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CNN International: Presidential Candidate Killed Days Before Election; Mandatory Evacuation for Kupyansk in Kharkiv Region; ECOWAS Leaders meet to Discuss Niger Coup; Plant Explosion Near Moscow Leaves One Dead. Aired 8-8:30a ET

Aired August 10, 2023 - 08:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to CNN "Newsroom", I'm Christina Macfarlane in London in for Max Foster today. Just ahead, devastating scenes in Maui where dozens have lost their lives to raging wildfires, the latest from Hawaii just ahead.

Then horrific violence in Ecuador as a presidential candidate is assassinated after a campaign event less than two weeks before the elections there more on what we know. And Russia on edge after a string of attacks and a massive explosion, a closer look at the mood inside the country.

We begin with the breaking news in Hawaii where the death toll from wildfires raging through the Island of Maui has jumped dramatically now to 36. The U.S. Coast Guard and Navy helicopters are being used in search and rescue efforts as firefighters, battle the flames and residents get out any way they can.

Hawaii's Lieutenant Governor Sylvia Luke warns that it will take years for Maui to recover from the destruction brought by these wildfires. Hawaii's Director of Economic Development and Tourism spoke to CNN a short time ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES TOKIOKA, DIRECTOR AT DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM: One of the meetings earlier it's our understanding that the fires are not totally contained. But they're not blazing like they were last night because the winds have died down. Maui Forest Fire Department Chief Brad Ventura and his team have been doing an incredible job given the circumstances.

We couldn't get the helicopters up because of the wind. But now that the wind has subsided, they're working on the dumps with water onto the affected area.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: And do searching because we'll have much more about this later in the show including a live report from the ground. Ecuador is under a state of emergency after a presidential candidate was gunned down at a campaign event. It was captured here on video and we want to warn you the footage is disturbing.

Fernando Villavicencio was leaving a rally at a school near the capital Quito when shots rang out. Here's the moment it happened. Well, this comes just 10 days before the presidential election as a lawmaker Villavicencio was outspoken about corruption and the violence caused by drug trafficking.

Our Rafael Romo joining us now with the latest on the situation and Rafael, we know that Ecuador has been rocked by gang violence in recent years, but this is really a shocking event for the country. Just walk us through what we know what happened in this attack?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Shocking indeed, Christina and very brazenness. Well the attack happened right after the presidential candidate had finished a rally at a school in Quito Ecuador's capital, according to campaign aides, contacted by CNN and a video that appears to show the moment of the attack.

All of a sudden, a burst of gunfire was heard as he was getting into a waiting vehicle. Several people were hit by the bullets, including Fernando Villavicencio, a 59 year old activist, journalist and politician who was running in Ecuador's presidential elections to be held in less than two weeks August 20.

As Villavicencio gets in the backseat of the vehicle at least 12 gunshots can be heard. A policeman quickly closes the door behind Villavicencio and many people are seen taking cover from the gunfire including his security detail. The Ecuadorian Attorney General's office later said that at least nine people were injured in the attack including a candidate for the National Assembly and two Police officers, Christina.

Current Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso later said on social media that he is outraged and shocked. He called the attack and assassination. Lasso also expressed solidarity and sent his condolences to Villavicencio's wife and daughters. He also vowed that this crime will not go unpunished, Christina, back to you.

MACFARLANE: All right, Rafael Romo there with the latest on that shocking event out of Ecuador. Thank you. Now to several new developments in Ukraine, authorities have ordered a mandatory evacuation around the city in the Kharkiv region due to intense Russian shelling heavy combat also continues in Southern Ukraine.

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Meanwhile, the Russian controlled Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant lost connection to its main remaining external power line. A state owned power generating company says the plant has had to switch to a backup line. Our Chief International Security Correspondent Nick Paton Walsh joins us live from Zaporizhzhia with the latest.

Nick, I want to talk to you about what is occurring in the Kharkiv region and Kupyansk because this is one of the town's, one of the regions that were liberated by Ukraine last September. So how significant are these orders for an evacuation today?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, certainly, it's a change of focus and the change really of Ukraine controlling the narrative. This is a place that has been the focus of Russian advances, Russian investment, frankly, of artillery and troops over the past week.

So it does appear to be having enough of an impact that Ukrainian officials have issued that mandatory evacuation order, Kupyansk were there months ago, a large enough town for this if there are indeed enough people still living in the wreckage there. Member law has gone back since it was liberated to mean that the Ukrainians are concerned about Russian activity around.

In fact, Ukrainian officials suggesting that as many as 600 artillery attacks may have occurred there in the last 24 hours or so this is right up to the northeast, from where I'm standing. And where Ukraine's counter offensive is putting most of its focus. And so you could argue this is perhaps a bid by the Russians to distract Ukrainian forces that are trying to amass here.

Perhaps take some pressure off the slightly southern focus of Russia's previous advances, Bakhmut. It is unclear what their larger strategic goal is because Kharkiv the city, well, that's pushed the Russians back significantly. And this is some drive away from there.

But it may be a bit, too by a bit of breathing space, perhaps for the Russians in the north, and possibly withdraw Ukrainian resources that may otherwise have been sent to the southern front here where I should say we are still hearing reports of heavy fighting. Russian officials suggesting that a lot of the settlements along the front line where Ukraine is trying to advance are getting hit quite hard.

We've seen ourselves that there are gradual moves forward by Ukrainian officials. And then there's a whole separate narrative too frankly in Kherson, the Dnieper River of suggestions that Ukrainian forces there made a brief crossing and of causing some trouble for the Russians there too.

So a lot moving, I should just give you some context about the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. That is essentially concerns about the main power supply. There is a backup supply the Russian officials managing it so they're going to get that main power supply back on track.

They think so a sign of potentially a crisis down the line, but at the moment, known it seems no major cause for alarm, Christina.

MACFARLANE: All right, Nick Paton Walsh with the latest from Zaporizhzhia there on all of this, thanks, Nick. Let's switch to Russia though, because Russia is saying its shot down two drones headed to Moscow and fall another attack near Crimea. CNN's Fred Pleitgen is up for us for more on this from Berlin.

And Fred, this just the latest in a string of attempts to target the capital, I believe these attempts were foiled. What impact is this having?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think it has a pretty major impact. And I think you're absolutely right. It's a string of attempts, but it also is becoming almost a daily occurrence. And, you know, we have those two very separate areas. On the one hand, you have the area around Sevastopol in occupied Crimea.

But you also have the Russian capital as well. If we look at Sevastopol, that seems like a pretty straight forward military target. That is the main base of the Russian Black Sea fleet. And the Russian was saying that they shot down two drones there near the Sevastopol area and also took down nine additional Ukrainian drones over the Black Sea.

Some of them using the electronic countermeasures, but some of them are also being shot down as well. But I think that the Moscow situation is certainly one that is very troubling right now for the Russian leadership. You have those two drones that the Russians say they shot down tonight, and I was sort of looking at the area where that happened.

One of it was around a Kaluga, which I would say is around 150 kilometers southwest of Moscow, a new restring of town called the garden rings, very beautiful towns Kaluga, by the way, as well, that's still pretty far away from the capital. But the other one is near the sort of beltway highway around Moscow road called the MKAD, which means that it was pretty close to actually being on the territory of the Russian capital.

And of course, there were also drone attacks that happened yesterday that were foiled also by the Russians and near Moscow as well. And then last week, of course, we had attacks that took place and actually hit the financial district in Moscow. So certainly something that will be troubling and even the spokesman for the Kremlin said at that point in time, it's a security threat, Christina.

MACFARLANE: Yes, certainly is that Fred Pleitgen there, thank you. Well, let's return now to our top story this hour. At least 36 people have been killed in unprecedented wildfires that are sweeping through the Hawaiian island of Maui. Thousands of people have been displaced.

And as the flames closed in, many residents made harrowing escapes by boat car or swimming into the ocean.

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Winds are decreasing overnight as Hurricane Dora. Hundreds of kilometers to the south are moving farther away from the islands. It has been fueling the flames. Well, CNN's Veronica Miracle joins us now live from Maui, Hawaii. Veronica, the news of these 36 deaths is just devastating for this small community, bring us up to date on that toll and also the efforts to try and control these wildfires. How that's going?

VERONICA MIRACLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Christina, it's absolutely devastating. This information coming in overnight, it is the middle of the night here in Maui. So many residents will be waking up to this news that those 36 people that their community members, friends and loved ones have died.

And it is fear that there are more in terms of the firefighting efforts. That fire in behind it that devastated and decimated that area is one of three fires currently burning on the island. Firefighting efforts continue as well as search and rescue efforts. And also --

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look at the harbor.

MIRACLE (voice over): The view from above is of shock and heartbreak.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh my god.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We were not prepared for what we saw. It looked like an area that had been bombed in the war.

MIRACLE (voice over): Wildfires rampaging across the island of Maui.

DUSTIN KALEIOPU, LOST HOUSE IN MAUI WILDFIRE (ph): Our entire street was burned to the ground.

MIRACLE (voice over): Decimating homes and businesses.

TOKIOKA: Local people have lost everything. They've lost their house. They've lost their animals and it's devastating.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Lahaina is on fire.

MIRACLE (voice over): The historic town of Lahaina, a popular tourist and economic hub on the island's West Side, particularly affected with hundreds of structures impacted.

VOICE OF CLAIRE KENT, HOUSE BURNED IN LAHAINA ON MAUI (ph): It happened so fast. People stuck in traffic trying to get out and they're -- on both sides of the road like something out of a horror movie.

MIRACLE (voice over): Most of the fires on Maui fueled in part by violent winds caused by Hurricane Dora churning more than 800 miles away. Those winds now subsiding as the storm pushes away.

MAJOR GENERAL KENNETH S. HARA, ADJUTANT GENERAL AT HAWAII STATE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE: The primary focus is to save lives and to prevent human suffering and mitigate great property loss.

MIRACLE (voice over): State Department crews assisting in efforts to restore communication across the islands and distribute water with military helicopters aiding and extinguishing the fires.

HARA: To CH-47 supporting Maui County, they flew 13 hours did 58 drops and about 150,000 gallons of water to assist with suppression of the fire.

MIRACLE (voice over): Recovery will be a long road ahead according to Hawaii's Lieutenant Governor Sylvia Luke.

LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR SYLVIA LUKE, HAWAII: The damage to the infrastructure. It's not just buildings. I mean, these were small businesses that invested in Mali. These were local residents. And, you know, we need to figure out a way to help a lot of people in the next several years.

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MIRACLE: And Christina, 11,000 people were flown out of Maui yesterday, another 1500 people expected to leave today. Airlines are increasing their flights. They're reducing their fares. They're asking people officials who are asking people to leave the island. They're also asking people to cancel their vacations and to not come here to save the resources so desperately needed by those who need it here on this island, Christina.

MACFARLANE: Yes, so many thousands of tourists as well as we know on the island at the moment, Veronica, we will check back in with you on a regular basis. Thank you so much there, live from Maui. Now, right now West African leaders are meeting in Nigeria's capital to discuss how to respond to the coup in Niger.

And these are live pictures of the meeting taking place now being led by the President of Niger who is also the Chair of ECOWAS the Economic Community of West Africa has threatened the possible use of force if the ouster of President isn't reinstated. Its demands have so far been ignored.

So the block is now meeting to decide next steps. The democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum says he has been kept in isolation with dwindling food and no medicine or electricity. Meantime, the coup leaders have just unveiled a new government.

CNN's Larry Madowo has been following the story and joins us now live from Nairobi, Kenya, as a sailor at that meeting been underway now for a couple of hours. What is the expectation for what may come out of that today? And what more are you hearing on the health of the ouster of President Bazoum?

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: All right, Christina, let me begin with this meeting happening right now ECOWAS leaders back in Abuja, the Nigerian capital to deliberate on how they will handle the situation in Niger.

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They promised in the last met at another extraordinary summit that if the military content Niger did not reinstate President Mohamed Bazoum within a week they would use all measures, including force that deadline passed on Sunday evening. So, now at this meeting that's going on right now. They have to determine if they will, in fact sending their armies or they will find other diplomatic or political solutions. Some countries in the region have said they will contribute troops to this ECOWAS mission, if it were to happen. The Foreign Minister in Senegal, which is a member of ECOWAS said they would contribute troops because Niger is one coup to many.

Why is that one coup to many? Because that same region that had 7, 8 coups distanced in 2020, in Burkina Faso, in Mali, in Guinea and in Niger, if this is successful. So while that is going on, let's talk about President Mohamed Bazoum, who has been held since July 26.

He says now he's running out of food. He has not had human contact since August 4, and not even access to his doctor who's the one used to bring him foodstuffs and medicines and all that. And the U.S. is now saying that they are concerned about his safety. Listen.

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MATTHEW MILLER, SPOKESMAN OF U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT: With respect to President Bazoum. We are greatly worried about his health and his personal safety and the personal safety of his family. In all the conversations Secretary Blinken has had with President Bazoum inquiring about his safety has been the first things.

He's brought up is one of the reasons that Acting Deputy Secretary Nuland wanted to see him personally when she was in the country on Monday, and it's a matter that remains of concern to us.

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MADOWO: So the last time President Mohamed Bazoum was seen in public was July 31, when he met with the transitional President of Chad, Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno. So far has been receiving calls, Christina, but has not been seen since then.

MACFARLANE: All right, and then Larry will continue to follow this story is that meeting continues in the house to come. Larry Madowo, there from Nairobi thank you. OK, still to come. Search and rescue efforts continue on the Hawaiian Island of Maui where wildfires blazed a path of destruction here from one resident holding out hope for his loved ones.

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MACFARLANE: Let's return to the devastating wildfires ravaging the Hawaiian Island of Maui, at least 36 people have died. Officials warn the death toll could be much higher as search and rescue efforts are still underway in what was once a popular tourist spot.

The historic town of Lahaina is destroyed and hundreds of people and families are displaced. Most of the fires on Maui were fueled in part by violent winds from Hurricane Dora which is now nearly 1300 kilometers away, causing the winds to decrease slightly.

And I want to bring in Meteorologist Jennifer Gray. And Jennifer, I guess the fact that the winds are beginning to die down is a good sign but obviously very challenging conditions here for search and rescue teams to be operating in.

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JENNIFER GRAY, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You're right I mean the winds decreasing are very good news but the damage is really already been done just immense damage across Maui. So you were mentioning the winds and what led to all of this. You're right. It's basically a two part scenario, we had Hurricane Dora that was just south of the Hawaiian Islands a good 700 miles at its closest approach.

And then we have this strong area of high pressure to the north. So these both working together created very strong winds funneling between the strong areas of low pressure, which was Dora and the strong high to the north. So it was the perfect scenario for just complete destruction across Maui.

And the Hawaiian Islands created very strong winds. We saw wind gusts as high as 82 miles per hour, but a lot of wind gusts reported between 55 and 65 miles per hour. You mentioned the winds are decreasing they are 15 to 20 mile per hour winds. This is pretty much right now.

And then as we go throughout the day, you can see a hyena right around 15 to 20 miles per hour winds, and then they'll steadily decrease. Of course, we're not going to have completely calm conditions because it's Hawaii. We constantly have a breeze across the island, but about 10 to 15 are definitely normal.

So here are the hotspots that we saw, according to from NASA imagery, and then they just the smoke just blew and the fires just blew down the mountain side of the hillside. The hotspots detected over Lahaina right now you can see just a couple and then compared to yesterday where we had all of the fires and a lot of hot spots.

So you can see it definitely improving across there. A lot of that is because all of this is already burned. So there's nothing more to burn but at least the fire control is getting better. But the damage has already been done just a devastating scenario there.

MACFARLANE: Yes, absolutely. And we know its middle of the night there one wonders what these residents and families are going to be waking up too in the morning. Thank you very much, Jennifer. All right still to come a flurry of mysterious fires and explosions throughout Russia have left systems rattled. Why Russian state media is downplaying the cause, that story coming up.

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MACFARLANE: An explosion near the Russian capital on Wednesday killed at least one person injured at the 60 people. 12 people are still unaccounted for. It happened at an industrial plant where Russian state media says power techniques are made. Russian investigators say they have now detained the Plant Director. CNN's Matthew Chance reports.

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MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The explosion shook the Russian city sending a dark mushroom cloud billowing into the skies. Closer to the blast, you can see the windows falling from the buildings above. Even residence shot with the devastation.

When local records these images of her destroyed sewing business, and suggests a drone may have been spotted by one of her friend's moments before the explosion. Outside a local reporter spots what appears to be an artillery shell on the ground. Although officially the blast is being cast as an industrial accident that a fireworks factory.

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Russian officials denying sabotage or that this is sensitive military plant, making optical equipment like night vision goggles for Russia's war.

ANDREI VOROBYOV, GOVERNOR OF MOSCOW REGION: This place hasn't been used to produce mechanical optics for ages, says the Moscow Governor at the scene. It's only pyrotechnics made here he insists.

CHANCE (voice over): Still amid an upsurge of attacks at home, Russians have good reason to be nervous. August has been particularly fraught with a spike in small scale drone strikes on Russian cities, including the capital. Also been at least two dozen arson attacks on military recruitment centers across the country.

Like this one in the Far Eastern republic of Buryatia, home of more casualties in the Ukraine conflict than any other Russian region. But arrests and nationwide Russian officials say vulnerable citizens like pensioners are being duped into fire bombings by Ukrainian agents posing as police or creditors calling in loans.

I was called by bankers says this arrested woman and I thought they were the FSB, she says. But a spokesman for one Russian partisan group denies Russians have been coerced, telling CNN that if people weren't angry with the authorities, they wouldn't do anything, the Kremlin he says wants to hide the true level of discontent.

At the moment there's no real evidence the latest factory explosion was anything more than the devastating safety breach officials claim. That with the impact of war now increasingly felt at home. It's that many Russians on edge. Matthew Chance, CNN, Moscow.

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MACFARLANE: And that is the latest for us. Thank you so much for joining us here at CNN "Newsroom". I'm Christina Mcfarlane in London. Stay tuned for "World Sport" with Patrick Snell, up next.

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