JANUARY January 2 A barrier collapsed at the Ibrox Park football stadium, Glasgow, crushing 66 fans to death (1971). January 4 French liner Atlantique caught fire killing 18 of the crew, off Cherbourg (1933). January 6 River Thames flooded, drowning 4 people (1928). January 8 In New York, seven floors of the Empire State Building caught fire (1963). January 9 After the Union Castle liner 'Dunbar Castle' hit a mine, 152 people died (1940). In Hong Kong harbour, the liner 'Queen Elizabeth' was destroyed by fire (1972). January 10 In Zaïre, the Niragong volcano erupted, causing over 2000 deaths (1977). January 11 After a landslide down Huascaran, Peru, 3000 people were killed (1962). January 12 An avalanche in Austria killed more than 200 people (1954). January 13 29,000 people died after a massive earthquake in Central Italy (1915). January 14 Earthquake killed 1,000 people, Kingston, Jamaica (1907). January 19 An explosion at an East London munitions factory killed 69 and injured 381 (1917). January 23 Earthquake killed 830,000 people, Shanxi Province, China (1556). January 28 US space shuttle Challenger exploded after lift-off, killing the crew of 7 (1986). FEBRUARY February 1 Over 100 people died after blizzards raged throughout the North East United States (1977). 1,200 people were killed after an earthquake in Afghanistan and Pakistan (1991). February 6 Aeroplane crashed on take-off killing 21, including 7 members of a football team, Germany (1958). February 7 A Roman dark blue glass vase smashed by a drunken visitor to the British Museum, London (1845). February 9 An earthquake in southern California claimed 64 lives (1971). February 21 Swiss airliner crashes killing 47 passengers, Palestinian terrorists claim responsibility (1970). February 26 Earthquake killed 20,000 people, Lisbon, Portugal, (1531). The troop ship 'Birkenhead' sank with the loss of 485 lives, South Africa (1852). The French ship 'Provence II' was sunk in the Mediterranean with the loss of 930 lives (1916). February 28 London Underground train crashed at Moorgate Station killing 42 people (1975). February 29 Earthquake killed 12,000 people, Agadir, Morocco (1960). MARCH March 2 Severe flooding killed 200 people, North and Western Australia (1955). March 6 Cross-channel ferry left Zeebrugge, Belgium, and capsized killing 180 passengers (1987). March 11 The Bradfield reservoir, near Sheffield, burst its banks and 250 people lost their lives (1864). March 13 Dam burst downing 450 people, Los Angeles, USA (1928). March 17 Oil tanker Amoco Cadiz ran aground off Brittany, spilling over 220,000 tons of crude oil (1978). March 18 The Torrey Canyon oil tanker grounded off Cornwall, spilling 700,000 barrels of oil (1967). March 27 Two airliners collided on the runway killing 574 people, Tenerife airport, Canary Islands (1977). March 28 Nuclear power station at Three Mile Island suffered a meltdown in the core of one of its reactors (1979). APRIL April 4 Airship Akron crashed into the sea killing 73 people, off the New Jersey Coast (1933). April 5 Mount Etna, Siciliy, erupted, followed by violent flows of lava (1971). April 7 Volcano Vesuvius erupted, Southern Italy (1906). April 10 Earthquakes killed over 3,000 people, Iran (1972). April 15 Titanic, the passenger liner, sank with the loss of 1500 lives after colliding with an iceberg (1912). April 16 The submarine Affray sank in the English Channel, with the loss of 75 lives (1951). April 18 Earthquake, magnitude Richter 8.3, killed 450 and the following fire destroyed most of San Francisco (1906). April 26 Radioactive material leaked from a damaged reactor at Chernobyl, contaminating the surrounding area (1986). April 31 Earthquake kills 50,000, North Peru (1970). MAY May 4 Express train hit a steam train killing 4 people, Sydney, Australia (1990). May 7 Jet airliner plunged 4 miles before the pilot re-started the engines just in time to land safely (1983). May 8 Volcano Mount Pelée erupted killing 30,000 people, Martinique, West Indies (1902). May 11 Fire broke out at Bradford City Soccer stadium killing 56 spectators (1985). May 12 400,000 bees attacked the town of Moissac, France, killing ducks, chickens and dogs (1989). May 14 Mount Etna was attacked by rockets and bombs in a failed attempt to alter the course of lava (1983). May 18 Volcano Mount St Helens erupted killing 8 people and devastating an area of 230 square miles (1980). May 20 The P&O liner 'Egypt' sank after a collision off Ushant with the loss of 87 lives (1922). May 22 Two trains collided killing 227 passengers, Dumfries, Scotland (1915). Flooding killed 72 people and injured 200, South East China (1988). May 23 Fumes killed 4 construction workers, Carsington Reservoir, Derbyshire, England (1983). During a thunderstorm, 8 people died after the tree they were sheltering under was struck (1983). May 24 After a riot in soccer stadium in Peru, in the ensuing panic 301 people died and 500 injured (1964). May 25 Ferry caught fire and sank killing 48 and injuring 300 passengers, Lake Nasser on the Upper Nile (1983). May 27 Overnight express train ploughed into a mud slide killing 6 and injuring 22 passengers, Cologne (1983). May 28 Earthquake killed 2,000 people, Neftegorsk, Russia (1995). May 29 River Rhine broke its banks after heavy rain and flooded the cities of Cologne, Bonn and Koblenz (1983). JUNE June 3 A great fire at Constantinople (Istanbul) rendered 15,000 peoples homeless (1912). At a French air show, an airliner crashed six miles from Le Bourget, killing 13 people (1973). June 18 BEA Trident airliner crashed killing 118 people, Staines, England (1972). June 23 Air India Boeing 747 from Canada exploded 120 miles off Ireland killing 325 people (1985). June 26 Floods killed at least 300 people and left thousands homeless, Gujarat in India (1983). June 27 Collision between 2 trains killed 59 passengers, Paris (1988). June 28 Southern California put on emergency alert after suffering the worst earthquakes for 40 years. JULY July 2 Stampede killed 1,000 Muslim pilgrims in a pedestrian tunnel in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia (1990). July 3 Russian troops killed 6,000 people during a general strike in Odessa (1905). July 6 Explosion aboard North Sea oil rig 'Piper Alpha' resulted in the loss of 166 lives (1988). July 9 Train crash killed 101 passengers, Nasville, USA (1918). July 10 Seveso, Northern Italy, covered by a cloud of toxic weed, resulted in loss of crops and the death of 40,000 animals (1976). July 11 Terrorists fired on a Greek ferry killing 9 passengers and injuring 78 as it ended a trip around the Aegean Islands (1988). July 16 Train crash killed 6 passengers and injured 116, Blackpool, England (1961). Earthquake killed over 1,500 people, Luzon, Philippines (1990). July 19 King Henry VIII's ship, Mary Rose, capsized and sank with the loss of 700 lives (1545). United Airlines DC10 crashed killing 188 passengers whilst making an emergency landing at Iowa, USA (1989). July 21 Two trains collided killing 4 passengers and injuring 30, Glasgow, Scotland (1991). AUGUST August 9 Earthquake killed 6,000 people and made 40,000 homeless, near Istanbul, Turkey (1912). August 11 Earthquakes caused the village of São Miguel to sink, Azores (1810). August 13 Two air balloons collided and one plunged to the ground, killing all 13 people on board (1989). August 17 Earthquake and tidal waves killed over 6,000 people, Philippines (1976). August 19 Earthquake killed 2,000 people, East Turkey (1966). August 22 Following an aborted take off at Manchester Airport, a Boeing 737 burst into flames on the runway killing 55 people (1985). August 24 Mount Vesuvius erupted and buried (and preserved) Pompeii and Herculaneum in hot volcanic ash, Southern Italy (AD79). August 26 Volcano Krakatoa erupted killing thousands, Indonesia (1883). Deadly but odourless gas escaped from a volcanic lake in the Cameroons killing 1,500 people (1986). August 30 Hurricane David killed 1,100 people, Caribbean and East USA (1979). August 31 Earthquake killed 12,000 people, Iran (1968). Tropical storm killed over 1,000 people, Philippines (1984). SEPTEMBER September 1 Earthquake, magnitude Richter 8.3, killed 200,000 people, Tokyo and Yokohama, Japan (1923). September 2 Great Fire of London, lasted three days and destroyed 13,000 buildings, 65% of the city (1666). September 3 Hurricane killed 2,000 people, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (1930). September 6 Earthquake killed 3,000 people, Lice, Turkey (1975). Hurricane killed 1836 people, Southern Florida, USA (1928). September 8 Tornado and tidal waves killed 6,000 people, Galveston, USA (1900). September 9 Earthquake, magnitude Richter 8.1, killed 4,700 people and left 30,000 injured, Mexico (1985). September 19 End of the Great Plague of London, after the death of 100,000 citizens (1665). Hurricane Fifi killed 2,000, Honduras, Central America (1974). September 21 Hurricane killed 600 people, Long Island, USA (1938). Floods caused by hurricanes killed 8,000 people, Honduras, Central America (1974). September 25 French battleship Liberté exploded killing 226 people, Toulon Harbour, Southern France (1909). OCTOBER October 4 Hurricane Flora killed 6,000 people, Caribbean (1963). October 5 British airship R101 crashed killing 48 passengers in France en route to India (1930). October 8 Great Fire of Chicago started, lasted 4 days, killed 250 people and made 95,000 homeless, USA (1871). October 15 Hurricane killed 40,000 people, Bengal, India (1942). October 16 Hurricane winds killed 19 people and caused wide-spread damage, Southern England (1987). October 17 Earthquake killed 3,000 people, Greece and Asia Minor (1914). October 20 Hurricane killed 600 people, Cuba (1926). October 21 Mountain of mining refuse collapsed and engulfed Aberfan village killing 144 people, Wales (1966). October 22 Hurricane killed 2,000 people, Haiti (1935). NOVEMBER November 1 Tidal wave killed 10,000 people and left 5,000,000 homeless, Orissa, India (1972). November 3 Earthquake killed 15,000 people, Abruzzi, Italy (1706). November 12 Cyclone and tidal waves killed 150,000 people, East Pakistan (1970). November 13 Volcano Nevado del Ruiz, dormant since 1845, erupted killing 20,000, Columbia (1985). November 18 Fire in Kings Cross Underground Station killed 30 people, London (1987). November 23 Earthquake killed 4,000 people, Southern Italy (1980). November 26 Great storms killed 8,000 people, England (1703). DECEMBER December 2 Cyclone killed thousands and made 5,000,000 homeless, Bangladesh (1988). December 3 Chemical leakage killed 2,500 and blinded many thousands, Bhopal, India (1984). December 6 Mining accident killed 361 people, Monongah, USA (1907). December 7 Earthquake, killed thousands and caused wide-spread destruction, Armenia (1988). December 12 Earthquake killed over 700 people, Columbia (1979). December 16 180,000 people died after a landslip in the Kansu province of China (1920). December 19 Over 500 people died in the new Hebrides following a volcanic eruption (1913). December 20 Two ferries collided off Harwich with the loss of six lives (1982). December 21 An earthquake in Japan resulted in 1,068 deaths (1946). PanAm Boeing 747 blown up by a terrorist bomb killing 270 people, Lockerbie, Scotland (1988). December 23 Managua, capital of Nicaragua, was destroyed by an earthquake with a loss of 12,000 lives (1972). Greek ship Lakonia caught fire and sank killing 150 people, North Atlantic Ocean (1963). December 25 A cyclone and tidal wave caused over 7,000 deaths in Southern India and Ceylon (1964). Earthquake killed 10,000 people, Managua, Nicaragua (1972). December 27 In Anatolia, Turkey, violent earthquakes caused over 10,000 deaths (1939). A North Sea oil rig, 'Sea Gem' capsized and sank with the loss of 13 lives (1965). December 28 The centre portion of the Tay Bridge in Scotland collapsed, killing 75 people aboard a train (1879). Earthquake, magnitude Richter 7.5, killed 83,000 people, Messina, Sicily (1908).