List of disasters in Massachusetts by death toll

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is a list of known disasters that have occurred in Massachusetts, organized by death toll. Historically documented events that caused 10 or more deaths are included.

Ruins of the Great Boston Fire of 1872
Aftermath of the Grover Shoe Factory disaster (1905)
Great Chelsea fire of 1908
Streetcar involved in the Summer Street Bridge disaster (1916) being raised from the river
Wreckage of the Great Molasses Flood (1919)
Damage from the 1953 Worcester tornado
Andrea Doria sinking (1956)
Wreckage of Eastern Air Lines Flight 375 (1960)
Wreckage of the 1967 Nantucket radar plane crash, in a hangar after recovery

List

Notes:

More information Year, Event ...
Year[a] Event Type Death toll Location Sources
1918 Spanish flu pandemic Disease 28,870 statewide [2]
2020 COVID-19 pandemic Disease 20,872 statewide [3]
1693 1693 Boston yellow fever epidemic Disease 3,100+ Boston [4]
1911 1911 Eastern North America heat wave Weather 1,100[b] statewide [6]
1633 Massachusetts smallpox epidemic Disease 1,000 statewide [7]
1721 1721 Boston smallpox outbreak Disease 844 Boston [8]
1677 1677–1678 Boston smallpox epidemic Disease 750–1,000 Boston [9]
1942 Cocoanut Grove fire Fire 492 Boston [10][11]
1999 EgyptAir Flight 990 Aviation accident 217 off Nantucket[c] [12]
1898 Sinking of the Portland Shipwreck 193 to 245 off Gloucester[d] [13]
1874 Mill River Flood of 1874 Flood 139 Williamsburg/Northampton [14]
1963 Sinking of the USS Thresher Shipwreck 129 off Cape Cod[e] [15]
1884 Sinking of the SS City of Columbus Shipwreck 103 off Martha's Vineyard[f] [16]
1953 1953 Worcester tornado Weather 94 Worcester [17]
1973 Delta Air Lines Flight 723 Aviation accident 89 Boston [18][19]
1860 Pemberton Mill collapse Collapse (building) 88 to 145 Lawrence [20][21]
1938 1938 New England hurricane Weather 88 statewide [22]
1875 Precious Blood Church fire Fire 78 Holyoke [23]
1960 Eastern Air Lines Flight 375 Aviation accident 62 Boston Harbor [24][25]
1896 1896 Eastern North America heat wave Weather 60+ statewide[g] [26]
1905 Grover Shoe Factory disaster Explosion 58 Brockton [27]
1956 Sinking of the SS Andrea Doria Ship collision 51[h] off Nantucket[i] [28]
1916 Summer Street Bridge disaster Railway accident 46 Boston [29]
1925 Pickwick Club collapse Collapse (building) 44 Boston [30]
1927 Sinking of the USS S-4 Ship collision 40 off Provincetown[j] [33]
1911 Septic sore throat outbreak Disease 38 Boston [34]
1953 Explosion aboard USS Leyte Shipboard explosion 37 Boston (Naval Annex) [35][36]
1871 Great Revere train wreck of 1871 Railway collision 30 Revere [37]
1913 Arcadia Hotel fire Fire 28 Boston [38][39]
1872 Great Boston Fire of 1872 Fire 26 to 30 Boston [40][41]
1946 Mount Tom B-17 crash Aviation accident 25 Holyoke [42][43]
1874 Granite Mill fire Fire 23 Fall River [44]
1887 Forest Hills disaster Collapse (rail bridge) 23 Boston [45]
1890 1890 Quincy train wreck Railway accident 23 Quincy [46]
1958 Northeast Airlines Flight 258 Aviation accident 23 Nantucket [47][48]
1903 United States Cartridge Company explosion Explosion 22 Lowell [49]
1915 St. John's School fire Fire 21 Peabody [50]
1919 Great Molasses Flood Flood 21 Boston [51]
1929 Sinking of the ST Seiner [k] Shipwreck 21 off Nantucket[l] [52][53]
1928 Preble Box Toe Company explosion Explosion 20 Lynn [54]
1878 Wollaston disaster Railway accident 19 Quincy [55]
1908 Great Chelsea fire of 1908 Fire 19 Chelsea [56]
1945 SS Silver Star Park and SS Mangore collision Ship collision 19 off New Bedford[m] [59][60]
1966 1966 Nantucket radar plane crash Aviation accident 19 off Nantucket[n] [61][62]
1905 Baker Bridge train wreck Railway collision 17 Lincoln [63]
1910 Morewood Lake Ice Company explosion Explosion 17 Pittsfield [64]
1944 Sinking of the USS YF-415 Shipboard explosion 17 off Hingham[o] [65]
1804 1804 New England hurricane Weather 16 statewide [66]
1965 1965 Nantucket radar plane crash Aviation accident 16 off Nantucket[p] [67][68]
1942 Garnet Peak C-53 crash Aviation accident 16 Peru [69][70]
1958 Westover Air Force Base KC-135 crash Aviation accident 15 Chicopee [71][72]
1967 1967 Nantucket radar plane crash Aviation accident 15 off Nantucket[q] [73][74]
1984 Beverly rooming house fire Fire 15 Beverly [75]
1893 Chester train wreck Collapse (rail bridge) 14 Chester [76]
1928 Beacon Oil explosion Explosion 14 Everett [77]
1867 Hoosac Tunnel Central Shaft accident Collapse (rail tunnel) 13 Florida [78]
1906 Amsden Building collapse Collapse (building) 13 Framingham [79][80]
1941 Strand Theatre fire Fire 13 Brockton [81]
1942 Melvin Hall fire Fire 13 Lynn [82]
1956 Swampscott train wreck Railway collision 13 Swampscott [83]
1966 Everett train-truck crash Railway accident 13 Everett [84]
1890 North End tenement fire (North Street) Fire 12 Boston [85][86]
1952 Camp Edwards C-47/F-94B collision Aviation accident 12 Mashpee [87][88]
1958 Northeast Airlines Flight 285 Aviation accident 12 New Bedford [89][90]
1886 Deerfield railway accident Railway accident 11 Deerfield [91]
1902 Frank A. Palmer and Louise B. Crary collision Ship collision 11 off Gloucester[r] [92]
1913 Lawrence bathhouse tragedy Drowning 11 Lawrence [93]
1919 Springfield Boys' Club Camp drownings[s] Drowning 11 East Otis [94]
1964 January 1964 blizzard[t] Weather 11[u] statewide [95]
1966 Paramount Hotel explosion Explosion 11 Boston [96]
1902 North End lodging house fire (Fleet Street) Fire 10 Boston [97][98]
1944 Mount Holyoke B-24 crash Aviation accident 10 South Hadley [99][100]
1973 Worcester rooming house fire Fire 10 Worcester [101]
2025 Gabriel House fire Fire 10 Fall River [102]
Close

See also

Notes

  1. [a]
    For continuous multi-year events, the year in the year column represents the initial year of the event, unless otherwise noted.
  2. [b]
    Contemporaneously, The Springfield Weekly Republican reported 319 deaths for all of New England, with 104 deaths occurring in Boston.[5]
  3. [c]
    The aircraft crashed in Georges Bank, 62 miles (100 km) off the coast of Nantucket island.
  4. [d]
    The wreck is located within Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary.
  5. [e]
    Approximately 220 miles (350 km) east of Cape Cod
  6. [f]
    Approximately one mile (1.6 km) northwest of Gay Head Light
  7. [g]
    The Boston Globe reported that at least 60 deaths from the heat occurred in Boston.[26]
  8. [h]
    46 passengers from the Andrea Doria and five members of the crew of Stockholm
  9. [i]
    Approximately 50 miles (80 km) south of Nantucket
  10. [j]
    Approximately 1,800 yards (1.0 mi; 1.6 km) off Wood End Coast Guard Station,[31] which was located near Wood End Light.[32]
  11. [k]
    See: List of shipwrecks in 1929#Unknown date
  12. [l]
    The wreck is located on the eastern edge of Georges Bank, approximately 125 miles (201 km) east of Nantucket.
  13. [m]
    Described as "in the vicinity of Hen and Chickens Lightship at Buzzards Bay, Mass."[57] although another source places the collision at "about 45 nm ENE of the Long Island Sound access to New York City and about 10 nm from Newport, RI".[58]
  14. [n]
    Approximately 125 miles (201 km) east of Nantucket
  15. [o]
    Approximately 14 miles (23 km) northeast of Boston Harbor
  16. [p]
    Approximately 85 miles (137 km) northeast of Nantucket
  17. [q]
    Approximately one-quarter mile (0.40 km) off Madaket Beach
  18. [r]
    The wrecks are located in Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary.
  19. [s]
    See also Big Pond (Massachusetts)
  20. [t]
    See also List of Northeast snowfall impact scale winter storms
  21. [u]
    The blizzard accounted for at least 31 deaths in New England.[95]

References

Related Articles

Wikiwand AI