List of disasters

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

• The Toba eruption about 75,000 years ago.
• Various extinction events, some of an undetermined nature.
• Impact events.
• Great prehistoric floods, many brought on by rising sea levels and melting glacial dams at the end of the most recent ice age
• The Snowball Earth hypothesis.

  Classical antiquity disasters

• Thera volcanic eruption of 1650-1450 BC caused tsunamis in the Aegean sea, destroyed Minoan fleet, leaving Crete open to mainland invaders; probably the basis for the legend of the mythical Atlantis.
• Rhodes earthquake of 226 BC destroyed the Colossus of Rhodes
• Vesuvius volcanic eruption, Italy, 79 AD buried Pompeii, Herculaneum, Stabiae.
• Climatic disaster of 535 AD, 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.

  Medieval disasters

• November, 856, Earthquake strikes Corinth, Greece, 45,000 people are killed.
• December 22, 856 strong earthquake devastates Iran, 200,000 deaths.
• Alexandria earthquakes of 1303 and 1323 which destroyed the Pharos of Alexandria
• The Black Death first appears in Europe in 1347
• 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
• 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 Shemakha earthquake (November 25) 80,000 deaths
• Great Storm of 1703 (November 24 - December 2) 8,000 died.
• 1755 Lisbon earthquake (November 1, 1755) 100,000 deaths
• Paris May 16, 1770 wedding of Marie-Antoinette to future Louis XVI, fireworks land on unexploded fireworks, fire causes stampede killing 132 spectators
• Great Hurricane of 1780 (October 10 - October 16, 1780)

  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.
• 1876 Bakarganj Cyclone in India (October 31) 215,000 dead.
• Krakatoa, Indonesia, volcanic eruption, (August 26, 1883)
• 1887 Yellow River flood, death toll 900,000-6,000,000.
• 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.
• Great Lakes Storm of 1913, Great Lakes basin region (November, 1913) 250 dead
• 1914 Hillcrest mine disaster, 189 dead.
• 1917 Mattoon, Illinois tornado destroys town, kills 101. (May 26)
• 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
• 1931 Huang He floods, China (August 1931) estimates between 850,000 and 4,000,000
• 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) 1835 killed
• 1959 Huang He floods, China, 2,000,000 killed.
• Escuminac Disaster, Escuminac, New Brunswick, Canada (June 20, 1959) 95 dead
• Agadir (Morocco) earthquake, February 29, 1960.
• Great Chilean Earthquake, May 21 and 22, 1960. 3.000 deaths estimated.
• North Sea Flood of 1962, Germany
• Vajont Dam Landslide/Tsunami Disaster, Italy October 9, 1963 close to 2000 perished
• Palm Sunday Tornado Outbreak, Midwest, United States (April 11, 1965) 271 died
• Hurricane Camille, Mississippi, United States (August, 1969) 256
• 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.
• 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) 25,000 lives lost
• 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
• Kobe Earthquake, Kobe, Hyogo (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

• 2001 Gujarat Earthquake, Bhuj, India (January 26, 2001)
• European Heat Wave of 2003, Europe
• Bam Earthquake, Iran (December 26, 2003)
• Hurricane Ivan, Caribbean Sea, Southeastern United States (September, 2004)
• Hurricane Jeanne, Greater Antilles, Eastern United States (September, 2004)
• 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, and elsewhere (December 26, 2004) 186,983 killed, 42,883 missing
• 2005 Sumatran earthquake, Indonesia (March 28, 2005), at least 1,000 killed
• 2005 Maharashtra floods, Mumbai, Maharashtra, Western India (July 2005)
• Hurricane Katrina, United States (August 2005), toll varies, c. 2,000 killed
• Hurricane Stan, Mexico, Central America, Guatemala, (October, 2005)
• 2005 Kashmir earthquake, Kashmir, Pakistan, (October 8, 2005), death toll is currently 87,350 but some estimate it to rise over 100,000
• Hurricane Wilma, Caribbean Sea, Mexico, United States (October 2005)
• 2006 Southern Leyte mudslide, Philippines, (17 February 2006) c. 950 killed.
• May 2006 Java earthquake, Yogyakarta, Java, Indonesia (May 27, 2006), c. 6,200 killed
• July 2006 Java earthquake, Java, Indonesia (July 17, 2006), c. 550 killed
• Typhoon Saomai (2006), Zhejiang, China, (August, 2006), c. 450 killed

  Man-made disasters

  Air disasters

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

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.

See also: List of space disasters, Accidents and incidents in aviation

  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

• 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
• Toronto Air Canada DC-8 air disaster (July 5, 1970) 109 killed
• Japan All Nippon Boeing 727 air disaster (July 30, 1971) 162 killed
• Juneau Alaska Airlines Boeing 727 air disaster (September 4, 1971) 111 killed
• Spain Iberia Caravelle air disaster (January 7, 1972) 104 killed
• Dubai Sterling Airways Caravelle air disaster (March 14, 1972) 112 killed
• Italy Alitalia DC-8 air disaster (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
• Sinai Libyan Arab Airlines Boeing 727 air disaster (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
• New York Eastern Air Lines Boeing 727 air disaster (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
• Zagreb air disaster (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
• Portugal TAP Air Portugal Boeing 727 air disaster (November 19, 1977) 131 killed
• Malaysia Malaysian Airlines System Boeing 737-200 air disaster (December 4, 1977) 100 killed
• Arabian Sea Air India Boeing 747 air disaster (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 DC-8 air disaster (November 15, 1978) 184 killed (including 1 on the ground); Icelandair DC-8 Super 63CF ploughs into a coconut plantation in Sri Lanka
• Italy Alitalia DC-9-30 air disaster (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 11th, 2001 attacks
• Saudi Arabia Pakistan International Airlines Boeing 707 air disaster (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
• 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
• 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 7 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
• 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 62 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)
• Kegworth air disaster (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

• Russia Aeroflot-North Kavkaz Tupolev 134 air disaster (January 13, 1990) 27 killed
• Costa Rica SANSA CASA 212 air disaster (January 15, 1990) 23 killed
• Venezuela Venezuelan Navy CASA 212 air disaster (January 24, 1990) 24 killed
• U.S. Avianca Boeing 707 air disaster (January 25, 1990) 73 killed