Yearender: Deadly disasters that shook the world in 2018

The biggest and deadliest disaster of 2018, the twin quake-tsunami in Indonesia's Sulawesi island claimed more than 2700 dead and 10,000+ injured. The coastal city of Palu bore the maximum brunt of the 7.5-magnitude quake that struck on September 28. The earthquake was followed by a tsunami, with waves as high as three metres (9.8 feet). Strong aftershocks, with some measuring 6.1 continued for the next few days. Rescue operations were stunted for a long time with agencies trying to access remote and cut-off locations for days. Millions of houses, residential and commercial buildings were damaged with survivors being forced to live in shelters and tents. 

Indonesia, which suffered its worst annual death toll from disasters in 2018 in more than a decade, suffered another natural calamity this Christmas season. The Saturday evening tsunami of December 23 followed after Anak Krakatau volcano erupted. Rescue teams are still struggling to reach remote areas on the western coast of Java after the tsunami killed more than 400 people last week. The island nation sits along the Pacific "Ring of Fire", the world's most tectonically active region, and its 260 million people remain hugely vulnerable to earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions. 

Guatemalan authorities reacted slowly to signs of the Fuego volcano`s impending eruption on June 3, contributing to one of the most tragic natural disasters in recent Guatemalan history. Over 400 died, several still buried under the rubbles in the distant hamlet villages on the fertile lower slopes of the volcano. Fuego - Spanish for "fire" - rises between the regions of Sacatepequez, Escuintla and Chimaltenango about 30 miles (50 km) from Guatemala City, the nation`s capital. 

Haunting images show how volcano turned this Guatemalan town into a cemetery

An Ilyushin Il-76 military transport aircraft of the Algerian Air Force crashed shortly after take-off from Algeria's Boufarik Airport on April 11, 2018. All 257 people onboard were killed, making it the deadliest aviation accident on Algerian soil. 

Torrential rainfall and flooding in southern and southwestern Japan led to the death of more than 200, primarily due to mudslides, landslides and vehicles being swept away by the flood waters. Few persons are missing till date. 

Nigeria declared a national disaster after 100 died in floods across central and southern Nigeria in September. Within three weeks, the death toll reached 200. Following weeks of rainfall and flood, thousands were displaced, the country's emergency response agency, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).

Indonesian passenger flight Lion Air flight JT610 crashed into the sea killing all on-board. The flight lost contact 13 minutes after takeoff from Jakarta. All 189 people, including 181 passengers, two pilots and six crew members, on board the ill-fated aircraft are feared to have died. 

An intense heatwave killed at least 180 in Pakistan's southern city Karachi and nearby areas. The heatwave struck during the holy month of Ramadan when many were fasting. 

The deadliest wildfire in California killed at least 85 people and injured thousands. Millions of homes and properties were destroyed as authorities struggled to contain more than 8,500 fires. The Camp Fire that started on November 8 destroyed nearly 14,000 homes and burned nearly 154,000 acres (62,000 hectares) - an area five times the size of San Francisco. 

California wildfire that killed at least 85 people fully contained

 

(Agency photos)