Ever since the Wright Brothers took flying to new heights in 1903, commercial flights have been an important part of our transportation needs. For a lot of people, getting on a plane is as convenient as jumping on a bus or taking the train. Fast, efficient and relatively safe, transportation by airplanes is the number one choice for longer distance travels. Relatively safe, because when things go wrong, they usually go
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Okay, we’ve seen the top 10 list of safest airlines. And where there are winners, there unfortunately have to be losers. Because we all know that things do sometimes go wrong at 30,000 feet in the air. We don’t want to think about it but the evening news and National Geographic keep reminding us that humans were not born to fly. And yes, there is data to select the world’s most dangerous airline as well. Here’s our top 10 list of most dangerous airlines.
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People die every day while doing their job. Either by accident, negligence, poor maintenance or incompetence. And sometimes things go terribly wrong, resulting in the immediate loss of many lives at a time. These events are often caused by explosions, collapse or flooding. In this list we examine the deadliest industrial disasters on record.
China has a poor record when it comes to mining safety. A gas explosion in a coal mine in China recently killed 28 people. This accident doesn’t come near the worst mining disasters ever, but it is one of many mining accidents that take place in China. Official numbers are lacking, but it is estimated that thousands of mineworkers worldwide die in mining accidents each year. Approximately 80 percent of the casualties is Chinese.
The current locust outbreak in Egypt can easily be regarded as one of the Biblical plagues. Severe locust outbreaks can eventually lead to famine. In this list we’ll examine plagues of epidemic proportions. What are the worst epidemics the world has experienced by number of casualties?
A tornado is a violently rotating column of air which descends from a thunderstorm to the ground. It is one of the most destructive weather phenomenons, especially when supercells are formed. Tornadoes have been observed on every continent. However, the vast majority of tornadoes in the world occur in the so-called “Tornado Alley” region of the United States.
Normally, a nightclub is all about having a great time together. Dancing, drinking and enjoying the night. Sometimes though, things just don’t go that way. Last night, for example, a great night in the southern city of Brazil Santa Maria turned into an inferno.
Oil keeps our economies running. It’s literally fueling the tank of a society. Among the biggest companies worldwide oil companies are listed high. And as prices per barrel increase it is only logical that these companies are willing to take more risk to drill even deeper or go to places where it is harder to extract oil. Moreover, once it is drilled it needs to be transported to a refinery to turn it into petrol to start capitalizing on investment.
Only a month ago we could witness the vulnerability of a coastal city. Hurricane Sandy hit the New York agglomeration, causing 253 fatalities and an economic loss of an estimated 65 billion dollar. Rising sea levels could threaten many coastal cities worldwide. The French based Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) explored the city-scale risks of climate change and conducted a list of coastal cities that are most exposed to coastal flooding in terms of both economic loss and exposed population.
So here’s a list of top 10 cities most exposed to coastal flooding in terms of current exposed population.
This morning a coal train ploughed into a truck carrying farmworkers near Nelspruit, South Africa. At least 19 people were killed. The train is a relative safe mean of transportation, but the combination of mass, speed and many people together may lead to an enormous disaster. Check the next list top 10 rail disasters by death toll!
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This morning the Italian region Emilia-Romagna was struck by a 5,7 magnitude earthquake. This is the second killerquake in a short period of time. Only last week Bologna was hit by a 5,9 magnitude quake causing 6 fatalities. Over the last century earthquakes caused many deaths in Italy. Here’s a list of major earthquakes that struck Italy.
Sometimes, sadly enough, soccer is a matter of life and death. At the moment, a match between the Egyptian teams Al-Masry and Al-Ahly turned into an inferno after riots. It’s not the first time that soccer matches are the cause of the loss of many people. Poor construction, poor safety management and even weather conditions were to blame. Our next top 10 list is all about soccer tragedies.
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On saturday 14 January 2012 the Costa Concordia ran aground and capsized near the Italian island of Giglio. Although the number of casualties is not clear yet, this disaster comes nowhere near the most famous naval disaster, exactly 100 years ago, when the Titanic struck an iceberg. Although a cruise can be very relaxing, you just might reconsider your holiday plans if you take a look at our next top 10 list.
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Statistically, flying is one of the safest means of transportation. High in the air, the sun is shining over a white bed of clouds, the flight attendant pours you another Jack Daniels, you’re reading a magazine. Just few hours later you’ll land halfway across the globe. This is your typical flight. But sometimes, things go wrong. And when things go wrong in an airplane they go disastrously wrong. Have a look at our top 10 worst aircrashes!