2003 Disasters

January 2003 Disasters

• Jan. 1–8, Bangladesh and Northern India: Nearly 400 people perished from cold weather and icy winds in an area where millions of people have no heat, electricity, or warm clothing.
• Jan. 8, Charlotte, N.C.: A US Airways Express/Air Midwest commuter plane, Flight 5481, crashed moments after takeoff at Charlotte Douglas International Airport. All 21 people aboard were killed.
• Jan. 8, Diyarbakar, Turkey: A Turkish airplane approaching the airport crashed in foggy weather, 75 people died, five survived.
• Jan. 9, Chachapoyas, Peru: A Peruvian TANS Airlines plane carrying 46 people crashed in the mountains just before it was due to land in Chachapoyas, north of Lima. All 46 people perished.
• Jan. 22¹, Colima, Mexico: An earthquake measuring 7.6 magnitude was felt throughout west-central Mexico, causing extensive damage and 29 deaths.

February 2003 Disasters

• Feb. 1, Tex.: The Columbia Space Shuttle, on its 28th mission, broke up as it reentered Earth's atmosphere, killing all seven crew members. They were: Rick D. Husband, William C. McCool, Michael P. Anderson, David M. Brown, Kalpana Chawla, Laurel Clark, and Israel's first astronaut, Ilan Ramon. Communications with the shuttle were lost at 9 A.M. EST. Debris from the shuttle was found across east Texas and in parts of Louisiana. Foam insulation fell during takeoff damaging the left wing and allowing hot gases to enter the spaceship during re-entry.
• Feb. 17, Chicago, Ill.: In an early morning fatal stampede from the second floor of a Chicago night club, 21 people were trampled. The club had numerous building code violations.
• Feb. 14–18, eastern U.S.: The President's Day blizzard moved through the Midwest and up the East coast of the U.S. burying cities in record snowfall amounts, stranding travelers, and costing millions in cleanup and lost revenues. The storm claimed the lives of 42 people. It was the worst snowstorm for the region since the Blizzard of 1996..
• Feb. 18, Daegu, South Korea: A subway fire started by an arsonist, who ignited a box filled with gasoline, raced through 2 trains, killing at least 189 people and injuring more than 140.
• Feb. 19, southern Iran: An Iranian military airplane carrying members of Iran's Revolutionary Guards crashed in the Sirach Mountains of southeastern Iran en route to Kerman. All 276 on board were killed, making this Iran's worst air disaster.
• Feb. 20, West Warwick, R.I.: A fire, caused by a pyrotechnics display, engulfed a Rhode Island nightclub, The Station, killing 100 and injuring more than 150.
• Feb. 24, Xinjiang province, China: An earthquake, magnitude 6.4, struck the western edge of Xinjiang province in the far northwest of China early in the morning (02:03:44 UTC), killing more than 260 people and injuring more than 2,000. Thousands of homes and hundreds other buildings were destroyed. This area is populated mostly by the Uighur ethnic minority, most of whom are Muslim. Earthquakes are frequent in this area, though none has been this devastating.
• Feb. 25, south-central U.S.: Snow and freezing rain in the south-central states caused the deaths of at least 14 people and closed highways across the region. The storm moved eastward causing widespread electrical outages and 2 more deaths.
• Feb., Congo: An ebola outbreak in the Congo took a toll of 75 people.

March 2003 Disasters

• March 4, Davao, Philippines: A bomb in a backpack exploded in the Davao airport on Mindanao Island, killing 21 people and injuring 145.
• March 6, Tamanrasset, Algeria: An Algerian Boeing 737 crashed after takeoff from Tamanrasset, killing 102 people.
• March 17–19, Denver, Colorado: Colorado's biggest storm of the year dumped several feet of snow in the Rockies, 87.5 inches in Gilpin county, and the second largest recorded amount of snow in Denver.

April 2003 Disasters

• April, World: Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), a deadly form of pneumonia, first detected in southern China was responsible for more than 388 deaths worldwide. The majority of the more than 5,500 cases were in China and Hong Kong. As a result of concerns about contacting SARS, travel and tourism to these areas dropped dramatically.
• April 21, nr. Danka, Bangladesh: In 2 separate accidents, a double-decked ferry and a ferry carrying members of a bridal party sank in a storm. More than a 130 bodies were recovered and many more were still missing.
• April 27, Buzzard's Bay, Ma.: An oil spill in Buzzard's Bay in southern Massachusetts shut down the shellfishing industry and killed hundreds of birds. A barge owned by Bouchard Transportation, Inc. leaked an estimated 98,000 gallons of oil from a gash in the hull. This estimate, a month after the disaster, was seven times greater than the original estimate of 15,000 gallons.

May 2003 Disasters

• May: Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), which was first detected in southern China last November, continued to spread in China and Taiwan but appeared to be contained in other areas of the world. As of May 31st, there were a probable 8,300 cases with a confirmed death toll of 755.
• April-May, Horn of Africa: Flooding in Uganda, Kenya, Somalia, and Ethiopia killed more than 150 people.
• May 1– 11, United States: A series of tornadoes battered the Midwest and Southern states during May. In the first 11 days there were 412 tornadoes which broke the previous record in 1999 of about 200 tornadoes in a 10–day period (record keeping began in 1950).
• May 1, Bingol, Turkey: In a remote region in the southeastern part of Turkey, an earthquake measuring 6.4 magnitude killed 177 people, including 83 boys from a school dormitory.
• May 1, China: An accident on a Chinese submarine killed 70 people. The cause of the accident has not yet been disclosed.
• May 4, Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, and Tennessee: A series of tornadoes ripped through four states, Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, and Tennessee causing at least 38 deaths and extensive damage to buildings and homes. The hardest hit area was Lawrence County, Missouri. Officials from Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) reported sightings of more than 80 tornadoes in parts of central and southeastern United States. Strong storms and tornadoes continued to hit the South and Midwest through the week, bringing the total number of deaths to more than 41. Some towns in Missouri closed schools for the year.
• May 8, Kinshasa, Congo: When the cargo door of a Russian-built Ilyushin 76 opened 45 minutes after takeoff, more than 100 people were sucked out of the plane and died. The plane, an Ukrainian charter, was carrying Congolese soldiers and their families to Lubumbashi in southeast Congo. The exact number of causalities is unknown as there were no passenger lists.
• May 12, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: suicide bombers killed 34, including eight Americans, at housing compounds for Westerners. Al-Qaeda suspected.
• May 13, Hefei, Anhui province, China: A gas explosion in a Chinese mine claimed the lives of 81 miners. Five are still missing and 27 were rescued.
• May 17–18, Sri Lanka: Floods and landslides in south-central Sri Lanka killed more than 300 people, left more than 200 missing, and more than 150,000 homeless. Although May through September is typically the monsoon season, these downpours were the worst in 60 years.
• May 14–June 5, India: A 3–week heat wave with temperatures over 120° F. (48° C) left more than 1,200 people dead from sunstroke and dehydration. Most of the deaths occurred in the southern Andhra Pradesh state where a similar heat wave last year killed more than 1,000 people.
• May 21, Algeria: There were 2,266 people killed and thousands more injured by a 6.8 magnitude earthquake that caused the collapse of numerous buildings. The epicenter was 45 miles east of Algiers, the capital city.
• May 26, Sindal, Japan: A 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit northern Japan, however, there were no casualties and very few people were injured due to the depth (about 44 miles underground) of the epicenter of the earthquake.
• May 26, Macka, Turkey: A Ukrainian chartered airplane carrying Spanish peacekeeping forces returning from Afghanistan crashed into a mountain in heavy fog while attempting to land at Trabzon airport, killing all 75 people onboard.

June 2003 Disasters

• June 17–July, nr. Tucson, Arizona: The Aspen wildfire, on Mount Lemmon northeast of Tucson, burned more than 80,000 acres and destroyed 333 structures in and around the vacation community of Summerhaven.

July 2003 Disasters

• July 1, Louisiana Tropical Depression Bill moved through Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina, leaving four dead and 30 million dollars in damage.
• July 8, Port Sudan, Sudan: A Sudan Airways airplane, a Boeing 737, experienced technical difficulties shortly after takeoff and crashed while attempting to return to the Port Sudan airport. One child survived and 116 passengers and crew perished.
• July 8, Dhaka, Bangladesh: More than 400 people drowned after an overcrowded ferry sank in turbulent waters while crossing the rain-swollen Meghna river near Danka in southern Bangladesh. Over 2500 people swam to shore or were rescued.
• July 15, Gulf Coast, Texas: Hurricane Claudette, a Category I hurricane, packing winds up to 85 mph, killed three people and left battered buildings, trailers, and downed trees in its wake. Claudette was the first hurricane of the 2003 season. President Bush declared nine counties as disaster areas.
• July 22–26, Manila, Philippines and southern China: Typhoon Imbudo, with winds up to 143 mph, stuck the Northern Philippines, killing at least 20 people. The typhoon, one of the most powerful in years, continued on to southern China where it killed 20 more people, destroyed crops, and devastated houses.
• June-July, Jiangsu and Anhui provinces, China: The worst flooding from the monsoons in years forced the evacuation of millions, left more than 3.5 million homeless, and killed more than 500 people. Some of the worst flooding was along the Huai River
• July, Kulu, India: Flash floods in the Kulu district north of New Delhi killed more than 100 people, bringing the total toll of people killed from the monsoon rains this year in Southeast Asia (India, Nepal, and Bangladesh) to about 400. Thousands of people were driven from their homes as landslides washed away homes and crops.

August 2003 Disasters

• Aug. 1, Mozdok, Russia: Chechen separatists are blamed for an explosion at a military hospital in Mozdok which killed 35 and injured dozens.
• Aug. 5, Jakarta, Indonesia: A car bomb blasted the JW Marriott Hotel, killing 12 and injuring nearly 150. Officials suspect the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) terror group was involved with this bombing and the Bali bombing in October. Several suspects were arrested.
• July-Aug., Europe: A three-week heat wave dominated Europe where temperatures, the highest in decades, ranged from the upper 90s to 104 degrees (F.), breaking records in Britain, Italy, Germany, Austria, Portugal, and Spain. Amarelejo, Portugal recorded the highest temperature since 1856. Fires raged in Portugal, Spain, Italy, and the French Riviera. Fires in Portugal caused more that one billion in damages. Glacial ice melted in the Alps, violent storms hit England, and nuclear power stations cut back due to overheated water. Thousands died with the toll highest among the elderly. The death toll in France was estimated at more than 14,000.
• Aug. 14–15, northeast, U.S. and Canada: The largest power blackout in U.S. and North American history swept across Ohio, Michigan, and Canada and then spread to Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York, leaving 50 million without electricity for 24 hours and longer. Billions of dollars in revenue were lost.
• Aug. 25, Mumbai, India: 2 deadly bombs exploded in Mumbai, the financial capital of India, killing 52 and wounding 153 people.
• Aug. 27, Nasik, India: A stampede at the Kumbh Mela Hindu festival killed 40 people and injured 30 when a barricade fell. Ten of thousands of pilgrims were attending the Hindu festival and bathing in the Godavari river.
• Aug., British Columbia, Canada: A summer of heat waves and very low precipitation caused hundreds of fires in the British Columbia province, making it the worst Canadian fire season in decades. The Okanagan Mountain fire that lasted more than 23 days destroyed 230 homes and forced tens of thousands to evacuate from the town of Kelowna.

September 2003 Disasters

• Sept. 2, Guangdong province, China: The storm system, Dujuan, swept through Taiwan and then southern China with gale force winds, killing 40, injuring more than 100, and destroying houses, trees, crops, and the electric and telecommunications infrastructure. Dujuan, downgraded to a tropical depression, had been a Category 3 typhoon hitting Taiwan with 200 mph. winds.
• Sept. 5, Bermuda: Hurricane Fabian slammed Bermuda for four hours with 120 mph winds, killing four, and bringing down trees and power lines. A category 3 storm, Fabian was the worst hurricane to hit Bermuda since 1926. Very strict building codes in Bermuda, that required buildings to withstand wind gusts of 150 mph, limited the amount of damage.
• Sept. 12, South Korea: With winds up to 130 mph, Typhoon Maemi, one of the most powerful typhoons to hit South Korea in a century, killed at least 110 people, disrupted electrical power and communications systems, knocked over ships in the port, and forced the evacuation of thousands from their homes.
• Sept. 18, North Carolina and Virginia: Hurricane Isabel, which reached the status of a Category 5 storm while in the Atlantic, hit the North Carolina coast as a Category 2 storm causing extensive storm surge flooding all up the Chesapeake Bay and Potomac and James rivers. Isabel continued north through Ohio and Pennsylvania dumping heavy amounts of rain in its tracks. At least 50 deaths resulted from Isabel and damages were estimated at $3.7 billion dollars.
• Sept. 25, Hokkaido, Japan: A 8.3 magnitude earthquake, the strongest in the world this year, struck Japan on Sept. 25, 19.50 UTC (Sept. 26 local time) on the northern island of Hokkaido. More that 500 people were injured and tens of thousands forced to flee their homes. Damages were estimated at 90 billion U.S. dollars.
• Sept. 28, Italy: A power blackout throughout Italy left more than 55 million (about 95 percent of the population) in the dark, some for up to 18 hours. Five people died as a result of the outage. Italy, with little electric capacity of its own, relies on Switzerland and France for much of its power.
• Sept. 28, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada: Hurricane Juan made landfall near Halifax and stormed across Nova Scotia to Prince Edward Island heavily damaging farms, causing power outages that lasted more than 2 weeks in some areas, and killing eight people. Damages were estimated at $100 million

November 2003 Disasters

• Nov. 2, Bohorok, Indonesia: Flash floods struck the tourist town of Bohorok, near an Indonesia's nation park and orangutan reserve, wiping out many guesthouses near the river banks and killing more than 150 people. Frequent floods in Indonesia result from the heavy illegal deforestation.
• Nov. 9, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: After breaching security gates in a Saudi Arabic apartment compound, terrorists denoted 3 bombs, killing 17 and wounding 122. Most of the victims were Arabs.
• Nov. 15, Istanbul, Turkey: 2 Turkish suicide bombers detonated bombs simultaneously outside of 2 synagogues, the Neve Shalom synagogue and the Beth Israel Synagogue, killing 25 people, 6 Jews and 19 Muslims, and injuring hundreds more. Although direct links with al-Qaeda has not been confirmed, al-Qaeda has claimed responsibility
• Nov. 20, Istanbul, Turkey: At least 26 people killed and 400 wounded when 2 trucks blow up in Istanbul, Turkey. One truck explodes outside the British consulate, and the other at the British bank HSBC. Al-Qaeda suspected in the bombings. The blasts occur as President Bush was meeting with British prime minister Tony Blair in London.

December 2003 Disasters

• Dec. 2–3, southeastern France: Floods, resulting from three days of rain and winds, killed 7 and left thousands homeless in the Rhone River and its tributaries in southeast France.
• Dec. 5, Yessentuki, Russia A bomb ripped through a morning commuter train near the Chechyna region of Russia, killing 45 and injuring more than 170. The bombing occurred 2 days before parliamentary elections. Russian officials blame Chechen militants for the incident.
• Dec. 9, Moscow, Russia: A bomb exploded outside the National Hotel, killing five people and wounding nine.
• Dec. 5–7, northeastern U.S.: Record snowstorms dumped up to three feet of snow on towns in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine and New Hampshire. President Bush approved Federal emergency funds for affected counties in each of these states.
• Dec. 17–23, central and southern Philippines: Heavy rains resulted in landslides and flooding across central and southern Philippines killing more than 200 people and causing a ferry to sink.
• Dec. 25, Cotonou, Benin: A Union des Transports Africains (UTA) Boeing 727 jet bound for Beruit, Lebanon, crashed after hitting a building on take-off, killing 151 people.
• Dec. 25, San Bernardino Mountains, Ca: Heavy rains triggered flash floods and mudslides, killing 14 people in campsites around the area. October forest fires had left the hillsides barren of vegetation.
• Dec. 26, Bam, Iran: a 6.6 magnitude earthquake devastated the ancient historic city of Bam in southeastern Iran, killing more than 30,000 people, injuring tens of thousands, and leaving many more homeless as buildings collapsed. Many of the buildings in this ancient city are made of mud brick and cannot withstand earthquakes. The Arg-e-Bam, a 2000 year-old citadel and a major tourist attraction which was built of sun-baked bricks and straw, was heavily damaged