June 2015 Current Events: Disasters & Science News

Updated August 5, 2020 | Infoplease Staff

World News | Business News | U.S. News

Here are the key events in science and disasters news for the month of June 2015.

• Cruise Ship Capsizes on River in China (June 1): A cruise ship, the Oriental Star, carrying 458 passengers capsizes in the Yangtze River, in central China. Strong winds and heavy rain are believed to have contributed to the accident. Few are expected to survive.

• India Heat Wave Kills More Than Two Thousand (June 2): A severe heat wave in India has killed 2,330 people, according to officials. Andhra Pradesh, a state on India's southeast coast, is the hardest hit with 42 people having died there in the last 24 hours. Temperatures have hit as high as 48 degrees Celsius (118 degrees Fahrenheit) in some cities. If the death toll rises to more than 2,541, it will become the deadliest heat wave in India's history and the fourth deadliest in the world.

• UNHCR Report Reveals Record Number Refugees (June 18): The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) releases its report with new figures on how many refugees have left their homes due to conflicts in their countries of origin. According to the report, the total number of refugees by the end of 2014 was 59.5 million, a record number and more than estimated. It is also a huge increase over the 35.8 million displaced persons by the end of 2012. For the first time, Turkey has become the country to host the most refugees with 1.59 million. Pakistan (1.51 million) and Lebanon (1.15 million) round out the top three refugee-hosting countries. Go here for a list of the top ten countries that refugees have left.

• Military Plane Crashes, Kills More than 100 in Indonesia (June 30): An Air Force C-130 Hercules crashes in a residential neighborhood in Medan, Indonesia. The plane crashes into houses and buildings, including a hotel. All 101 passengers and 12 crew member on board the plane killed. The death toll is expected to rise with the number of people who are killed on the ground. It is the second plane crash in Medan's residential area in the last decade, and the second major plane crash in the country in the past seven months.