List of disasters in New Hampshire by death toll
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This is a list of known disasters that have occurred in New Hampshire, organized by death toll. Historically documented events that caused 10 or more deaths are included.
List
Notes:
- Some of the events occurred prior to New Hampshire becoming a U.S. state.
- Acts of war are generally excluded, such as the French and Indian Wars, although specific localized events, such as the Raid on Oyster River, are included.
- Annual deaths from influenza ("flu season") are excluded unless they reached pandemic level per the New Hampshire Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS). Every flu season with a summary report available online from DHHS—currently 2012–2013 through 2019–2020—had at least 10 "influenza-associated" deaths in New Hampshire.[1]
- Some of the events occurred in the Atlantic Ocean, at varying distances from land (such distances, when known, are provided via footnote).
| Year[a] | Event | Type | Death toll | Location | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1918 | Spanish flu pandemic | Disease | 3,907 | statewide | [2] |
| 2020 | COVID-19 pandemic | Disease | 2,972 | statewide | [3] |
| 1694 | Raid on Oyster River | Massacre | 104 | Durham | [4] |
| 1893 | Strafford County Farm fire | Fire | 41 | Dover | [5][6] |
| 1941 | Sinking of the USS O-9 | Shipwreck | 33 | off Portsmouth[b] | [7] |
| 1968 | Northeast Airlines Flight 946 | Aviation accident | 32 | Etna | [8] |
| 1907 | Canaan train wreck | Railway collision | 26 | Canaan | [9] |
| 1939 | Sinking of the USS Squalus | Shipwreck | 26 | off Seabrook[c] | [10] |
| 1689 | Raid on Dover | Massacre | 23 | Dover | [11] |
| 1689 | Raid on Huckins' Garrison | Massacre | 18 | Durham | [12][13] |
| 1689 | Raid on Sandy Beach | Massacre | 16 | Rye | [14] |
| 1696 | Raid on Portsmouth Plain[d] | Massacre | 14 | Portsmouth | [15] |
| 1881 | Strafford County Farm fire | Fire | 13 | Dover | [16] |
| 1938 | 1938 New England hurricane | Weather | 13 | statewide | [17] |
| 1944 | Army Air Force B-24 crash | Aviation accident | 10 | Epsom | [18][19] |
Disasters with incomplete information
The New Hampshire death tolls for these regional events, which are known to have caused 10 or more deaths in the neighboring state of Massachusetts, are currently lacking.
- 1896 Eastern North America heat wave – caused the deaths of at least four people in Nashua,[20][21] and about 1,500 people in total
- 1911 Eastern North America heat wave – caused the deaths of 380 to 2000 people in total
Disasters not included
These notable events are not included in the main list, but have some association with New Hampshire.
- In April 1963, the USS Thresher (SSN-593) departed from Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine,[e] and sank off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, resulting in the loss of 129 lives.[22]
- In July 1973, Delta Air Lines Flight 723 crashed while attempting to land at Logan International Airport in Boston, resulting in 89 fatalities; the flight originated in Burlington, Vermont, and made an intermediate stop in Manchester before the incident.[23]
Disasters at notable locations
These events at notable New Hampshire locations had multiple fatalities, although fewer than 10, thus are not included in the main list.
- In August 1826, a landslide near Willey House at Crawford Notch in the White Mountains resulted in nine deaths.[24]
- In September 1967, eight passengers were killed and 72 injured after a locomotive of the Mount Washington Cog Railway derailed and a passenger car slid several hundred feet into a large rock.[25]
See also
Notes
- For continuous multi-year events, the year in the year column represents the initial year of the event, unless otherwise noted.
- Approximately 15 miles (24 km) off Portsmouth.
- Approximately 10 miles (16 km) off Seabrook.
- See also New Hampshire historical marker 75 in Portsmouth.
- Whether the island that the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard is located on lies within Maine or New Hampshire has been a point of contention between the states; see Piscataqua River border dispute.