October
2022 Seoul Halloween Crowd Crush
On October 29, 2022, a deadly crowd crush occurred in Seoul’s Itaewon district during Halloween festivities, resulting in 159 deaths and nearly 200 injuries. The tragedy exposed critical failures in crowd control and emergency planning, sparking national mourning and sweeping safety reforms across South Korea.
Madagali suicide bombings
In late 2015—reported across November and December—one or more suicide bombings struck Madagali, a market town in Adamawa State, northeastern Nigeria. The blasts, widely attributed by authorities and analysts to Boko Haram or affiliated factions, targeted crowded market areas, killed and injured multiple civilians, and deepened fear, displacement, and economic disruption in an already fragile region.
2008 Karmah bombing
On October 27, 2008, a suicide attacker detonated a vehicle-borne explosive device at or near a checkpoint and police recruitment area in Al‑Karmah, Anbar Province, Iraq. The blast killed and wounded many Iraqi police, recruits and civilians, exposed the vulnerabilities that persistent insurgents still exploited after the 2007 surge, and pushed local security forces to tighten recruitment and checkpoint procedures amid continuing uncertainty about exact casualty totals and perpetrator identity.
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Azerbaijan Airlines Flight A-56 accident
On 7 October 1995, a Azerbaijan Airlines domestic flight on approach to Nakhchivan airport lost control and impacted terrain near the runway. The crash killed and injured passengers and crew, destroyed the aircraft, and became part of a string of post‑Soviet aviation accidents that prompted gradual reforms in Azerbaijan’s civil aviation oversight.
The Lynyrd Skynyrd Plane Crash
On October 20, 1977, a chartered plane carrying members of the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd crashed in a forest near Gillsburg, Mississippi, killing six people—including frontman Ronnie Van Zant—and injuring the remaining passengers. The tragedy was caused by fuel exhaustion and pilot error, ending an era of the band and deeply impacting American music history.
The 1966 Aberfan Mining Disaster
On October 21, 1966, the small village of Aberfan in South Wales was devastated by a catastrophic collapse of a coal waste tip. The avalanche buried Pantglas Junior School and nearby homes, claiming the lives of 116 children and 28 adults. This disaster, a result of ignored warnings and industrial negligence, left a profound impact on the community and led to significant changes in mining regulations.