Fires and Explosions

▪ 2003

      January 21, Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo. A river of lava from the Mt. Nyiragongo volcano sets off an explosion at a gas station in the centre of the city; some 50 persons looting fuel at the station are killed.

      January 27, Lagos, Nigeria. A fire at a military arms depot sets off a series of huge explosions; bombs, shells, and rockets career into heavily populated neighbourhoods, causing thousands of residents to flee their homes; more than 1,000 persons die, many of whom are trampled to death or drowned while trying to cross two canals to safety; government officials maintain that the fire at the arms depot was accidental and not the result of sabotage.

      February 18, Tangshan, China. A fire, probably caused by an electrical short circuit, destroys an illegal video-game parlour; at least 17 persons die.

      March 6, Andhra Pradesh, India. An explosion in a village in the Karimnagar district of Andhra Pradesh kills at least 15 persons. The blast reportedly occurred as explosives were being unloaded from a van.

      March 11, Near Chongqing, China. An explosion on a bus claims the lives of 21 persons; the bus is believed to have been illegally transporting fireworks.

      March 11, Mecca, Saudi Arabia. A fire breaks out in a four-story building that houses a girls' school; 15 students die, most of them as they stampede to escape the blaze. Reports that Saudi religious police, or mutaween, prevented some girls from leaving the school because they were not wearing proper Islamic dress provoke harsh public criticism of the mutaween.

      May 24, Northern India. An electrical short circuit ignites a fire that sweeps through a shoe factory in Agra, leaving at least 40 persons dead.

      June 16, Beijing, China. An early-morning fire engulfs an unlicensed Internet cafe in the city's university district; 24 persons are killed, and 13 are injured.

      July 7, Palembang, Indon. A fire reportedly caused by an electrical short circuit destroys a five-story karaoke bar, killing at least 46 persons; the bar lacked emergency exits and other safety features.

      July 20, Lima, Peru. A blaze starts in an illegally operated disco after a bartender's fire-eating stunt goes awry; at least 30 persons die.

      October 29, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Fire engulfs a six-story office building, killing more than 100 persons; the fire is reported to have started in the kitchen of a nightclub on the building's second floor.

      November 1, El Jadida, Mor. An electrical short circuit apparently is the cause of a blaze at an overcrowded prison; at least 49 inmates are killed, most by smoke inhalation or in the stampede of prisoners attempting to escape the blaze.

      November 30, Caracas, Venez. Flames engulf a crowded nightclub in the basement of a downtown hotel; at least 50 persons perish, according to official figures.

      December 29, Northern Iran. A fire at a prison in the town of Gorgan claims the lives of at least 27 inmates and injures some 50 others; an electrical fault reportedly caused the fire.

      December 31, Veracruz, Mex. An explosion of illegal fireworks engulfs an outdoor market and nearby buildings and cars; at least 28 persons die.

* * *