Disasters
New Zealand disasters timeline
A chronology of natural disasters, transport accidents, fires, mining accidents and other tragedies that have caused major loss of life
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Pike River mine disaster
There have been over 200 recorded deaths from nine separate coal mine explosions in New Zealand, the most recent of which was at the Pike River mine in November 2010.
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February 2011 Christchurch earthquake
At 12.51 p.m. on 22 February 2011, Canterbury was struck by a large earthquake which caused massive devastation and the loss of 185 lives.
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September 2010 Canterbury (Darfield) earthquake
An overview and detailed timeline of the events of 4 September 2010 when a 7.1 magnitude earthquake hit Canterbury
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Tangiwai railway disaster
On Christmas Eve 1953 the Wellington–Auckland night express plunged into the Whangaehu River at Tangiwai. 151 passengers and crew died in New Zealand’s worst railway accident.
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The Wahine disaster
The loss of the Wellington–Lyttelton ferry Wahine on 10 April 1968 is New Zealand's worst modern maritime disaster.
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Erebus disaster
237 passengers and 20 crew were killed when Air New Zealand Flight TE901 crashed into the side of Mt Erebus, Antarctica on 28 November 1979
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The 1918 flu pandemic
They called it 'Black November'. What really happened in 1918 when more than 8000 New Zealanders perished during a lethal flu pandemic?
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Police response to disaster
Police have always been at the heart of disaster rescue efforts because of their nation-wide 24-hour presence and communications network
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