1996Nov, 21
Humberto Vidal explosion: Thirty-three people die when a Humberto Vidal shoe shop explodes.
The Humberto Vidal explosion (sometimes also referred to as the Río Piedras explosion) was a gas explosion that occurred on November 21, 1996 at the Humberto Vidal shoe store in Río Piedras, Puerto Rico. The explosion killed 33 and wounded 69 others when the building collapsed. It is one of the deadliest disasters to have occurred on the island.
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Events on 1996
- 10Feb
Garry Kasparov
IBM supercomputer Deep Blue defeats Garry Kasparov in chess for the first time. - 13May
Bangladesh
Severe thunderstorms and a tornado in Bangladesh kill 600 people. - 10Jun
Sinn Féin
Peace talks begin in Northern Ireland without the participation of Sinn Féin. - 4Sep
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia
War on Drugs: Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) attack a military base in Guaviare, starting three weeks of guerrilla warfare in which at least 130 Colombians are killed. - 25Nov
Florida
An ice storm strikes the central U.S., killing 26 people. A powerful windstorm affects Florida and winds gust over 90 mph, toppling trees and flipping trailers.