refugees and immigrants begun on August 22. September September 1 – In Beijing, police arrest Shen Tong for his role in organizing the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. September 2 – The 7.7 Nicaragua earthquake affects the west coast of Nicaragua. With a – disparity of half a unit, this tsunami earthquake triggers a tsunami that causes most of the damage and casualties, with at least 116 killed. Average runup heights are . September 7 In Ciskei, members of the Ciskei Defence Force loyal to dictator Oupa Gqozo open fire into a crowd of anti-Gqozo protestors organized by the African National Congress, killing at least 28 people and wounding nearly 200. President of Tajikistan Rahmon Nabiyev is forced to resign following weeks of clan and religious warfare that have left nearly 2,000 people dead. September 11 – Hurricane Iniki hits the Hawaiian Islands, Kauai and Oahu. September 12 – In Peru, police arrest Abimael Guzmán, the leader of the Shining Path guerilla movement, who has evaded capture for 12 years. September 16 – Black Wednesday: The pound sterling and the Italian lira are forced out of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism. September 17 – Two Kurdish opposition leaders are assassinated by the Iranian Kazem Darabi and the Lebanese Abbas Rhayel. September 20 – French voters narrowly approve the Maastricht Treaty in the French Maastricht Treaty referendum. September 21 – Mexico establishes diplomatic relations with Vatican City, ending a break that has lasted over 130 years. September 28 – Law enforcement officials in the United States, Colombia and Italy announce that they have arrested more than 165 people on money laundering charges related to cocaine trafficking. September 29 – The Chamber of Deputies of Brazil votes to impeach President of Brazil Fernando Collor de Mello, the country's first democratically elected leader in 29 years. Vice President Itamar Franco becomes acting president. October October 2 – A riot breaks out in the Carandiru Penitentiary in São Paulo, Brazil, resulting in the Carandiru massacre. October 3 – After performing a song protesting against alleged Catholic Church child sexual abuse, Irish singer-songwriter Sinéad O'Connor rips up a photograph of Pope John Paul II on the US television programme Saturday Night Live, causing huge controversy. October 4 The government of Mozambique signs the Rome General Peace Accords with leaders of RENAMO, ending the 16-year-old Mozambican Civil War. Israeli cargo plane El Al Flight 1862 crashes