Mayday

30-year-old Eddie Justice hears bangs over the music. Like many others at Pulse Nightclub, he and his friends don't understand where the sound is coming from. Maybe it's just part of the music. But then reality begins to sink in. That's not music. Those are gunshots. Eddie and the other guests at Pulse have no idea they're about to experience the worst terrorist attack in the US since 9/11. The hosts of this episode are Maya Nalani and Luke Welland. The script is written by Erika Ansén. Sound design: Viktor Persson. Mayday is produced by the podcast company qast. Charities and Non-Profits: OnePulse Foundation https://onepulsefoundation.org/ Equality Florida https://www.eqfl.org/ Pulse of Orlando https://pulseoforlando.org/ GLBT Community Center of Central Florida (The Center) https://thecenterorlando.org/

All the animals have gone. There are no birds singing in the trees, no cats playing in the streets. When Vasyl returns home after a failed hunting trip, the family dog is nowhere to be seen. And there's a strange smell coming from the kitchen. Only one of many nightmares people had to live through because of the Holodomor, the artificial famine in Ukraine. The hosts of this episode are Maya Nalani and Luke Welland. The script is written by Mattias Jonsson. Sound design: Viktor Persson. Mayday is produced by the podcast company qast. Charities and Non-Profits: Holodomor Awareness Committee https://ukrainegenocide.com/ Holodomor Research and Education Consortium https://holodomor.ca/ Ukrainian World Congress https://www.ukrainianworldcongress.org/

Principal Ye Zhiping has to make it back. A massive earthquake has just hit his province Sichuan, and all he can think about is whether his students and teachers are okay. When he finally gets to the school, his coarse cheeks are stained with tears. The hosts of this episode are Maya Nalani and Luke Welland. The script is written by Mattias Jonsson. Sound design: Viktor Persson. Mayday is produced by the podcast company qast. Charities and Non-Profits: Earthquake Engineering Research Institute https://www.eeri.org/ GlobalGiving https://www.globalgiving.org/ Project Hope https://www.projecthope.org/

Anita doesn't know how much time has passed. But she knows she has to get out. The building is collapsing around her, and people are stumbling over each other trying to find an escape. Just moments earlier, a van filled with explosives drove right into the AMIA center in Buenos Aires, where Anita works. She is in the middle of a terrorist attack that will shape her country for decades to come. The hosts of this episode are Maya Nalani and Luke Welland. The script is written by Rickard Bahgat. Sound design: Viktor Persson. Mayday is produced by the podcast company qast. Charities and Non-profits: AMIA: https://amia.org.ar/ Justicia y Concordia: https://justiciayconcordia.org/ CELS (Centro de Estudion Legales y Sociales): https://www.cels.org.ar/web/

The water is rising. What just seconds ago was the wall, is now a slippery floor submerged under ice cold ocean. Ae-Jin knows that she has to reach the door in the ceiling. That there is no other way of getting out alive. The hosts of this episode are Maya Nalani and Luke Welland. The script is written by Johanna Lundblad. Sound design: Viktor Persson. Mayday is produced by the podcast company qast. Charities and Non-Profits: The Nautical Institute: https://www.nautinst.org/ Sewol Ferry 416 Foundation: https://416foundation.org/en/?ckattempt=2

Oscar Flores can feel the floor starting to shake. Soon, the ceiling is falling down in large chunks, and the walls are folding like paper. He doesn't know that what he's experiencing is one of the worst earthquakes in recent memory. An earthquake that is about to devastate an entire city. The hosts of this episode are Maya Nalani and Luke Welland. The script is written by Maia Hörstadius and Alex Haeger. Sound design: Viktor Persson. Mayday is produced by the podcast company qast. Charities and Non-profits: Earthquake Engineering Research Institute: https://www.eeri.org/ Build Change: https://buildchange.org/ International Code Council: https://www.iccsafe.org/ Fundación UNAM https://www.fundacionunam.org.mx/

In this episode, we will tell you about the Alexander Kielland disaster of 1980, one of the worst oil rig accidents in history. The hosts of this episode are Maya Nalani and Luke Welland. The script was written by Per Johansson. Sound design: Viktor Persson. Mayday is produced by the podcast company qast. Charities and Non-Profits: The Nautical Institute: https://www.nautinst.org/ International Maritime Health Association: https://www.imha.net/ International Maritime Organization: https://www.imo.org/

In this episode, we tell the story of the worst nuclear accident in the United States. A story about a partial meltdown that threatened the lives of hundreds of people. And about how the plants' owners tried to cover it all up. The hosts for this episode are Maya Nalani and Luke Welland. The script was written by Johanna Lundblad. Sound design: Viktor Persson. Mayday is produced by the podcast company qast. Charities and Non-Profits: Union of Concerned Scientists: https://www.ucsusa.org/ Physicians for Social Responsibility: https://psr.org/ Friends of the Earth: https://foe.org/

Barney McGuigan hears a man pleading for help. The others try to stop him, but to no avail. Barney goes out to the injured man with a white cloth in his hand. "Don't shoot me," he shouts. What happens next, will never be forgotten. Your hosts in this episode are Maya Nalani and Luke Welland. The script is written by Per Johansson. Sound design: Viktor Persson. Mayday is produced by the podcast company qast. Charities/Non-profits: Pat Finucane Centre: https://www.patfinucanecentre.org/ WAVE Trauma Centre: https://wavetraumacentre.org.uk/

When Juliane wakes up, everything is quiet. The ground beneath her is wet and muddy, and above her, palm leaves shield her from the sun. Juliane has just woken up in the middle of the Amazon rainforest. She has no idea how long she's been lying there, unconscious and alone. She calls out for her mother- for someone, anyone. But there is no answer. Juliane is stranded in the biggest jungle on earth.  The hosts in this episode are Maya Nalani and Mattias Luke Welland. The script is written by Johanna Lundblad. Sound design: Viktor Persson. Mayday is produced by the podcast company qast. Charities and Non-profits: National Air Disaster Alliance: https://planesafe.org/ Vivir el Duelo https://www.fundacionvivirelduelo.com/

Outside Dallas, Texas, space enthusiasts are watching the dark silhouette of a shuttle pass by, surrounded by its fiery glow. But suddenly, the fire breaks up into several smaller silhouettes, and like falling comets with their fiery tails, they plummet to the ground.  At first, the spectators on the ground cannot believe their eyes. But slowly but surely, reality sets in. It's all over. The hosts for this episode are Maya Nalani and Luke Welland. The script is written by Per Johansson. Sound design: Viktor Persson. Mayday is produced by the podcast company qast. Charities and Non-profits: The Astronauts Memorial Foundation: https://www.amfcse.org/ Association of Space Explorers: https://www.space-explorers.org/ National Space Society: https://nss.org/

Captain Phillips is woken up at 03.30 AM. The person on the so-called 'dog watch' between midnight and four o'clock has reported hearing strange voices on the radio. The message is as blunt as it is terrifying: "This is Somali Pirate, I'm coming to get you". The hosts in this episode are Maya Nalani and Luke Welland. The script is written by Patrick Smith. Sound design: Viktor Persson. Mayday is produced by the podcast company qast. Charities and Non-profits: Seafarers´Charity: https://www.theseafarerscharity.org/ Oceans Beyond Piracy: https://oceansbeyondpiracy.org/ UNODC Global Maritime Crime Program: https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/piracy/index.html

14-year-old Torje sees a boat sailing just a short distance away and knows that this is his chance. So he jumps into the cold water and starts swimming. But he doesn't get far before the man chasing him starts shooting at the boat he is heading towards. The gunman is getting closer, and Torje is stuck in the water. With nowhere to go, he makes a drastic choice and pushes himself under the water, emptying out all the air in his lungs. Not before long, water starts so fill his body. Torje is ready to die. The hosts for this episode are Maya Nalani and Luke Welland. The script is written by Axel Rosenberg. Sound design: Viktor Persson. Mayday is produced by us at the podcast company qast. Charities and Non-profits: Mental Helse: https://mentalhelse.no/ Kontoret for voldsoffererstatning https://www.voldsoffererstatning.no/ Norsk senter for menneskerettigheter  ​​https://www.nhri.no/om/ Stiftelsen Fritt Ord https://frittord.no/en/home

Martin lies on the floor in a pool of blood. A bit further away is his daughter. A red stain slowly spreads out beneath her. Martin's entire world shatters. It's his fault they are here, he thinks. He was the one who bought the tickets.  The hosts in this episode are Maya Nalani and Luke Welland. The script is written by Johanna Lundblad. Sound design: Viktor Persson. Mayday is produced by the podcast company qast. Charities and Non-profits: We Love Manchester Emergency Fund https://manchesterattacksupport.org.uk/manchester-emergency-fund/ Connect Futures https://connectfutures.org/ Spinal Injuries Association https://spinal.co.uk/

Martin is soaked in something wet and cold. The ground beneath him is covered in over a foot of molasses. Confused, Martin thinks he's fallen off a boat out at sea. He doesn't realize that he is still at home, in his own bedroom. A bedroom that no longer exists. Instead, it lies in ruins, just like much of the rest of Boston. The hosts in this episode are Maya Nalani and Luke Welland. The script is written by Johanna Lundblad. Sound design: Sebastian Manieri. Mayday is produced by the podcast company qast. Non-profits and charities: Convoy of Hope https://convoyofhope.org/initiatives/disaster-services/ Red Cross of Massachusetts https://www.redcross.org/local/massachusetts/about-us/our-work/disaster-services.html#:~:text=The%20American%20Red%20Cross%20of,materials%20spills%20and%20other%20emergencies.

When Gaynor Madgwick wakes up, she has been thrown to the other side of the classroom. She is lying on top of one of her classmates, Gerald Kirwan. Around them, the classroom has been turned upside down. The ceiling has collapsed and the black mess extends high into the room. Next to them is another student. Are you okay? Gerald asks, but gets no answer. Instead, to his horror, he sees streaks of blood begin to seep from the boy's nose. He looks like he's asleep. The hosts in this episode are Maya Nalani and Luke Welland. The script is written by Mattias Jonsson. Sound design: Viktor Persson. Mayday is produced by the podcast production company qast. Charities and Non-profits: National Emergencies Trust: https://nationalemergenciestrust.org.uk/home The Aberfan Memorial Charity; https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-details/?regid=701570&subid=0 The Community Foundation in Wales: https://cfiw.org.uk/

Far beneath the sea, the heart of the volcano has begun to beat. Stephanie has no time to think and starts running for her life. A dark shadow rises into the sky, a huge black cloud of burning hot steam. She tries to put the gas mask on, but before she can, a wave of ash and stone hits her from behind. She falls to the ground. The hot air burns in her lungs and her skin feels like it's on fire. Then everything turns black. The hosts in this episode are Maya Nalani and Luke Welland. The script is written by Miranda Wretman. Sound design: Sebastian Manieri. Mayday is produced by the podcast company qast. Non-profits and charities:  ANZBA: https://anzba.org.au/ Disaster Relief Australia: https://disasterreliefaus.org/ Grief Australia: https://www.grief.org.au/ga/ga/Grief%20Australia.aspx?hkey=bdce7276-d814-4158-bb51-82c3d047b234

25-year-old Lawrence doesn't know what to do. All that separates him from countless rioting prisoners is a thin panel of bulletproof glass. On the other side, there is complete chaos and he can't leave without putting his life at serious risk. Then he feels an unpleasant odor, almost like grilled meat, seeping in through the ventilation system. He tries not to gag as he realizes that somewhere in the building, someone is being burned to death. The hosts for this episode are Maya Nalani and Luke Welland. The name Eduardo Martinez is fictional. The script is written by Erika Ansén. Sound design: Viktor Persson. Mayday is produced by the podcast company qast. Charities and Non-profits: NMDOH: https://www.nmhealth.org/ RAINN: https://www.rainn.org/ NCVC: https://victimsofcrime.org/

On May 6th 1937, radio listeners in New Jersey got the broadcast of a lifetime. They are listening to presenter Herbert Morrison describe the landing of the Hindenburg zeppelin, and at first, everything sounds like it's going to plan. But the tone shifts, and a panicked Morrsion describes how the airship has caught on fire. Now, one of the most famous disasters ever is about to unfold before his very eyes. The hosts in this episode are Maya Nalani and Luke Welland. The script is written by Leo Magnusson. Sound design: Viktor Persson. Mayday is produced by the podcast production company qast. Charities and Non-profits: https://www.giveanhour.org/ https://flightsafety.org/ https://www.honorflight.org/

It's November 2021, and the Astroworld festival in Houston is in full swing. The crowd is releasing all the pent-up energy from the pandemic, and in the middle of it, Madeline Eskins is screaming as loud as she can. It's getting hard to breathe, and she knows she doesn't have long. She asks her husband to tell their little boy that Mommy loves him. Then she faints… The hosts for this episode are Maya Nalani and Luke Welland. The script is written by Carl Haeger. Sound design: Viktor Persson. Mayday is produced by the podcast company qast. Charities and non-profits: The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD:  https://www.theharriscenter.org/ NAMI Greater Houston (National Alliance on Mental Illness):  https://namigreaterhouston.org/ Mental Health America of Greater Houston:  https://mhahouston.org/ NAPjIe6aCOBaNFHYrSmp

No one is prepared for disaster. No one knows how they'll react in a plane crash, an earthquake or when a lone gunman decides to open fire. On Mayday we tell you about the people who had to find out. Real people who were put in unthinkable situations. People like you and me. Premieres on January 8th. A production by Qast.