Week in Photos: Volcano Eruption, Earthquakes, and Extreme Summer Heat

|August 07, 2026Updated:August 07, 2026Rescuers and onlookers inspect the wreckage of a minibus at the site of a blast near Damascus, Syria, on Aug. 6, 2026. A bomb planted on the minibus exploded in the town of Jaramana, state television reported, citing an official source. Louai Beshara/AFP via Getty ImagesA firefighter works to extinguish a wildfire that has raged for four days in the Megara Region west of Athens on Aug. 3, 2026. Wildfires remained a threat despite easing winds and the deployment of firefighting aircraft. Aris Oikonomou/AFP via Getty ImagesProtesters march to call for the removal of illegal immigrants in Alexandra, South Africa, on Aug. 6, 2026. Tensions and intimidation have forced more than 176,000 people to flee, according to an AFP tally based on figures released by African governments that have repatriated their nationals. Emmanuel Croset/AFP via Getty ImagesA controlled underwater explosion in the Danube River near Izvoarele, Romania, on Aug. 3, 2026. The blast was intended to deepen the channel and divert a higher volume of water toward the cooling systems of the Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant. Local authorities and plant engineers authorized the blasting operations to counteract critically low water levels caused by a prolonged summer heatwave, ensuring the continuous and safe operation of the facility’s reactors. Daniel Mihailescu/AFP via Getty ImagesMembers of the media crowd the front door on Aug. 5, 2026, as people enter the Westchester, Fla., home where Perez Hilton was found the previous day after he appeared to harm himself during a TikTok livestream. Hilton was hospitalized on Aug. 4 after Miami-Dade County sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the home. Joe Raedle/Getty ImagesThe U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds fly up the Hudson River over New York City on Aug. 4, 2026. The Thunderbirds performed at the Air Dot Show New York in Orange County and are next headlining the Rochester International Airshow. Timothy. A. Clary/AFP via Getty ImagesPolice detain Tibetan refugees near the Chinese Consulate in Mumbai on Aug. 3, 2026, during a protest against China’s “Ethnic Unity and Progress” law. Punit Paranjpe/AFP via Getty ImagesLightning illuminates the sky above Ukraine’s capital during a thunderstorm in Kyiv on Aug. 4, 2026. Sergei Supinsky/AFP via Getty ImagesVolunteers fill backpacks with school supplies at Big Sunday in Los Angeles on Aug. 5, 2026. The L.A.-based nonprofit Big Sunday hosted its 17th annual Back to School Week, bringing together hundreds of volunteers to fill 5,500 backpacks for elementary school students in need across Southern California. Justin Sullivan/Getty ImagesHealthcare workers clash with riot police in front of La Moneda presidential palace during a protest against cuts to Chile’s public healthcare system in Santiago, Chile, on Aug. 6, 2026. Rodrigo Arangua/AFP via Getty ImagesSmoke billows from a brick kiln in the Argo district of Badakhshan province, Afghanistan, on Aug. 6, 2026. Omer Abrar/AFP via Getty ImagesPolice use a water cannon to disperse demonstrators during a protest near the National Congress in Buenos Aires on Aug. 6, 2026, as senators debate a bill on the inviolability of private property. Luis Robayo/AFP via Getty ImagesA nearly dried-out sunflower field near the village of Kovilj, Serbia, on Aug. 6, 2026, as a prolonged heatwave continues to affect much of the region. Drought and hot weather across Europe have pushed water levels along the Danube River to record seasonal lows, reaching its lowest flow rate in the last 30 years. Andrej Isakovic/AFP via Getty ImagesA man walks along a destroyed road in Uki, Kumamoto prefecture, Japan, on Aug. 3, 2026, after a July 28 earthquake. Jiji Press/AFP via Getty ImagesThe moon in its third-quarter phase as seen from Lausanne, Switzerland, on Aug. 6, 2026. The surface is dramatically revealed by the low-angle sunlight that highlights craters and rugged terrain. Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty ImagesProtesters gather outside the Delaney Hall Detention Facility, where illegal immigrants are being held in Newark, N.J., on Aug. 4, 2026. The demand for a shutdown continues after El Salvadoran immigrant Edwin Lopez-Cornejo died on Aug. 1 while in custody. Spencer Platt/Getty ImagesA man carries a piece of furniture salvaged from his apartment in one of the buildings affected by the June 24 earthquake in La Guaira, Venezuela, on Aug. 6, 2026. Maxwell Briceno/AFP via Getty ImagesA man in a Spider-Man costume climbs the Dubai Frame during a promotional event for the movie “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on Aug. 1, 2026. Giuseppe Acace/AFP via Getty ImagesVisitors walk through a cooling mist at the Gwangmyeong Cave tourist site in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea, on Aug. 5, 2026. South Korea has been sweltering in a summer heat wave that has set new all-time highs three times over the past week alone. Greg Baker/AFP via Getty ImagesA burned tree stands amid the remains of a home destroyed in the Old Trails Fire in Spokane, Wash., on Aug. 5, 2026. Wind-driven wildfires burned over 10,000 acres combined in the Spokane area over the weekend, destroying more than 700 structures, including many homes, and 65,000 people were forced to evacuate. Mario Tama/Getty ImagesPolice inspect the wreckage of a truck after a car bomb detonated near a police station in Cucuta, Colombia, on Aug. 1, 2026. Schneyder Mendoza/AFP via Getty ImagesRusty competes in the World Dog Surfing Championships in Pacifica, Calif., on Aug. 1, 2026. Over a dozen dogs competed in several categories on Saturday including surfing, stand-up paddle boarding and tandem surfs. Heather Diehl/Getty ImagesIrish dancers rehearse backstage at the opening ceremony for Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann 2026 at City Hall in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on Aug. 2, 2026. Charles McQuillan/Getty ImagesThe tall bleached ‘bathtub ring` on the rocky banks of Lake Powell in Page, Ariz., on Aug. 1, 2026. Justin Sullivan/Getty ImagesThe Black Blues Brothers pose during a photocall for `The Black Blues Brothers: Let’s Twist Again!` in front of the Scottish National Gallery in Edinburgh, Scotland, on Aug. 4, 2026. The Black Blues Brothers are five Kenyan acrobats performing a range of stunts set to a rock’n’roll soundtrack. Jeff J. Mitchell/Getty ImagesVisitors enjoy the water of the Werksschwimmbad pool at Zeche Zollverein in Essen, Germany, on Aug. 5, 2026. Ina Fassbender/AFP via Getty Images