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Sediment-related Disasters in the world : 2015

Jan.1-Dec.31, 2015

Date of occurrence Country Type Summary
Jan 16 to 17 Madagascar Slope Failure Chedza, a tropical cyclone, crossed the whole island and caused a violent storm hitting three-quarters of the island, which killed 68 in floods, including 25 people who died in collapsed houses.
Feb 25 Afghanistan Snow Avalanche A large-scale avalanche occurred in Paryan Region, Panjshir Province, situated in a northern mountainous area, killing 280.
Mar 25 Indonesia Slope Failure Localized torrential rain fell in Tegal Panjang, Sukabumi Regency, West Java Province, from midnight on March 25, 2015. It caused slopes to collapse washing away 11 houses and killing 12.
Mar 30 India Landslide There was a landslide in Chadoora Village, 40 km west of Srinagar City, Kashimir, situated in northern India. It buried 16 people who were later confirmed dead. Several hundreds of people in the vicinity evacuated due to the floods.
Apr 1 India Slope Failure A downpour in Kupwara District, Jammu and Kashmir Province, situated in northern India near the border with Pakistan, caused a slope failure in several locations, killing 18. Due to the steep geographical features near the Himalayas, houses tend to cluster along the roads, and the earth flow hit them.
Apr 23 Afghanistan Landslide A landslide occurred around 0:30 a.m. on April 23 in Jero Bala Village, Khawahan District, Badakhshan Province, situated in northeastern Afghanistan. It buried about 100 houses and killed at least 52 (5 men, 25 women and 22 children). The slope face behind the houses collapsed on April 26, destroying 120 houses but causing no human damage. Because the snow-melting season was setting in, about 90 cm of snow melted and then another 64 cm melted during the day before the disaster, which is believed to have caused the landslide. The area experienced another landslide killing 300 in 2014.
Apr 25 Nepal Earthquake,
Avalanche
and
Slope Failure		 An M7.8 earthquake with its epicenter 81 km northwest of Kathmandu, the capital, occurred at 11:56 a.m. It caused many houses to collapse in a wide area, mainly in the Kathmandu basin and Sindhupalchok District. In addition to the damage to buildings, it affected 8,460 people in Nepal. Mt. Everest Base Camp in Solukhumbu District had an avalanche killing 19. A slope failure occurred in many spacious areas causing roads and river courses to be blocked. Among other damage, Langtang Village which has a popular trekking route in Langtang Valley, Rasuwa District, Bagmati, 55 km north of Kathmandu, was entirely buried by a massive slope failure. There had been 60 houses there that were home to 200 people and many trekkers were believed to have been in the village. But the search and rescue operation was abandoned because the village originally had had no car access so no heavy emergency equipment could enter the area.
Apr 27 Brazil Slope Failure Heavy rain started on April 26 in Salvador, a coastal town along the Atlantic Ocean in Bahia State, situated in northeastern Brazil. It caused two slopes to collapse burying houses and killing 14 people predawn on April 27, 2015.
May 5 Indonesia Slope Failure Around 2:00 p.m. there was a slope failure in the Cibitung region of Margamukti Village, Pangalengan District, Bandung Regency, West Java Province. It caused 7 deaths, 12 serious and minor injuries and 2 missing.
May 18 Colombia Slope Failure Heavy rain lasted for a few days in the Santa Margarita region, Salgar Town, Antioquia State, situated in northwestern Columbia. It caused a slope failure around 3:00 a.m. and mudflow into Liboriana. The river overflowed, and water and mud submerged all 31 houses in the area, killing at least 84 and injuring 40. 
May 20 China Slope Failure A mountain behind an eight-story condominium building in Haima Chon Town, Guiyan City, Guizhou Province, had a slope failure destroying the side of the building facing the mountain, killing 16.
Jun 5 Malaysia Earthquake
and
Rock fall		 An M6.0 earthquake with its epicenter 54 km east of Kota Kinabalu, the state capital of Sabah in Borneo Island, caused a rock fall in Mt. Kinabalu, killing 16 and leaving 2 missing. 137 climbers who were stuck on a climbing trail that collapsed were eventually rescued.
Jun 11 Nepal Slope Failure When the rainy season set in, slope failures frequently occurred on many mountainsides in Taplejung District, Mechi Zone, eastern-end of Nepal. They killed 53 people and left many missing. In Lingtep Village, the most affected area, there were 20 deaths. More human damage occurred in the villages of Lingtep, Libang, Thokling, Tinglabu and Lingket. 
Jun 21 Georgia Debris Flow Torrential rain caused a massive earth flow in Akhaldaba Village, near Tbilisi, the capital, generating 1 million square meters of mud. It flowed into and blocked the Vere River running through the village. It became a dam, which burst and flooded Tbilisi leaving 19 dead, with 2 missing and 457 injured. A lot of animals drowned in the city zoo.
Jun 24 Vietnam Debris Flow Typhoon Kujira moved to the north causing heavy rain and debris flow in Son La Province, a northwestern mountain range, which killed 11 people and left 1 missing.
Jul 1 India Slope Failure The rainfall brought by a monsoon caused a slope failure in Darjeeling City and nearby Mirik and Kalimpong in West Bengal State, leaving 38 dead and 23 missing. 
Jul 28 Vietnam Slope Failure
and
Debris Flow		 Rain with a precipitation of 500-870 mm fell from July 26 to 28 in Quan Ninh Province, a northeastern Vietnamese province bordering China. It caused mountain slopes to collapse and debris flow, leaving 17 dead and 6 missing.
Jul 30 Nepal Slope Failure Slope failure occurred in a number of places in Kaski District, Gandaki Zone and its neighboring Myagdi District, Dhawalagiri Zone, in the south of Annapurna Massif, due to showers that started in the afternoon of July 29. In addition to 33 deaths, many people went missing. In Kaski District, 19 were killed in Lumle Village, 5 in Bhadaure Tamagi Village and 2 in Dhikur Pokhari and 10 went missing. In Miyagdi District, 7 lives were lost in Mudi Village and Muna Village. Since the earthquakes in April and May, Miyagdi District has experienced many cases of slope failure. Although there was no damage, the mudflow generated by the collapse on May 24 blocked the Kali Gandaki River for some time, making several thousands of residents evacuate.
Aug 2 India Slope Failure Heavy rain lasted a few days in Zoumoal Village, Chandel District, Manipur State, close to the border with Myanmar. It caused a slope failure, killing 20.
Aug 12 China Slope Failure Heavy rain lasted a few days in Shangluo City, Shaanxi Province, causing the mountainsides around a mine to collapse. It washed away 15 miners' dormitories and 3 houses, killing 64.
Aug 24 Philippines Slope Failure Typhoon Goni passed through a mine in Mankayan in Benguet State, situated in the north of the Philippines. The storm directly hit the workers' dormitory, killing 16.
Sep 14 USA Debris Flow A flash flood occurred along a road in Hildale in Utah State, situated in the west of the USA, affecting about a dozen cars driving there. 20 were killed and 1 went missing. The flood was reddish brown mudflow with a depth of 50 cm and it was fast and strong enough to wash the cars away.
Oct 1 Guatemala Slope Failure Sub cliffs adjacent to the residential area in El Cambray II Village in Santa Catarina Pinula, a suburb town of Guatemala City, the capital, collapsed and buried 125 houses with soil and debris a few meters high. At least 350 were killed and 277 went missing. In spite of a recommendation by the municipality for the residents to move, they kept living there, as they had no place to move to. The search and rescue operation was cancelled on October 11 and they started reinforcement construction to stabilize the soil on the cliffs and maintain the cross-sectional area of the river.
Oct 12 Myanmar Slope Failure Heavy rains brought by a monsoon caused a slope failure in the area between Mawchi Taung Paw Village and Lokhalo Village in Hpa-saung Township, Kayah Province, situated in eastern Myanmar, in the afternoon of Oct 11. It destroyed 60 houses, 28 were killed, 30 went missing and 360 evacuated to an elementary school and hospital.
Oct 13 Pakistan Rock Fall A rock-bed block in an artificial cliff in a slum in Gulistan Johar District in Karachi City collapsed and killed 13 who were living in the huts below. The cliff used to be a soil-gathering place with an inclination of nearly 90 degrees and the constructor was blamed for insufficiently treating the slope surface after its work.
Oct 19 Philippines Slope Failure When Typhoon Koppu stayed in the north of Luzon, there were floods in 938 locations and landslides occurred in a few places in Benguet Village and Ifugao Village, Cordillera Administrative Region; CAR, belonging to a northern mountainous area, killing 14.
Oct 27 Indonesia Landslide Torrential rain in Gunung Pongkor in Nanggung District, Bogor Regency, West Java Province, caused a landslide, killing 12. As the affected area was a goldmine of PT Antam, a nationally owned mine, the victims were miners at work.
Nov 3 Nepal Slope Failure There was a slope failure on a route in Chilime, Ramche Village, Rasuwa Zone, situated in the north of Kathmandu, the capital. It washed away a bus heading for Dhunche. At least 35 were killed and 51 were injured.
Nov 13 China Slope Failure A downpour started on Nov 12 and caused a slope collapse in Lishi, Zhejiang Province, destroying the houses below and killing 38. The slope collapsed occurred because soil had been removed for residential land development. Grating crib works were provided at the bottom and the collapse occurred over the natural slope above. 
Nov 21 Myanmar Landslide A landslide occurred in a jade mine in Kachin State, killing 90 with at least 100 missing. The mound of waste earth and tailings collapsed, destroying more than 70 lodges for the miners. On January 13, 2016, another landslide occurred on the waste earth mound (higher than 90 m) in the same mine, leaving 40 or more missing. 
Dec 3 Indonesia Slope Failure Heavy rain started on the night of Dec 2, and a slope behind a durian farm in Karang Sulu District, Lebong Tandai Village, Napal Putih, North Bengkulu Regency, Bengkulu Province, collapsed around 1:45 a.m. The soil buried lodges, killing 20.
Dec 20 China Landslide A large-scale landslide occurred in Hengtai Yu Industrial Park in Guangming New District, Shenzhen City, Guangdong Province. It washed away 33 buildings including residential ones, killing 73 and leaving 9 missing. The collapse occurred in soil that had been removed for construction. It had been piled up higher than 100 m in the old quarry site in the hill behind the Park.