List of disasters

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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).

Contents

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.

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.

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
Grote Mandrenke (January 1362) Storm tide in Northwestern Europe claims 25,000+ victims

Shaanxi Earthquake (January 23,1556) deadliest Earthquake on Record, 830,000 deaths.
Spanish Armada in Ireland (September 1588) 5,000 dead in heavy storms
1667 Shemakha earthquake (November 25) 80,000 deaths
Great Storm of 1703 (November 24 - December 2) 8,000 died.
1755 Lisbon earthquake (November 1st, 1755) 90,000 deaths
Great Hurricane of 1780 (October 10 - October 16, 1780)

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

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
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)
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
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
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.
2006 Java earthquake, Yogyakarta, Java, Indonesia (May 27, 2006), c. 6,200 killed
July 2006 Java earthquake, Java, Indonesia (July 17, 2006), c. 100 killed

Man-made disasters

Air disasters

See also: List of accidents and incidents on commercial airliners grouped by year

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.

1900s

September 17, 1908 -- Wright Flyer III Crash (1 killed)
September 7, 1909 -- Eugène Lefebvre becomes the first pilot to die at the controls.

1910s

August 6, 1913 -- Curtiss Seaplane (Private) -- First fatal airplane incident in Canada (1 killed)
September 9, 1913 -- Helgoland Island Air Disaster: Zeppelin L-1 airship (14 killed)
October 17, 1913 -- Johannisthal Air Disaster: Zeppelin L-2 airship (28 killed)

1920s

August 24, 1921 -- Hull ZR2 Air Disaster: Royal Airship Works R38/ZR-2 airship (44 killed, including one on the ground)
December 23, 1923 -- French Zeppelin Dixmunde airship (52 killed)

1930s

October 5, 1930 -- R101 Air Disaster: Royal Airship Works R-101 (48 killed)
March 31, 1931 -- Transcontinental & Western Air Flt #599: Fokker F10A Trimotor (8 killed, including Notre Dame football coach Knute Rockne)
April 4, 1933 -- USS Akron: Goodyear-Zeppelin airship ZRS-4 (73 killed)
May 18, 1935 -- Tupolev ANT-20 (aka: Maxim Gorky) (45 killed, including two on ground)
August 15, 1935 -- Lockheed Orion 9E Explorer (2 killed, including Will Rogers & Wiley Post)
May 6, 1937 -- Hindenburg disaster: Zeppelin LZ 129 (36 killed, including one ground crew)

1940s

August 31, 1940 -- Lovettsville Air Disaster -- Douglas DC-3 (25 killed)
February 15, 1947 -- Colombia Avianca Douglas DC-4 air disaster (53 killed)
May 29, 1947 -- U.S. United Air Lines Douglas DC-4 air disaster (43 killed)
May 29, 1947 -- Japan U.S. Air Force Douglas DC-4 air disaster (40 killed)
May 30, 1947 -- U.S. Eastern Air Lines Douglas DC-4 air disaster (53 killed)
June 13, 1947 -- U.S. Pennsylvania-Central Airlines Douglas DC-4 air disaster (50 killed)
October 16, 1947 -- Spain Societé aérienne du littoral Bristol 170 air disaster (41 killed)
October 24, 1947 -- U.S. United Air Lines Douglas DC-6 air disaster (52 killed)
October 26, 1947 -- Greece AB Aerotransport Douglas DC-4 air disaster (44 killed)
June 17, 1948 -- U.S. United Air Lines Douglas DC-6 air disaster (43 killed)
August 1, 1948 -- Atlantic Ocean Air France Latécoere 631 air disaster (52 killed)
October 20, 1948 -- United Kingdom KLM Lockheed L-049 air disaster (40 killed)
May 4, 1949 -- Superga air disaster (31 killed, including 18 members of the Torino football team)
June 7, 1949 -- Puerto Rico Strato-Freight Curtiss C-46 air disaster (53 killed)
July 12, 1949 -- India KLM Lockheed L-749 air disaster (45 killed)
October 28, 1949 -- Portugal Air France Lockheed L-749 air disaster (48 killed)
November 1, 1949 -- U.S. Eastern Air Lines Douglas DC-4 air disaster (55 killed)

1950s

BOAC Comet 1 G-ALYP accident (January 10, 1954) 35 killed
BOAC Comet 1 G-ALYY accident (April 8, 1954) 21 killed
Munich air disaster (February 6, 1958) 24 killed, including eight members of the Manchester United football team

1960s

February 15 1961, Sabena Flight 548 crashed on landing approach to Brussels, Belgium, killing all 72 persons. 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.
June 4 1967 - Stockport Air Disaster, 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. 72 people died.
March 24 1968 - Irish national airline Aer Lingus Flight 712, a Vickers Viscount 803 en route from Cork to London with 61 people on board, crashed in mysterious circumstances into the sea off the Tuskar Rock lighthouse, County Wexford.

1970s

Staines air disaster (July 18, 1972) 118 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 Martinair DC-8 Series 55F hits mountain range in Maskeliya, Sri Lanka December 4, 1974, 191 killed
Zagreb air disaster mid-air collision between a British Airways Trident and a Inex-Adria DC-9 (September 10, 1976) 176 killed
Tenerife disaster collision between KLM and PanAm Boeing 747's (March 27, 1977) 583 killed, the world's largest multiple aircraft air disaster
San Diego air disaster (September 25, 1978) collision between a Cessna and a Boeing 727, PSA flight 182, 144 killed.
Katunayake air disaster, Icelandair DC-8 Super 63CF ploughs into a coconut plantation in Sri Lanka, November 15, 1978 - 184 killed,78 survivors.
American Airlines flight 191 from O'Hare Airport Chicago, IL disaster May 25, 1979 DC-10 crashes due to mechanical failure minutes after take-off in a field adjacent to a trailer park in Des Plaines, IL - 271 flight casualties, 2 killed on ground in trailer park Deadliest US flight disaster to date with exception of September 11th, 2001 attacks
Mount Erebus disaster 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
NLM Cityhopper Flight 431 (October 6, 1981) 17 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
Challenger space shuttle explosion (January 28, 1986) 7 killed
Mexico Mexicana Boeing 727 air disaster (March 31, 1986) 167 killed
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
Mulhouse-Habsheim Airshow Airbus A320 air disaster (June 26, 1988) 3 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
Congolese Air Force Nord 262 air disaster (January 27, 1990) 23 killed
India Indian Airlines Airbus A320 air disaster (February 14, 1990) 92 killed
Zambian Air Force DHC-5 Buffalo air disaster (February 17, 1990) 28 killed
Mongolia MIAT Antonov 26 air disaster (March 1, 1990) 30 killed
Angolan Government CASA 212 air disaster (March 27, 1990) 25 killed
Panama AeroPerlas DHC-6 Twin Otter air disaster (April 18, 1990) 20 killed
Zaire Air Force Lockheed C-130 air disaster (April 20, 1990) 20 killed
Mexico Aviacsa Fairchild F-27 air disaster (May 10, 1990) 21 killed
Aerolift Philippines Beech 1900 air disaster (May 18, 1990) 21 killed
Brazil TABA Fairchild FH-227 air disaster (June 6, 1990) 22 killed
Azerbaijan Aeroflot-Armenia Yakovlev 40 air disaster (August 1, 1990) 47 killed
Afghan Republican Air Force Antonov 12 air disaster (August 10, 1990) 83 killed
China Xiamen Airlines Boeing 737-200 air disaster (October 2, 1990) 82 killed
China China Southern Boeing 757 air disaster (October 2, 1990) 46 killed
Switzerland Alitalia DC-9-30 air disaster (November 14, 1990) 46 killed
Thailand Bangkok Airways DHC-8 air disaster (November 21, 1990) 38 killed
Venezuelan Navy CASA 212 air disaster (January 10, 1991) 21 killed
U.S. USAir Boeing 737-300 air disaster (February 1, 1991) 34 killed (USAir: 22; SkyWest: 12)
Greek Air Force Lockheed C-130 air disaster (February 5, 1991) 63 killed
Ecuadorian Air Force DHC-6 Twin Otter air disaster (February 14, 1991) 22 killed
Chile LAN Chile BAe-146 air disaster (February 20, 1991) 20 killed
Angolan Air Force Antonov 26 air disaster (February 22, 1991) 47 killed
Dahran Scud attack (February 25, 1991) 28 killed
U.S. United Boeing 737-200 air disaster (March 3, 1991) 25 killed
Venezuela LAV DC-9-30 air disaster (March 5, 1991) 43 killed
Saudi Air Force Lockheed C-130 air disaster (March 21, 1991) 98 killed
Uzbekistan Aeroflot-Uzbekistan Antonov 24 air disaster (March 23, 1991) 34 killed
Indian Air Force HAL-748 air disaster (March 25, 1991) 28 killed
U.S. Atlantic Southeast Embraer 120 air disaster (April 5, 1991) 23 killed
Thailand Lauda Air Boeing 767 air disaster (May 26, 1991) 223 killed
Saudi Arabia Nationair DC-8 air disaster (July 11, 1991) 261 killed
India Indian Airlines Boeing 737-200 air disaster (August 16, 1991) 69 killed
Indonesian Air Force Lockheed C-130 air disaster (October 5, 1991) 134 killed
Russia Aeroflot-North Kavkaz Yakovlev 40 air disaster (November 7, 1991) 34 killed
Russia Aeroflot Antonov 12 air disaster (November 16, 1991) 20 killed
Russia Azerbaijan Airlines Yakovlev 40 air disaster (November 21, 1991) 20 killed
Russia Aeroflot-Privolzhsk Antonov 24 air disaster (November 26, 1991) 41 killed
Brazilian Air Force Embraer 110 air disaster (November 29, 1991) 20 killed
Germany Classic Wings Douglas DC-3 air disaster (December 22, 1991) 28 killed
France Air Inter Airbus A320 air disaster (January 20, 1992) 87 killed
Senegal Gambcrest Convair CV-640 air disaster (February 9, 1992) 31 killed
U.S. USAir Fokker F-28 air disaster (March 22, 1992) 27 killed
Iran Air Force Fokker F-27 air disaster (April 26, 1992) 39 killed
Panama COPA Panama Boeing 737-200 air disaster (June 6, 1992) 47 killed
Azerbaijan Russian Air Force Antonov 12 air disaster (July 14, 1992) 29 killed
Yemen Air Force Antonov 12 air disaster (July 17, 1992) 57 killed
Georgia Aeroflot-Georgia Tupolev 154 air disaster (July 20, 1992) 24 killed
Indonesia Mandala Airlines Vickers Viscount air disaster (July 24, 1992) 70 killed
Nepal Thai Airways Airbus A310 air disaster (July 31, 1992) 113 killed
China China General Yakovlev 42 air disaster (July 31, 1992) 108 killed
Russia Aeroflot-Central Region Tupolev 134 air disaster (August 27, 1992) 84 killed
Nigerian Air Force Lockheed C-130 air disaster (September 26, 1992) 158 killed
Nepal PIA Airbus A300 air disaster (September 28, 1992) 167 killed
Netherlands Bijlmer disaster (October 4, 1992) 43 killed (4 on board and 39 on the ground)
Indonesia Merpati Nusantara CASA CN.235 air disaster (October 18, 1992) 31 killed
Soviet Air Force Antonov 22 air disaster (November 11, 1992) 33 killed
Vietnam Vietnam Airlines Yakovlev 40 air disaster (November 14, 1992) 30 killed
Dominican Republic Aerocaribbean Ilyushin 18 air disaster (November 15, 1992) 34 killed
China China Southern Boeing 737-300 air disaster (November 24, 1992) 141 killed
Democratic Republic of the Congo Scibe Airlift Cargo Zaire Fokker F-27 air disaster (December 13, 1992) 37 killed
Portugal Martinair Holland DC-10 air disaster (December 21, 1992) 56 killed
Libya Libyan Arab Airlines Boeing 727 air disaster (December 22, 1992) 157 killed
Iran Iran Air Tours Tupolev 154 air disaster (February 8, 1993) 131 killed
Macedonia Palair Macedonian Fokker 100 air disaster (March 5, 1993) 83 killed
Mongolia MIAT Antonov 26 air disaster (April 23, 1993) 32 killed
India Indian Airlines Boeing 737-200 air disaster (April 26, 1993) 55 killed
Afghan Republican Air Force Antonov 32 air disaster (April 27, 1993) 76 killed
Gabon Zambian Air Force DHC-5 Buffalo air disaster (April 27, 1993) 30 killed, including 18 members of the Zambia national football team
Colombia SAM Colombia Boeing 727 air disaster (May 19, 1993) 133 killed
Georgia Tajikistan National Airlines Antonov 26 air disaster (June 17, 1993) 41 killed
Indonesia Merpati Nusantara Fokker F-28 air disaster (July 1, 1993) 41 killed
China China Northwest BAe-146 air disaster (July 23, 1993) 55 killed
South Korea Asiana Airlines Boeing 737-500 air disaster (July 26, 1993) 68 killed
Nepal Everest Air Dornier Do-228 air disaster (July 31, 1993) 19 killed
Russia Sakha Avia Let 410 air disaster (August 26, 1993) 24 killed
Tajikistan Tajikistan Airlines Yakovlev 40 air disaster (August 28, 1993) 82 killed
Georgia Transair Georgia Tupolev 134 air disaster (September 21, 1993) 27 killed
Georgia Transair Georgia Tupolev 154 air disaster (September 22, 1993) 108 killed
Macedonia Avioimpex Yakovlev 42 air disaster (November 20, 1993) 115 killed
Philippine Air Force Lockheed C-130 air disaster (December 15, 1993) 27 killed
Armenia Yugavia Antonov 26 air disaster (December 26, 1993) 35 killed
Russia Baikal Airlines Tupolev 154 air disaster (January 3, 1994) 125 killed (including one on the ground)
Peru Expresso Aéreo Yakovlev 40 air disaster (February 25, 1994) 31 killed
Armenia Iran Air Force Lockheed C-130 air disaster (March 17, 1994) 32 killed
Russia Aeroflot Airbus A310 air disaster (March 23, 1994) 75 killed
Japan China Airlines Airbus A300 air disaster (April 26, 1994) 264 killed
Flight ZD576 Helicopter air disaster (June 2, 1994) 29 killed
China China Northwest Airlines Tupolev 154 air disaster (June 6, 1994) 160 killed
Afghanistan Dostum-Golboddin militia Antonov 32 air disaster (June 29, 1994) 50 killed
Mauritania Air Mauritanie Fokker F-28 air disaster (July 1, 1994) 80 killed
U.S. USAir DC-9-30 air disaster (July 2, 1994) 37 killed
Panama Alas Chiricanas Embraer 110 air disaster (July 19, 1994) 21 killed
Russian Air Force Antonov 12 air disaster (August 4, 1994) 47 killed
Morocco RAM ATR-42 air disaster (August 21, 1994) 44 killed
U.S. USAir Boeing 737-300 air disaster (September 8, 1994) 132 killed
Algeria Oriental Airlines BAC One-Eleven air disaster (September 18, 1994) 34 killed
Russia Cheremshanka Airlines Yakovlev 40 air disaster (September 26, 1994) 28 killed
Iran Iran Asseman Fokker F-28 air disaster (October 12, 1994) 66 killed
Brazilian Air Force Lockheed C-130 air disaster (October 14, 1994) 21 killed
Russia Aeronika Antonov 12 air disaster (October 29, 1994) 23 killed
U.S. American Eagle ATR-72 air disaster (October 31, 1994) 68 killed
Papua-New Guinea MAF DHC-6 Twin Otter air disaster (December 17, 1994) 28 killed
Zairian Trans Service Airlift Electra air disaster (December 18, 1994) 141 killed
Turkey THY Boeing 737-400 air disaster (December 29, 1994) 57 killed
Colombia Intercontinental DC-9-10 air disaster (January 11, 1995) 52 killed
Romania Tarom Airbus A310 air disaster (March 31, 1995) 60 killed
Sri Lanka Air Force HS-748 air disaster (April 28, 1995) 45 killed
Sri Lanka Air Force HS-748 air disaster (April 29, 1995) 52 killed
Angolan Air Force CASA 212 air disaster (June 17, 1995) 48 killed
Madagascar Air Force Douglas DC-3 air disaster (July 18, 1995) 34 killed
El Salvador Aviateca Boeing 737-200 air disaster (August 10, 1995) 65 killed
Colombia SATENA CASA 212 air disaster (September 9, 1995) 21 killed
Sri Lanka Air Force Antonov 32 air disaster (September 12, 1995) 75 killed
Malaysia Malaysia Airlines Fokker 50 air disaster (September 15, 1995) 34 killed
Mongolia MIAT Antonov 24 air disaster (September 21, 1995) 42 killed
U.S. Air Force Boeing 707 air disaster (September 22, 1995) 24 killed
Argentina LADE Fokker F-27 air disaster (November 8, 1995) 53 killed
Sri Lanka Air Force Antonov 32 air disaster (November 22, 1995) 62 killed
Cameroon Cameroon Airlines Boeing 737-200 air disaster (December 3, 1995) 71 killed
Azerbaijan Azerbaijan Airlines Tupolev 134 air disaster (December 5, 1995) 52 killed
Russia Aeroflot Khabarovsk Tupolev 154 air disaster (December 7, 1995) 98 killed
Haiti Air St. Martin Beech 1900 air disaster (December 7, 1995) 20 killed
Italy Romavia Antonov 24 air disaster (December 13, 1995) 49 killed
Angola Trans Service Airlift Lockheed L-188 air disaster (December 18, 1995) 141 killed
Colombia American Airlines Boeing 757 air disaster (December 20, 1995) 160 killed
Kinshasa Antonov 32 air disaster (January 8, 1996) at least 350 killed (most on the ground)
Atlantic Ocean Alas Nacionales Boeing 757 air disaster (February 6, 1996) 189 killed
Sudan Air Force Lockheed C-130 air disaster (February 26, 1996) 91 killed
Peru Faucett Boeing 737-200 air disaster (February 29, 1996) 123 killed
Croatia U.S. Air Force Boeing 737-200 air disaster (April 3, 1996) 35 killed
Sudan Federal Airlines Antonov 24 air disaster (May 3, 1996) 53 killed
U.S. ValuJet Airlines DC-9-30 air disaster (May 11, 1996) 110 killed
Papua-New Guinea Milne Bay Air DHC-6 Twin Otter air disaster (July 9, 1996) 20 killed
Netherlands Belgian Air Force Lockheed C-130 air disaster (July 15, 1996) 34 killed
U.S. TWA Boeing 747 air disaster (July 17, 1996) 230 killed
Norway Vnukovo Airlines Tupolev 154 air disaster (August 29, 1996) 141 killed
Netherlands DDA Douglas DC-3 air disaster (September 25, 1996) 32 killed
Pacific AeroPeru Boeing 757 air disaster (October 2, 1996) 70 killed
Brazil TAM Fokker 100 air disaster (October 31, 1996) 95 killed
Nigeria ADC Airlines Boeing 727 air disaster (November 7, 1996) 143 killed
India Saudi Arabian Boeing 747 air disaster (November 12, 1996) 312 killed
India Kazakhstan Airlines Ilyushin 76 air disaster (November 12, 1996) 37 killed
Comoros Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 767 air disaster (November 23, 1996) 125 killed
Russian Air Force Ilyushin 76 air disaster (November 27, 1996) 23 killed
Indian Air Force HAL-748 air disaster (December 24, 1996) 22 killed
U.S. Comair-Delta Connection Embraer 120 air disaster (January 9, 1997) 29 killed
Senegal Air Senegal HS-748 air disaster (February 1, 1997) 23 killed
Angolan Air Force CASA 212 air disaster (February 2, 1997) 37 killed
Iran Air Force Lockheed C-130 air disaster (March 13, 1997) 86 killed
Russia Stavropolskaya Aktsionernaya Avia Antonov 24 air disaster (March 18, 1997) 50 killed
China China Southern Boeing 737-300 air disaster (May 8, 1997) 35 killed
Democratic Republic of the Congo Bazair Vickers Viscount air disaster (June 6, 1997) 23 killed
Cuba Cubana Antonov 24 air disaster (July 11, 1997) 44 killed
Indonesia Sempati Air Fokker F-27 air disaster (July 17, 1997) 29 killed
Guam Korean Air Boeing 747 air disaster (August 6, 1997) 228 killed
Cambodia Vietnam Airlines Tupolev 134 air disaster (September 3, 1997) 65 killed
Atlantic Ocean German Air Force Tupolev 154 air disaster (September 13, 1997) 24 killed
Indonesia Garuda Airbus A300 air disaster (September 26, 1997) 234 killed
Uruguay Austral Lineas Aéreas DC-9-30 air disaster (October 10, 1997) 74 killed
Russian Air Force Antonov 124 air disaster (December 5, 1997) 23 killed
United Arab Emirates Tajikistan Airlines Tupolev 154 air disaster (December 15, 1997) 85 killed
Greece Aerosweet Yakovlev 42 air disaster (December 17, 1997) 70 killed
Indonesia Silkair Boeing 737-300 air disaster (December 19, 1997) 104 killed
Ariana Afghan Airlines Antonov 12 air disaster (January 13, 1998) 51 killed
Philippines Cebu Pacific Air DC-9-30 air disaster (February 2, 1998) 104 killed
Sudanese Air Force Antonov 26 air disaster (February 12, 1998) 26 killed
Taiwan China Airlines Airbus A300 air disaster (February 16, 1998) 196 killed
Afghanistan Ariana Afghan Airlines Boeing 727 air disaster (March 19, 1998) 45 killed
Peruvian Air Force Antonov 32 air disaster (March 28, 1998) 21 killed
Colombia TAME Ecuador Boeing 727 air disaster (April 20, 1998) 53 killed
Peru Occidental Petroleum Boeing 737-200 air disaster (May 5, 1998) 74 killed
Mauretanian Air Force Yunshuji Y-7 air disaster (May 12, 1998) 39 killed
Lao Aviation Yakovlev 40 air disaster (May 25, 1998) 26 killed
Mongolia MIAT Y-12 air disaster (May 26, 1998) 28 killed
Myanma Airways Fokker F-27 air disaster (August 24, 1998) 36 killed
Ecuador Cubana Tupolev 154 air disaster (August 29, 1998) 70 killed
Swissair Flight 111 (September 2, 1998) 229 killed
Angola Prestavia Antonov 26 air disaster (September 2, 1998) 24 killed
Morocco Paukn Air BAe-146 air disaster (September 25, 1998) 38 killed
Sri Lanka LionAir Antonov 24 air disaster (September 29, 1998) 55 killed
Lignes Aériennes Congolaises Boeing 727 air disaster (October 10, 1998) 41 killed
Thai Airways Airbus A310 air disaster (December 11, 1998) 101 killed
Nicaraguan Air Force Antonov 26 air disaster (January 21, 1999) 28 killed
China Southwest Tupolev 154 air disaster (February 24, 1999) 61 killed
Sudanese Air Force Antonov 32 air disaster (June 3, 1999) 50 killed
Argentina LAPA Boeing 737-200 air disaster (August 31, 1999) 63 killed
EgyptAir disaster (October 31, 1999) 217 killed
Yugoslavia United Nations ATR-42 air disaster (November 12, 1999) 24 killed
Portugal SATA Air Açores BAe ATP air disaster (December 11, 1999) 35 killed
Venezuela Cubana Yakovlev 42 air disaster (December 25, 1999) 22 killed

2000s

Libya Sirte Oil Company Shorts 360 air disaster (January 13, 2000) 22 killed
Côte d'Ivoire Kenya Airways Airbus A310 air disaster (January 30, 2000) 169 killed
Alaska Airlines Flight 261 MD-80 air disaster (January 31, 2000) 88 killed
Sri Lankan Air Force Antonov 26 air disaster (March 30, 2000) 40 killed
Air Philippines Boeing 737-200 air disaster (April 19, 2000) 131 killed
Rwanda AF Antonov 8 air disaster (April 19, 2000) 24 killed
China Wuhan Airlines Yunshuji Y-7 air disaster (June 22, 2000) 42 killed
India Alliance Air Boeing 737-200 air disaster (July 17, 2000) 55 killed
Concorde disaster (July 25, 2000) 113 killed (109 passengers and crew, plus 4 on the ground)
Royal Nepal Airlines DHC-6 Twin Otter air disaster (July 27, 2000) 25 killed
Democratic Republic of the Congo STAER Airlines Antonov 26 air disaster (August 12, 2000) 27 killed
Bahrain Gulf Air Airbus A320 air disaster (August 23, 2000) 143 killed
Georgia Russian Air Force Ilyushin 18 air disaster (October 25, 2000) 83 killed
Singapore Airlines Boeing 747 air disaster (October 31, 2000) 83 killed
Angola ACA-Ancargo Air Antonov 26 air disaster (October 31, 2000) 48 killed
Angola ASA Pesada Antonov 24 air disaster (November 15, 2000) 57 killed
Venezuela Rutaca Douglas DC-3 air disaster (January 25, 2001) 24 killed
Florida Air National Guard Shorts 330 air disaster (March 3, 2001) 21 killed
Turkish Air Force CASA CN235 air disaster (May 16, 2001) 34 killed
Iran Faraz Qeshm Yakovlev 40 air disaster (May 17, 2001) 29 killed
Russia Vladivostokavia Tupolev 154 air disaster (July 4, 2001) 145 killed
September 11, 2001 attacks 2986 killed (Flights 11 and 175: 92 and 65 killed, plus 2595 in the towers; Flight 77: 64 killed, plus 125 in the Pentagon; Flight 93: 44 killed)

Sibir Airlines Tupolev 154 air disaster (October 4, 2001) 78 killed
Linate Airport disaster (October 8, 2001) 118 killed
Italy SAS 110 MD-80 air disaster (October 8, 2001) 110 killed
American Airlines Flight 587 Airbus A300 air disaster (November 12, 2001) 260 killed
Russia IRS Aero Ilyushin 18 air disaster (November 19, 2001) 27 killed
Switzerland Crossair BAe-146 air disaster (November 24, 2001) 24 killed
Colombia Petroproduccion Fairchild FH-227 air disaster (January 17, 2002) 26 killed
Colombia TAME Ecuador Boeing 727 air disaster (January 28, 2002) 94 killed
Iran Air Tours Tupolev 154 air disaster (February 12, 2002) 119 killed
South Korea Air China Boeing 767 air disaster (April 15, 2002) 129 killed
Nigeria EAS Airlines BAC 111 air disaster (May 4, 2002) 71 killed
China Northern MD-80 air disaster (May 7, 2002) 112 killed
China Airlines Boeing 747 air disaster (May 25, 2002) 225 killed
Bashkirskie Avialinii Tupolev 154 air disaster (July 1, 2002) 69 killed
Central African Republic New Gomair Boeing 707 air disaster (July 4, 2002) 28 killed
Ukraine airshow disaster (July 27, 2002) 84 killed (all spectators)
Brazil Rico Linhas Aéreas Embraer 120 air disaster (August 30, 2002) 23 killed
Luxembourg Luxair Fokker 50 air disaster (November 6, 2002) 20 killed
Iran Aeromist Kharkiv Antonov 140 air disaster (December 23, 2002) 44 killed
Turkey THY BAe-146 air disaster (January 8, 2003) 75 killed
Peru TANS Fokker F-28 air disaster (January 9, 2003) 46 killed
Space Shuttle Columbia disaster (February 1, 2003) 7 killed
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Ilyushin 76 air disaster (February 19, 2003) 275 killed
Air Algérie Boeing 737-200 air disaster (March 6, 2003) 102 killed
Turkey UM Air Yakovlev 42 air disaster (May 26, 2003) 75 killed
Sudan Airways Boeing 737-200 air disaster (July 8, 2003) 116 killed
Haiti Tropical Airways Let 410 air disaster (August 24, 2003) 21 killed
Congolese Air Force Antonov 26 air disaster (November 29, 2003) 20 killed
Benin UTA Boeing 727 air disaster (December 25, 2003) 141 killed
Egypt Flash Airlines Boeing 737-300 air disaster (January 3, 2004) 148 killed
Uzbekistan Airways Yakovlev 40 air disaster (January 13, 2004) 37 killed
U.A.E. Kish Air Fokker 50 air disaster (February 10, 2004) 43 killed
Brazil Rico Linhas Aéreas Embraer 120 air disaster (May 14, 2004) 33 killed
Venezuelan Air Force Shorts 360 air disaster (August 21, 2004) 30 killed
Volga-Aviaexpress Tupolev 134 air disaster (August 24, 2004) 44 killed
Sibir Airlines Tupolev 154 air disaster (flight 1047) (August 24, 2004) 46 killed
China Yunnan Canadair Regional Jet air disaster (November 21, 2004) 53 killed
Indonesia Lion Airlines MD-80 air disaster (November 30, 2004) 26 killed
Afghanistan Kam Air Boeing 737-200 air disaster (February 3, 2005) 104 killed
Russia Regional Airlines Antonov 24 air disaster (March 16, 2005) 28 killed
Democratic Republic of the Congo Victoria Air Antonov 12 air disaster (May 25, 2005) 27 killed
Equatorial Guinea Equatair Antonov 24 air disaster (July 16, 2005) 60 killed
Greece Helios Airways Boeing 737-300 air disaster (August 14, 2005) 121 killed
Venezuela West Caribbean Airways MD-80 air disaster (August 16, 2005) 160 killed
Peru TANS Boeing 737-200 air disaster (August 23, 2005) 40 killed
Indonesia Mandala Airlines Boeing 737-200 air disaster (September 5, 2005) 140 killed (including 39 on the ground)
Bellview Airlines Flight 210 (October 22, 2005) 117 killed
Iranian Air Force C-130 crash in Tehran (December 6, 2005) ~120 killed (including ~26 on the ground)
Nigeria Sosoliso Airlines DC-9-30 air disaster (December 10, 2005) 108 killed
Miami Chalk's Ocean Airways Grumman G-73T air disaster (December 19, 2005) 20 killed
Azerbaijan Airlines Antonov 140 air disaster (December 23, 2005) 23 killed
Hungary Slovak Air Force Antonov 24 air disaster (January 19, 2006) 42 killed
Sudan Air Force Antonov 26 air disaster (February 11, 2006) 20 killed
Russia Armavia Airbus A.320 air disaster (May 3, 2006) 113 killed
Chinese Air Force Antonov 12 air disaster (June 3, 2006) 40 killed
Russia S7 Airlines Airbus A310 air disaster (July 9, 2006) 124 killed
Pakistan International Airlines Fokker F-27 air disaster (July 10, 2006) 45 killed

Rail disasters

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
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
Sunshine station disaster (April 20 1908) — 44 killed, about 400 injured
Wellington avalanche, USA (March 1 1910) — 96 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
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 (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
Big Bayou Canot train disaster, USA (September 22, 1993) - 47 killed
Firozabad, India (August 20 1995) — 358 killed
Baku, Azerbaijan (October 28 1955) — 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
Hatfield rail crash, United Kingdom (October 17 2000) — 4 killed, 7 injured
Kaprun disaster, Austria (November 11, 2000) — 155 killed
Potters Bar rail crash, United Kingdom (May 10 2002) — 7 killed, 11 injured
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

Ship and ferry disasters

See also: List of shipwrecks

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
Central America sinking (September 11, 1857) — about 425 deaths
Lady Elgin sinking (September 7, 1860) — about 400 deaths
Sultana explosion (April 27, 1865) — about 1,700 deaths
Atlantic sinking (April 1, 1873) — 546 deaths
Deutschland grounding (December 6, 1875) — 157 deaths
USS Maine (ACR-1) 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
Titanic sinking (April 15, 1912) — 1,496–1,523 deaths
RMS Empress of Ireland sinking (May 30, 1914) — 1,012 deaths
HMS Bulwark internal explosion (November 26, 1914) — 738 deaths
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) — 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
RMS Leinster, torpedoed October 10 1918 in the Irish Sea — 501 lives
Princess Sophia (steamer), 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
Morro Castle fire (September 8, 1934) — 137 deaths
HMT Lancastria sinking (June 17, 1940) — 2,000–5,000 deaths
SS Caribou sunk by German U-boat (October, 1942) — 135 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
Koshu Maru sinking (August 3, 1944) — about 1,540 deaths
Junyo Maru sinking (September 18, 1944) — about 5,620 deaths
Rigel sunk by British bombers, Norway, November 27, 1944 — 2,465–2,571 deaths
Wilhelm Gustloff sinking (January 30, 1945) — about 9,000–10,000 deaths (believed to be worst ship disaster ever)
Steuben sinking (February 9, 1945) — about 4,000–4,500 deaths
Goya sinking (April 16, 1945) — more than 7,000 deaths
Cap Arcona sinking (May 3, 1945) — about 7,000 to 8,000 deaths together with Thielbek and Athen
Thielbek sinking (May 3, 1945); about 2,750 deaths
Noronic fire (September 17, 1949) — 118 to 139 deaths
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
Lakonia fire (December 22, 1963) — 128 deaths
Heraklion sinking (December 7, 1966) — 230+ deaths
Yarmouth Castle fire (November 13, 1965) — 90 deaths
M/S Christena sinking (August 1,1970) — between St. Kitts and Nevis — 227 deaths
Edmund Fitzgerald sinking (November 10, 1975) — 29 deaths
Betelgeuse fire and 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
Doña Paz sinking (December 21, 1987) — officially, 1,565 deaths
M/S Scandinavian Star fire (April 7, 1990) — 159 deaths
M/S Estonia sinking (September 28,1994) — 852 deaths
Kursk sinking (August 12,2000) — 118 deaths
MV Joola sinking (September 26, 2002) — about 1,800 deaths
Al Salam Boccaccio 98 (February 2, 2006) — 1,018 deaths
al-Dana tour-boat capsize, Bahrain (March 30, 2006) 58 deaths
Djibouti ferry accident (April 6, 2006) — 113 deaths

Road disasters

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)
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 colapsed 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)

Nuclear disasters

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)
See also List of nuclear accidents

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 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

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)
Johnstown flood, Johnstown, Pennsylvania (May 31, 1889)
St. Francis Dam disaster, Los Angeles, California (March 12, 1928)
North Sea Flood of 1953, United Kingdom and The Netherlands (January 31-February 1, 1953)
Vajont Dam disaster, Longarone, Italy (October 9, 1963)
Banqiao Dam disaster, Henan Province, China (August 8 1975)

Environmental disasters

Main article: 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
Exxon Valdez oil spill, Prince William Sound (March 24, 1989)
Prestige oil spill, off the Spanish coast, (November 13, 2002)

Mining disasters

Hartley Colliery Disaster, Northumberland, England, 204 killed Jan 16 1862
The Oaks explosion, Barnsley, Yorkshire, Dec 12 1866
Yellow Jacket, Kentuck and Crown Point Mine Fire, Gold Hill, Nevada, Sep 20 1873
Clifton Hall Colliery, (June 18, 1885) 139 killed
1887 Nanaimo Mine Explosion, Nanaimo, BC, Canada (May 3, 1887) 150 killed
Brunner, New Zealand, 67 killed (March, 1896)
Scofield, Utah, United States, 200 killed (May 1, 1900)
Johnstown, Pennsylvania, United States 1902 112 killed[link]
Fraterville Mine disaster, Tennessee, United States, 184 killed (May, 1902)
1902 January 31, El Hondo Coal Mine, 135 killed, Coahuila, Mexico
Hanna, Wyoming, United States, Union Pacific Coal Company, Mine No. 1, 234 killed (June 30, 1903)
Cheswick, Pennsylvania, United States 1904 179 killed[link]
Courrières mine disaster, Courrière, France, 1099 killed (March, 1906)
Jacobs Creek, Pennsylvania, United States 1907 239 killed[link]
Monongah Mine disaster, Monongah, West Virginia, United States, 362 killed (December, 1907) (Worst mine disaster in the U.S.)
Mina Rosita Vieja disaster, San Juan de Sabinas, Coahuila, Mexico, 200 killed in the #2 Shaft, (February 27, 1908), Mexico's worst coal mine disaster.
1908 September 30, Palaú Coal Mine, 100 killed, Coahuila, Mexico
Burns Pit disaster, Stanley, County Durham, England, 160+ killed (February 16, 1909)
Cherry Mine Disaster Cherry, Illinois, United States, 259 killed (November 13, 1909)
Dawson, New Mexico, United States, 263 killed (October, 1913)
Senghenydd Colliery Disaster, Cardiff, Wales, 439 killed (October 14, 1913)
Hillcrest mine disaster, Hillcrest, Alberta, Canada, 189 killed (June 19, 1914). Canada's worst mine disaster
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, United States 1907 92 killed[link]
Millfield Mine disaster, Millfield, Ohio, 82 killed (November 5, 1930)
Gresford, Wrexham, 266 killed (September 1934)
Red Jacket Coal Company, Keen Mountain, Virginia, 54 killed (April 22, 1938)
Bartley, McDowell County, West Virginia, USA, Pocahontas Coal Company Pond Creek No. 1 mine explosion, 91 killed (January 10, 1940)
Centralia, Illinois, 111 killed (March 25, 1947)
West Frankfort, Illinois, 119 killed (December 21, 1951)
Marcinelle, Belgium, 262 killed (August 8, 1956)
Springhill mining disaster, Springhill, Nova Scotia, Canada, 74 killed (October 23, 1958)
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), 4 men survived, 78 died.
Mina de Barroterán Coal Mine disaster, Coahuila, Mexico, (March 31, 1969), 176 died. Mexico's second worst coal mine disaster.
Buffalo Creek flood, Logan County, West Virginia, United States, 125 killed (February 26, 1972)
Sunshine Mine disaster, Kellogg, Idaho, United States, 91 killed (May, 1972)
Westray Mine disaster, Plymouth, Nova Scotia, Canada (May 9, 1992)
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.
2006 January 2, Sago Coal Mine in Tallmansville, West Virginia, USA, 13 trapped miners for nearly two days, an explosion causes the death of 12 miners, only one survivor Randall McCloy.
2006 February 19, Pasta de Conchos Coal Mine, San Juan de Sabinas, Coahuila, México, 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 there are no signs of success.
2006 April 25, The Beaconsfield Mine Disaster. A mine at Beaconsfield, Tasmania collapses, killing 1 and trapping two miners for two weeks.
2006 May 20, Darby Mine No. 1 disaster, Harlan County, Kentucky, in which five miners died. Preliminary cause determined to be methane build-up in a inactive section sealed by Omega Blocks, also questioned in the Sago Mine disaster

Industrial disasters

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
Halifax explosion, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada (December 6, 1917) 1,635 killed
Oppau explosion, Oppau, Germany (September 21, 1921), about 565 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.
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
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
Piper Alpha explosion, North Sea, Scotland, (July 6 1988) 167 killed (including 2 rescuers)
Phillips Petroleum Co. isobutane UVCE in Pasadena, Texas, USA (October 23, 1989) 23 killed
Sewer explosions in Reforma Zone, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico (April 22, 1992) 296 killed
Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL) LPG UVCE in Visakhapatnam, India (September 14, 1997) 58 killed [link]
1998 Esso Longford gas explosion, Longford, Australia, (September 25 1998) 2 killed. Victoria and parts of New South Wales were left without gas for two weeks.
Lagos armoury explosion, Lagos, Nigeria, (January 27 2002), 1,100 killed
2005 Hertfordshire Oil Storage Terminal fire, Buncefield, Hertfordshire, England, 11 December 2005 No deaths, but massive amount of damage, and many businesses affected.

Fire disasters

Main article: 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)
Great Fire of 1901, Jacksonville (May 3, 1901) 7 killed
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
Bradford City Disaster, Bradford, 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
Kaprun disaster, Kaprun, Austria (November 11, 2000) 155 killed
Canberra bushfires of 2003, Canberra, Australia, (January 18, 2003) 4 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) 87 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
Al-Aaimmah bridge stampede, Baghdad, Iraq (August 31 2005) about 1,000 killed

Causes of hypothetical future disasters

''Main article: Hypothetical disaster