Tsunami in Japan
An 8.9 magnitude earthquake struck Japan on March 11, 2011 triggering a tsunami alert along Japan’s Pacific Coast to at least 20 countries. The earthquake literally destroyed Japan. Marked a ‘Black Friday: in Japan’s history as this was the worst earthquake ever experienced.
Floods in Pakistan
The onslaught of Monsoon (June – September) rains again took Pakistan in its grip and this time it caused hundreds of casualties and over 200,000 homeless people. Badin was the center of crisis as the flood started in early months but become more severe due to continuous rainfall. The only difference between this event and last year’s tragic flood was that international aid somewhat helped the effected but in 2011 even the aid was scarce and was not provided in time which made the disaster even worse than the last years flood of 2010.
Mumbai Blasts 2011, India
Three near-simultaneous explosions rocked Mumbai on July 13, 2011, killing at least 21 people and injuring 141. The blasts occurred within minutes of each other in the areas of Opera House, Zaveri Bazaar and Dadar, all busy commercial hubs of Mumbai. There was speculation that the pattern of the blasts suggested involvement of Indian Mujahideen. According to the Special cell of the Delhi Police, Indian Mujahideen has been conducting blasts on the 13 or 26 of the month. Speculation was also rife that the Mumbai underworld could be behind these blasts, in the light of the killing of ‘Mid Day’ Crime journalist Jyotirmoy Dey, as well as the attempted assassination of Dawood Ibrahim’s brother, Iqbal Kaskar on 3 May. 13 July is also observed as Kashmir Martyr’s day, and there could be a possibility that the attacks were carried out by Kashmiri groups. There is also a view that the attacks could have been plotted by those trying to derail the Indo-Pakistani peace process.
Hurricane Irene, U.S.A
The first hurricane of the 2011 Atlantic season left 44 dead and losses of $ 7 billion. It was the first seriously threatened the coast of the United States in three years. President Barack Obama canceled his schedule and declared an emergency. A New York City, where people feared a disaster movie with torrents of water slipping between the skyscrapers, Irene finally failed.
The hurricane passed near the Virgin Islands on August 21 and continued their advance through the Atlantic Ocean. Landfall in Puerto Rico resulted unleashing strong winds and left 800 000 people without power. There he acquired hurricane strength, and August 24, after lashing the southeastern Bahamas, became the first major hurricane (Category 3) of the season. Again touched land in North Carolina on the morning of August 27.
Terrorists Attack Delhi High Court, India
It was a dark Wednesday for Delhi on September 7, 2011 when a powerful bomb exploded outside Delhi high court. At least 13 people were killed and more than 70 hurt . The families of the victims were left with an irreparable loss. The terror attack, from a sophisticated explosive device, had a precursor less than four months ago – on May 25 , 2011- when a low-intensity bomb went off in the same area, though outside a different gate. Questions have been raised in police circles whether that blast was an attempt to gauge the area’s preparedness to ward off terror as well as its vulnerability. The people who had come to the High court for justice became victims of terror.
Sikkim Earthquake, India
The earthquake measuring 6.8 on Richter scale jolted Sikkim and Nepal on September 18, 2011, leaving scores dead and hurt. The effects of the quake were felt across northeastern India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and southern Tibet. This quake has once again raised questions on the safety aspect of multi-storeyed buildings. The quake came just a few days after an earthquake of 4.2 magnitude hit Haryana’s Sonipat district, sending tremors in New Delhi. The earthquake was the fourth significant earthquake in India of September 2011.
Earthquake in Turkey
The Van earthquake was a destructive earthquake measuring 7.2 on the Richter Scale that struck eastern Turkey near the city of Van on Sunday, 23 October 201. It occurred at a shallow depth of 20 kilometres (12 mi), causing heavy shaking across much of eastern Turkey and lighter tremors across neighboring parts of the South Caucasus and Levant. According to Disasters and Emergency Situations Directorate of Turkey, on October 30 2011, the earthquake killed 604 and injured are 4,152. At least 11,232 buildings sustained damage in the region, 6,017 of which were found to be uninhabitable. The uninhabitable homes left as much as 8,321 households with an average household population of around 7.6 homeless in the province; this could mean that at least around 60,000 people were left homeless. The other 5,215 have been damaged but are habitable.
Naxal Attacks, India
Over 500 people including 124 security personnel were killed in 1,476 attacks carried out by Naxals in various states affected by Left wing extremism till November, 2011. During May 2011, Naxalites killed and dismembered ten policemen, including one senior officer in the Gariyaband, Chhattisgarh area on the border with Orissa. In June 2011, the total fatalities of both the police and the paramilitary were 43. On 21 July 2011, Maoist rebels in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh blew up a bridge, killing four people and wounding five others. The attack happened when the Congress Party Chief of the State, Nandkumar Patel, was returning from a party function.
Kolkata Hospital Fire, India
The worst fire tragedy in any hospital in India occurred on December 8, 2011 at AMRI Hospital in Kolkata. At least 91 people died due to suffocation. This was the second fire tragedy at the AMRI Hospital after 2008. The incident once again raised questions on public safety. Six members of the hospital board, including leading industrialist S K Modi, were arrested on charges of culpable homicide and negligence, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who visited the hospital, announced to the Media on December 10, 2011.
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