As of 2026-10-12, Halifax explosion tops the list with 2,000 deaths.
- #1 Halifax explosion — 2,000 deaths
1917 maritime disaster in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
On the morning of 6 December 1917, the French cargo ship SS Mont-Blanc and the Norwegian vessel SS Imo collided in the harbour of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Laden with high explosives, Mont-Blanc caught fire and detonated, devastating the Richmond district of Halifax. At least 1,782 people, largely in Halifax and Dartmouth, were killed by the blast, debris, fires, or collapsed buildings, and an estimated 9,000 others were injured. The blast was the largest human-made explosion at the time.... Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #2 sinking of the MV Sewol — 304 deaths
2014 ferry disaster in South Korea
On the morning of Wednesday, 16 April 2014, the ferry MV Sewol sank while en route from Incheon towards Jeju City in South Korea. The 6,825-ton vessel sent a distress signal from about 2.7 kilometres north of Byeongpungdo at 08:58 KST. Out of 476 passengers and crew, 304 people died in the disaster, including around 250 students from Danwon High School in Ansan. Around 82% of the Sewol's casualties were children. Out of the 172 survivors, more than half were rescued by fishing boats and other... Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #3 PetroChina Chuandongbei natural gas field explosion — 234 deaths source Wikidata
- #4 Explosion in Bergen 1944 — 158 deaths
disaster in Bergen, Norway
An explosion occurred in Bergen, Norway on 20 April 1944. Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #5 1956 Ariyalur train accident — 144 deaths
1956 train accident in India
The 1956 Ariyalur train accident was a train accident on 23 November 1956 in Ariyalur, Tamil Nadu, India, where a train fell into the Marudaiyaru River, killing over 150 passengers after a bridge collapsed as a result of damage by torrential rain. Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #6 Alexander L. Kielland accident — 123 deaths source Wikidata
- #7 2019 Mosul ferry sinking — 120 deaths
multiple-fatalities disaster on the Tigris River
The 2019 Mosul ferry sinking occurred on 21 March 2019, when a ferry carrying passengers on the Tigris River near Mosul capsized and sank, killing 103 people, 12 of them children. The capsize was caused by overcrowding on board the vessel, and by high water levels on the Tigris. Many of the passengers were celebrating the Kurdish New Year. Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #8 Weiguan Golden Dragon Building Collapse — 115 deaths source Wikidata
- #9 Petlawad Explosion — 105 deaths
disaster in Madhya Pradesh, India, 2015
On the morning of 12 September 2015, an explosion in the town of Petlawad of the Jhabua district in the state of Madhya Pradesh of India killed 104 people. The cause of the explosion was attributed to illegally stored explosives that detonated, along with a cooking gas cylinder. Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #10 Battle of May Island — 104 deaths
British friendly-fire naval disaster
The Battle of May Island is the name given to the series of accidents that occurred during Operation E.C.1 in 1918. Named after the Isle of May, a nearby island in the Firth of Forth, the "battle" consisted of a disastrous series of accidents amongst Royal Navy vessels on their way from Rosyth, Scotland, to fleet exercises in the North Sea. On the misty night of 31 January–1 February 1918, five collisions occurred between eight vessels. Two K-class submarines were lost and four other... Read more on Wikipedia.
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