Which Volcanoes Caused More than 2000 Deaths?
Studying the deaths which occur from different types of natural disasters proves that these storms are dangerous and we need to take precautions against them. The number of deaths that volcanoes have caused may be shocking, but it is eye-opening information that is important to know.
This list of the deadly volcano eruptions taking over 2000 lives is courtesy of Pacific Disaster Center. Some volcanoes appear on the list more than once. Therefore, we have included the year in which the disaster occurred, as well as the number of deaths that happened as a result.
- Vesuvius, Italy (79): 3360
- Vesuvius, Italy (1631): 3500
- Papandayan, Indonesia (1640): 2957
- Laki, Iceland (1783): 9350
- Unzen, Japan (1792): 14,300
- Tambora, Indonesia (1815): 92,000
- Galunggung, Indonesia (1882): 4011
- Krakatau, Indonesia (1883): 36,417
- Mount Pelee, Martinique (1902): 29,025
- Kelut, Indonesia (1919): 5110
- Lamington, Papa New Guinea (1951): 2942
- El Chichon, Mexico (1982): 2000
- Ruiz, Colombia (1985): 25,000
If you consult with different resources, you might find that these figures vary slightly.
Accuracy of These Results
Even the website itself states that these numbers are the best ones that can be found. The reason is that it is difficult to get exact estimates in any natural disaster. Not everyone is necessarily registered with the government as living in a particular area. Not everyone is known by someone else. Therefore, no one could ever know if certain people just vanished.
Furthermore, all of the bodies lost are not always recovered in these sorts of tragedies. The scorching hot molten lava that comes out of volcanoes when they erupt can destroy any body that could be recovered.
Additionally, these are only the volcanic eruptions which researchers know about. Not all of history is recorded. Therefore, deadly incidences could have happened thousands and thousands of years ago, and we will never know about them or the casualties they caused.