ABOVE: The floodwaters of Cougar Creek endangering homes in Canmore, Alberta
What was once somebody’s home floats down the floodwater-choked Bow River.
The sounds of cheering at the finish line of the Boston Marathon are silenced in one awful moment by two explosions.
A pair of planes loaded with skydivers collide in mid-air, scattering their human cargo to the wind.
And a young prince greets the world for the first time.
What follows is a collection of the most dramatic and powerful news videos of the past year. They are moments that made us smile, and moments that moved us to tears. They are moments that stopped our hearts and took our breath away.
The Alberta floods
A province used to battling the elements was tested as never before this summer, when heavy rainfall gave way to the worst flooding in the province’s history. And Canadians across the country were stunned by images of destruction from the raging floodwaters (see above), or what was once a family cabin swept away down the flood-choked Bow River.
The Boston Marathon Bombings
Few will ever forget the moment two explosions rocked the finish line of the Boston Marathon on April 15, killing three and wounding hundreds. The shocking images of carnage and fear captured in those moments is matched only by the courage and heroism shown when police, firefighters, and ordinary citizens raced into the smoke and chaos to aid the injured.
Meteor streaks across Russian skies
A meteor streaked across the sky and exploded over Russia’s Ural Mountains with the power of an atomic bomb this past February, shattering windows and injuring hundreds of people.
Sammy Yatim shot on Toronto streetcar
The shooting of 18-year-old Sammy Yatim by Toronto police Constable James Forcillo aboard a Toronto streetcar sent shockwaves through the city this past July. While the bizarre circumstances of Yatim’s death are still under investigation, his shooting sparked a public conversation in Toronto about the use of deadly force by police officers.
Runaway fuel train explodes in Lac-Megantic, Quebec
Few images are as seared into the minds of Canadians at that of the devastation caused when a runaway freight train carrying crude oil derailed and exploded in the Quebec town of Lac-Megantic on July 6. The blast killed forty-seven people and ranks as one of the worst rail disasters in Canadian history.
Skydivers’ planes collision
It was a scene right out of an action movie, only the danger was all too real. Two planes carrying skydivers collided at 12,000 feet in the skies over Wisconsin, sending the passengers tumbling into the sky as the planes exploded into flames. Amazingly, none of the nine skydivers or two pilots were seriously hurt in the crash.
Philippines grapples with Super Typhoon Haiyan
This past November, super Typhoon Haiyan slammed into the Philippines, wreaking havoc and devastation on a massive scale. Thousands were killed when the typhoon made landfall, and thousands more were left in a desperate situation as the typhoon destroyed infrastructure, levelled cities, and made aid and recovery efforts almost impossible.
Introducing Prince George
The world was watching when William and Kate, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, emerged from St. Mary’s Hospital on July 23 with their newborn baby boy. Prince George, the “Royal Baby”, is third in the line of succession to the British throne.
NYC Motorcycle mob
A tense situation on New York City streets erupted this October when a motorcycle “mob” surrounded an SUV. Fearing for his family’s safety, the driver ran over one of the motorcyclists as he attempted to flee the scene, resulting in a high-speed chase and a violent confrontation.
Passenger train flies off the tracks in Spain
Few images were as singularly shocking as that of a passenger train flying off the tracks in a high-speed derailment near Santiago de Compostela in northwest Spain this past June. The accident claimed the lives of 78 passengers, and it is believed the driver of the locomotive ignored repeated warning to reduce speed prior to the devastating derailment.
Explosion at a fertilizer plant in West, Texas
The town of West, Texas was rocked this past April when a massive explosion at a fertilizer plant sent flames shooting into the sky. 15 people were killed – many of those first-responders – and a large part of the Texas community was left flattened by the blast.
Costa Concordia righted in waters off Italy
The feat of modern engineering known as “parbuckling” which righted the capsized Costa Concordia cruise liner on September 17 was a significant achievement. And while the salvage effort took hours, you can view the entire process from start to finish in this timelapse video.
Crane operator rescued from Kingston blaze
A crane operator was trapped for almost two hours above the flames as firefighters battled a blaze in Kingston before a daring helicopter rescue by a team from nearby Canadian Forces Base Trenton The helicopter hovered over the crane for close to a minute as a rescuer was lowered down to help the trapped construction worker.
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