash up to about 4,300m, so Saturday's eruption was a "pretty significant increase in intensity", Campbell Biggs, a meteorologist at the VAAC, told the BBC.
Mt Semeru rises 3,676m above sea level and is among Indonesia's almost 130 active volcanoes. The last time it erupted was in December 2020, forcing thousands of residents to take shelter.
Indonesia sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" where continental plates meet, causing frequent volcanic and seismic activity.
Videos shared by emergency officials and local media showed residents running away as a giant ash cloud rose behind them.
16.50 BPBD Provinsi Jatim dan BPBD Lumajang telah menuju lokasi untuk melakukan assesment dan evakuasi warga di sekitar Gunung Semeru. Silahkan mention jika ada yang dilokasi@PRB_BNPBpic.twitter.com/DYj8qIW23u
Info saat ini bahwa jembatan Gladak perak putus. Tolong menginfokan kepada masyarakat yang akan melewati lokasi ini untuk berhati-hati pic.twitter.com/Cgap7SZwBz
— PRB Indonesia BNPB (Disaster Risk Reduction) (@PRB_BNPB) December 4, 2021
If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.
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Rescuers in Indonesia are searching for survivors in villages buried by hot ash, after Mt Semeru on Java island erupted on Saturday.
Fourteen people are known to have died and dozens were injured, emergency authorities said.
One volunteer in the nearby district of Lumajang filmed police and military officials working to dig out bodies with their bare hands.
Houses were buried to their rooftops and vehicles wholly submerged.
Taufiq Ismail Marzuqi, who filmed the struggle to excavate bodies, told Reuters the rescue efforts were "very dire".
At least 11 villages in Lumajang, in East Java, were coated in volcanic ash. At least 56 people have been injured, with many suffering burns after they mistook the hot mud flow for flooding.
"There were 10 people carried away by the mud flow," said Salim, who lives in the village of Kampung Renteng.
"One of them was almost saved. He was told to run away but said 'I can't, who will feed my cows?'"
EPA
A spokesperson for Indonesia's disaster mitigation agency (BNPB) said the injured were being treated at various hospitals and medical facilities.
Some 1,300 people have been evacuated from the area so far, the agency said, and 10 sand mine workers who were trapped in buildings have been saved. Rescue shelters have been equipped with food, face masks, tarpaulins and body bags.
The evacuation has been hampered by choking smoke, a power blackout, and rainstorms during the eruption which turned the debris into mud. An important bridge from the area to the nearby city of Malang was also severed during the eruption.
EPA
Reuters
The Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC) in Darwin, Australia said the ash cloud from the eruption appeared to have dissipated. The VAAC provides advice to the aviation industry about the location and movement of potentially hazardous volcanic ash.
Ash that solidifies on cooler parts of plane engines can disrupt airflow, which can lead to engines stalling or failing completely. It also affects visibility for the pilots and can affect air quality in the cabin - making oxygen masks a necessity.
Mt Semeru is in a near permanent state of eruption and regularly spews ash up to about 4,300m, so Saturday's eruption was a "pretty significant increase in intensity", Campbell Biggs, a meteorologist at the VAAC, told the BBC.
Mt Semeru rises 3,676m above sea level and is among Indonesia's almost 130 active volcanoes. The last time it erupted was in December 2020, forcing thousands of residents to take shelter.
Indonesia sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" where continental plates meet, causing frequent volcanic and seismic activity.
Videos shared by emergency officials and local media showed residents running away as a giant ash cloud rose behind them.
16.50 BPBD Provinsi Jatim dan BPBD Lumajang telah menuju lokasi untuk melakukan assesment dan evakuasi warga di sekitar Gunung Semeru. Silahkan mention jika ada yang dilokasi@PRB_BNPBpic.twitter.com/DYj8qIW23u
Info saat ini bahwa jembatan Gladak perak putus. Tolong menginfokan kepada masyarakat yang akan melewati lokasi ini untuk berhati-hati pic.twitter.com/Cgap7SZwBz
— PRB Indonesia BNPB (Disaster Risk Reduction) (@PRB_BNPB) December 4, 2021
If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.
To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.
At least 13 people have now died and dozens more are injured after a volcano erupted on Indonesia's Java island on Saturday, emergency authorities said.
Residents were filmed fleeing a giant ash cloud from Mt Semeru.
Pictures show entire villages buried in volcanic ash up to rooftops, and locals have described thick smoke blocking the Sun, leaving them in pitch darkness.
Officials said at least 57 people have been injured, with many suffering severe burns.
A spokesperson for Indonesia's disaster mitigation agency (BNPB) said that the injured were being treated at various hospitals and medical facilities.
The eruption has left at least 11 villages in the Lumajang district coated in volcanic ash, submerging houses and forcing some evacuees to seek shelter in mosques and makeshift shelters.
According to BNPB officials, 902 people have been evacuated from the area so far.
But evacuation efforts have been hampered by choking smoke, a power blackout, and rainstorms during the eruption which turned the debris into mud.
Thoriqul Haq, a local official, told Reuters that a road and bridge from the area to the nearby city of Malang had also been severed during the eruption.
"This has been a very pressing, rapid condition since it erupted," he said.
Meanwhile, 10 people that had earlier been trapped in buildings have been rescued, according to BNPB.
Reuters
EPA
The eruption started at about 14:30 local time (07:30 GMT). Local authorities have set up a restricted zone within 5km (3 miles) from the crater.
The Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC) in Darwin, Australia said the ash appeared to have detached from the summit and was drifting south-west over the Indian Ocean. The VAAC provides advice to the aviation industry about the location and movement of potentially hazardous volcanic ash.
Airlines have been warned of the ash cloud rising up to 15,000m (50,000 ft), which is higher than the cruising altitude for most aircraft, Campbell Biggs, a meteorologist at the VAAC, told the BBC. He added that this would force most airlines in the vicinity to divert their flight paths to avoid the cloud.
Ash that solidifies on cooler parts of plane engines can disrupt airflow, which can lead to engines stalling or failing completely. It also affects visibility for the pilots and can affect air quality in the cabin - making oxygen masks a necessity.
Mt Semeru is in a near permanent state of eruption and regularly spews ash up to about 4,300m, so Saturday's eruption was a "pretty significant increase in intensity", Mr Biggs said.
Mt Semeru rises 3,676m above sea level and is among Indonesia's almost 130 active volcanoes. The last time it erupted was in December 2020, forcing thousands of residents to take shelter.
Indonesia sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" where continental plates meet, causing frequent volcanic and seismic activity.
Videos shared by emergency officials and local media showed residents running away as a giant ash cloud rose behind them.
16.50 BPBD Provinsi Jatim dan BPBD Lumajang telah menuju lokasi untuk melakukan assesment dan evakuasi warga di sekitar Gunung Semeru. Silahkan mention jika ada yang dilokasi@PRB_BNPBpic.twitter.com/DYj8qIW23u
Info saat ini bahwa jembatan Gladak perak putus. Tolong menginfokan kepada masyarakat yang akan melewati lokasi ini untuk berhati-hati pic.twitter.com/Cgap7SZwBz
— PRB Indonesia BNPB (Disaster Risk Reduction) (@PRB_BNPB) December 4, 2021
If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.
To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.
US President Joe Biden and Russia's Vladimir Putin will speak via video call on Tuesday, the White House says, amid mounting tensions over Ukraine.
It comes after Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US had evidence that Russia had made plans for a "large scale" attack on Ukraine.
But he added it was unclear if Mr Putin had made a final decision to invade.
Russia has denied any such intention, and accused Ukraine of executing its own troop build-up.
In a statement released on Saturday evening, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that Mr Biden will "underscore US concerns with Russian military activities on the border with Ukraine and reaffirm the United States' support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine" during his call with the Russian president.
Ukraine says Russia has deployed armoured vehicles, electronic warfare systems and 94,000 troops along their shared border.
It is the largest massing of Russian forces on its borders since it annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.
Citing intelligence reports, Ukraine's Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov said Moscow could be planning a military offensive at the end of January.
The Russian troop movement has strained already tense relations between Russia and the US.
On Friday, Mr Biden warned he would make it "very, very difficult" for Mr Putin to "go ahead and do what people are worried he may do".
The US and its European allies have discussed imposing sanctions on Russia if it takes aggressive action.
While Ukraine is not a Nato member, it has close ties with the bloc and has received Western weapons including US Javelin anti-tank missiles.
Russian officials have denied any plans for an invasion, and say the border troops are there for military exercises.
Moscow has accused Nato of engaging in provocative behaviour by holding drills in the Black Sea, off Crimea. Russia's foreign ministry also said Ukraine has itself sent 125,000 troops to their shared border. Kyiv declined to comment on the claim.
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This week Britain's most senior military officer said "we have to be on our guard" about the potential for conflict in the region.
Gen Sir Nick Carter told the BBC that he "distinctly hoped" there would not be a war with Russia, but added that Nato would have to be ready for that eventuality.
Tensions between Russia and Ukraine are nothing new. In 2014 Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and soon after started to back a separatist insurgency in Ukraine's east.
More recently, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has imposed sanctions on a powerful friend of President Putin and banned broadcasts by three pro-Russian TV stations.
