Mickey Z
Cool Observer
Tuesday, December 28, 2004
Disasters: The Worst of the Worst
In light of the ever-increasing casualty count from the recent Asian tsunami (great article on that: http://www.counterpunch.com/lindorff12282004.html), here is a brief listing of some of the deadliest disasters in recorded history (note the disturbing trend towards Asian venues as the numbers rise):
•Railroad: Dec. 12, 1917—Passenger train derailed in Modane, France. 543 dead.
•Aircraft: March 27, 1977—KLM 747 and Pan American 747 collide on a runway at Tenerife, Canary Islands. 582 dead.
•Fire: Oct. 8, 1871—Peshtigo, WI; forest fire. 1,182 dead.
•Mine Disaster: April 25, 1942—Honkeiko Colliery in Manchuria. 1,549 dead.
•Explosion: Dec. 3, 1984—Union Carbide Company, Bhopal, India. 3,849 dead.*
•Shipwreck: Nov. 1948—Chinese army evacuation ship exploded and sank off South Manchuria. 6,000 dead.
•Hurricane: Oct. 15-16, 1942—Bengal, India. 40,000 dead.
•Cyclone: Nov. 13, 1970—Bangladesh. 300,000 dead.
•Earthquake: Jan. 24, 1556—Shaanxi, China. 830,000 dead.
•Flood: Aug. 1931—Huang He River, China. 3,700,000 dead.
*The Bhopal explosion injured anywhere from 150,000 to 600,000, at least 15,000 of whom died later from their injuries. Some sources give much higher fatality figures.
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DRASTIC CHANGE OF SUBJECT: We rented “The Cooler” last night...and I’d highly recommend it. A fascinating parable on luck, fate, and love. Not to mention, I ended up with a mad crush on Maria Bello:
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