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.
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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] |
A luzzu is a traditional fishing boat from the Maltese islands. This type of boat developed in the early 20th century, although it is very similar to much older traditional Maltese boats such as the ferilla. They are usually painted in bright colours, while the bow has a pair of eyes.
On the evening of July 19, 2018, a duck boat operated by Ride the Ducks sank on Table Rock Lake in the Ozarks near Branson, Missouri, in the United States. The amphibious vehicle sank with 31 people on board, leaving 17 dead, during high winds associated with nearby severe thunderstorms as part of a significant derecho and tornado outbreak.
The 1948 Gozo luzzu disaster occurred on 30 October 1948 when a luzzu fishing boat carrying passengers from Marfa, Malta, to Mġarr, Gozo, capsized and sank in rough seas off Qala, killing 23 of the 27 people on board. Inquiries held after the accident determined that the boat had been overloaded as it was carrying around double its capacity.
The 1975 Żabbar Avro Vulcan crash was a military aviation accident that occurred in Malta on 14 October 1975 when an Avro Vulcan B.2 bomber crashed after an aborted landing at RAF Luqa. The aircraft crashed in a residential area in Żabbar, and five crew members and one civilian on the ground were killed. The two pilots managed to eject and survived the accident. The crash caused extensive damage to many buildings in Żabbar.
The 1946 Rabat Vickers Wellington crash was a military aviation accident that occurred in Malta on 5 April 1946 when a Vickers Wellington bomber crashed during a training exercise in a residential area in Rabat. All four crew members on board the aircraft and 16 civilians on the ground were killed. The crash also caused extensive property damage. The exact cause was never conclusively determined, but a magisterial inquiry suggested that leakage of hydraulic fluid leading to crew incapacitation could be a probable cause.
The 1813–1814 Malta plague epidemic was the last major outbreak of plague on the islands of Malta and Gozo. It occurred between March 1813 and January 1814 on Malta and between February and May 1814 on Gozo, and the epidemic was officially declared to be over in September 1814. It resulted in approximately 4500 deaths, which was about 5% of the islands' population.
The 1675–1676 Malta plague epidemic was a major outbreak of plague on the island of Malta, then ruled by the Order of St John. It occurred between December 1675 and August 1676, and it resulted in approximately 11,300 deaths, making it the deadliest epidemic in Maltese history. Most deaths were in the urban areas, including the capital Valletta and the Three Cities, which had a mortality rate of about 41%. In the rural settlements, the mortality rate was 6.9%.