List of disasters in the United States by death toll
This list of United States disasters by death toll includes disasters that occurred either in the United States, at diplomatic missions of the United States, or incidents outside of the United States in which a number of U.S. citizens were killed. It does not include death tolls from the American Civil War. Due to inflation, the monetary damage estimates are not comparable. Unless otherwise noted, the year given is the year in which the currency's valuation was calculated. This list is not comprehensive in general and epidemics are not included.
Over 400 deaths
Year | Type | Fatalities | Damage (US$) | Article | Location | Comments |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1900 | Tropical cyclone | 6,000-12,000 | $28,000,000 (approximate) | 1900 Galveston hurricane | Texas | Fatalities estimated. Remains the deadliest natural disaster in United States history. |
1899 | Tropical cyclone | 3,389 | $20,000,000 (1899) |
1899 San Ciriaco hurricane | Puerto Rico, East Coast of the United States | |
1906 | Earthquake and fire (urban conflagration) | 3,000+ | 1906 San Francisco earthquake | San Francisco, California | Conflagration followed quake; fatalities estimated; also major casualties in Santa Rosa and San Jose. Deadliest earthquake in U.S. history. | |
2001 | Terrorism | 2,996 | $10,000,000,000 (2001) |
September 11 attacks | New York City, Arlington County, Virginia, and Stonycreek Township near Shanksville, Pennsylvania | 2,977 victims and 19 hijackers. Deadliest in New York City and the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. |
2017 | Tropical cyclone | 2,982 (estimated) | $90,000,000,000 (2017)[1] |
Hurricane Maria | Puerto Rico, United States Virgin Islands, East Coast of the United States | Total includes at least 2,975 deaths based on a study by GWU on the estimated excess mortality.[2] The official death count was previously 64.[3] The storm caused $90 billion (2017 USD) in damage in Puerto Rico, and three deaths in the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as an additional 75 deaths and $1.6 billion in damage across the rest of the Caribbean. |
1928 | Tropical cyclone | 2,823 | $800,000,000 (2005) |
1928 Okeechobee hurricane | Florida, Puerto Rico | 4,000+ believed dead total. Includes 2,511+ in the contiguous United States, 312 in Puerto Rico. |
1941 | Military strike – bombing | 2,467 | Attack on Pearl Harbor | Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii and nearby military installations | 2,403 U.S. victims and 64 Japanese attackers. Deadliest attack on U.S. soil by a foreign government to date. | |
1889 | Accident – dam burst | 2,209 | Johnstown Flood | Pennsylvania | Much rain, deforestation; dam failed | |
1893 | Tropical cyclone | 2,000 | 1893 Cheniere Caminada hurricane | Louisiana | Fatalities estimated | |
1865 | Accident – shipwreck | 1,700 | Sultana | Marion, Arkansas / Helena, Arkansas | Steamboat sank due to boiler explosion; fatalities estimated. Deadliest maritime disaster in U.S. history | |
1980 | Heat wave | 1,700 | $20,000,000,000 (1980 USD) |
1980 United States heat wave | Central and southern states | Official death toll, may have been higher |
1871 | Wildfire | 1,500–2,500 | Peshtigo Fire | Peshtigo, Wisconsin, Upper Peninsula of Michigan | Fatalities estimated; most deaths in single fire in U.S. history | |
2005 | Tropical cyclone | 1,245–1,836 | $125,000,000,000
(2005) |
Hurricane Katrina | Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, and Ohio | Tied with Hurricane Harvey as the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history. |
1943 | Military strike – bombing | 1,173 | HMT Rohna[4] | Mediterranean Sea | Luftwaffe glide bomb hit troopship causing the largest loss of U.S. soldiers (1,050) at sea due to enemy action in a single incident. | |
1904 | Accident – shipwreck | 1,021 | PS General Slocum | East River near New York City | Steamship sank due to fire on board. Deadliest maritime disaster in New York City, and deadliest in city's history until 2001. | |
1893 | Tropical cyclone | 1,000–2,000 | 1893 Sea Islands hurricane | Georgia, South Carolina | Fatalities estimated | |
1918 | Wildfire (rural) | 1,000 | $7,300,000 | 1918 Cloquet fire | Minnesota | |
1978 | Mass murder – suicide | 918 | Jonestown | Jonestown, Guyana | Jim Jones, cult leader of the Peoples Temple Agricultural Project, convinced most of the group to drink grape Flavor Aid poisoned with cyanide or to inject themselves and their children with cyanide, totaling 909 deaths of U.S. nationals. A family of four other Temple members committed murder/suicide by knife in Georgetown. Five others were shot and killed while trying to escape from Jonestown, including U.S. Congressman Leo Ryan. | |
1945 | Military strike – submarine | 879 | USS Indianapolis[5] | Philippine Sea | Largest loss of life in the history of the U.S. Navy at sea | |
1915 | Accident – shipwreck | 844 | SS Eastland | Chicago, Illinois | Passenger ship capsized in Chicago harbor while loading charter for company picnic, causing great loss of life despite shallow water and proximity to land. Deadliest disaster in the history of Great Lakes shipping, and deadliest disaster in Chicago history. | |
1944 | Military strike – submarine | 819 | SS Leopoldville[6] | English Channel | Approximately 763 United States Army soldiers drowned. | |
1944 | Military strike – E-boats | 749 | Exercise Tiger | English Channel | USS LST-289, LST-507 and LST-531 sunk during a training exercise.[7] | |
1919 | Tropical cyclone | 745 | 1919 Florida Keys hurricane | Florida, Texas | ||
1995 | Heat wave | 739 | Chicago Heat Wave of 1995 | Chicago, Illinois | ||
1925 | Tornado | 695–747 | $1,650,000,000 (2005) |
Tri-State Tornado | Missouri, Illinois and Indiana (Kentucky, Tennessee) | Lower number for single 3-state tornado; higher for 5-state outbreak |
1942 | Military strike – submarine | 683 | USS Juneau[8] | Guadalcanal | Sunk by submarine while retreating with damage from naval battle of Guadalcanal. | |
1938 | Tropical cyclone | 682–800 | 1938 New England hurricane | |||
1943 | Military strike – submarine | 675 | SS Dorchester[9] | Greenland | United States troopship. | |
1943 | Military strike – submarine | 644 | USS Liscombe Bay[10] | Gilbert Islands | Submarine torpedo detonated the aircraft carrier's bomb magazine during Operation Galvanic. | |
1903 | Fire (building) | 602 | Iroquois Theatre fire | Chicago, Illinois | Worst theater fire in American history; worst single-building fire. | |
1928 | Accident – dam failure | 600 | St. Francis Dam | Santa Clarita, California | ||
1947 | Accident – explosion | 581 | Texas City disaster | Texas City, Texas | Ammonium nitrate onboard ship | |
1871 | Wildfire (rural) | 500 (estimated) | Great Michigan Fire | Michigan | ||
1942 | Fire (building) | 492 | Cocoanut Grove fire | Boston, Massachusetts | Deadliest nightclub fire ever, and second-deadliest structure fire in U.S. history; loss of life due to blocked exits; burn victims were among the first treated with penicillin | |
1927 | Exploitation, silicosis | 476-1,000+ | Hawks Nest Tunnel disaster | Gauley Bridge, West Virginia | 178 admitted deaths, 476 with congressional inquiry, 1,000+ by epidemiologists. | |
1936 | Tornado outbreak | 436+ | 1936 Tupelo–Gainesville tornado outbreak | Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee | Two tornadoes in Tupelo, Mississippi, and Gainesville, Georgia, killed 233 and 203 people respectively | |
1913 | Flood | 428 | 1913 (Ohio) statewide flood | Ohio | ||
1894 | Wildfire (rural) | 418+ | Great Hinckley Fire | Hinckley, Minnesota and vicinity | ||
1957 | Tropical cyclone | 416 | $147,000,000 (1957) |
Hurricane Audrey | Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Alabama | |
1935 | Tropical cyclone | 408 | 1935 Labor Day hurricane | Florida |
201 to 400 deaths
Year | Type | Fatalities | Damage (US$) | Article | Location | Comments |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1857 | Shipwreck | 400 | SS Central America, 1857 | Off the coast of Georgia | Fatalities estimated | |
1860 | Accident – shipwreck | 400 | PS Lady Elgin | Chicago, Illinois | ||
1888 | Blizzard | 400 | Great Blizzard of 1888 | Northeastern United States | Fatalities estimated | |
1937 | Flood | 385 | $5,000,000,000 | Ohio River flood of 1937 | Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois | |
1944 | Accident – explosion | 372 | USS Mount Hood[11] | New Guinea | Ammunition ship explosion. | |
1907 | Accident – coal mine | 362 | Monongah mining disaster | Monongah, West Virginia | ||
1913 | Flood | 361 | Great Dayton Flood | Dayton, Ohio | Flood was created by a series of three winter storms that hit the region in March, 1913 | |
1950 | Blizzard | 353 | $66,700,000 (1950) |
Great Appalachian Storm of November 1950 | Eastern United States | |
2011 | Tornado outbreak | 348 | ~$11,000,000,000 (2011) |
2011 Super Outbreak | Midwestern United States, Southern United States, Eastern United States | 360 tornadoes, with one of the deadliest in Tuscaloosa and Birmingham, Alabama. 324 tornadic deaths, with another 24 from related weather. |
1932 | Tornado outbreak | 330 | $4,340,000 | 1932 Deep South tornado outbreak | Southern United States | At least 36 tornadoes, including 10 violent (F4 or F5) storms, resulting in 268 deaths in Alabama alone. |
1930 | Fire (building) | 322 | Ohio Penitentiary | Columbus, Ohio | ||
1944 | Accident – explosion | 320 | Port Chicago disaster | Port Chicago, California | World War II ammunition ignited | |
1974 | Tornado outbreak | 319 | $3,500,000,000 (2005) |
1974 Super Outbreak | Ontario, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia and New York | 148 tornadoes |
1993 | Cyclonic blizzard | 318 | $6,650,000,000 (2008) |
1993 Storm of the Century | Eastern United States | |
1865 | Accident – explosion | 300 | Mobile magazine explosion | Mobile, Alabama | Civil War ammunition | |
1921 | Race massacre | 300 | Tulsa race massacre | Tulsa, Oklahoma | White mob attacks affluent black neighborhood | |
1890 | Mass murder, Mass shooting | 150-300 | Wounded Knee Massacre | Wounded Knee Creek, South Dakota | White U.S. Cavalry troops went to a Native American reserve and shot and killed between 150-300 Native Americans. | |
1937 | Accident – explosion | 296–319 | $13,000,000 (2003) |
New London School explosion | New London, Texas | Gas leak |
1960 | Blizzard | 286 | December 1960 nor'easter | Northeastern United States | ||
1881 | Wildfire (rural) | 282 | $2,347,000 | Thumb Fire | Michigan | |
1876 | Fire (building) | 278 | Brooklyn Theatre fire | Brooklyn, New York | ||
1898 | Explosion | 274 | USS Maine | Havana, Cuba | A major event that precipitated the Spanish–American War. Exact cause remains unknown. | |
1979 | Accident – aircraft | 273 | American Airlines Flight 191 | Chicago, Illinois | Deadliest aircraft accident in U.S. history | |
1943 | Military strike – submarine | 272 | Henry R. Mallory[12] | North Atlantic | United States troopship. | |
1965 | Tornado outbreak | 271 | Palm Sunday tornado outbreak | Iowa, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana | 78 tornadoes | |
1999 | Heat wave | 271 | 1999 heat wave | Midwest and Northeast | ||
1988 | Terrorism | 270 | Pan Am Flight 103 | Lockerbie, Scotland | Inflight bombing of a flight from London to New York killed all aboard, including 179 U.S. citizens, and 16 on the ground. | |
2001 | Accident – aircraft | 265 | American Airlines Flight 587 | Queens, New York | Second-deadliest U.S. aviation accident, and deadliest in New York City. | |
1913 | Accident – coal mine | 263 | Dawson, New Mexico | |||
1909 | Accident – coal mine | 259 | Cherry Mine disaster | Cherry, Illinois | ||
1937 | Accident – coal mine | 257 | Grundy, Virginia | |||
1969 | Tropical cyclone | 256 | Hurricane Camille | Mississippi, | ||
1985 | Accident – aircraft | 256 | Arrow Air Flight 1285 | Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada | Most of the passengers were members of the 101st Airborne Division. | |
1896 | Tornado | 255–400 | $2,900,000,000 (1997) |
St. Louis-East St. Louis Tornado | Missouri | |
1913 | Blizzard | 250 | $5,000,000 (1913) |
Great Lakes Storm of 1913 | Great Lakes region | Fatalities estimated |
1953 | Tornado outbreak sequence | 247 | Flint–Worcester tornado outbreak sequence | Michigan
Ohio, Nebraska and Massachusetts |
116 deaths in Flint, Michigan, 94 in Worcester, Massachusetts. | |
1927 | Flood | 246 | $400,000,000 | Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 | Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee | |
1983 | Terrorism | 241 | 1983 Beirut barracks bombings | Beirut, Lebanon | 58 French peacekeepers, six civilians and two suicide bombers also died in the attack | |
1912 | Accident – shipwreck | 238 | RMS Titanic[13] | north Atlantic Ocean, south of Newfoundland | Only includes U.S. victims | |
1972 | Flood | 238 | $160,000,000 (1972) $664,000,000 (2002) |
1972 Black Hills flood | Rapid City, South Dakota | Average rainfall over area of 60 mi² measured at 10-15 inches (380 mm), over 6 hours in middle of night June 9–10, 1972. |
1996 | Accident – aircraft | 230 | TWA Flight 800 | Long Island, New York | ||
1997 | Accident – aircraft | 228 | Korean Air Flight 801 | Nimitz Hill, Guam | ||
1998 | Terrorism | 223 | 1998 United States embassy bombings | Tanzania, Kenya | 4,000+ injured | |
1999 | Accident – aircraft | 217 | EgyptAir Flight 990 | Atlantic Ocean near Nantucket, Massachusetts | ||
1940 | Fire (building) | 209 | Rhythm Club fire | Natchez, Mississippi | ||
1896 | Hurricane | 202 | $9,600,000 in 1896 ($289,000,000 in 2018) |
1896 Cedar Keys hurricane | Landfall at Cedar Key, Florida; | Heavy damage along much of Eastern Seaboard of U.S. |
1966 | Blizzard | 201 | North American blizzard of 1966 | Eastern United States | ||
81 to 200 deaths
Year | Type | Fatalities | Damage (US$) | Article | Location | Comments |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1871 | Fire (urban conflagration) | 200–300 | Great Chicago Fire | Chicago, Illinois | Fatalities estimated; 125 bodies recovered | |
1900 | Accident – coal mine | 200 | Scofield Mine disaster | Scofield, Utah | ||
1898 | Accident – shipwreck | 192 | The Portland | Gloucester, Massachusetts | ||
1863 | Mass murder, military operation | 185–200 | Lawrence Massacre | Lawrence, Kansas | ||
1947 | Tornado | 181 | 1947 Glazier–Higgins–Woodward tornadoes | Oklahoma (especially Woodward), Texas (including Glazier and Higgins), Kansas | ||
1908 | Fire (building) | 174 | Collinwood school fire | Cleveland, Ohio | Deadliest school fire in U.S. history; led to many changes in how schools were built. | |
1908 | Fire (building) | 171 | Rhoads Opera House fire | Boyertown, Pennsylvania | Sources conflict on number of fatalities: 170 or 171. | |
1917 | Fire (mine) | 168 | Speculator Mine disaster | Butte, Montana | ||
1944 | Fire (building) | 168 | Hartford circus fire | Hartford, Connecticut | ||
1966 | Smog incident | 168 | 1966 New York City smog | New York City and New York metropolitan area, including parts of New Jersey and Connecticut | Fatalities estimated | |
1995 | Terrorism | 168 | Oklahoma City bombing | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | Deadliest act of domestic terrorism, and deadliest domestic bombing, in U.S. history | |
1946 | Tsunami and Earthquake | 165 | 1946 Aleutian Islands earthquake | Alaska, Hawaii | ||
1977 | Fire (building) | 165 | Beverly Hills Supper Club fire | Southgate, Kentucky | ||
1944 | Maritime Accident | 163 | West Loch disaster | Pearl Harbor, Hawaii | Classified as top secret until 1960. | |
1956 | Blizzard | 162 | March 18–20, 1956 nor'easter | Northeastern United States | ||
2011 | Tornado | 158 | $2,800,000,000 (2011) |
2011 Joplin tornado | Joplin, Missouri | Part of the tornado outbreak sequence of May 21–26, 2011. Three additional fatalities resulted indirectly from this tornado. |
2012 | Tropical cyclone | 158 | $71,400,000,000 | Hurricane Sandy | Most of the United States East Coast | 86 indirect fatalities occurred in the United States. 76 additional fatalities occurred in the Caribbean and the Bahamas; 21 people are still missing in Haiti. |
1960 | Tropical cyclone | 157 | $491,100,000 | Hurricane Donna | The Caribbean, United States East Coast | Includes 107 deaths in Puerto Rico. |
1987 | Accident – aircraft | 156 | Northwest Airlines Flight 255 | Detroit, Michigan | ||
1982 | Accident – aircraft | 153 | Pan Am Flight 759 | New Orleans, Louisiana | ||
1911 | Fire (building) | 146 | Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire | New York City, New York | Led to improved occupational safety standards as well as mandatory comprehensive fire safety standards | |
1976 | Flood | 145 | Big Thompson Canyon Flood of 1976 | Colorado | ||
1978 | Accident – aircraft | 144 | PSA Flight 182 | San Diego, California | ||
1840 | Accident – shipwreck | 139 | Lexington | Long Island Sound | Steamship sank due to fire on board | |
1985 | Accident – aircraft | 137 | Delta Air Lines Flight 191 | Dallas, Texas | ||
1960 | Accident – aircraft | 134 | 1960 New York mid-air collision | New York City, New York | ||
1967 | Fire (ship) | 134 | >$72,000,000 | 1967 USS Forrestal fire | Gulf of Tonkin, Vietnam | |
1994 | Accident – aircraft | 132 | USAir Flight 427 | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | ||
1944 | Accident – explosion | 130 | $7,000,000- $15,000,000 |
Cleveland East Ohio Gas explosion | Cleveland, Ohio | |
1963 | Accident – Submarine | 129 | USS Thresher (SSN-593) | Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Massachusetts | Deadliest submarine disaster in history. | |
1915 | Incident – Maritime | 128 | Sinking of the RMS Lusitania | Atlantic Ocean near Kinsale, Ireland | Ship torpedoed by a German U-boat. 1,198 fatalities resulted overall; 128 of them were Americans. | |
1956 | Accident – aircraft | 128 | 1956 Grand Canyon mid-air collision | Grand Canyon, Arizona | Parts of wreckage still visible. Deadliest air disaster in U.S. at that time; led to creation of Federal Aviation Administration two years later. | |
1972 | Accident – Dam burst | 125 | Buffalo Creek flood | Logan County, West Virginia | ||
1929 | Fire (building) | 123 | Cleveland Clinic fire of 1929 | Cleveland, Ohio | ||
1933 | Earthquake | 120 | $50,000,000 (1933) |
Long Beach earthquake | Long Beach, California | |
2005 | Tropical cyclone | 120 | $18,500,000,000 (2005) |
Hurricane Rita | Louisiana | |
1946 | Fire (building) | 119 | Winecoff Hotel | Atlanta, Georgia | ||
1972 | Tropical cyclone | 119 | $2,100,000,000 | Hurricane Agnes | Eastern United States | |
1899 | Tornado | 117 | >$300,000 ($8,381,000 in today's dollars). | New Richmond tornado | New Richmond, Wisconsin | Tornado hit the same time the circus was in town. |
1918 | Earthquake | 116 | 1918 San Fermin earthquake | Puerto Rico | ||
1837 | Accident – shipwreck | 115 | Wreck of the Mexico | Long Beach, New York | Eight people rescued from shore. One hundred fifteen crew and passengers (mostly Irish immigrants, and many of them women and children) froze to death on the deck of the ship just 200 yards from shore. See book: "Water and Ice: The Tragic Wrecks of the Bristol and the Mexico on the South Shore of Long Island" @ www.Lynhistory.com The wreck of the Mexico is the subject of Walt Whitman's poem, "Sleepers" in Leaves of Grass. | |
1938 | Flood | 115 | $78 million (1938) | Los Angeles flood of 1938 | Los Angeles, California | Deadliest disaster in Los Angeles history |
1964 | Tsunami and Earthquake | 115 | $1,800,000,000 (2006) |
Good Friday earthquake | Alaska, Hawaii, Oregon, California | |
1953 | Tornado | 114 | 1953 Waco tornado outbreak | Waco, Texas | Other tornadoes in the outbreak caused an additional 30 deaths | |
1981 | Accident – collapse | 114 | Hyatt Regency walkway collapse | Kansas City, Missouri | ||
1975 | Accident – aircraft | 113 | Eastern Air Lines Flight 66 | New York City, New York | ||
1863 | Riot | 112 | $1–5 million (1863) | New York City draft riots | New York City, New York | Worst civil unrest in U.S. history required diverting Union Army troops from the front to put down |
2008 | Tropical cyclone | 112 | $30,000,000,000 (2008) |
Hurricane Ike | Texas; Louisiana | 34 people still missing as of 2013 |
1947 | Accident – coal mine | 111 | Centralia mine disaster | Centralia, Illinois | ||
1971 | Accident – aircraft | 111 | Alaska Airlines Flight 1866 | Juneau, Alaska | ||
1989 | Accident – aircraft | 111 | United Airlines Flight 232 | Sioux City, Iowa | ||
1996 | Accident – aircraft | 110 | ValuJet Flight 592 | Florida Everglades | ||
1869 | Accident – coal mine | 108 | Avondale Mine disaster | Plymouth, Pennsylvania | ||
2017 | Tropical cyclone | 106 | $125,000,000,000 (2017) |
Hurricane Harvey | Texas, Louisiana | Tied with Hurricane Katrina as the costliest natural disaster in United States history. One additional death occurred in Guyana. |
1918 | Accident – railroad | 101 | Great Train Wreck of 1918 | Nashville, Tennessee | Deadliest rail accident in U.S. history | |
1963 | Accident – aircraft | 101 | Northwest Airlines Flight 293 | Near Annette Island, Alaska | ||
1972 | Accident – aircraft | 101 | Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 | Miami, Florida | ||
1892 | Accident-Coal mine | 100 | Krebs, Oklahoma (then Choctaw nation, Indian Territory) | Natural gas explosion | ||
1978 | Blizzard | 100 | $1,075,000,000 (2010) |
Northeastern United States blizzard of 1978 | Northeastern United States | Fatalities estimated |
2003 | Fire (building) | 100 | The Station nightclub fire | West Warwick, Rhode Island | 4th-deadliest nightclub fire in U.S. history, killing 100 people and injuring more than 200. | |
2017 | Tropical cyclone | 99 | $53,400,000,000 (2017) |
Hurricane Irma | Puerto Rico, United States Virgin Islands, Eastern United States (particularly Florida) | Includes three deaths and $1 billion (2017 USD) in damage in Puerto Rico, and four deaths and $2.4 billion in damage in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Storm caused an additional 35 deaths and approximately US$11.4 billion in damage across the rest of the Caribbean. |
1968 | Accident – shipwreck | 99 | USS Scorpion (SSN-589) | North Atlantic Ocean off New London, Connecticut | U.S. Navy investigation of cause was inconclusive, although suggested an internal hydrogen explosion may have been followed by collapse of hull, followed by immediately sinking to ocean floor, killing all hands. | |
1890 | Accident – shipwreck | 98 | Sea Wing disaster | Lake Pepin near Lake City, Minnesota | Strong winds toppled the excursion vessel. | |
1922 | Roof collapse | 98 | Knickerbocker Theatre | Washington, District of Columbia | ||
1904 | Accident – railroad | 97 | Eden train wreck | Pueblo, Colorado | ||
1910 | Avalanche | 96 | Wellington avalanche | Wellington, Washington | Avalanche hit 2 trains in Tye Canyon | |
1954 | Tropical cyclone | 95 | Hurricane Hazel | North Carolina; South Carolina | U.S. victims only | |
1958 | Fire (building) | 95 | Our Lady of the Angels School fire | Chicago, Illinois | ||
1962 | Accident – aircraft | 95 | American Airlines Flight 1 | New York City, New York | ||
1918 | Accident – railroad | 93 | Malbone Street Wreck | Brooklyn, New York | Some accounts give death toll as 101. Deadliest accident on New York City subway, deadliest rail disaster in city's history and deadliest mass-transit accident in U.S. history. | |
1876 | Accident – railroad | 92 | Ashtabula River railroad disaster | Ashtabula, Ohio | ||
1974 | Accident – aircraft | 92 | TWA Flight 514 | Berryville, Virginia | ||
1973 | Accident – aircraft | 89 | Delta Air Lines Flight 723 | Boston, Massachusetts | ||
2000 | Accident – aircraft | 88 | Alaska Airlines Flight 261 | Pacific Ocean near Anacapa Island, California | ||
2018 | Forest fire | 85 | Camp Fire | Paradise, California | Deadliest fire in California history. | |
1990 | Fire (building) | 87 | Happy Land fire | New York City, New York | Arson by disgruntled patron. Deadliest mass murder by a single person in U.S. history. | |
1910 | Wildfire | 86 | Great Fire of 1910 | Washington, Idaho, Montana | ||
1918 | Accident – railroad | 86 | Hammond Circus Train Wreck | Hammond, Indiana | ||
1993 | Police raid – Fire | 86 | Waco siege | Branch Davidian Complex, Waco, Texas | 6 Davidians and 4 police killed in initial raid. Weeks later during final FBI assault, 76 Davidians died in a fire of disputed origin. | |
1951 | Accident – railroad | 85 | Woodbridge train wreck | Woodbridge, New Jersey | ||
1968 | Accident – aircraft | 85 | Braniff Flight 352 | Dawson, Texas | ||
1980 | Fire (building) | 85 | MGM Grand fire | Las Vegas, Nevada | ||
1965 | Accident – aircraft | 84 | Eastern Air Lines Flight 663 | New York City, New York | ||
1977 | Flash Flood | 84 | $300,000,000 | Johnstown flood of 1977 | Johnstown, Pennsylvania | The flood occurred when an extraordinary amount of rain came down in the Conemaugh Valley in a short period of time. Nearly 12 inches were measured in 10 hours. The National Weather Service later estimated that this amount of rain in that location should happen less than once every 1,000 years. |
1969 | Accident – aircraft | 83 | Allegheny Airlines Flight 853 | Shelby County, Indiana | A Piper Cherokee 140, piloted by a student who was a week away from getting his private pilot's license, collided with an Allegheny Airlines DC-9. The flight originated in Boston and had stopped in Baltimore and Cincinnati.[14] | |
1967 | Accident – aircraft | 82 | Piedmont Airlines Flight 22 | Hendersonville, North Carolina | ||
1986 | Accident – aircraft | 82 | 1986 Cerritos mid-air collision | Cerritos, California | ||
1887 | Accident – railroad | 81–85 | Great Chatsworth train wreck | Chatsworth, Illinois | ||
1963 | Accident – aircraft | 81 | Pan Am Flight 214 | Elkton, Maryland | Lightning strike |
41 to 80 deaths
Year | Type | Fatalities | Damage (US$) | Article | Location | Comments |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1943 | Accident – railroad | 79 | Frankford Junction train wreck | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | ||
1862 | Accident – explosion | 78 | Allegheny Arsenal | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Largest civilian death toll during American Civil War | |
1875 | Fire (building) | 78 | Precious Blood Church fire | Holyoke, Massachusetts | ||
1950 | Accident – railroad | 78 | Kew Gardens train crash | Kew Gardens, New York | Deadliest surface rail accident in New York City | |
1961 | Accident – aircraft | 78 | TWA Flight 529 | Hinsdale, Illinois | ||
1968 | Accident – coal mine | 78 | Farmington Mine disaster | Farmington, West Virginia | ||
1976 | Accident – shipwreck | 78 | MV George Prince ferry disaster | Mississippi River, Louisiana | Deadliest ferry disaster in U.S. history | |
1982 | Accident – aircraft | 78 | Air Florida Flight 90 | District of Columbia | ||
1961 | Accident – aircraft | 77 | Imperial Airlines Flight 201/8 | Richmond, Virginia | ||
1970 | Accident – aircraft | 75 | Southern Airways Flight 932 | Ceredo, West Virginia | Deadliest sports tragedy in U.S. history | |
1963 | Accident – explosion | 74 | Indiana State Fair Coliseum | Indianapolis, Indiana | ||
1913 | Stampede | 73 | Italian Hall disaster | Calumet, Michigan | Second-largest loss of life within the state of Michigan. | |
1933 | Accident – Airship | 73 | USS Akron (ZRS-4) | Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of New Jersey | Deadliest airship disaster in history. | |
1943 | Accident – railroad | 72 | Rennert railroad accident | Rennert, North Carolina | ||
1957 | Fire (building) | 72 | Warrenton Nursing Home fire | Warrenton, Missouri | ||
1974 | Accident – aircraft | 72 | Eastern Air Lines Flight 212 | Charlotte, North Carolina | ||
1985 | Accident – aircraft | 70 | Galaxy Airlines Flight 203 | Reno, Nevada | ||
1936 | Flood | 69 | $3,000,000,000 (2006) |
Pittsburgh Flood of 1936 | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area | |
1989 | Earthquake | 69 | $6,000,000,000 (1989) |
Loma Prieta earthquake | San Francisco Bay Area, California | |
1994 | Accident – aircraft | 68 | American Eagle Flight 4184 | Roselawn, Indiana | ||
1888 | Accident – railroad | 66 | Mud Run disaster | Eastern Pennsylvania | ||
1955 | Accident – aircraft | 66 | United Airlines Flight 409 | Medicine Bow Peak, Wyoming | ||
1959 | Accident – aircraft | 65 | American Airlines Flight 320 | New York City, New York | ||
1971 | Earthquake | 65 | $500,000,000 | Sylmar earthquake | Greater Los Angeles Area, California | |
1903 | Accident – railroad | 64 | Connellsville train wreck | Connellsville, Pennsylvania | ||
1983 | Terrorism | 64 | 1983 United States embassy bombing | Beirut, Lebanon | ||
1960 | Accident – aircraft | 63 | Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 710 | Tell City, Indiana | Wing failure resulting from freak vibrations in clear weather turbulence was the probable cause.[14] | |
1963 | Fire (building) | 63 | Golden Age Nursing Home fire | Fitchville, Ohio | ||
1960 | Accident – aircraft | 62 | Eastern Air Lines Flight 375 | Boston, Massachusetts | ||
1944 | Military aircraft, Accident | 61 | Freckleton air disaster | Freckleton, England | An American United States Army Air Forces Consolidated B-24 Liberator heavy bomber crashed into the centre of the village of Freckleton. It crashed into a school, 3 houses, and a pub. 38 children were killed. | |
1960 | Tsunami | 61 | $500,000 (2005) |
Great Chilean earthquake | Hawaii, Alaska | 2,290 to 6,600 killed and $3,500,000,000 (2005) in damage worldwide. 61 killed in Hilo, Hawaii. $500,000 in U.S. property damage |
1992 | Tropical cyclone | 61 | $27,250,000,000 (1992) |
Hurricane Andrew | Florida, Louisiana | |
1886 | Earthquake | 60 | $5,000,000–6,000,000 | 1886 Charleston earthquake | South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, East coast of the United States | Massive earthquake starting in South Carolina, spreading across the East Coast of the USA. |
1864 | Accident – railroad | 60–72 | Shohola train wreck | Shohola, Pennsylvania | Train collision along upper Delaware River. Official death toll is 65. | |
1856 | Accident – railroad | 59–67 | Great Train Wreck of 1856 | Fort Washington, Pennsylvania | ||
2017 | Mass shooting[15][16] | 59 | 2017 Las Vegas shooting | Paradise, Nevada | 58 victims and 1 perpetrator, with the perpetrator committing suicide. The deadliest mass shooting by an individual in U.S. history. | |
2018 | Tropical cyclone | 59 | $25,000,000,000 | Hurricane Michael | Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia | Category 5 hurricane[17] that caused 16 direct and 43 indirect deaths in the US, as well as 15 in Central America[18] |
1950 | Accident – aircraft | 58 | Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 2501 | Lake Michigan | Airplane wreckage never found | |
1964 | Accident – aircraft | 58 | Eastern Air Lines Flight 304 | Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana | ||
1965 | Accident – aircraft | 58 | American Airlines Flight 383 | Cincinnati, Ohio | ||
1992 | Riot | 58 | ~$1,000,000,000 | 1992 Los Angeles riots | Los Angeles County, California | |
1980 | Volcano | 57 | 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens | Washington | ||
1984 | Tornado outbreak | 57 | 1984 Carolinas tornado outbreak | Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina | ||
1994 | Earthquake | 57 | $23,000,000,000 | Northridge earthquake | Greater Los Angeles area, California | |
2008 | Tornado outbreak | 57 | 2008 Super Tuesday tornado outbreak | Tennessee, Arkansas, Kentucky, Alabama, and Illinois | ||
1904 | Accident – railroad | 56 | New Market train wreck | New Market, Tennessee | ||
1949 | Accident – aircraft | 55 | Eastern Air Lines Flight 537 | Alexandria, Virginia | ||
2016 | Blizzard | 55 | $500,000,000, to $3,000,000,000 (2016) |
January 2016 United States blizzard | Eastern United States | |
2004 | Tropical cyclone | 54 | $13,000,000,000 (2004) |
Hurricane Ivan | Texas, Florida | Damage and death figures are for the U.S. only. Storm caused an additional 67 deaths and ~US$7 billion in damage across the Caribbean. |
2018 | Tropical cyclone | 54 | $24,230,000,000 | Hurricane Florence | Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina | Category 4 hurricane that caused major damage and 54 recorded fatalities in the US; 24 direct and 30 indirect. |
1906 | Accident – railroad | 53 | 1906 Atlantic City train wreck | Atlantic City, New Jersey | ||
1942 | Military strike – bombing | 53 | Battle of Dutch Harbor | Unalaska, Alaska | 43 American and 10 Japanese fatalities. Deadliest attack on continental U.S. by a foreign power since the Mexican–American War. | |
1906 | Accident – railroad | 53 | 1906 Washington, D.C., train wreck | Washington, D.C. | ||
1947 | Accident – aircraft | 53 | Eastern Air Lines Flight 605 | Near Port Deposit, Maryland | ||
1910 | Accident – railroad | 52 | Green Mountain train wreck | Green Mountain, Iowa | ||
1947 | Accident – aircraft | 52 | United Airlines Flight 608 | Bryce Canyon, Utah | ||
2003 | Tropical Cyclone, Flooding | 51 | 5,500,000,000
(2003) |
Hurricane Isabel | Virginia, Florida, North Carolina, West Virginia, Washington, D.C., Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Ontario | Worst hurricane to hit Virginia |
1956 | Accident – shipwreck | 51 | SS Andrea Doria, MS Stockholm | Off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts | ||
1978 | Accident – Construction | 51 | Willow Island disaster | Willow Island, West Virginia | Scaffolding fell 166 feet (51 m) with insufficiently cured concrete | |
1896 | Accident – railroad | 50 | 1896 Atlantic City rail crash | Atlantic City, New Jersey | ||
1925 | Accident – railroad | 50 | Rockport train wreck | Hackettstown, New Jersey | ||
1960 | Accident – aircraft | 50 | Capital Airlines Flight 20 | Holdcroft, Virginia | ||
1993 | Flood | 50 | $15,000,000,000 | Great Flood of 1993 | Midwest | |
2009 | Accident – aircraft | 50 | Colgan Air Flight 3407 | Clarence Center, New York | ||
2016 | Terrorism | 50 | Orlando nightclub shooting | Orlando, Florida | 49 victims and 1 perpetrator. The second-deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history, after the 2017 Las Vegas shooting. | |
1867 | Accident – railroad | 49 | Angola Horror | Angola, New York | ||
1892 | Accident – explosions | 49 | Giant Powder Company | Albany, California | Explosion in explosives manufacturing plant destroyed facility, caused extensive damage in nearby Berkeley. Official death toll was 49, though estimates of unrecovered bodies ran higher.[19] | |
1917 | Accident – railroad | 49 | Shepherdsville train wreck | Shepherdsville, Kentucky | ||
1989 | Tropical cyclone | 49 | $7,000,000,000 (1989) |
Hurricane Hugo | East Coast of the United States. | Damage figure for U.S. only. At least 111 total deaths, with 37 in the continental U.S., as far north as Michigan, and 12 in the U.S. possession of Puerto Rico. |
2004 | Tropical cyclone | 49 | $9,000,000,000 | Hurricane Frances | Florida | |
2006 | Accident – aircraft | 49 | Comair Flight 5191 | Lexington, Kentucky | ||
2011 | Tropical cyclone | 49 | $15,800,000,000 (2011) |
Hurricane Irene | Puerto Rico, East Coast of the United States | 49 fatalities in U.S., including 1 in Puerto Rico, with 10 additional fatalities elsewhere. |
1853 | Accident – railroad | 48 | Norwalk rail accident | Norwalk, Connecticut | ||
1944 | Accident – railroad | 48 | Bagley train wreck | West of Ogden, Utah | ||
1958 | Accident – railroad | 48 | Newark Bay rail accident | Newark Bay, New Jersey | ||
1999 | Tornado outbreak | 48 | $1,500,000,000 (2005) |
1999 Oklahoma tornado outbreak | Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, Tennessee | 66 tornadoes |
1938 | Accident – railroad | 47 | Custer Creek train wreck | Saugus, Montana | ||
1944 | Accident – railroad | 47 | Stockton train wreck | Stockton, Georgia | ||
1989 | Accident – explosion | 47 | USS Iowa turret explosion | Caribbean Sea, off Puerto Rico | ||
1993 | Accident – railroad | 47 | Big Bayou Canot train disaster | Mobile, Alabama | Deadliest train crash in Amtrak history. | |
2016 | Tropical cyclone | 47 | $10,000,000,000 (2016) |
Hurricane Matthew | Florida, Georgia, The Carolinas | Damage and death figures are for the U.S. only. Storm caused an additional 551 deaths and US$5.08 billion in damage across the Caribbean. |
1967 | Accident – Bridge collapse | 46 | Silver Bridge – over the Ohio River | Point Pleasant, West Virginia | ||
1961 | Tropical cyclone | 46 | $325.74 million (U.S. only) | Texas, Louisiana | Hurricane Carla | Landed Port O'Connor, Texas on September 11 as Category 4, continued northeast across U.S., dissipated in eastern Canada on September 14. |
1927 | Mass murder | 45 | Bath School disaster | Bath Township, Michigan | Deadliest act of school violence in U.S. history | |
1962 | Terrorism | 45 | Continental Airlines Flight 11 | Unionville, Missouri | ||
1972 | Accident – railroad | 45 | 1972 Chicago commuter rail crash | Chicago, Illinois | ||
1972 | Accident – aircraft | 45 | United Airlines Flight 553 | Chicago, Illinois | ||
1915 | Accident – railroad | 43 | $1,250,00 | 1915 Ardmore Gas Explosion | Ardmore, Oklahoma | Overpressured tank car filled with casing head gas exploded, causing major damage and death in the town.[20] |
1955 | Accident – aircraft | 44 | United Airlines Flight 629 | Longmont, Colorado | ||
1940 | Accident – railroad | 43 | Doodlebug disaster | Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio | ||
1948 | Accident – aircraft | 43 | United Airlines Flight 624 | Near Aristes, Pennsylvania | ||
1963 | Accident – aircraft | 43 | Northwest Airlines Flight 705 | Everglades, Florida | ||
1971 | Prison riot | 43 | Attica Prison riot | Attica, New York | State troopers opened non-stop fire on prisoners and hostages after a four-day prison uprising, killing 29 of the former and 10 of the latter; one prison guard had also died at the beginning of the riot. It is considered the deadliest one-day encounter between Americans since the Civil War. | |
1987 | Accident – aircraft | 43 | PSA Flight 1771 | Near Cayucos, California | ||
2011 | Tornado outbreak | 43 | Tornado outbreak of April 14–16, 2011 | Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Missouri, Louisiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania | 162 tornadoes | |
2012 | Tornado outbreak | 43 | $3,500,000,000 (2019) | Tornado outbreak of March 2–3, 2012 | Southern United States, Ohio Valley | 70 tornadoes, with one of the deadliest in Henryville, Indiana. 41 tornadic deaths, with another 2 from related weather. |
2014 | Mudflow | 43 | 2014 Oso mudslide | Oso, Washington | ||
2017 | Wildfire | 44 | >$3,000,000,000 | October 2017 Northern California wildfires | California | The fires killed 44, injured at least 185 people, and destroyed 5,700 homes |
1929 | Tornado outbreak | 42 | Unknown damage | 1929 Rye Cove tornado outbreak | Virginia, Central and Eastern United States | 13 deadliest to hit a school. |
1977 | Fire (building) | 42 | Maury County jail fire | Maury County, Tennessee | 33 prisoners and 9 visitors killed | |
1989 | Accident – Bridge collapse | 42 | Cypress Street viaduct | Oakland, California | ||
1859 | Bridge washout | 41 | Springbrook Bridge washout | South Bend, Indiana | ||
1950 | Fire (building) | 41 | St. Elizabeth's Hospital fire | Davenport, Iowa | ||
1968 | Natural gas explosion | 41 | Richmond, Indiana explosion | Richmond, Indiana | ||
2001 | Tropical cyclone | 41 | $8,500,000,000 | Tropical Storm Allison | Texas, Louisiana, and Pennsylvania |
15 to 40 deaths
Year | Type | Fatalities | Damage (US$) | Article | Location | Comments |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1912 | Accident – railroad | 39 | Corning train wreck | Corning, New York | ||
1977 | Accident – dam failure | 39 | Kelly Barnes Dam | Toccoa, Georgia | ||
1997 | Mass suicide | 39 | Heaven's Gate (religious group) | San Diego, California | Cult leaders Marshall Applewhite and Bonnie Nettles convinced followers they would join Comet Hale-Bopp to take them to another planet by swallowing poison. | |
2011 | Blizzard | 39 | 2011 Halloween nor'easter | Northeastern United States | ||
1920 | Terrorism | 38 | Wall Street bombing | Manhattan, New York | ||
1969 | Accident – aircraft | 38 | United Airlines Flight 266 | Santa Monica Bay, California | ||
2014 | Tornado outbreak | 38 | ≥$1,000,000,000 (2014) | Tornado outbreak of April 27–30, 2014 | Southern United States, Central United States | 84 tornadoes. 35 tornadic deaths, with another 3 from related weather. |
1883 | Tornado | 37 | $700,000 (1883) | 1883 Rochester tornado | Rochester, Minnesota | F5 tornado killed 37 and injured hundreds more. It led to the creation of the Mayo Clinic. |
1924 | Fire (building) | 36 | Financial damage not reported | Babbs Switch fire | Babbs Switch, Oklahoma | Christmas tree lighted with candles accidentally caught fire and destroyed school building. 37 additional people injured. |
1937 | Accident – airship | 36 | Hindenburg disaster | Manchester, New Jersey | Hydrogen-filled zeppelin exploded while trying to dock. | |
2016 | Fire (building) | 36 | 2016 Oakland warehouse fire | Oakland, California | ||
1969 | Accident – aircraft | 35 | Hawthorne Nevada Airlines Flight 708 | Lone Pine, California | ||
1980 | Ship – collision | 35 | Sunshine Skyway Bridge | St. Petersburg, Florida | ||
1967 | Attack - military ship | 34 | USS Liberty incident | Mediterranean Sea | 34 deaths on military ship USS Liberty due to June 8, 1967 attack by Israeli Defense Force (IDF) aircraft and torpedo boats. | |
2015 | Tropical cyclone, shipwreck | 34 | $200,000,000 | Hurricane Joaquin | Southeastern United States, Bermuda, Cuba, The Caribbean | 33 deaths from Cargo ship sunk by Joaquin. 1 other death on land. |
1967 | Accident – aircraft | 34 | Mohawk Airlines Flight 40 | Blossburg, Pennsylvania | ||
2019 | Fire (dive boat) | 34 | Sinking of MV Conception | Santa Cruz Island, California | ||
2007 | Mass murder – school shooting | 33 | Virginia Tech shooting | Blacksburg, Virginia | Armed with two semi-automatic handguns, student Seung-Hui Cho shot to death 32 people in two separate attacks on the campus of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. 23 other people were wounded, 17 by gunfire. Cho committed suicide.[21] | |
2015 | Accident – shipwreck | 33 | SS El Faro | Atlantic Ocean near the Bahamas | A U.S.-flagged vessel sank during Hurricane Joaquin with all on board perishing. | |
1963 | Accident – bus, train | 32 | 1963 Chualar bus crash | Chualar, California | Deadliest road accident in U.S. history, and deadliest U.S. rail accident involving a grade crossing | |
1973 | Fire (building) | 32 | UpStairs Lounge arson attack | New Orleans, Louisiana | Deadliest attack on a gay bar in the U.S. until 2016; still unsolved. | |
1855 | Bridge – accident | 31 | Gasconade Bridge train disaster | Gasconade, Missouri | ||
1940 | Accident – railroad | 31 | Little Falls Gulf Curve crash of 1940 | Little Falls, New York | An additional 51 were injured | |
1981 | Fire (building) | 31 | Keansburg nursing home fire | Keansburg, New Jersey | Nursing home full of elderly and mentally disabled[22] | |
2009 | Tsunami | 31 | 2009 Samoa earthquake and tsunami | American Samoa and nearby islands | 189 total deaths, with 31 in American Samoa. | |
2010 | Flood | 31 | $2,300,000,000 (2010) |
2010 Tennessee floods | Tennessee, Kentucky and Mississippi | |
1887 | Structural failure | 30 | Forest Hills disaster | Boston, Massachusetts | ||
1923 | Accident – railroad | 30 | Glenrock train wreck | Meadow Acres, Wyoming | ||
1956 | Accident – railroad | 30 | Redondo Junction train wreck | Los Angeles, California | ||
1998 | Blizzard | 30 | North American ice storm of 1998 | Canada and Northeast | ||
1871 | Accident – railroad | 29 | Great Revere Train Wreck of 1871 | Revere, Massachusetts | ||
1971 | Accident – explosion | 29 | Thiokol-Woodbine explosion | Woodbine, Georgia | ||
1975 | Shipwreck | 29 | Wreck of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald | Lake Superior | Deadliest disaster on the Great Lakes. Inspired hit song by Gordon Lightfoot | |
1976 | Accident – school bus | 29 | Yuba City bus disaster | Martinez, California | ||
1977 | Accident – aircraft | 29 | University of Evansville basketball team charter crash | Evansville, Indiana | The University of Evansville basketball team was traveling to Middle Tennessee State University when the plane crashed 90 seconds after takeoff from Dress Regional Airport.[23] | |
1990 | Tornado | 29 | $160,000,000 | 1990 Plainfield tornado | Plainfield, Illinois | |
2010 | Accident – coal mine | 29 | Upper Big Branch Mine disaster[24] | Montcoal, West Virginia | ||
1943 | Accident – railroad | 29 | Lackawanna Limited wreck | Wayland, New York | Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad passenger train sideswiped a freight train[25] | |
1951 | Flood | 28 | $7,000,000,000 (2005) |
Great Flood of 1951 | Kansas, Missouri | |
2012 | Mass murder – school shooting | 28 | Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting | Sandy Hook, Connecticut | Adam Lanza shot and killed his mother, then drove to Sandy Hook Elementary School, where he fatally shot 20 students and 6 educators before committing suicide.[26] | |
1958 | Accident – school bus | 27 | Prestonsburg, Kentucky bus disaster | Prestonsburg, Kentucky | ||
1988 | Accident – school bus | 27 | Carrollton bus collision | Carrollton, Kentucky | ||
1997 | Tornado | 27 | Jarrell tornado | Jarrell, Texas | ||
2017 | Mass shooting | 27 | Sutherland Springs church shooting | Sutherland Springs, Texas | 26 murdered, gunman committed suicide after being mortally wounded by an armed civilian | |
1970 | Tornado | 26 | $1,411,900,000 (2008) |
Lubbock tornado | Lubbock, Texas | F5 tornado killed 26 and wounded approximately 500 |
2008 | Accident – railroad | 26 | 2008 Chatsworth train collision | Chatsworth, California | ||
1913 | Accidental shipwreck – lake freighter – storm | 25 | SS Henry B. Smith | Lake Superior | The SS Henry B. Smith was taking iron ore from one side of Lake Superior to the other. The weather became below freezing with powerful storms which caused massive waves, which resulted in her sinking, killing all 25 crew members on the ship. | |
1982 | Fire (building) | 25 | Dorothy Mae Apartments | Los Angeles, California | Arson fire killed 19 residents on scene, 6 others died later from injuries. | |
1986 | Accident – aircraft | 25 | Grand Canyon Airlines Flight 6 | Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona | Deadliest accident involving a helicopter in U.S. history | |
1991 | Fire (building) | 25 | Hamlet chicken processing plant fire | Hamlet, North Carolina | Workers trapped behind locked doors | |
1991 | Wildfire (wildland-urban interface) | 25 | $1,500,000,000 | 1991 Oakland firestorm | Oakland, California, and vicinity | Burned 2,900 structures and 1,500 acres in Oakland Hills |
2005 | Tornado | 25 | $92,000,000 | Evansville Tornado of November 2005 | Missouri, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio | 7 tornadoes |
1887 | Bridge – railroad | 24 | Forest Hills disaster | Boston, Massachusetts | ||
1991 | Mass murder | 24 | Luby's shooting | Killeen, Texas | 23 murdered, gunman committed suicide | |
1994 | Accident – aircraft | 24 | Green Ramp disaster | Fayetteville, North Carolina | Deadliest aircraft accident in the U.S. involving victims on the ground | |
2005 | Accident – bus | 24 | Wilmer bus accident | Wilmer, Texas | Carrying elderly, fleeing hurricane | |
2013 | Tornado | 24 | 2013 Moore tornado | Moore, Oklahoma | 377 people were injured | |
1919 | Accident – railroad | 23 | Onawa train wreck | Onawa, Maine | ||
1959 | Explosion – fire | 23 | Meldrim, Georgia, trestle disaster | Meldrim, Georgia | ||
1965 | Accident – aircraft | 23 | USAF KC-135 Wichita crash | Wichita, Kansas | ||
1976 | Fire (building) | 23 | Pathfinder Hotel fire | Fremont, Nebraska | Explosion caused by natural gas leak in the hotel basement ignited the fire and shattered windows in neighboring buildings. | |
1977 | Blizzard | 23 | $56,250,000 (1977) |
Great Lakes Blizzard of 1977 | New York, Ontario | The brunt of the blizzard was centered around Buffalo. |
1983 | Accident – aircraft | 23 | Air Canada Flight 797 | Cincinnati, Ohio | ||
1989 | Accident – explosion | 23 | $1,415,000,000 (1990) |
Phillips disaster | Pasadena, Texas | 314 people injured |
2016 | Flood | 23+ | 2016 West Virginia flood | West Virginia and Virginia | ||
2019 | Tornado outbreak | 23 | Tornado outbreak of March 3, 2019 | Alabama and Georgia | 3 of the deaths were children | |
2019 | Mass shooting | 23 | 2019 El Paso shooting | El Paso, Texas | ||
2017 | Wildfire | 22 | Tubbs Fire | Napa and Sonoma County, California | Wildfire burned 36,807 acres and 5,636 structures. | |
1942 | Accident – aircraft | 22 | TWA Flight 3 | Potosi Mountain, southwest of Las Vegas, Nevada | Among those killed were actress Carole Lombard and her mother, who were returning to Los Angeles after a war bond drive in their home state of Indiana. | |
1960 | Accident – aircraft | 22 | Cal Poly football team plane crash | Toledo, Ohio | ||
1972 | Accident – aircraft | 22 | 1972 Sacramento Canadair Sabre accident | Sacramento, California | ||
1980 | Accident – tour bus | 22 | Jasper, Arkansas | |||
1984 | Mass shooting, hostage taking | 22 | San Ysidro McDonald's massacre | San Ysidro, California | James Huberty entered a McDonald's armed with multiple Firearms, and shot dead 21 people before being killed by police. | |
1999 | Accident – tour bus | 22 | New Orleans, Louisiana | Plunged over embankment, carrying senior citizens from casino | ||
2018 | Blizzard | 22 | January 2018 North American blizzard | Eastern United States | ||
1910 | Fire, structural failure | 21 | Chicago Union Stock Yards fire | Chicago, Illinois | ||
1910 | Bombing | 21 | Los Angeles Times bombing | Los Angeles, California | ||
1915 | Fire (building) | 21 | St. Johns School fire | Peabody, Massachusetts | Schoolgirls trapped behind exit door; resulted in first city law requiring that exit doors open outward | |
1919 | Accident – explosion | 21 | $6,600,000,000 (2005) |
Great Molasses Flood | Boston, Massachusetts | Damages are out-of-court settlements only; repairs took 133 man-months |
1986 | Accident – tour bus | 21 | Walker, California | |||
2018 | Debris flow | 21 | 2018 Southern California mudflows | Southern California | 163 injured. 65 residences destroyed, 462 residences damaged, 8 commercial buildings destroyed, 20 commercial buildings damaged | |
1872 | Fire (urban conflagration) | 20 | $73,500,000 (1872) |
Great Boston fire of 1872 | Boston, Massachusetts | |
1907 | Accident - Explosion | 20-24 | $100,000 (1907) | Standard Steel Mill Explosion | Butler, Pennsylvania | |
1907 | Accident – railroad | 20 | Woodlawn derailment | Woodlawn, The Bronx, New York City | The day after the New York Central Railroad inaugurated electrical train service in New York City and suburban Westchester County, an electric engine (which had a higher center of mass than the old steam engines) jumped the tracks on a curve leading into Woodlawn station. Wreckage was strewn over a mile (1.6 km) with 20 dead and 150 injured. | |
2005 | Accident – shipwreck | 20 | Ethan Allen boating accident | Lake George (New York) | Overloaded tour boat capsized from another boat's wake. | |
2010 | Flood | 20 | June 2010 Arkansas floods | Albert Pike Recreation Area near Langley, Arkansas | ||
2018 | Motor vehicle accident | 20 | Schoharie limousine crash | Schoharie, New York | Stretch limo ran a stop sign on a three-way intersection, killing all 18 inside and two people in a parking lot | |
1897 | Accident – railroad | 19 | Garrison train crash | Garrison, New York | ||
1944 | Accident – aircraft | 19 | Long Creek air disaster | South Portland, Maine | ||
1974 | Accident – bus | 19 | 1974 Blythe, California bus crash | Ripley, California | ||
2013 | Wildfire | 19 | Yarnell Hill Fire | Yarnell, Arizona | 19 firefighters were killed when they became trapped in the fast-spreading fire. | |
2013 | Blizzard | 18 | Early February 2013 North American blizzard | Eastern United States | ||
1887 | Accident - mine explosion | 18 | Savanna, Oklahoma (then Choctaw Nation in Indian Territory) | Explosions in Savanna Coal Mining and Trading Company Mines #1 and #2 killed 6 miners and 12 rescuers.[27] | ||
1861 | Accident – railroad | 17 to 20 | Platte Bridge Railroad Tragedy | St. Joseph, Missouri | ||
1903 | Accident – railroad | 17 | Purdue Wreck | Indianapolis, Indiana | ||
1965 | Accidents – pipeline accidents | 17 | Pipeline explosion and fire | Natchitoches, Louisiana | ||
1966 | Mass murder – school shooting | 17 | University of Texas massacre | Austin, Texas | ||
1991 | Accident – automobile | 17 | Interstate 5 dust storm accident | Coalinga, California | ||
2000 | Terrorism | 17 | USS Cole bombing | Aden, Yemen | ||
2002 | Mass murder serial killings |
17 | Beltway sniper attacks | Washington metropolitan area | 3 injured in the Beltway sniper attacks and 7 in preliminary shootings | |
2008 | Accident – bus | 17 | Sherman, Texas bus accident | Sherman, Texas | ||
2018 | School shooting | 17 | Stoneman Douglas High School shooting | Parkland, Florida | Former student Nikolas Cruz, was dropped off by an Uber car to Stoneman Douglas High School, shot and killed 14 students and 3 staff members, left the scene and was later arrested in Coral Springs. | |
2018 | Accident – shipwreck | 17 | Table Rock Lake duck boat accident | Branson, Missouri | ||
1926 | Tornado | 16 | La Plata tornado of 1926 | La Plata, Maryland | 13 killed in La Plata Elementary School | |
1978 | Accident – railroad | 16 | Waverly, Tennessee, tank car explosion | Waverly, Tennessee | An additional 43 injured | |
1987 | Accident – railroad | 16 | 1987 Maryland train collision | Chase, Maryland | ||
1987 | Mass murder spree killer |
16 | The Dover massacre | Dover, Arkansas – Russellville, Arkansas | ||
2015 | Terrorism | 16 | 2015 San Bernardino attack | San Bernardino, California | An additional 24 injured | |
2016 | Accident – hot air balloon | 16 | 2016 Lockhart hot air balloon crash | Lockhart, Texas | Deadliest ballooning disaster in U.S. history | |
2017 | Blizzard | 16–19 | March 2017 North American blizzard | Northeastern United States, Upper Midwest, Great Plains | ||
2003 | Wildfire - Cedar Fire | 15 | San Diego County, California | Burned 273,246 acres and 2,820 structures | ||
1950 | Accident – aircraft | 15 | Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 307 | Minneapolis, Minnesota | ||
1954 | Fire (building) | 15 | Cleveland Hill Middle School fire | Cheektowaga, New York | ||
1986 | Mass murder | 15 | Edmond post office shooting | Edmond, Oklahoma | 14 victims and 1 perpetrator | |
1999 | Mass murder – school shooting | 15 | Columbine High School massacre | Jefferson County, Colorado | Armed with 2 sawed-off shotguns, a TEC-9 pistol and a carbine, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold entered their school in Littleton and opened fire at the students and staff, killing 12 students, 1 teacher and then killing themselves. | |
2005 | Accident – explosion | 15 | Texas City Refinery explosion | Texas City, Texas | ||
2011 | Accident – tour bus | 15 | World Wide Tours bus crash | Bronx, New York | En route to Connecticut casino, March 12 | |
2013 | Accident – explosion | 15 | West Fertilizer Company explosion | West, Texas | More than 160 people were injured. Several years later, investigators concluded that the fire that preceded the explosion had been deliberately set. |
gollark: Plot the paths of projectiles? That's pretty trivial mechanics.
gollark: Or just demonstrate cool things you can do.
gollark: That would totally* work.
gollark: Just prove it.
gollark: Possibly somewhat.
See also
- List of disasters in Antarctica by death toll
- List of disasters in Australia by death toll
- List of disasters in Canada by death toll
- List of disasters in Croatia by death toll
- List of disasters in Great Britain and Ireland by death toll
- List of disasters in New Zealand by death toll
- List of disasters in Poland by death toll
References
- "Hurricane Costs". www.coast.noaa.gov. Retrieved 2018-05-30.
- "Ascertainment of the estimated excess mortality from Hurricane María in Puerto Rico" (PDF). www.publichealth.gwu.edu. Retrieved 2018-08-28.
- Kishore, Nishant; Marqués, Domingo; Mahmud, Ayesha; Kiang, Mathew V.; Rodriguez, Irmary; Fuller, Arlan; Ebner, Peggy; Sorensen, Cecilia; Racy, Fabio; Lemery, Jay; Maas, Leslie; Leaning, Jennifer; Irizarry, Rafael A.; Balsari, Satchit; Buckee, Caroline O. (2018). "Mortality in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria". New England Journal of Medicine. 379 (2): 162–170. doi:10.1056/NEJMsa1803972. PMID 29809109.
- Wise, James E; Baron, Scott (2003). Soldiers lost at sea: a chronicle of troopship disasters. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. pp. 25, 31&101. ISBN 978-1-59114-966-8.
- "In death, WWII survivor joins shipmates". NBC News. The Associated Press. 2008-10-31. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
- "Leopoldville". Uboat.net. Retrieved 2010-12-07.
- Fenton, Ben (26 April 2004). "The disaster that could have scuppered Overlord". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
- Frank, Richard B (1990). Guadalcanal. Random House. p. 459. ISBN 978-0-394-58875-9.
- "Dorchester". Uboat.net. Retrieved 2010-12-07.
- Brown, David (1995). Warship Losses of World War II. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. p. 74. ISBN 978-1-55750-914-7.
- Tempest, Mark. "Sunday Ship History: USS Mount Hood (AE-11)". EagleSpeak. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
- Morison, Samuel Eliot (1975). History of United States Naval Operations in World War II, Volume I The Battle of the Atlantic 1939-1943. Little, Brown and Company. p. 336.
- Henderson, John R. "Demographics of the TITANIC Passengers: Deaths, Survivals, Nationality, and Lifeboat Occupancy". ICYouSee. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
- Indiana Plane Crashes Archived 2013-06-27 at the Wayback Machine
- Long, Heather; Berman, Mark; Hawkins, Derek (October 2, 2017). "Las Vegas gunman kills at least 58 in shooting rampage, 500 more injured". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
- Pirani, Fiza (October 2, 2017). "Was the Las Vegas gunman a terrorist? Under Nevada law, possibly. Under federal law? Not exactly". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
- https://www.noaa.gov/media-release/hurricane-michael-upgraded-to-category-5-at-time-of-us-landfall
- https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/data/tcr/AL142018_Michael.pdf
- San Francisco Call, Volume 72, Number 40, 10 July 1892
- Burton, Laura M. "Ardmore Gas Explosion." Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. Accessed August 18, 2018.
- Williams, Reed; Morrison, Shawna (April 26, 2007). "Police: No motive found". The Roanoke Times. Archived from the original on February 7, 2012. Retrieved September 24, 2008.
- "Keansburg, NJ Boarding Home Fire, Jan 1981 | GenDisasters ... Genealogy in Tragedy, Disasters, Fires, Floods". .gendisasters.com. Retrieved 2013-05-13.
- "Memories of UE plane crash still linger". ECP.
- Lawrence Messina (April 5, 2010). "West Virginia Coal Mine Explosion: 25 Dead After Massey Blast". Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2013-04-22.
- "Wayland, NY Passenger Train Collision, Aug 1943". GenDisasters. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
- "Documents: New details on Newtown school massacre". CNN. March 28, 2013. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
- Strickland, Lois. "Savanna, Oklahoma." Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. Accessed March 16, 2019.
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