hamish macdonald abc news london. >> and as we hear more details about those americans killed on mt. everest, their family members are starting to come forward. >> southern california based filmmaker tom taplin was making a documentary about the mt. everest base camp when the quake avalanche hit. his wife described her husband as a larger than life person. >> he loved going to extreme landscapes. he loved -- we went to antarctica together. we've trekked in patagonia and those are the kinds of places that inspired him. >> tom taplin was 61 years old and had been running his own film company since 1981. >> and stay with abc news for the latest on the earthquake in nepal. live team coverage is coming up on "good morning america." >>> and here at home mother nature unleashing her fury in the form of severe weather across much of texas and the south. >> that's right. there are reports of several tornadoes touching down overnight in the dallas/ft. worth area. >> this was caught on video by storm chasers. elsewhere, other areas got large hail some of it the size of baseballs driven by damag

hamish macdonald, abc news, london. >> we thank hamish for that report. >>> and in the states an air and sea rescue in mobile bay. where a storm slammed into this regatta. and tonight, this new video. a crew member trying to put a life preserver on the captain, and the wind blowing it right off. not everyone survived, and more are still missing. mara schiavocampo now on the drama at sea. >> reporter: tonight, at least two are dead and a coast guard search is underway for survivors after a sailing event featuring hundreds of boaters turned to tragedy. driving rain and winds up to 60 miles per hour causing multiple boats to capsize shortly after the dauphin island regatta began saturday afternoon. >> i said, jesus calm the waters, calm the waters. >> reporter: at the time, the area was under a special marine warning. earlier, severe thunderstorms reportedly delaying and almost canceling the race. >> sun was high, wind was 15 to 20, 4 hours later, totally different story. >> reporter: that region facing more than 300 severe weather reports in the last 48 hours. strong winds and rain fro

abc's hamish macdonald reaching some of those passengers as 60 60-mile-an-hour winds hit the ship. >> reporter: this is the view through the window for passengers of the carnival "spirit." 30-foot plus waves and 60 60-mile-an-hour winds slamming the massive ship. tonight, passengers, helpless, and the weather is getting worse. chris rouse is onboard with his wife and two children, and he's worried. >> there were massive bangs and i think there was like a toughened glass and one of those pieces of glass shattered right ail above us. >> reporter: more than 2,500 are on board, including 800 children returning from the south pacific. the ship is right outside the harbor but is port is closed. >> this is the first time i've ever refused entry to a cruise ship. >> reporter: it's all part of a massive storm that's whipping australia's coastline, sweeping entire homes away. killing at least three people. being trapped at sea in extreme weather is a terrifying experience. this video from 2010 shows the moment a giant wave smashed a cruise ship in the mediterranean. two people are killed. the c

hamish macdonald, abc news, london. >> hamish, thank you. >>> tonight, millions of americans bracing for severe weather. it's coming tomorrow. we showed you the warning sirens going off in miami in the last 24 hours. and tonight here, from florida, evidence now of an ef-1 tornado, this one outside orlando. and look at this. a sheet of hail on the ground there in georgia. 27 million in the path of this new system. meteorologist rob marciano here with the new track tonight. hey, rob. >> reporter: david, this time of year, the time is where the weather is quiet -- it's very short. so, we're going to recharge the atmosphere, and tomorrow, here's the threat for severe weather. across dallas across the red river valley into oklahoma large hail strong winds, a brief tornado possible. and we're looking at a pattern change winter still holding on across parts of the midwest. tonight, five to ten degrees below normal. snow falling in minneapolis. and the six to ten-day outlook highlights a pattern that we saw this winter. below average temperatures for the northeast, but that means 50s rather

>> all right, hamish macdonald right there in london. hamish, thank you. >>> and it is now official tonight. sarah thomas, making history right here in this country. hired as the first full-time female referee in the nfl. the mother of three will serve as a line judge. the 42-year-old says she is honored to be considered a trailblazer, but she says her focus is on being the best official she can be. we'll be watching for her on the sidelines. >>> and there is still much more ahead on "world news tonight" this wednesday. the accused phony navy s.e.a.l. tonight, the elaborate trap to catch him, revealed right here. real s.e.a.l.s going through intense training like this but tonight, the man police say lied about his service and how they got him. >>> also at this hour, the controversy involving actor rob lowe. those ads pulled off tv, and now he's responding at this hour. >>> and we already knew he was a golfing great. jack nicklaus. but the unbelievable moment today and it turns out -- it turns out -- he predicted it. making a fist somethi

hamish macdonald, abc news, london. >>> first now in my journalism career. i get to say bull semen.xplain. thieves are targeting a minnesota farm and they are not taking the crops, livestock or equipment. they are after this valuable asset. they are seeking in to an a unlocked barn, making off with a storage canister filled, yes, with vials of bull semen. why? because it's worth a lot of dough. >> $70,000 loss just for the semen itself. >> 70 grand, folks. it was frozen in a canister similar to a milk jug. it was the only thing that was taken. so you can assume they are targeting it and why is it of value? because of breeding and what not. on the market it can be worth a lot of cash. >> what do you do if off jar of it? >> you sell it on the market in some way, form or fashion. the person that buys it -- >> i don't know that. [ mooing ] >> my thoughts exactly. >>> coming up, gone fishing but these are no ordinary fish. we are talking river monsters. we will cast our line with the host of that hit show as he goes after his most elusive catch yet. >>> and in our next half hour, stolen

hamish macdonald, abc news, london. >> and in the midst of tragedy, we are hearing some amazing stories of survival. chicago mother loretta land says her 52-year-old son andy was climbing mt. he ever rest was climbing when the quake and avalanche struck. she's relieved but still worried about how they'll get down from where they're currently stranded. >> my concern is getting down the avalanches and the rock slides. and they have indicated several times that the structure of the mountain has changed. >> andy land is a hospice nurse in wisconsin and spent months training for the climb. everyone in his climbing group was spared but some in the group just ahead of them were killed. and stay right here with abc news as more details come in from nepal. look for instant updates on abcnews.com, america this morning and good morning america will have all the latest. >>> russian hackers may have penetrated deeper into president obama's files than we knew. abc news learned last october, hackers not only breached the unclassified computers at the white house and state department, they swept up som

we're going to get the latest now from abc's hamish macdonald. hamish. >> reporter: yeah, dan, good morning. there is breaking news this morning and that is those fresh avalanches on mt. everest triggered by that massive aftershock. there are now grave fears for large groups of climbers who are stuck on the face of mt. everest. we now know that two americans are among the dead. and the death toll stands at well over 2,000 from this devastating earthquake. this morning, buildings buckling in nepal. a 6.7 aftershock sending an already shaken community running. now a race to find those buried in the rubble. the earthquake that hit the kathmandu region saturday claiming more than 2100 lives in 4 countries. that number expected to rise. victims flooding hospitals, survivors spending the night outside fearful of the same power that brought this pole down onto a car and turned this once combleeming monument into a pile of bricks. the original magnitude 7.8 earthquake felt by nearly 6 million people in nepal, india, china and bangladesh. even unleashing m

hamish hamish macdonald is live with the details. >> reporter: it measured 7 .9 on the richter scale. the death toll is in excess of 500 people. that is climbing. it was felt across the region including idea much of me pal, including on mt. everest. guides are reporting there's been an avalanche on the face of the world's highest mountains. there are at least 30 people injured on the mountain. at this point, the casualties remain unclear. a lot of concern about this being climbing season and a lot of people on the edge of the mountain. we've been speaking to americans in and around the capital. they describe scenes of complete chaos. buildings have been totally destroyed. bodies being dug out from underneath the rubble. take a look at this ancient tower before and after the quake hit. scores of people were inside of that. i've just been speaking to one american on the ground there. she describes that even though these temples have been struck by the quake, people are now standing outside them, praying to the temples as they're being rocked by aftershocks. ron? >> thank you, hamish. re

hamish macdonald is live with the latest details in london. >> reporter: ron, good morning. there are grave fears for climbers on mt. everest now. the nepalese authorities say at least eight people have been killed as a result of an avalanche that struck the country after the earthquake. the death toll stands at almost 900 people right now, though that figure is steadily climbing. casualties reported across four countries. we're speaking to americans on the ground in and around cat man did you, the capital. they're describing scenes of complete chaos. many of those weak buildings have been completely destroyed. bodies are being dragged out from underneath the rubble. a lot of people in temples because of a religious holiday today. one of the americans i spoke to said they've moved outside to open areas to try to protect thepss because of the continuing aftershocks. she described the fact that nepalese are kug up in front of the temples praying to them while the aftershocks are taking place. >> thank you, hamish. reporting from london on the powerful earthquake in nepal. >>>

him aic mcdonald icic icic -- hamish macdonald has the latest. >> reporter: 2500 people on board. they thought they would enjoy a sunny get away. instead, massive waves and stranded at sea for days in what is being described as the storm of the decade. a two-day nightmare on a carnival cruise captured in this new video. >> wow. >> reporter: passengers looking on helplessly as massive waves, 30 feet high slam the cruise ship turning from a 12-day tour of the south pacific, 2500 passengers on board. >> it was scary. our patio furniture flew off the balcony. >> reporter: the man in charge admitting. >> it was wild. >> reporter: the conditions so intense, authorities forced to shut down sydney harbor port. the ship forced to wait in open seas for two days. >> the ship would have literally surfed into the harbor. it's a rare occurrence. >> my suitcases were flying out of the cupboards. the tv was falling down. >> reporter: etch walking became a struggle. look at these passengers hanging on to the wall. these two women on the verge of falling into each other. >> a lot of the glass had b

luke shambrook is recovering and hamish macdonald has the details. rter: good morning, george. the truth is we may never have all of the answers. this 11-year-old boy has autism and severely limited communication skills. it will be very difficult for him to tell his parents or the police what must surely be an incredible tale of survival. 98 hours and 25 minutes after going missing this lost boy is found. hungry with hypothermia, rescuers rush to his side. they wrap him in a foil blanket, offer him a bread roll and water. >> brings a tear to your eye. you can't imagine the response of our members when they first picked him up. >> reporter: now reunited with his rescuers. luke shambrook is safe and recovering from a hospital. in these remote mountains, there is little food and dangerous wildlife. luke has autism and limited communication. so we may never know exactly how he survived in almost freezing overnight temperatures. >> i don't know that any of us know exactly what he's been through. but i think for all of us you know we think he's doing fabulo

abc's hamish macdonald has the latest and joins us. good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you, robin. it is an almost you unbelievable rescue and it almost didn't happen. rescuers spotted something in the distance from the choppers in the sky so they turned back to investigate. watch as this 11-year-old boy lost all alone in the woods for four days shivering and hungry finally spots a helicopter flying overhead. >> just out of the corner of my eye just caught a flash of something. it was enough to make me get the guys to turn the aircraft around and go back and have a further look. >> reporter: rescuers slide down this embankment to come to his aid. volunteers using chain saws to clear a path for a stretcher. at last luke shambrook who has autism is wrapped in a foil blanket to restore his body temperature. >> when you think about the time line and how many days he had and how many nights four nights in this weather, raining, cold. >> reporter: reunited with relieved parent. >> we've been overwhelmed by the response and we're very

hamish macdonald, abc news, london. >> the vatican has confirmed pope francis will visit cuba before news of the pope's visit was greeted with prayers and excitement in havana. the pontiff played a major role in the restoration of diplomatic ties between the two countries. while in the u.s., he will address congress, meet with president obama and stop by new york and philadelphia. he may also make an appearance on world. maybe not. i tried. >>> also from latin america, a spectacular volcanic eruption. it's known in chile sending a giant cloud of ash miles into the sky, the first eruption since 1972. three communities nearby were evacuated. this volcano is considered one of chile's most dangerous but it sure can put on a show. look at that. >>> wisconsin governor scott walker marked earth day like a lot of people did around the country. he did it by proposing to fire dozens of state environmental employees. 57 in particular. of the wisconsin state department of natural resources. they have started getting formal notices that their jobs will be casualties of governor walker's cutbacks.