Environmental disasters across world in 2021

By Burak Bir

ANKARA (AA) - The year 2021 saw many environmental disasters that have fueled climate change and vice versa across the world, including tropical storms, hurricanes, landslides and deadly wildfires.

The following are the major global environmental disasters of 2021 compiled by Anadolu Agency:

JANUARY

Jan. 3:

- Mount Sinabung in North Sumatra, Indonesia, erupts, spewing ash columns up to 1,000 meters high.

Jan. 9:

- Three people are killed after an avalanche hits a ski resort in Russia's Arctic city of Norilsk.

Jan. 17:

- The Merapi volcano on Indonesia's Java island begins to spew lava as smoke and ash bellows 50 meters (164 feet) above its crater following the eruptions.

Jan. 29:

- At least five family members die and three more are missing after a landslide in Papua New Guinea.

FEBRUARY

Feb. 1:

- The US Northeast is in the midst of a massive snow storm with some areas expected to receive up to 2 feet of snow.

Feb. 14:

- The death toll rises to 51 from a glacier break in India with more bodies recovered during rescue operations, according to the Press Information Bureau.

Feb. 18:

- Libya sees its first snowfall in 15 years as a cold snap hits parts of northern Africa and the Middle East.

Feb. 23:

- Italy’s Mt. Etna, Europe's tallest active volcano, erupts.

MARCH

March 3:

- The body of 60-year-old Panamanian consul Telma Deleise Barria Pinzon is found after the vehicle she was traveling in was swept away by the rising Frio River in the municipality of Rivera in Colombia's Huila department.

March 12:

- Wildfires ravage Patagonia, Argentina and destroy 250 homes, while 15 people are missing.

March 15:

- At least six people are killed and dozens of others missing as Beijing, northern China and Mongolia are hit by the worst sandstorm in a decade.

March 24:

- Italy's Mt. Etna, one of the active volcanoes in the country's south, once again erupts, spewing lava and a giant cloud of ash, local media reports.

APRIL

April 6:

- At least 157 people die, dozens more are missing and thousands are rendered homeless after Tropical Cyclone Seroja batters Indonesia and neighboring East Timor.

April 12:

- Fruit growers and winemakers in France report that the majority of their harvest this year has been lost to a severe cold snap that has affected parts of Europe.

April 17:

- Forest fires erupt in western and southwestern Turkey where over 150 forest workers, many firefighters and water tankers battle flames that the wind helped spread in a short time over the regions.

April 24:

- At least eight people are killed and 384 others rescued after an avalanche close to the border with China hits northern India.

April 30:

- After it reactivates, lava flows from the Pacaya volcano south of Guatemala City, raising fears it may spread to nearby communities.

MAY

May 6:

- A severe snowstorm is forecast to hit Finland with accumulations of up to 30 cm (12 inches) possible, the Finnish Meteorological Institute warns.

May 10:

- At least two people are killed after a severe thunderstorm hits Wuhan, the capital of China's Hubei province.

May 16:

- Ecuador's Sangay volcano erupts, with ash rising up to 7 miles above sea level.

May 19:

- At least 37 people are killed in India from Cyclone Tauktae -- 12 in Maharashtra, eight in Karnataka, 13 in Gujarat and two each in Goa and Kerala states.

May 20:

- A large wildfire breaks out in the village of Schinos near Corinth in southcentral Greece, prompting authorities to evacuate at least 14 villages and two monasteries.

May 27:

- Cyclone Yaas batters Bangladesh, affecting 27 subdistricts in nine southern coastal districts, according to official sources.

JUNE

June 11:

- Seven miners die who were trapped by a landslide in the Mexican state of Coahuila, according to reports.

June 17:

- A heavy sandstorm hits Kuwait, with buildings shrouded in heavy dust.

June 19:

- Severe thunderstorms strike parts of Belgium, leaving 92 homes severely damaged and 17 people injured.

June 21:

- A multi-car collision on a tropical storm-soaked interstate in the US state of Alabama leaves 10 dead, including eight children in a single van and another girl in a SUV.

June 29:

- Western Canada is sweltering under record high temperatures that may have killed scores of people in Vancouver.

JULY

July 2:

- The number of deaths rises to 719 as the Canadian province of British Columbia (B.C.) remains under a heat wave, according to the B.C. Coroners Service.

July 9:

New York City, the largest city in the US, is drying out as Tropical Storm Elsa continues to race up the northeast coastline.

July 18:

- At least 15 people are killed and several injured when a house collapses and a landslide occurs from heavy rain in India’s financial hub of Mumbai.

July 25:

- Over 1,500 people are evacuated from their homes on the Italian island of Sardinia as fires ravage 20,000 hectares (50,000 acres) of forestland.

July 28:

- A major forest fire in Turkey’s Mediterranean district of Manavgat leaves several people injured, according to the country’s agriculture and forestry minister.

AUGUST

Aug. 2:

- The US is combatting 91 active large wildfires across much of the western half of the country that have already burned over 1.8 million acres.

Aug. 7:

- Turkey has contained 209 wildfires in 47 provinces in the last 10 days, according to the country's forestry minister.

Aug. 10:

- At least 42 people die, including 25 military personnel, in the eastern part of Algeria, where wildfires spread to 36 locations across 18 provinces.

Aug. 20

- Wildfires continue raging in eastern Russia with 128 blazes in 20 regions of particular concern, says the country's Federal Agency for Forestry.

Aug. 22:

- At least eight people are killed as Hurricane Grace hits Mexico.

SEPTEMBER

Sept. 1:

- Nearly 1 million people are left without power in Louisiana after Hurricane Ida tears through the southeastern US state.

Sept. 9:

- Death toll in the US state of Louisiana from Hurricane Ida climbs to 26.

Sept. 13:

- A devastating forest fire in southern Spain claims one life and forces 2,600 people to flee from their homes.

Sept. 17:

- Mt. Otake erupts on an island in southwestern Japan, prompting authorities to raise the alert level to 3 on a scale of 5.

Sept. 24:

- Some 400 homes and 200 hectares (494 acres) of land are destroyed as a volcanic eruption on the Spanish island of La Palma continues.

Sept. 30:

- A small tornado hits Germany’s northern port city of Kiel, injuring seven people and damaging properties.

OCTOBER

Oct. 1:

- Ashes from the Cumbre Vieja volcano on the island of La Palma blanket most of the island in Spain’s Canary Islands.

Oct. 4:

- Tropical Cyclone Shaheen kills at least 13 people in Oman and Iran, while five Iranian fishermen go missing.

Oct. 11:

- Just months after devastating fires, residents in the northern part of Greece's Evia island face the raging storm Athena.

Oct. 20:

- Japan's largest active volcano Mt. Aso erupts, spreading ashes up to a 1 kilometer (0.6 mile) radius, according to the country's weather agency.

Oct. 26:

- A Nor'easter, a strong extratropical cyclone, hits the US East Coast, causing high water levels and strong winds.

NOVEMBER

Nov. 3:

- A landslide in Colombia's Narino province kills at least 11 people.

Nov. 6:

- A dust storm hits Uzbekistan, the worst since the country started keeping meteorological records in 1871.

Nov. 10:

- The first "severe" smog episode hits India’s national capital and the National Capital Region, according to an analysis by the Centre for Science and Environment think tank.

Nov. 19:

The strongest earthquake since a volcano on the Spanish island of La Palma began erupting is felt on the other nearby Canary Islands. According to Spain's National Geographic Institute, it has a magnitude of 5.1.

Nov. 30:

- Four people die as Turkey’s metropolitan city Istanbul is hit by a fierce storm with gale-force winds.

DECEMBER

Dec. 4:

- Nearly 55,000 people are evacuated as a tropical storm lashes parts of southern India with heavy rains.

Dec. 10:

- A fire in Western Australia's Margaret River region destroys over 6,000 hectares of forests.

Dec. 14:

- The death toll stands at 74 from a wave of tornadoes that hit the US state of Kentucky last week, with 100 people still missing.

Dec. 22:

- Dozens of people are missing after a landslide hits a town in Myanmar.