From Air India crash to Hayli Gubbi volcano, 2025 was marked by calamities

From plane crashes and fires to stampedes, floods, and cyclones, 2025 drew attention to the steep human cost of systemic lapses, climate stress, and fragile disaster preparedness

Worst air crash in years 

On June 12, 260 people were killed when a London-bound Air India Boeing 787-8 crashed into a college building seconds after take-off from Ahmedabad, claiming lives both on board and on the ground. The dead included 241 passengers and crew. One passenger survived miraculously. Six months on, the final investigation report into the crash is still awaited. 

Photo: PTI

 

Poison in the air 

It was yet another year when India’s national capital gasped for breath. No sooner did winter set in than Delhi’s air quality plunged to dangerous levels, hitting between 300 and 400. Like every year, a graded response action plan (GRAP) was invoked, prohibiting certain categories of cars and insisting on pollution checks. The government also attempted cloud seeding to produce rain. Nothing worked. Some pockets of Mumbai, too, saw air quality plummet, prompting the municipal corporation to implement GRAP. 

Photo: PTI

 

Towering inferno 

One of Hong Kong’s deadliest fires in recent memory broke out on November 26 at an eight-building residential complex in Tai Po district, killing over 160 people. The blaze reportedly spread through bamboo scaffolding used for renovations and raged for nearly a day. Fire alarms across all eight blocks were said to have failed as smoke engulfed the towers. 

Photo: Reuters

 

Nightclub nightmare 

On December 6, a deadly fire broke out at a Goa nightclub, Birch By Romeo Lane, killing 25 people. Local authorities found the club had ignored safety protocols. Hours after the incident, the nightclub’s co-owners, Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra, fled to Phuket in Thailand, from where they were deported and arrested by Goa Police. 

Photo: Reuters

 

Eye of the storm 

Cyclone Ditwah, formed from a low-pressure system over the Bay of Bengal, made landfall on November 26, triggering flash floods and landslides across Sri Lanka. At least 640 people were killed and thousands displaced as homes and commercial buildings were flattened. The cyclone later grazed Tamil Nadu’s coast, claiming four lives. India announced a $450 million reconstruction package for Sri Lanka under Operation Sagar Bandhu. 

Photo: Reuters

 

Tejas tragedy 

An Indian Air Force Tejas fighter jet crashed during an airshow in Dubai on November 21, killing the lone pilot, Wing Commander Namansh Syal. It was the second accident involving the indigenous light combat aircraft in less than two years. Earlier, on March 12, 2024, a Tejas jet had crashed in Jaisalmer while returning from the tri-services exercise, Bharat Shakti. 

Photo: Reuters

 

Earth under strain 

South Asia was rattled by a series of earthquakes in 2025. On March 28, a powerful 7.7-magnitude quake hit central Myanmar, with its epicentre near Sagaing, killing around 3,700 people. In August, a 6.0-magnitude earthquake in Afghanistan left over 2,200 dead. In November, a 5.4-magnitude earthquake struck near Dhaka, killing at least 10 people. 

Photo: Reuters

 

Volcano awakens 

The Hayli Gubbi volcano in Ethiopia’s Afar region erupted on November 24 after lying dormant for nearly 12,000 years. The eruption sent ash and volcanic gases up to 14 km into the atmosphere, spreading across the Red Sea over Yemen and Oman and drifting as far as Delhi. Several flights were cancelled, delayed, or rerouted in the aftermath. 

Photo: Reuters

 

Monsoon misery 

In June, relentless rains triggered floods and landslides across several states (Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, and Kerala), causing many deaths and widespread displacement. In August, sudden flooding and landslides at Dharali, a tourist village in Uttarakhand, claimed four lives and left several people missing. 

Photo: PTI

  Crowd crushes 

The year witnessed four major stampedes. On January 29, at least 30 devotees were killed and over 60 injured in Prayagraj  (pictured) after crowds broke through barricades during the Maha Kumbh Mela. On February 15, stampede at New Delhi Railway Station following confusion over announcements for Prayagraj-bound trains left 18 dead. 

Photo: PTI

 

On June 4, a crowd crush outside M Chinnaswamy Stadium (pictured), Bengaluru, where fans had gathered to celebrate Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s maiden Indian Premier League title win, left 11 dead. And on September 27, 41 people were crushed to death at a rally by actor-turned-politician Vijay in Karur, Tamil Nadu. 

Photo: PTI

 

Ravaged and ruined 

Just days into 2025, wildfires tore through the Los Angeles metropolitan region, engulfing buildings in upscale neighbourhoods and killing several, with estimates ranging from over a dozen to more than 100. Fanned by extreme winds and parched conditions, the fires gutted homes and commercial complexes before being brought under control by January 31. 

Photo: Reuters