10 Mass Evacuations In World History

Zee Media Bureau
Nov 22, 2023

The Great Famine (1845-1852)

The Great Famine, also known as the Irish Potato Famine or the Great Hunger, resulted in the emigration of at least 2.1 million people from Ireland.

World War II evacuation of women and children in Great Britain

In an attempt to escape the Blitz, around 3.75 million civilians were evacuated from major British cities, including London, during World War II.

World War II evacuation of women and children in Nazi Germany

The aim of the Kinderlandverschickung or KLV, as Germans called it, was for women and children to be safe from air raids.

Portuguese colonial war

Between July and October 1975, after the conclusion of the Portuguese colonial war in Africa, the government airlifted approximately 600,000 Portuguese citizens from former colonies.

1979 Mississauga train derailment

On November 10, 1979, a train derailed in Mississauga, Canada. The accident caused a chlorine leak, leading to the evacuation of around 218,000 people.

1990 airlift of Indians from Jordan

Over 170,000 Indian nationals were evacuated from Amman, Jordan, to India during the Persian Gulf War, setting a Guinness World Record for the most people evacuated by a civil airliner.

Operation Solomon

Operation Solomon was a covert Israeli military operation conducted between May 24 and 25, 1991. The goal was to take 14,325 Ethiopian Jews to Israel.

9/11 attacks

The 9/11 attacks prompted mass evacuations from buildings, with over 500,000 people fleeing New York City, many by boat.

Typhoon Krosa

In October 2007, Typhoon Krosa necessitated the evacuation of more than 1.4 million people from the Chinese provinces of Zhejiang and Fujian.

2021 Kabul airlift

The 2021 withdrawal of US and NATO forces from Afghanistan triggered a massive evacuation, with over 120,000 people, including both foreign and Afghan citizens, leaving the country.

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