A timeline of tragedy: MH17 among Australia's worst overseas disasters or attacks

Updated

The shooting down of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over Ukraine has resulted in one of Australia's highest death tolls from an overseas disaster, accident or attack outside of war with 28 Australians now confirmed dead.

Below is a list of some of the most deadly disasters for Australians overseas.

Bali bombings, Indonesia

88 Australians were killed in the Bali bombings.

On October 12, 2002, twin blasts caused by Islamic militants belonging to Jemaah Islamiah tore apart two bars in the island's Kuta region, killing 202 people.

A taped message attributed to Osama bin Laden, claimed the bombings were in direct retaliation for the United States' "war on terror" and Australia's role in supporting both the war in Afghanistan and the independence efforts of East Timor.

2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami

26 Australians died in the Boxing Day tsunami, one of the worst natural disasters to occur in modern times.

The Australians were among more than 227,000 from more than 14 countries who perished after a massive earthquake off the coast of Sumatra measuring 9.0 caused a series of tsunamis.

Among the victims were thousands of foreigners holidaying in coastal resorts, including 543 Swedes, the highest death toll of any European nation. The majority of those who perished were local Indonesians.

Pan Am Boeing 707 crash, Indonesia

On April 22, 1974, 16 Australians died when a Pan American World Airways Boeing 707-321B crashed into mountains in Denpasar in Bali, Indonesia.

All of the 96 passengers and 11 crew were killed after the plane crashed as it prepared for a runway approach while stopping over in Denpasar, while en route from Hong Kong to Sydney.

Experts concluded no plane structural damage occurred before impact.

Sept, 11 attacks, United States

10 Australians were among nearly 3,000 people who died when Al Qaeda launched devastating attacks on several American targets in 2001.

The Islamic extremist group hijacked four passenger planes before crashing them into major landmarks, including the World Trade Centre in New York and the Pentagon in Washington.

Among foreigners killed, Britain suffered the highest death toll, but most who died were US citizens.

Nias Island Sea King Crash, Indonesia

Nine Australian defence personnel were killed when a Sea King helicopter crashed on the island of Nias in Indonesia in 2005.

The Sea King chopper was ferrying an emergency medical team from HMAS Kanimbla to a local village as part of relief efforts to outlying areas of Nias following a devastating earthquake.

Topics: disasters-and-accidents, unrest-conflict-and-war, ukraine, australia, indonesia, united-states, asia

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