LIST OF DISASTERS

:''This is a 'list of world disasters', both natural and man-made. For catastrophic disease outbreaks, there is a list of epidemics.''
A disaster is a natural or man-made event that negatively affects life, property, livelihood or industry, often resulting in permanent changes to human societies, ecosystems and environment. Disasters manifest as hazards exacerbating vulnerable conditions and exceeding individuals' and communities means to survive and thrive. Most of the catastrophic disasters listed in this article have occurred at a specific non-enduring time in history rather than a longer time-period (e.g. this excludes entire long-lasting wars while including specific events during wars).
==Natural disasters

Prehistoric disasters

In chronological sequence from oldest to most recent --

★ The Snowball Earth hypothesis.

★ Various extinction events, some of an undetermined nature.
★ Permian-Triassic extinction event, The Great Dying.

★ Impact events.

★ Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, a global warming event.

★ The Toba supervolcano eruption about 71,500 (+/- 4,000) years ago reduced the world's human population to 10,000 or even 1,000 breeding pairs, creating a bottleneck in human evolution.

★ Great prehistoric floods, many brought on by rising sea levels and melting glacial dams at the end of the most recent ice age

★ Holocene extinction event, ongoing mass extinction of species.
===Historical antiquity disasters===
By chronological order of oldest to most recent --

★ 2345 BC climatic collapse, (based upon tree ring analysis) caused the drying out of the Sahara, with the Nile, during the reign of Unas, being reduced to a series of waterholes. The collapse of the Akkadian Empire has been linked with the Taurid meteor shower, and the break-up of the Encke comet.

★ Thera volcanic eruption of 1650-1628 BC -1450 BC caused tsunamis in the Aegean sea, destroyed Minoan fleet, leaving Crete open to mainland invaders; possibly the basis for the legend of the mythical Atlantis. Kevin Pang has suggested that this event might relate in some way to the start of the Chinese Shang dynasty.

★ The 1159 BCE Hekla event is of particular interest as it has contributed to debates on the Hekla 4 volcanic eruption in Iceland, and may be associated with the Late Bronze Age Collapse, and the end of the Shang Dynasty in China. The Egyptian New Kingdom traditionally spans the approximate range 1570 to 1080 BC. The 1159 BCE event was abrupt, as one would be expected with volcanoes, but it appears to have been promoted a pre-existing downturn in Egypt's domestic situation.

★ Rhodes earthquake of 226 BC destroyed the Colossus of Rhodes

★ Vesuvius volcanic eruption, Italy, 79 AD buried Pompeii, Herculaneum, Stabiae.

★ Climatic disaster of 535 CE, might have been triggered by an Indonesian volcanic eruption; grassland failures spurred migrations of Avars and others; plagues, conjectured collapse of Late Antiquity (David Keys' theory, in ''Catastrophe: An Investigation into the Origins of the Modern World,'' 2000. See climate changes of 535-536.

★ Plague of Justinian may have killed up to 50%-60% of the total European population between 541 and 700. The economic and demographic devastation caused by plague permanently weakened both the Byzantine Empire and Persia. That weakness, in turn, paved the way for the Muslim conquests and Slavic colonization of the Balkans.
===Medieval disasters===

★ November, 856, Earthquake strikes Corinth, Greece, 45,000 people are killed.

★ December 22, 856 strong earthquake devastates Iran, 200,000 deaths.

★ 934 Eldgjá eruption of the Laki volcano system on Iceland released 19.6 km³ (4.7 mi³) of flood basalt, one of the larger volcanic eruptions on earth in historical times.

★ North Holland flood of 1212, 60,000 victims.

★ St. Lucia's flood in Netherlands (December 14,1287), death toll 50,000-80,000.

★ Alexandria earthquakes of 1303 and 1323 which destroyed the Pharos of Alexandria

★ The Great Famine of 1315–1317 in Europe killed between 10%–25% of the population of many cities and towns.

★ The Black Death killed up to 2/3 the people in Europe between 1347 and 1351. The total number of deaths worldwide from the pandemic is estimated at 75 million people, there were an estimated 20 million deaths in Europe alone.

★ Grote Mandrenke (January 1362) Storm tide in Northwestern Europe claims 25,000+ victims
===Renaissance and Enlightenment disasters===

★ Shaanxi Earthquake (January 23,1556) deadliest Earthquake on Record, 830,000 deaths.

★ Spanish Armada in Ireland (September, 1588) 5,000 dead in heavy storms

★ Burchardi flood of 1634, 8,000 Frisians drowned.

★ Great Plague of Seville 1647-1652, 500,000 dead in Spain

★ Great Plague of London 1665-1666, 75,000-100,000 dead in England

★ Great Fire of London (September, 1666) 70,000 homeless, unknown deaths

★ 1667 Shamakhi earthquake (November 25) 80,000 deaths

★ Great Storm of 1703 (November 24 - December 2) 8,000 died.

★ Great Irish Famine (1740-1741). Approximately 10% of the population died.

★ 1755 Lisbon earthquake (November 1, 1755) 100,000 deaths

★ Great Hurricane of 1780 (October 10 - October 16, 1780)

★ 1783-1784 Laki eruption (Icelandic volcano) - Several years of extreme weather throughout Europe. The famine that ensued is one of the main causes of the French revolution.

★ Móðuharðindin 1783 - 1785. Literally ''The Mist Hardships''. 10,000 dead from Volcanic eruption in Iceland and subsequent famine.
===19th century disasters===

★ New Madrid Earthquake (1811-12)

★ Volcanic eruption of Mount Tambora, Indonesia (10 April, 1815), resulting to climate abnormalities in 1816, known as the "Year Without a Summer".

★ 1839 (Cyclone) in India (November 25) 300,000 deaths.

★ 1840 (May 7) Great Natchez Tornado more than 317 deaths.

★ 1845-1849 Great Irish Famine. Over 900,000 deaths. Ireland's population then declined rapidly until the 1970s.

★ Finnish famine of 1866-1868. About 15% of the entire population died; in the hardest-hit areas up to 20%.

★ 1871 Great Chicago Fire. Destroyed about 50% of the city.

★ 1876 Bakarganj Cyclone in India (October 31) 215,000 dead.

★ Krakatoa, Indonesia, volcanic eruption, (August 26, 1883)

★ 1883 Victoria Hall Disaster. 183 children crushed to death in Sunderland.

★ Tay Rail Bridge disaster, c.75 dead; the event has been immortalized by William Topaz McGonagall (see The Tay Bridge Disaster).

★ 1887 Yellow River flood, death toll 900,000-2,000,000.

★ Udston mining disaster, in Hamilton, Scotland on 28 May 1887 when 73 miners died.

★ 1888 Rio de la Plata Earthquake (Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay), (June 05) >no deaths reported.

★ 1889 Johnstown Flood (Johnstown, PA), (May 31) >2,200 deaths.

★ St. Louis-East St. Louis Tornado, (May 27, 1896)

★ Galveston Hurricane of 1900, Galveston, Texas (September 8, 1900) death toll 6000-12000
===20th century disasters===

★ 1902 Mont Pelée Eruption, Martinique, Caribbean (May 2, 1902) 26,000 casualties.

★ 1906 San Francisco earthquake, San Francisco, California (April 18, 1906) 478 reported deaths but 3000 more likely

★ 1908 Messina, Italy earthquake (December 28, 1908) over 100,000 dead

★ 1909, epidemic in China, 1,500,000 killed.

★ 1912, April 14, sinking of RMS Titanic, 1,522 perished

★ Great Lakes Storm of 1913, Great Lakes Basin (November, 1913) 250 dead

★ 1913, October 14 Senghenydd Colliery Disaster in Wales 436 dead (Britain's worst coal mining disaster)

★ 1914 Hillcrest mine disaster, 189 dead.

★ 1917 Mattoon, Illinois tornado destroys town, kills 101. (May 26)

★ 1917-1918 Spanish Flu about 30,000,000 dead^[1] on 2 billion humans.

★ Russian famine of 1921.

★ Great Kantō earthquake, Tokyo, Japan (September 1 1923) 105,385 lost lives

★ Tri-State Tornado, Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana (March 18, 1925) 727 confirmed dead

★ 1926 Thanksgiving Tornado Outbreak in Arkansas and Central U.S., 104 deaths. (November 25)

★ 1928 Drought in China, 3,000,000 dead.

★ 1928 Collapse of the St. Francis Dam, estimated 400 to 500 lives lost {306+ known dead}

★ 1931 Huang He floods, China (August 1931) estimates between 850,000 and 4,000,000 are confirmed dead. This flood is the worst in Chinese history.

★ 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake, New Zealand, (February 3, 1931) 256 Dead

★ Quetta earthquake 1935 (then in India, now in Pakistan) killed 35,000.

★ Labor Day Hurricane of 1935, Southeastern United States (August to September 1935) 423 people killed

★ 1950 Blizzard kills 323 in the Eastern U.S. (November 25)

★ North Sea Flood of 1953, United Kingdom and The Netherlands (January 31-February 1, 1953) > 2,200 killed

★ 1959 Huang He floods, China, 2,000,000 killed.

★ Escuminac Disaster, Escuminac, New Brunswick, Canada (June 20, 1959) 95 dead

★ 1960 Agadir earthquake-, February 29 1960.

★ Great Chilean Earthquake, May 21 and 22, 1960. 3000 deaths estimated.

★ North Sea Flood of 1962, Germany

★ Vajont Dam Landslide/Tsunami Disaster, Italy, October 9 1963. close to 2000 perished

★ Good Friday Earthquake and related tsunamis, Alaska, United States, March 27, 1964. 131 deaths

★ Palm Sunday tornado outbreak of 1965, Midwest, United States (April 11, 1965) 271 died

★ Aberfan Disaster, Wales, 1966 October 21 144 killed (116 of them school children mostly aged 7-10) when an unstable coal tip slid down a mountainside in the village of Aberfan and engulfed a school and several houses

★ Hurricane Camille, Louisiana, Mississippi and Virginia, United States (August, 1969) 256 deaths

★ Ancash earthquake and landslide in north central Peru May 31, 1970 47,194–66,000 dead

★ Bhola cyclone in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), November 13, 1970, 500,000 dead, 100,000 missing

★ Super Outbreak, tornadoes in 13 U.S. states (April 3, 1974) 315–330 dead

★ Tropical Cyclone Tracy, Darwin, Australia on Christmas Eve, 1974. 65–71

★ Tangshan earthquake, China (July 26 1976) 242,419 dead

★ Mount St. Helens, volcanic eruption May 18 1980, killed 57

★ USA Heat Wave of 1980, (June to September 1980) between 1250 and 10,000

★ Hurricane Allen, Greater Antilles, Texas, United States (August 1980) 250-260 dead

★ 1983 Tsunami strikes Japan, 104 confirmed deaths, hundreds missing. (May 26)

★ Mexico City earthquake, Mexico (September 19 1985) between 5000 and 20,000

★ Nevado del Ruiz volcanic eruption, Armero, Colombia (November, 1985) 23,000-25,000 died.

★ Lake Nyos limnic eruption, 1,800 died, August 21, 1986.

★ 1987 Supertyphoon Nina slams the Philippines, 1036 deaths. (November 25)

★ Hurricane Gilbert, Jamaica, Central America, Mexico (September, 1988) 318 dead

★ Loma Prieta earthquake (October 17, 1989, San Francisco) 63 dead

★ Spitak Earthquake, Spitak, Armenia (December 7, 1988) 55,000 lives lost

★ Luzon Earthquake, Philippines (July 16, 1990) 1,621 died

★ 1991 Bangladesh cyclone, Bangladesh (April 29, 1991) 138,000 died

★ Mount Pinatubo, volcanic eruption, Luzon, Philippines (June 15, 1991) 300 killed

★ Hurricane Andrew, Florida, Louisiana, United States (August, 1992) 26 dead

★ Paez river disaster, Cauca and Huila provinces, Colombia (June 6, 1994) over 1,100 people were killed in an earthquake and mudslide disaster in the Paez river basin.

★ The car ferry M/S Estonia sinks in the Baltic Sea, killing 852.

★ Kobe Earthquake, Kobe, Hyōgo (January 17, 1995) 6,433 lost lives

★ Chicago Heat Wave of 1995, Chicago, Illinois 739 dead

★ 1996, May 13, Tornado in India kills over 600, hundreds more missing.

★ 1996, November 6, Cyclone bashes Andhra Pradesh, India, kills more than 2000 people.

★ November 25, 1996 Ice storm kills 26, hundreds injured in the Central United States.

★ Hurricane Mitch, Central America (October to November, 1998) 18,000 people killed

★ Galtur Avalanche, Galtür, Austria (February 23, 1999) 31 killed

★ 1999 Izmit, Turkey Earthquake, Kocaeli, Turkey (August 17, 1999) 17,000 dead

★ Chi-Chi earthquake, Nantou, Taiwan (September 21, 1999) 2,415 dead or missing

★ Tropical Cyclone 05B (1999), killed around 10,000 people in the Orissa state of India

★ Vargas State Mudslides, Venezuela (December 1999) 10,000 to 50,000 dead or missing

21st century disasters

Date	Location	Event	Death Toll estimate
January 26, 2001	Bhuj, India	2001 Gujarat earthquake	30,000
Summer 2003	Europe	European Heat Wave of 2003	35,000
December 26, 2003	Iran	Bam Earthquake	41,000
September, 2004	Southeastern United States	Hurricane Ivan	92
September, 2004	Greater Antilles	Hurricane Jeanne	3,035
December 26, 2004	Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand	2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami	229,866
March 28, 2005	Indonesia	2005 Sumatra earthquake	1,300
July 2005	Maharashtra	2005 Maharashtra floods	406
August 2005	United States	Hurricane Katrina	1,836
October, 2005	Mexico, Central America, Guatemala	Hurricane Stan	80
October 8, 2005	Kashmir, Pakistan	2005 Kashmir earthquake	74,500
October 2005	Caribbean Sea, Mexico, United States	Hurricane Wilma	23
17 February 2006	Philippines	2006 Southern Leyte mudslide	200
May 27, 2006	Yogyakarta, Java, Indonesia	May 2006 Java earthquake	5,782
July 17, 2006	Java, Indonesia	July 2006 Java earthquake	550
August, 2006	Zhejiang, China	Typhoon Saomai (2006)	458
end November 2006	Philippines,Vietnam	2006 Typhoon Durian	800
December 26 2006	Hengchun	2006 Hengchun earthquake	2
April 2, 2007	Gizo, Solomon Islands	2007 Solomon Islands earthquake	52
August 15 2007	Peru	2007 Peru earthquake	514
August, 2007	Greece	2007 Greek Fires	>77

Man-made disasters

Air disasters

Main articles: List of notable accidents and incidents on commercial aircraft

''See also List of accidents and incidents on commercial airliners grouped by location.''
''See also List of accidents and incidents on commercial airliners grouped by airline.''
This is a list of disasters involving objects in flight or near-flight. From 1990 onward, the list is exhaustive, including all air disasters killing 20 or more people.

1910s

★ Helgoland Island Air Disaster (September 9, 1913) 14 killed; Zeppelin L-1 airship

★ Johannisthal Air Disaster (October 17, 1913) 28 killed; Zeppelin L-2 airship

1920s

★ Hull ZR2 Air Disaster (August 24, 1921) 44 killed, including one on the ground; Royal Airship Works R38/ZR-2 airship

★ French Zeppelin Dixmunde airship (December 23, 1923) 52 killed

1930s

★ R101 Air Disaster (October 5, 1930) 48 killed; Royal Airship Works R-101

★ USS Akron (April 4, 1933) 73 killed; Goodyear-Zeppelin airship ZRS-4

★ Tupolev ANT-20 (a.k.a. Maxim Gorky) (May 18, 1935) 45 killed, including two on ground

★ Hindenburg disaster (May 6, 1937) 36 killed, including one ground crew; Zeppelin LZ 129

1940s

★ Lovettsville Air Disaster (August 31, 1940) 25 killed; Douglas DC-3

★ Colombia Avianca Douglas DC-4 air disaster (February 15, 1947) 53 killed

★ U.S. United Air Lines Douglas DC-4 air disaster (May 29, 1947) 43 killed

★ Japan U.S. Air Force Douglas DC-4 air disaster (May 29, 1947) 40 killed

★ U.S. Eastern Air Lines Douglas DC-4 air disaster (May 30, 1947) 53 killed

★ U.S. Pennsylvania-Central Airlines Douglas DC-4 air disaster (June 13, 1947) 50 killed

★ Spain Societé aérienne du littoral Bristol 170 air disaster (October 16, 1947) 41 killed

★ U.S. United Air Lines Douglas DC-6 air disaster (October 24, 1947) 52 killed

★ Greece AB Aerotransport Douglas DC-4 air disaster (October 26, 1947) 44 killed

★ U.S. United Air Lines Douglas DC-6 air disaster (June 17, 1948) 43 killed

★ Atlantic Ocean Air France Latécoere 631 air disaster (August 1, 1948) 52 killed

★ United Kingdom KLM Lockheed L-049 air disaster (October 20, 1948) 40 killed

★ Superga air disaster (May 4, 1949) 31 killed, including 18 members of the Torino football team

★ Puerto Rico Strato-Freight Curtiss C-46 air disaster (June 7, 1949) 53 killed

★ India KLM Lockheed L-749 air disaster (July 12, 1949) 45 killed

★ Portugal Air France Lockheed L-749 air disaster (October 28, 1949) 48 killed

★ U.S. Eastern Air Lines Douglas DC-4 air disaster (November 1, 1949) 55 killed

1950s

★ BOAC Flight 781 (January 10, 1954) 35 killed

★ South African Airways Flight 201 (April 8, 1954) 21 killed

★ British European Airways Flight 609 (February 6, 1958) 24 killed, including eight members of the Manchester United football team

★ Northeast Airlines Flight 823 crashed on takeoff from LaGuardia Airport with 20 fatalities

1960s

★ 16 December 1960, United Air Lines Flight 826 DC8 and TWA Flight 266 Lockheed Constellation, New York, NY: The two aircraft collided over New York with the Constellation crashing in Staten Island and the DC8 crashing in Brooklyn. All seven crew members and 76 passengers on the DC8 were killed. All 50 occupants of the Constellation were also killed.

★ Sabena Flight 548 (February 15, 1961) 72 killed; crashed on landing approach to Brussels, Belgium. On board were the entire United States Figure Skating team and several family members who were en route to the 1961 World Championships in Prague, Czechoslovakia.

★ Stockport Air Disaster (June 4, 1967) 72 killed; a British Midland C4 Argonaut carrying passengers returning from Palma de Mallorca crashed in Stockport on the approach to Ringway Airport when its engines lost power

★ Irish national airline Aer Lingus Flight 712 (March 24, 1968) 61 killed; a Vickers Viscount 803 en route from Cork to London crashed in mysterious circumstances into the sea off the Tuskar Rock lighthouse, County Wexford

★ Mohawk Airlines Flight 40 crashes after a valve is installed backwards, killing all 34 on-board.

★ Hawthorne Nevada Airlines Flight 708 flies into a mountain, killing 35.

1970s

★ Dominican Republic Dominicana DC-9 air disaster (February 15, 1970) 102 killed

★ Spain Dan-Air Services DH-106 Comet 4 air disaster (July 3, 1970) 112 killed

★ Southern Airways Flight 932 (November 14, 1970) 75 killed, including 37 players and 8 coaches with the football team of Marshall University

★ Air Canada Flight 621 (July 5, 1970) 109 killed

★ All Nippon Airways Flight 58 (July 30, 1971) 162 killed

★ Alaska Airlines Flight 1866 (September 4, 1971) 111 killed

★ Iberia Flight 602 (January 7, 1972) 104 killed

★ Sterling Airways Flight 296 (March 14, 1972) 112 killed

★ Alitalia Flight 112 (May 5, 1972) 115 killed

★ Ukraine Aeroflot Antonov 10 air disaster (May 18, 1972) 122 killed

★ U.K. BEA HS-121 Trident air disaster (July 18, 1972) 118 killed

★ Germany Interflug Ilyushin 62 air disaster (August 14, 1972) 156 killed

★ Russia Magnitogorsk Aeroflot Ilyushin 18 air disaster (August 31, 1972) 101 killed

★ Russia Sochi Aeroflot Ilyushin 18 air disaster (October 1, 1972) 108 killed

★ Russia Sheremetyevo Aeroflot Ilyushin 62 air disaster (October 13, 1972) 174 killed

★ Tenerife Spantax Convair CV-990 air disaster (December 3, 1972) 155 killed

★ Libyan Arab Airlines Flight 114 (February 21, 1973) 108 killed

★ Ermenonville air disaster north of Paris (March 3, 1974) 346 killed

★ Seven Virgins air disaster (December 4, 1974) 191 killed; Martinair DC-8 Series 55F hits mountain range in Maskeliya, Sri Lanka

★ Vietnam U.S.A.F. Lockheed C-5 air disaster (April 4, 1975) 155 killed

★ Eastern Air Lines Flight 66 (June 24, 1975) 115 killed

★ Morocco Alia Boeing 707 air disaster (August 3, 1975) 188 killed

★ Syria Ceskoslovenské Aerolinie Ilyushin 62 air disaster (August 20, 1975) 126 killed

★ Russia Aeroflot Armenia Ilyushin 18 air disaster (March 6, 1976) 111 killed

★ Czech Airlines Ilyushin 18 air disaster (July 28, 1976) 76 killed

★ 1976 Zagreb mid-air collision (September 10, 1976) 176 killed (113 plus 63); mid-air collision between a British Airways Trident and an Inex-Adria DC-9

★ Turkey Türk Hava Yollari Boeing 727 air disaster (September 19, 1976) 154 killed

★ Tenerife disaster (March 27, 1977) 583 killed (335 plus 248); collision between KLM and PanAm Boeing 747s, the world's largest multiple aircraft air disaster

★ Kälvesta air disaster (January 15, 1977) 22 killed

★ TAP Air Portugal Flight 425 (November 19, 1977) 131 killed

★ Malaysia Airlines System Flight 653 (December 4, 1977) 100 killed

★ Air India Flight 855 (January 1, 1978) 213 killed

★ Guatemala City air disaster (April 28, 1977) 28 killed

★ San Diego Pacific Southwest Airlines Boeing 727 air disaster (September 25, 1978) 144 killed (including 9 on the ground); collision between a Cessna and a Boeing 727, PSA flight 182

★ Sri Lanka Loftleidir air disaster (November 15, 1978) 184 killed (including 1 on the ground); Icelandair DC-8 Super 63CF undershoots a runway in Sri Lanka.

★ Alitalia Flight 4128 (December 23, 1978) 108 killed

★ American Airlines flight 191 (May 25, 1979) 273 killed (including 2 on the ground); O'Hare Airport Chicago, IL, DC-10 crashes due to mechanical failure minutes after take-off in a field adjacent to a trailer park in Des Plaines, IL; deadliest US flight disaster prior to the September 11, 2001 attacks

★ Pakistan International Airlines Flight 740 (November 26, 1979) 156 killed

★ Air New Zealand Flight 901 at Mount Erebus in Antarctica (November 28, 1979) 257 killed

1980s

★ Iran Iran Air Boeing 727 air disaster (January 21, 1980) 128 killed

★ Poland LOT Ilyushin 62 air disaster (March 14, 1980) 87 killed

★ Spain Dan-Air Services Boeing 727 air disaster (April 25, 1980) 146 killed

★ Aerolinee Itavia Flight 870 (June 27, 1980) 81 killed

★ Kazakhstan Aeroflot Tupolev 154 air disaster (July 7, 1980) 163 killed

★ Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabian Lockheed L-1011 air disaster (August 19, 1980) 301 killed

★ Taiwan FEAT Boeing 737-200 air disaster (August 22, 1981) 110 killed

★ Russia Aeroflot Tupolev 154 air disaster (November 16, 1981) 99 killed

★ France Inex Adria Aviopromet MD-80 air disaster (December 1, 1981) 180 killed

★ Air Florida Flight 90 (January 13, 1982) 78 killed: 74 passengers, 4 motorists

★ China CAAC HS-121 Trident air disaster (April 26, 1982) 112 killed

★ Brazil VASP Boeing 727 air disaster (June 8, 1982) 137 killed

★ Belarus Aeroflot Yakovlev 42 air disaster (June 28, 1982) 132 killed

★ USA Pan Am Boeing 727 air disaster (July 9, 1982) 145 killed

★ Air Canada Flight 797 air disaster (June 2, 1983) 23 killed

★ Ecuador TAME Ecuador Boeing 737-200 air disaster (July 11, 1983) 119 killed

★ Korean Air Flight 007 Boeing 747 shootdown (September 1, 1983) 269 killed

★ U.A.E. Gulf Air Boeing 737-200 air disaster (September 23, 1983) 112 killed

★ Angola TAAG Boeing 737-200 air disaster (November 8, 1983) 130 killed

★ Spain Avianca Boeing 747 air disaster (November 27, 1983) 181 killed

★ Russia Aeroflot Tupolev 154 air disaster (October 11, 1984) 174 killed

★ Russia Aeroflot Tupolev 154 air disaster (December 23, 1984) 110 killed

★ Galaxy Airlines Lockheed Electra 188 disaster (January 21, 1985) 70 killed

★ Spain Iberia Boeing 727 air disaster (February 19, 1985) 148 killed

★ China Airlines Flight 006 (19 February, 1985) Plane collided with jetstream. 10 hurt but no-one died.

★ Atlantic Ocean Air India Boeing 747 air disaster (June 23, 1985) 329 killed

★ Uzbekistan Aeroflot Tupolev 154 air disaster (July 10, 1985) 200 killed

★ USA Delta Air Lines Lockheed L-1011 air disaster (August 2, 1985) 134 killed

★ Japan JAL Boeing 747 air disaster (August 12, 1985) 520 killed, the world's largest single aircraft air disaster

★ Canada Arrow Air DC-8 air disaster (December 12, 1985) 256 killed

★ Mexico Mexicana Boeing 727 air disaster (March 31, 1986) 167 killed

★ Aeroméxico Flight 498 air disaster (August 31, 1986) 81 killed

★ Mozambican Tupolev Tu-134 air disaster (October 19, 1986) 25 killed including head of state

★ Poland LOT Ilyushin 62M air disaster (May 9, 1987) 183 killed

★ USA Northwest Airlines MD-80 air disaster (August 16, 1987) 154 killed

★ Indian Ocean SAA Boeing 747 air disaster (November 28, 1987) 159 killed

★ Indian Ocean Korean Air Boeing 707 air disaster (November 29, 1987) 115 killed

★ China China Southwest Ilyushin 18 air disaster (January 18, 1988) 108 killed

★ Colombia Avianca Boeing 727 air disaster (March 17, 1988) 143 killed

★ Iran Air Flight 655 Airbus A300 USS Vincennes shootdown (July 3, 1988) 290 killed

★ Ramstein airshow disaster (August 28, 1988) 3 pilots and 67 spectators killed

★ India Indian Airlines Boeing 737-200 air disaster (October 19, 1988) 124 killed

★ Lockerbie Pan Am Boeing 747 air disaster (December 21, 1988) 270 killed (including 11 on the ground)

★ British Midland Flight 092 (January 8, 1989) 47 killed.

★ Portugal Independent Air Boeing 707 air disaster (February 8, 1989) 144 killed

★ Suriname Surinam Airways DC-8 air disaster (June 7, 1989) 176 killed

★ Sioux City United DC-10 air disaster (July 19, 1989) 111 killed

★ Cuba Cubana Ilyushin 62 air disaster (September 3, 1989) 126 killed

★ Niger UTA DC-10 air disaster (September 19, 1989) 171 killed

★ Honduras TAN Boeing 727 air disaster (October 21, 1989) 127 killed

★ Colombia Avianca Boeing 727 air disaster (November 27, 1989) 107 killed

1990s

2000s

Rail disasters

Main articles: List of rail accidents

★ St-Hilaire train disaster, Canada (June 29 1864) — 99 killed

★ The Angola Horror train disaster, Angola, New York (December 18, 1867) - Approximately 80 killed.

★ Abergele train disaster, United Kingdom (August 20 1868) — 33 killed

★ Shipton-on-Cherwell train crash, United Kingdom (December 24 1874) — 34 killed

★ Ashtabula River Railroad Disaster, USA (December 29 1876) — 92 killed, 64 injured

★ Tay Bridge disaster (December 28, 1879) - 75 killed

★ Armagh rail disaster, United Kingdom (June 12 1889) — 88 killed

★ Wreck of the Old 97, United States (September 27, 1903) - 11 killed

★ Sunshine station disaster, Melbourne, Australia (April 20 1908) — 44 killed, about 400 injured

★ Wellington avalanche, USA (March 1 1910) — 96 killed

★ Quintinshill rail crash, Scotland (22 May 1915) - 227 killed

★ Fréjus Rail Tunnel, France (December 12 1917) — 543 killed

★ Hammond circus train wreck, USA (June 22 1918) - 86 people killed

★ Great train wreck of 1918, USA (July 9 1918) — 101 killed, 171 injured

★ Río Virilla, Costa Rica (March 14 1926) - 248 killed, 93 injured

★ Genthin, Germany (December 22 1939) — 278 killed, 453 injured

★ León, Spain (January 16 1944) — over 500 killed

★ Lavano, Italy (March 3 1944) — over 500 killed

★ Dwor, Poland (October 22 1949) — over 200 killed

★ Harrow and Wealdstone rail crash, United Kingdom (October 8 1952) — 112 killed, 340 injured

★ Tangiwai railway disaster, New Zealand (December 24 1953) — 151 killed

★ Guadalajara, Mexico (April 3 1966) — 300 killed

★ Montgomery, West Pakistan (September 29 1957) — 250 killed

★ Stéblová train disaster, Czechoslovakia (November 16 1960) — 118 killed, 110 injured

★ Tokyo, Japan (May 3 1962) — 160 killed

★ Yokohama rail crash, Japan (November 9 1963) — 161 killed

★ Laggenweddingen, East Germany (July 6 1967) — around 140 killed

★ Moorgate tube crash, London, England (February 28 1975) — 43 killed

★ Granville railway disaster, Australia (January 18 1977) — 83 killed

★ Bihar train disaster, India (June 6 1981) — 286 killed, 300 missing (official, believed to be 900)

★ King's Cross fire, London, England (November 18, 1987) - 31 killed

★ Ufa train disaster (June 4, 1989) 575 killed

★ Big Bayou Canot train disaster, USA (September 22, 1993) - 47 killed

★ Firozabad, India (August 20 1995) — 358 killed

★ Baku subway fire disaster, Baku, Azerbaijan (October 28 1995) — 337 killed

★ Eschede train disaster, Germany (June 3 1998) — 101 killed, 88 badly injured

★ Ladbroke Grove rail crash, United Kingdom (October 5 1999) — 31 killed, about 400 injured

★ Kaprun disaster, Austria (November 11, 2000) — 155 killed

★ Igandu train disaster, Dodoma Region, Tanzania (June 24, 2002) — 281 killed

★ Neyshabur disaster, Iran (February 18 2004) — about 300 killed

★ Madrid train terror attacks, Spain (March 11 2004) — 191 killed, 1,460 injured

★ Ryongchon disaster, North Korea (April 22 2004) — 150 killed, 1,249 injured

★ ''Queen of the Sea'' train disaster, Sri Lanka (December 26 2004) — about 1700 killed

★ Amagasaki rail crash, Japan (April 25 2005) — 107 killed, 649 injured

★ London train and bus bombings (July 7, 2005) — 52 killed, 700 injured

★ Ghotki rail crash, Pakistan (July 13 2005) — over 132 killed

★ 2006 Mumbai train bombings July 11, 2006 - 209 killed, 700 injured

Ship and ferry disasters

''See also: List of shipwrecks''

★ ''Armenia'', sunk by Germans in November 1941, estimated over 5,000 deaths

★ Paisley canal disaster capsized pleasure boat (November 10, 1810) — 84 deaths, including 70 children

★ ''Lexington'' fire (January 13, 1840) — 139 deaths

★ ''RMS Tayleur'' sinking (January 21, 1854) — 380 deaths

★ ''Arctic'' sinking (September 20, 1854) — 320 passenger deaths [1]

★ ''Central America'' sinking (September 11, 1857) — about 425 deaths

★ ''Lady Elgin'' sinking (September 7, 1860) — about 400 deaths

★ ''Ruth'' {August 4,1863 {Sternwheel Packet}— ? lost

★ ''Eclipse'' {January 27, 1865 {Sternwheel packet} — 27 killed & 78 injured {See [2]}

★ ''General Lyon'' {March 31, 1865} — {tranport} about 566 lost

★ ''Sultana'' explosion (April 27, 1865) — about 1,700 deaths

★ ''Pacific'' sinking (around January 22, 1856) — All on board were lost [3]

★ RMS ''Atlantic'' sinking (April 1, 1873) — 546 deaths

★ ''Deutschland'' grounding (December 6, 1875) — 157 deaths

★ ''Cabo Machichaco'' explosion (November 3 1893) — 500 deaths.

★ USS ''Maine'' explosion (February 15, 1898) — 266 deaths (260 killed directly, 6 as a result of injuries afterwards)

★ ''General Slocum'' fire (June 15, 1904) — 1,021 deaths

★ SS ''Norge'' sinking, Rockall June 28, 1904 — 635 deaths

★ SS ''Berlin'', foundering, Hook of Holland February 21, 1907 — 129 deaths

★ SS ''Imperatrix'' sinking, Elaphonissi, west Crete, February 22, 1907 — 40 deaths

★ SS ''Yongala'' sinking, March 23, 1911 — 124 deaths

★ RMS ''Titanic'' sinking (April 15, 1912) — 1,496–1,523 deaths

★ ''Empress of Ireland'' sinking (May 30, 1914) — 1,012 deaths

★ HMS ''Bulwark'' internal explosion (November 26, 1914) — 738 deaths

★ RMS ''Lusitania'' sinking (May 7, 1915) — 1,195–1,198 deaths

★ ''Eastland'' sinking (July 24,1915) — 845 deaths

★ SS ''Persia'' sinking (December 30, 1915) — 334 deaths

★ SS Connemara Sea Disaster aka Carlingford Lough Disaster (November 16, 1916); 97 deaths

★ HMHS ''Britannic'' sinking (November 21, 1916) — 30 deaths, 1,036 saved

★ SS ''Mendi'', troopship struck by SS ''Darro'', off Isle of Wight, February 21 1917 — 646 deaths

★ HMS ''Vanguard'' internal explosion (July 9, 1917) — 677 deaths

★ ''Mont-Blanc'' collision causing Halifax Explosion (December 6, 1917) — about 2,000 deaths

★ RMS ''Leinster'', torpedoed October 10 1918 in the Irish Sea — 501 lives

★ ''Princess Sophia'', sinking October 25 1918 near Juneau Alaska all hands lost, 353 passengers and crew

★ ''Iolaire'' sinking (January 1, 1919) — at least 205 deaths

★ ''Valbanera'' sinking (September 9, 1919) — 488 deaths

★ SS ''Morro Castle'' fire (September 8, 1934) — 137 deaths

★ Arandora Star sunk by German U-Boat U-47 {June 2, 1940; 740 lost {868 saved} Uboatwaffe

★ HMT ''Lancastria'' sinking (June 17, 1940) — 2,000 – 5,000 deaths

★ ''Lady Hawkins'' sunk by German U-boat U-66 (January 19, 1942) — 251 lost; 71 survived Uboatwaffe

★ ''RMS Laconia (1921)'' sunk by German U-boat U-156, some survivors bombed by US bombers (September 12, 1942) — about 940 deaths {about 1500 saved} Uboatwaffe

★ ''SS Caribou'' sunk by German U-boat U-69 (October, 1942) — 135 deaths

★ AHS ''Centaur'' sunk by Japanese submarine I-177 (14 May, 1943) — 268 deaths

★ ''Tango Maru'' sinking (February 25, 1944) — about 3,000 deaths

★ ''Ryusei Maru'' sinking (June 29, 1944) — 4,998 deaths

★ ''Toyama Maru'' sinking (June 29, 1944) — about 5,600 deaths

★ ''Kōshū Maru'' sinking (August 3, 1944) — about 1,540 deaths

★ ''Junyō Maru'' sinking (September 18, 1944) — about 5,620 deaths

★ ''Rigel'' sunk by British bombers, Norway, November 27, 1944 — 2,465–2,571 deaths

★ KdF ''Wilhelm Gustloff'' sinking (January 30, 1945) — about 5,400–9,300 deaths (believed to be worst ship disaster ever)

★ SS ''General von Steuben'' sinking (February 9, 1945) — about 4,000–4,500 deaths

★ ''Goya'' sinking (April 16, 1945) — more than 6,050 deaths

★ ''Cap Arcona'' sinking (May 3, 1945) — about 7,000 to 8,000 deaths together with ''Thielbek''

★ ''Thielbek'' sinking (May 3, 1945); about 2,750 deaths

★ SS ''Noronic'' fire (September 17, 1949) — 118 to 139 deaths

★ ''Jiangya Lun'' sinking by water mine(December 3,1948) more than 3,000

★ ''Princess Victoria'' sinking (January 31, 1953) — 132 deaths

★ ''Toya Maru'' sinking (September 26, 1954) — 1,155 deaths

★ ''Novorossiysk'' sinking (29 October 1955) — 608 deaths

★ SS ''Andrea Doria'' sinking (July 26, 1956) — about 45 deaths

★ TSMS ''Lakonia'' fire (December 22, 1963) — 128 deaths

★ SS ''Heraklion'' sinking (December 7, 1966) — 230+ deaths

★ SS ''Yarmouth Castle'' fire (November 13, 1965) — 90 deaths

★ M/S ''Christena'' sinking (August 1,1970) — between St. Kitts and Nevis — 227 deaths

★ ''TEV Wahine'' Capsized (April 10,1968) — 52 deaths

★ STV ''Royston Grange'' collision and fire (11 May 1972) — 82 deaths

★ SS ''Edmund Fitzgerald'' sinking (November 10, 1975) — 29 deaths

★ Betelgeuse explosion in Bantry Bay (January 8 1979) — 51 deaths

★ ''Admiral Nakhimov'' sinking (August 31, 1986) — 398 deaths

★ ''Herald of Free Enterprise'' (March 6, 1987) — 193 deaths

★ ''MV Doña Paz'' sinking (December 21, 1987) — officially, 1,565 deaths

★ M/S ''Scandinavian Star'' fire (April 7, 1990) — 159 deaths

★ Moby Prince fire in Livorno harbour (April 10, 1991) — 140 deaths

★ M/S ''Estonia'' sinking (September 28,1994) — 852 deaths

★ MV ''Cebu City'' sunk (December 2, 1994) — 140 deaths

★ MV Bukoba sinking in Lake Victoria (May 21, 1996) — about 1,000 deaths

★ MS Ecstasy fire (July 20, 1998) — 14 crewmembers and 6 passengers injured.

★ ''Kursk'' sinking (August 12,2000) — 118 deaths

★ ''Express_Samina'' sinking (September 26,2000) — 80 deaths

★ MV ''Joola'' sinking (September 26, 2002) — about 1,800 deaths

★ Andrew J. Barberi Staten Island Ferry accident in New York City (October 15, 2003) — 11 deaths

★ SuperFerry 14 caught fire and partially sunk (February 27, 2004) — 116 deaths

★ ''Al Salam Boccaccio 98'' (February 2, 2006) — 1,018 deaths

★ Queen of the North BC Ferries sank off the coast of British Columbia (March 22,2006) after going off course and striking rocks. — 2 dead.

★ ''al-Dana'' tour-boat capsize, Bahrain (March 30, 2006) — 58 deaths

★ Djibouti ferry accident (April 6, 2006) — 113 deaths

★ Levina 1 fire (February 22, 2007) - 45 deaths

★ Levina 1 sinking (February 25, 2007) - 4 deaths

★ Sydney Harbour Bridge Ferry Disaster March 28, 2007.

★ M/S Sea Diamond April 6, 2007 - 2 missing (as of May 11, 2007)

Road disasters

Main articles: List of road accidents

★ A dynamite truck blew up in Thailand, 150+ killed (February 15, 1945)

★ 7 ammunition trucks explode in Colombia, 1,200 killed (August 7, 1956)

★ Two trucks collided in Togo, 125+ killed (December 6, 1965)

★ A bus drove into an irrigation canal in Egypt, 127 killed (August 9, 1973)

★ A suspension bridge collapsed in Nepal, 148 killed (November 23, 1974)

★ A gasoline tanker exploded in Spain, 120+ killed (July 11,1978)

★ Salang tunnel fire - a gasoline tanker exploded in the Salang Tunnel in Afghanistan, 2,000+ killed (November 3, 1982)

★ Carrollton, Kentucky bus disaster – drunk driver hit a church bus; 27 killed in the ensuing fire (May 14, 1988)

★ A bus hit a bridge in Kenya, 106 killed (December 1992)

★ An explosion created a hole, into which 100 cars fell South Korea, 110 killed (April 28, 1995)

★ A gasoline tanker hit cars and exploded in Nigeria, 150+ killed (November 4 2000)

★ Hintze Ribeiro disaster - a bridge collapsed in Northern Portugal as a bus was crossing it, 70+ killed (March 4 2001).

★ A bus collided with a gasoline truck and exploded in India, 30+ killed (December 28 2005)

★ The Big Dig Tunnel ceiling collapse in Boston, 1 killed (July 10 2006)

Nuclear disasters

Main articles: List of nuclear accidents

★ Mayak, the other major Soviet nuclear accident (September 29 1957)

★ Windscale, United Kingdom (October 7 1957)

★ Three Mile Island, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania (March 28 1979)

★ Chernobyl nuclear power-plant disaster, Chernobyl, Ukraine (April 26, 1986)

War disasters

An attack with much collateral damage may be considered a disaster, such as the attack on KdF Ship Wilhelm Gustloff, 1945, the worst or perhaps second worst maritime incident in history (after Cap Arcona in two vessels), in terms of loss of life in a single vessel (see also note at the end of the article RMS Titanic).

★ Bombing of Chongqing in World War II (February 18-August 23 1943,)

★ Bombing of Dresden in World War II (February 13-15, 1945)

★ Bombing of Tokyo in World War II (February 23, March 9 and May 26 1945)

★ Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (August 6 and August 9 1945, respectively), which killed over 214,000

Dam/dike/levee disasters

Main articles: List of dam failures

★ Sint-Elisabethsvloed (1421), Holland (November 18-November 19, 1421)

★ Sea dike breach of November 1, 1530, which flooded part of Holland and killed 400,000.

★ Great Sheffield flood, Sheffield, England (March 11, 1864) {270 dead}

★ Johnstown flood, Johnstown, Pennsylvania (May 31, 1889) {2,209 dead}

★ Gleno's Dam, Valle di Scalve, Italy, December 1, 1923, at least 200 dead

★ St. Francis Dam disaster, Los Angeles, California (March 12, 1928) {306+ known dead}

★ North Sea Flood of 1953, United Kingdom and The Netherlands (January 31-February 1, 1953)

★ Vajont Dam disaster, Longarone, Italy (October 9, 1963), 1,909 dead.

★ Buffalo Creek Dam disaster, Logan County, West Virginia, United States, 125 killed (February 26, 1972)

★ Banqiao Dam disaster, Henan Province, China (August 8 1975),26,000 and 145,000 dead

★ Teton Dam failure, Idaho, United States, June 5 1976, 14 dead

★ Failure of levee at New Orleans, Hurricane Katrina, 2005

Environmental disasters

Main articles: List of environmental disasters

★ Torrey Canyon oil spill in the English Channel (March 18, 1967)

★ Love Canal, Niagara Falls, New York (1970s)

★ Buffalo Creek Disaster, West Virginia, USA, 1972

★ Seveso disaster, Italy, 1976

★ Sverdlovsk anthrax leak, USSR (April 2, 1979) 64 killed, potential catastrophe

★ Bhopal Disaster, Bhopal, India (December 3, 1984), the world's worst industrial accident 15,000 killed

★ Exxon Valdez oil spill, Prince William Sound (March 24, 1989)

★ Prestige oil spill, off the Spanish coast, (November 13, 2002)

Mining disasters

★ Felling mine disaster, Northumberland, England, 1812 95 killed

★ Hartley Colliery Disaster, Northumberland, England, (Jan 16 1862) 204 killed

★ The Oaks explosion, Barnsley, Yorkshire, England, (Dec 12 1866) 388 killed

★ Yellow Jacket, Kentuck and Crown Point Mine Fire, Gold Hill, Nevada, United States (Sep 20 1873)

★ Clifton Hall Colliery, Clifton, Greater Manchester, England (June 18, 1885) 178 killed

★ 1887 Nanaimo Mine Explosion, Nanaimo, BC, Canada, (May 3, 1887) 150 killed

★ Springhill, Nova Scotia, Canada, (February 21, 1891) 125 killed

★ Brunner, New Zealand, (March, 1896) 67 killed

★ Scofield mine disaster, Scofield, Utah, United States, (May 1, 1900) 200 killed

★ Johnstown, Pennsylvania, United States (1902) 112 killed [4]

★ Fraterville Mine disaster, Tennessee, United States, (May 19, 1902) 216 killed

★ El Hondo Coal Mine, Coahuila, Mexico, (January 31, 1902) 135 killed

★ Hanna, Wyoming, United States, Union Pacific Coal Company, Mine No. 1. (June 30, 1903) 234 killed

★ Cheswick, Pennsylvania, United States (January 25, 1904) 179 killed [5]

★ Courrières mine disaster, Courrière, France, (March 10, 1906) 1099 killed

★ Jacobs Creek, Pennsylvania, United States (December 19, 1907) 239 killed [6]

★ Monongah Mine disaster, Monongah, West Virginia, United States, (December 6,1907) 362 killed (Worst mine disaster in the U.S.)

★ Mina Rosita Vieja disaster, San Juan de Sabinas, Coahuila, Mexico, (February 27, 1908), 200 killed in the #2 Shaft, Mexico's worst coal mine disaster.

★ Palaú Coal Mine, Coahuila, Mexico (September 30, 1908) 100 killed

★ Burns Pit disaster, Stanley, County Durham, England, (February 16, 1909) 160+ killed

★ Cherry Mine Disaster Cherry, Illinois, United States, (November 13, 1909) 259 killed

★ Dawson, New Mexico, United States, (October 22, 1913) 263 killed

★ Senghenydd Colliery Disaster, Cardiff, Wales, England (October 14, 1913), 439 killed, worst mining disaster in British history

★ Speculator Mine Disaster, Butte, Montana, United States, (June 8, 1917), 168 killed, worst US hard rock mine disaster

★ Hillcrest mine disaster, Hillcrest, Alberta, Canada, (June 19, 1914) 189 killed, Canada's worst mine disaster

★ Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, United States (June 5,1919) 92 killed [7]

★ Castle Gate mine disaster, Castle Gate, Utah, United States, (March 8, 1924) 172 killed

★ Barnes-Hecker mine disaster, Negaunee, Michigan, United States, (November 3, 1926) 51 killed [8]

★ Millfield Mine disaster, Millfield, Ohio, (November 5, 1930) 82 killed

★ Moweaqua Coal Mine Disaster, Moweaqua, Illinois, United States, December 24, 1932 54 killed

★ Gresford Disaster, Gresford, Wrexham, Wales (September 1934) 266 killed

★ Red Jacket Coal Company, Keen Mountain, Virginia, (April 22, 1938) 54 killed

★ Pocahontas Coal Company Pond Creek No. 1 mine explosion, Bartley, McDowell County, West Virginia, United States, (January 10, 1940) 91 killed

★ Smoke tragedy, El Teniente, Rancagua, Chile, (June 19, 1945) 355 killed

★ Centralia, Illinois, (March 25, 1947) 111 killed

★ West Frankfort, Illinois, 119 killed (December 21, 1951)

★ Marcinelle, Belgium, (August 8, 1956) 262 killed

★ Springhill, Nova Scotia, Canada, (November 1, 1956) 39 killed

★ Springhill mining disaster, Springhill, Nova Scotia, Canada, (October 23, 1958) 74 killed

★ Knox Mine disaster, Jenkins Township, Pennsylvania, January 12, 1959. 12 killed and the flooding of the mines effectively wiped out anthracite mining in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area.

★ Luisenthal Mine disaster (near Völklingen), Germany (February 7, 1962), 299 killed

★ Lengede Mine disaster, Germany (October 24, 1963), 29 killed, 11 men rescued two weeks later ("Das Wunder von Lengede" - The Lengede Miracle)

★ Aberfan disaster, Wales, 1966, 144 killed.

★ Mannington Mine disaster (sometimes referred to as the Farmington Mine disaster), Mannington, West Virginia, United States, (November 20, 1968), 21 men survived, 78 died.

★ Mina de Barroterán Coal Mine disaster, Coahuila, Mexico, (March 31, 1969), 176 died. Mexico's second worst coal mine disaster.

★ Finley Coal Co., nos. 15 and 16 mine explosions, Leslie County, Hyden, Kentucky, United States, December 30, 1970, 38 killed

★ Buffalo Creek flood, Logan County, West Virginia, United States, (February 26, 1972) 125 killed

★ Consolidation Coal Co. Blacksville No. 1 mine fire, Monongalia County, Blacksville, West Virginia, United States, July 22, 1972, 9 killed

★ Sunshine Mine disaster, Kellogg, Idaho, United States, (May 1972) 91 killed

★ Itmann No. 3 Mine explosion, Itmann Coal Co., Wyoming County, Itmann, West Virginia, United States, December 16, 1972, 5 killed

★ Scotia Mine explosion, Blue Diamond Coal Co., Letcher County, Oven Fork, Kentucky, United States, March 9, 1976, 26 killed

★ Porter Tunnel flood, Kocher Coal Co., Schuykill County, Tower City, Pennsylvania, United States, March 1, 1977, 9 killed

★ Moss No.3 Portal A suffocation, Clinchfield Coal Co., Dickinson County, Duty, Virginia, United States, April 4, 1978, 5 killed

★ Ferrell No. 17 explosion, Westmorland Coal Co., Boone County, Uneeda, West Virginia, United States, November 7, 1980, 5 killed

★ Dutch Creek No. 1 explosion, Mid-Continent Resources, Inc., Pitkin County, Redstone, Colorado, March 15, 1981, 15 killed

★ No. 11 Mine explosion, Adkins Coal Co., Knott County, Kite, Kentucky, United States, December 7, 1981, 8 killed

★ No. 21 Mine explosion, Grundy Mining Co., Marion County, Whitwell, Tennessee, United States, December 8, 1981, 13 killed

★ No. 1 Mine explosion, RFH Coal Co., Floyd County, Craynor, Kentucky, United States, January 20, 1982, 7 killed

★ McClure No. 1 Mine explosion, Clinchfield Coal Co., Dickinson County, McClure, Virginia, United States, June 6, 1983, 7 killed

★ Wilberg Mine fire, Emery Mining Corp., Emery County, Orangeville, Utah, United States, December 19, 1984, 27 killed

★ Loveridge No. 22 suffocation, Consolidation Coal Co., Marion County, Fairview, West Virginia, United States, February 2, 1986, 5 killed

★ William Station No. 9 Mine explosion, Pyro Mining Co., Union County, Wheatcroft, Kentucky, United States, September 13, 1989, 10 killed

★ Westray Mine disaster, Plymouth, Nova Scotia, Canada (May 9, 1992) 26 killed.

★ No. 3 Mine explosion, Southmoutain Coal Co., Wise County, Norton, Virginia, United States, December 7, 1992, 8 killed

★ Baia Mare Cyanide spill [9], Romania, January 30, 2000.

★ No. 5 Mine explosion, Jim Walter Resources, Inc., Tuscaloosa County, Brookwood, Alabama, United States, September 23, 2001, 13 killed

★ Río Turbio coal mine, Río Turbio, Santa Cruz, Argentina (June 14, 2004), 14 killed.

★ Liaoning mine disaster, Fuxin, People's Republic of China (February 14, 2005), 210 reported killed.

★ Sago Mine disaster in Tallmansville, West Virginia, United States, (January 2, 2006) 13 miners trapped for nearly two days, only one survivor Randall McCloy

★ Pasta de Conchos Coal Mine, San Juan de Sabinas, Coahuila, México, (February 19, 2006) Huge gas concentration leads to an explosion caused cracks and collapsing of the structure of the mining tunnels, therefore 65 miners were trapped more than 1 mile below the ground level, after more than 100 hours of rescue attempts they found no survivors.

★ Beaconsfield mine collapse, Tasmania, Australia. (April 25, 2006) Miners Todd Russell and Brant Webb are trapped nearly 1 mile below ground after overhanging rocks collapse on their cage. After 2 weeks of attempts, rescuers break free the rock and Russell and Webb emerge alive and able bodied. 1 killed.

★ Darby Mine No. 1 explosion, Kentucky Darby LLC, Harlan County, Middlesboro, Kentucky, United States, May 20, 2006, 5 killed

★ Halemba Mine disaster in Ruda Śląska, Poland (November 21 2006) explosion of methane, 23 killed.

★ Ulyanovskaya Mine disaster, Novokuznetsk, Russia (March 19, 2007) explosion of methane, 110 killed.

★ Crandall Canyon Mine collapse, Emery County, Utah (August 6, 2007) collapse of mine trapping 6 miners. A second collapse occurred on August 16 during rescue efforts, injuring 6 rescue workers and killing 3 others.
See also: List of mining disasters in Poland

Industrial disasters

Main articles: Industrial disasters

★ Bhopal Disaster, India. Chemicals leaked from a Union Carbide plant killed almost 3,000 initially, and at least 15,000 later from related illnesses.

★ Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City, USA (March 25, 1911), 146 killed.

★ Manila Film Center scaffolding collapse in Manila, Philippines, (November 17, 1981), up to 169 killed (disputed).

★ Bastian Plating Company chemical asphyxiation accident in Auburn, Indiana, USA (June 28, 1988), 5 killed.

★ Imperial Foods chicken plant fire, in Hamlet, North Carolina, USA (September 3, 1991), 25 killed.

Explosion disasters

★ Mobile magazine explosion, Mobile, Alabama, USA (May 25, 1865) about 300 killed

★ Black Tom explosion, Jersey City, New Jersey, USA (July 30, 1916) 5 to 7 killed & hundreds injured

★ Kingsland Explosion, Kingsland, NJ now Lyndhurst, NJ, USA January 11, 1917 Sabotage of munitions factory. No fatalities.

★ T.A. Gillespie Company Shell Loading Plant explosion, Sayreville, New Jersey, USA October 4, 1918. An apparently accidental explosion at an ammunition plant, over 100 dead and hundreds more injured though complete casualty numbers will never be known.

★ Halifax Explosion, Halifax Nova Scotia, Canada (December 6, 1917) 1,950 to 2,000 killed

★ Split Rock Dynamite Factory Explosion, Camillus, New York, USA (July 3, 1918) 50 killed

★ Oppau explosion, Oppau, Germany (September 21, 1921), about 565 killed

★ Bath School disaster, Bath Township, Michigan, USA (May 18, 1927), 45 killed

★ New London School explosion, New London, Texas, USA (March 18, 1937) about 300 killed

★ The Bombay Blasts, Victoria Dock Bombay, India (April 14, 1944) about 800 killed

★ The Port Chicago Explosion, California, USA (July 17 1944) 320 killed

★ Cleveland East Ohio Gas Explosion, Cleveland, Ohio (October 20, 1944) killed 130 people and destroyed a one square mile area on Cleveland's east side.

★ Pringle Powder Co. Nitroglycerine Explosion, Owensboro, Kentucky (November 25,1944) 2 killed

★ Texas City Explosion, Texas City, Texas, USA (April 16, 1947) 581 killed

★ BLEVE at a refinery in Feyzin, Isère, France (January 4, 1966) 18 killed

★ Flixborough disaster, North Lincolnshire, England (June 1 1974) 28 killed

★ CIL Plant explosion, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, 1974, 7 killed

★ Lapua cartridge factory explosion, Lapua, Finland. (April 13, 1976) 40 killed

★ Ortuella School Gas Explosion, Ortuella, Spain (October 23 1980) 51 killed

★ Vila Socó Explosion, Cubatão, Brazil, (February 24, 1984) up to 508 killed (disputed)

★ LPG BLEVE in San Juan Ixhuatepec, México State, Mexico (November 19, 1984) 500 killed

★ PEPCON disaster, near Henderson, Nevada, USA (May 4 1988) 2 killed, 372 injured

★ Piper Alpha explosion, North Sea, Scotland, (July 6 1988) 167 killed (including 2 rescuers)

★ Phillips Petroleum Co. (now Chevron Phillips) isobutane UVCE in Pasadena, Texas, USA (October 23, 1989) 23 killed, 130 injured [10]

★ Sewer explosions in Reforma Zone, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico (April 22, 1992) 296 killed

★ Oklahoma City bombing, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA (April 19, 1995) 168 killed, including 1 rescue worker

★ Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL) LPG UVCE in Visakhapatnam, India (September 14, 1997) 58 killed [11]

★ Phillips Petroleum Co. (now Chevron Phillips) K-resin in Pasadena, Texas, USA (June 23, 1999) 2 killed, 3 injured, see [12] and page 15 of [13]

★ Phillips Petroleum Co. (now Chevron Phillips) butadiene in Pasadena, Texas, USA (March 27, 2000) 1 killed, 69 injured, see [14] and page 15 of [15]

★ AZF Explosion at a Toulouse chemical factory, Toulouse, France (September 21, 2001) - 29 killed, approx. 2,500 seriously wounded

★ Lagos armoury explosion, Lagos, Nigeria (January 27 2002), 1,100 killed

★ 2005 Hertfordshire Oil Storage Terminal fire, Buncefield, Hertfordshire, UK. No-one killed, explosion heard throughout south-east England.

★ Atlas Creek pipeline explosion near Lagos, Nigeria (May 12 2006), 150 killed

★ Danvers, Massachusetts chemical plant explosion in residential neighborhood (November 22 2006), no one killed, explosion heard for 20 mile radius.

★ 2007 Maputo arms depot explosion in Maputo, Mozambique, 93 killed.

★ West Pharmaceutical Plant explosion

★ 2006 Falk Corporation explosion

Fire disasters

Main articles: List of historic fires

★ Final destruction of the Library of Alexandria, 391 AD

★ Great Fire of London, London, England (September 2-September 5 1666)

★ Great Chicago Fire, Chicago, Illinois (October 8, 1871) estimated 200-300 killed

★ Peshtigo Fire, Peshtigo, Wisconsin (October 8, 1871) estimated 1,200-2,500 killed

★ The Great Fire of 1892, St. John's, Newfoundland, (July 8, 1892)

★ Cocoanut Grove fire, Boston, Massachusetts (November 28, 1942) 492 killed

★ Hartford Circus Fire, Hartford, Connecticut (July 6, 1944) probably 168 killed

★ Summerland disaster, Isle of Man (August 2, 1973) 51 killed

★ Beverly Hills Supper Club fire, Southgate, Kentucky (May 28, 1977) 165 killed

★ Stardust Disaster, Dublin, Ireland (February 14, 1981) 48 killed

★ Ash Wednesday fires, Victoria & South Australia (February 16, 1983), 75 killed

★ Bradford fire disaster, Bradford, West Yorkshire, England (May 11, 1985) 56 killed

★ King's Cross fire, London, England (November 18, 1987) 31 killed

★ Happyland Fire, The Bronx, New York City (1990) 87 killed

★ Oakland Hills firestorm, Oakland and Berkeley, California, (October 20, 1991) 25 killed

★ Branch Davidian compound, near Waco, Texas (1993) 80 killed

★ Gothenburg nightclub fire, Gothenburg, Sweden, (October 28, 1998) 63 killed

★ Mont Blanc Tunnel fire (1999) 39 killed

★ Kaprun disaster, Kaprun, Austria (November 11, 2000) 155 killed

★ Canberra bushfires of 2003, Canberra, Australia, (January 18, 2003) 4 killed

★ Daegu subway fire in South Korea (February, 2003) 198 killed

★ The Station nightclub fire, West Warwick, Rhode Island (2003) 100 killed

★ República Cromagnon nightclub fire, Buenos Aires, Argentina, (December 30, 2004) 194 killed

Miscellaneous

★ The Boston Molasses Disaster, Boston, Massachusetts (January 15 1919) 21 killed

★ Burnden Park Disaster, Bolton, Lancashire, England (March 9 1946) 33 killed

★ Great Smog of 1952, London, England about 12,000 killed

★ 24 hours of Le Mans disaster, France, (June 11, 1955) 80+ killed

★ Aberfan disaster, Merthyr Tydfil, Wales (October 21, 1966) 144 killed

★ Second Ibrox disaster, Glasgow, Scotland (January 2, 1971) 66 killed

★ Hyatt Regency walkway collapse, Kansas City, Missouri (July 17 1981) 114 killed

★ Heysel Stadium disaster, Brussels, Belgium (May 29, 1985) 39 killed

★ Sultan Abdul Halim ferry terminal bridge collapse, Butterworth, Penang, Malaysia (July 31, 1988) 32 killed

★ Hillsborough disaster, Sheffield, England (April 15, 1989) 96 killed

★ Highland Towers collapse, Ampang, Malaysia (December 11, 1993) 48 killed

★ Sampoong Department Store collapse, Seoul, South Korea (June 29, 1995) 501 killed

★ Enschede fireworks disaster, Enschede, Netherlands (May 13, 2000) 22 killed

★ P36 Offshore Oil Platform Sinking, South Atlantic, Brazil (March, 2001) 11 killed

★ Ellis Park Stadium disaster, Johannesburg, South Africa (April 11, 2001) 43 killed

★ Northeast Blackout of 2003, northeastern United States, eastern Canada (August 14, 2003) 8 reported deaths

★ Al-Aaimmah bridge stampede, Baghdad, Iraq (August 31 2005) about 1,000 killed

★ 2003 Chicago balcony collapse, United States (June 29, 2003) 12 killed

Causes of hypothetical future disasters

Main articles: Risks to civilization, humans and planet Earth

★ Dysgenics

★ Famine

★ Overpopulation

★ Nuclear warfare

★ Pandemic

★ Peak Oil

★ Gulf Stream shutdown

★ Antibiotic resistance

★ Supervolcano

★ Asteroid impact event

★ Megatsunami

★ Cumbre Vieja

★ Cascadia Megathrust earthquake

★ Global warming

★ Hypernova

★ Hypercane

External links

★ RSOE EDIS Emergency and Disaster Information Service An up-to-the-minute world wide map showing current disasters.

★ World's worst natural disasters since 1900

★ Famine - LoveToKnow 1911

★ The worst Natural Disasters ever

★ The international disaster database

★ Forces of Nature: Worst Disasters

★ Guinness Book of World Records

★ USGS Earthquake Hazards Program

★ CRED EM-DAT

★ War Disaster and Genocide

★ Worlds Worst Natural Disasters

★ The dimension of famine

★ A Brief History of Population

★ Emergency Management Australia, Disasters Database Report

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