This is a list of disasters that have occurred in Massachusetts organized by death toll.
Year[a] | Event | Type | Death toll | Location | Sources |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1918 | Spanish flu pandemic | Disease | 28,870 | Statewide | [1] |
2020 | COVID-19 pandemic | Disease | 20,872 | Statewide | [2] |
1693 | 1693 Boston yellow fever epidemic | Disease | 3,100+ | Boston | [3] |
1911 | 1911 Eastern North America heat wave | Heatwave | 1,110 | Statewide | [4] |
1633 | Massachusetts smallpox epidemic | Disease | 1,000 | Statewide | [5] |
1721 | 1721 Boston smallpox outbreak | Disease | 844 | Boston | [6] |
1677 | 1677–1678 Boston smallpox epidemic | Disease | 750–1,000 | Boston | [7] |
1942 | Cocoanut Grove fire | Fire | 492 | Boston | [8] |
1898 | Sinking of the Portland | Shipwreck | 193 to 245 | Gloucester | [9] |
1874 | Mill River Flood of 1874 | Flood | 139 | Williamsburg and Northampton | [10] |
1963 | Sinking of the USS Thresher | Submarine wreck | 129 | Cape Cod | [11] |
1884 | Sinking of the SS City of Columbus | Shipwreck | 103 | Martha's Vineyard | [12] |
1953 | 1953 Worcester tornado | Tornado | 94 | Worcester | [13] |
1973 | Delta Air Lines Flight 723 | Aviation accident | 89 | Boston | [14] |
1860 | Pemberton Mill collapse | Explosion and building collapse | 88 to 145 | Lawrence | [15][16] |
1938 | 1938 New England hurricane | Hurricane | 88 | Statewide | [17] |
1875 | Precious Blood Church fire | Fire | 78 | Holyoke | [18] |
1960 | Eastern Air Lines Flight 375 | Aviation accident | 62 | Boston | [19] |
1905 | Grover Shoe Factory disaster | Explosion and building collapse | 58 | Brockton | [20] |
1916 | Summer Street Bridge disaster | Streetcar accident | 46 | Boston | [21] |
1956 | Sinking of the SS Andrea Doria | Shipwreck | 46 | Nantucket | [22] |
1925 | Pickwick Club collapse | Building collapse | 44 | Boston | [23] |
1927 | Sinking of the USS S-4 | Shipwreck | 40 | Provincetown | [24] |
1887 | Forest Hills disaster | Bridge collapse | 38 | Boston | [25] |
1911 | Septic score throat outbreak | Disease | 38 | Boston | [26] |
1853 | USS Leyte explosion | Explosion | 36 | Boston | [27] |
1871 | Great Revere train wreck of 1871 | Railway accident | 30 | Revere | [28] |
1872 | Great Boston Fire of 1872 | Fire | 30 | Boston | [29] |
1913 | Arcadia Hotel fire | Fire | 28 | Boston | [30] |
1946 | Mount Tom B-17 crash | Aviation accident | 25 | Holyoke | [31] |
1874 | Granite Mill fire | Fire | 23 | Fall River | [32] |
1890 | 1890 Quincy train wreck | Railway accident | 23 | Quincy | [33] |
1958 | Northeast Airlines Flight 258 | Aviation accident | 23 | Nantucket | [34] |
1903 | United States Cartridge Company explosion | Explosion | 22 | Lowell | [35] |
1915 | St. John's School fire | Fire | 21 | Peabody | [36] |
1919 | Great Molasses Flood | Flood | 21 | Boston | [37] |
1928 | Preble Box Toe Company explosion | Explosion | 20 | Lynn | [38] |
1878 | Wollaston disaster | Railway accident | 19 | Quincy | [39] |
1908 | Great Chelsea fire of 1908 | Fire | 19 | Chelsea | [40] |
1945 | SS Silver Star Park and SS Mangore collision | Shipwreck | 19 | New Bedford | [41][42] |
1966 | 1966 Nantucket radar plane crash | Aviation Accident | 19 | Nantucket | [43] |
2012 | 2012–2013 flu season | Disease | 18 | Statewide | [44] |
1905 | Baker Bridge train wreck | Railway accident | 17 | Lincoln | [45] |
1910 | Morewood Lake Ice Company explosion | Explosion | 17 | Pittsfield | [46] |
1942 | Garnet Hill crash | Aviation accident | 17 | Peru | [47] |
1944 | Sinking of the USS YF-415 | Shipwreck | 17 | Hingham | [48] |
1804 | 1804 New England hurricane | Hurricane | 16 | Statewide | |
1965 | 1965 Nantucket radar plane crash | Aviation Accident | 16 | Nantucket | [49] |
1958 | Westover Air Force Base KC-135 crash | Aviation Accident | 15 | Chicopee | [50] |
1967 | 1967 Nantucket radar picket plane crash | Aviation Accident | 15 | Nantucket | [51] |
1984 | Beverly rooming house fire | Arson | 15 | Beverly | [52] |
1893 | Chester train wreck | Bridge collapse | 14 | Chester | [53] |
1928 | Beacon Oil explosion | Explosion | 14 | Everett | [54] |
1867 | Hoosac Tunnel Central Shaft accident | Tunnel collapse | 13 | Florida | [55] |
1906 | Amsden Building collapse | Building collapse | 13 | Framingham | [56][57] |
1941 | Strand Theatre fire | Fire | 13 | Brockton | [58] |
1942 | Melvin Hall fire | Fire | 13 | Lynn | [59] |
1956 | Swampscott train wreck | Railway accident | 13 | Swampscott | [60] |
1966 | Everett train-truck crash | Railway accident | 13 | Everett | [61] |
1890 | Boston tenement fire | Fire | 12 | Boston | [62] |
1952 | Camp Edwards plane collision | Aviation accident | 12 | Mashpee | [63] |
1958 | Northeast Airlines Flight 285 | Aviation accident | 12 | New Bedford | [64] |
1886 | Deerfield railway accident | Railway accident | 11 | Deerfield | [65] |
1902 | Frank A. Palmer and Louise B. Crary collision | Shipwreck | 11 | Gloucester | [66] |
1913 | Lawrence bathhouse tragedy | Drowning | 11 | Lawrence | [67] |
1919 | Springfield Boys' Club Camp drownings | Drowning | 11 | East Otis | [68] |
1964 | January 1964 blizzard | Blizzard | 11 | Statewide | [69] |
1966 | Paramount Hotel explosion | Explosion | 11 | Boston | [70] |
1902 | Italian lodging house fire | Fire | 10 | Boston | [71] |
1944 | Mount Holyoke bomber crash | Aviation accident | 10 | South Hadley | [72] |
1973 | Worcester rooming house fire | Fire | 10 | Worcester | [73] |