This list of Maltese disasters by death toll includes disasters that occurred either in Malta or incidents outside of the country in which a number of Maltese citizens were killed. It does not include death tolls from war.
Deaths | Date | Incident | Type | Location | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
11300 | 24 December 1675 – 15 July 1676 | 1675–1676 Malta plague epidemic | Epidemic | Malta | The plague outbreak was the worst epidemic in Maltese history.[1] |
4487–4668 | 28 March 1813 – 8 September 1814 | 1813–1814 Malta plague epidemic | Epidemic | Malta and Gozo | The plague outbreak, imported from Alexandria in Egypt, killed about 5% of Malta's population.[2] |
3000 | 7 May 1592 – 1593 | 1592–1593 Malta plague epidemic | Epidemic | Malta and Gozo | The plague outbreak was imported from Tuscan galleys.[3] |
600+ | 23 September 1551 (or 1556) | Grand Harbour of Malta tornado | Tornado | Grand Harbour | The tornado destroyed a number of ships in the harbour with great loss of life.[4] |
500+ | 11 September 2014 | 2014 Malta migrant shipwreck | Shipwreck | Mediterranean | A boat carrying hundreds of migrants capsized and sank, possibly deliberately, killing the vast majority of the people on board.[5] |
417 | 7 March 2020 – ongoing | COVID-19 pandemic | Pandemic | Malta and Gozo | As of 7 May 2021.[6] |
150–240 | 18 July 1806 | 1806 Birgu polverista explosion | Explosion | Birgu | A gunpowder magazine located dangerously close to residential areas accidentally blew up, killing many soldiers and civilians and causing extensive property damage.[7] |
118+ | 25 November 1908 | SS Sardinia | Ship fire | off Fort Ricasoli | The ship caught fire soon after leaving the Grand Harbour, resulting in a number of explosions and causing it to run aground. This is Malta's worst peacetime maritime disaster.[8] |
110 | 11 February 1823 | Carnival tragedy of 1823 | Human crush | Valletta | A human crush occurred among boys who were being given bread at a convent during carnival, killing around 110 people.[9] |
60 | 23–24 November 1985 | EgyptAir Flight 648 | Aircraft hijacking | Luqa | An EgyptAir aircraft en route from Egypt to Greece was hijacked by terrorists and landed in Malta. Egyptian commandos stormed the aircraft, resulting in 60 people being killed.[10] |
53 | 21 May 2007 | May 2007 Malta migrant shipwreck | Shipwreck | Mediterranean | An overloaded boat carrying migrants went missing off Malta and no survivors were found.[11] |
50 | 18 February 1956 | 1956 Scottish Airlines Malta air disaster | Air crash | Żurrieq | The aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff from Luqa Airport, killing all fifty people on board.[12] |
40–45 | 1623 | 1623 Malta plague outbreak | Disease outbreak | Malta | The plague outbreak was contained without a very high death toll.[13][14] |
23 | 30 October 1948 | 1948 Gozo luzzu disaster | Shipwreck | off Qala | The overloaded boat capsized and sank, killing 23 of the 27 people on board.[15] |
22 | 12 September 1634 | 1634 Valletta explosion | Explosion | Valletta | A gunpowder factory exploded, causing 22 deaths and significant property damage.[16] |
22 | June 1945 – June 1946 | 1945–1946 Malta plague outbreak | Disease outbreak | Malta | The plague outbreak was confined to the harbour area.[17] |
20 | 1655 | 1655 Malta plague outbreak | Disease outbreak | Malta | The plague outbreak was contained without a very high death toll.[14] |
20 | 4 April 1946 | 1946 Rabat Vickers Wellington crash | Air crash | Rabat | The bomber crashed into a street in Rabat, killing 4 crew members and 16 civilians on the ground.[18] |
12 | April 1936 – May 1937 | 1936–1937 Malta plague outbreak | Disease outbreak | Malta | The plague outbreak was confined to Qormi, Żebbuġ, Rabat, Marsa and Attard.[17] |
9 | 3 February 1995 | Um El Faroud | Explosion | Malta Dockyard | The tanker exploded while in dry dock, killing nine dockyard workers.[19] |
7 | 7 September 1984 | C23 tragedy | Explosion | off Qala | A patrol boat dumping illegal fireworks at sea exploded, killing five soldiers and two policemen on board.[20] |
6 | 14 October 1975 | 1975 Żabbar Avro Vulcan crash | Air crash | Żabbar | The bomber crashed in Żabbar after an aborted landing at RAF Luqa, killing five crew members and a civilian on the ground.[21] |
6 | 3 December 1995 | 1995 Mediterranean Sea Piper Lance crash | Air crash | Mediterranean | The aircraft was en route from Tunisia to Malta when it went missing over the Mediterranean Sea. All 6 people on board, including 3 Maltese citizens, are presumed dead.[22] |
5 | 1 October 2005 | Rabat–Żebbuġ road vehicle collision | Road accident | Rabat/Żebbuġ | Five teenagers were killed in a vehicle collision which is Malta's worst traffic accident.[23] |
5 | 24 October 2016 | 2016 Malta Fairchild Merlin crash | Air crash | Kirkop | The aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff from Malta International Airport, killing all five people on board.[24] |
4 | 29 March 1903 | Fort Delimara explosion | Explosion | Marsaxlokk | Defective bombs stored at the fort detonated after children tampered with a bomb in an attempt to open it, killing four.[25] |
4 | 2 March – 2 April 1917 | 1917 Malta plague outbreak | Disease outbreak | Kalkara | The plague outbreak was confined to a group of dockyard workers.[17] |
4 | 30 December 1952 | 1952 Luqa Avro Lancaster crash | Air crash | Luqa | The bomber crashed in Luqa, killing 3 crew members and 1 civilian on the ground.[26] |
4 | 11 July 2008 | Simshar incident | Shipwreck | Mediterranean | A fishing vessel exploded, leaving the five people on board stranded on a makeshift raft. Four of them subsequently died, with the only survivor being rescued a week after the explosion.[27] |
2 | 29 July 1955 | MV Star of Malta | Shipwreck | off St. Julian's | The passenger ferry ran aground and capsized, killing one crew member and one passenger.[28] |
2 | June 1982 | 1982 Tal-Virtù air crash | Air crash | Rabat | A light aircraft crashed into the seminary at Tal-Virtù, killing both people on board.[29] |