A. Disasters/tragedies

• famine /ˈfæmɪn/ [no food]
• landslide [rocks and earth moving suddenly down a slope]
• epidemic [disease affecting large numbers of people]
• explosion (e.g. a bomb)
• major accident / incident (e.g. a plane crash)
• hurricane / tornado /tɔːˈneɪdəʊ/
• typhoon / tropical storm [violent wind / storm]
• war / civil war [civil war is war between people of the same country]

Disasters not caused by human beings can be called natural disasters.

Verbs connected with these words

• A volcano has erupted in Indonesia. Hundreds are feared dead.
• The flu epidemic spread rapidly throughout the country.
• Millions are starving as a result of the famine.
• A big earthquake shook the city at noon today.
• The area is suffering its worst drought for many years.
• Civil war has broken out in the north of the country.
• A tornado swept through the islands yesterday.

B. Words for people involved in disasters/tragedies

• The explosion resulted in 300 casualties. /ˈkæʒ.ju.əl.ti/ [dead and injured people]
• The real victims of civil war are children left without parents. [those who suffer the results]
• There were only three survivors. /səˈvaɪ.vərz/ All the other passengers were reported dead. [people who live through a disaster]
• Thousands of refugees have crossed the border looking for food and shelter. [people who have escaped from their own country because of a war or other disaster]
• Millions of migrants enter the country each year, looking for a better life.
• During the battle, the dead and wounded /ˈwuːn.dɪd/ were flown out in helicopters. [wounded: injured in a battle / by a weapon]

C. Diseases/ epidemics