April 2003 Disasters

Updated September 9, 2022 | Infoplease Staff

• April, World: Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), a deadly form of pneumonia, first detected in southern China was responsible for more than 388 deaths worldwide. The majority of the more than 5,500 cases were in China and Hong Kong. As a result of concerns about contacting SARS, travel and tourism to these areas dropped dramatically.
• April 21, nr. Danka, Bangladesh: In 2 separate accidents, a double-decked ferry and a ferry carrying members of a bridal party sank in a storm. More than a 130 bodies were recovered and many more were still missing.
• April 27, Buzzard's Bay, Ma.: An oil spill in Buzzard's Bay in southern Massachusetts shut down the shellfishing industry and killed hundreds of birds. A barge owned by Bouchard Transportation, Inc. leaked an estimated 98,000 gallons of oil from a gash in the hull. This estimate, a month after the disaster, was seven times greater than the original estimate of 15,000 gallons.

See also Major Earthquakes Around the World 2003

See also Recent Volcanic Activity