Since the Holland Tunnel fire in 1949, there have been a number of serious fire accidents in road and transit systems around the world.

• Transit and Passenger Rail Systems

On Nov 18, 1987, King’s Cross Station fire in London, 31 people were killed and 100 injured.

On Oct 28, 1995, Baku Subway in Azerbaijan, 289 people were killed and 265 severely injured in an accidental fire.

On Feb 18, 2003, Daegu Subway in South Korea, 198 people were killed and 146 injured in an arson attack.

• Road Tunnel Fires

On May 13, 1949, Holland Tunnel fire between New York and New Jersey injured 66 people.

On Apr 7, 1982, Caldecott Tunnel fire in California killed 7 people and injured 2.

On Mar 24, 1999, Mont Blanc Tunnel fire between France and Italy, 37 people died in vehicles, and 10 more died trying to escape on foot. the fire burned for 53 hours.

On May 29, 1999, Tauern Tunnel fire in Austria killed 12 people and injured 49.

On Oct 24, 2001, Gotthard Road Tunnel fire in Switzerland killed 11 people and injured many.

2010 Wuxi Lihu in China, 24 dead and 19 injured.

• Terrorist Attacks

The history has indicated that public transportation systems have become increasingly favored targets.

On Mar 20, 1995 Sarin gas attacks in Tokyo subway killed 12 people and injured 50.

On Mar 11, 2004, commuter train bombings attacks in Madrid, Spain, killed 192 people and injured around 2000.

On Jul 7, 2005, London bombings, killed 52 people and injured over 700.

On Mar 22, 2016, Airport and Metro station bombings in Belgium, killed 32 civilians and injured over 300 people.

(The above list is not exhaustive.)

(Featured image from www.japantimes.co.jp)