Briefly

UNITED STATES

Chopper crash bodies retrieved

Investigators have recovered all of the nine bodies from the scene of the helicopter crash that killed retired NBA star Kobe Bryant and eight others in Los Angeles on Sunday morning, authorities said on Tuesday. Three bodies were recovered on Sunday afternoon from the helicopter wreckage at the site in Calabasas, California, and the other six were located the next day.

Pentagon warns over jobs in S. Korea

The US military said it has begun notifying nearly 9,000 South Korean workers that they will be put on leave from April if Seoul and Washington fail to reach a deal on sharing costs for the upkeep of 28,500 US soldiers in South Korea. The two countries have held six rounds of talks but have been unable to reach an agreement due to differences over Washington's demand for a sharp hike in Seoul's contribution for this year.

CUBA

Lucky escape seen after strong quake

A powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck in the Caribbean Sea between Jamaica and eastern Cuba on Tuesday, shaking a vast area from Mexico to Florida and beyond. But there were no immediate reports of casualties or heavy damage. The quake was centered 139 kilometers northwest of Montego Bay, Jamaica, and 140 km west-southwest of Niquero, Cuba, according to the US Geological Survey.

BRAZIL

Flood in southeast claims 52 lives

Severe flooding has left 52 people dead in southeast Brazil's Minas Gerais state, the state civil defense agency said on Tuesday. One person remains missing, 65 have been injured, 28,893 displaced and 4,397 left homeless, the agency said in a statement. Since torrential rains began lashing the region on Friday, authorities have declared a state of emergency in 101 towns, several of which have been devastated by the floods.

Xinhua - Agencies