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 | Weather | 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] [9] |
1898 | Sinking of the Portland | Shipwreck | 193 to 245 | off Gloucester [b] | [10] |
1874 | Mill River Flood of 1874 | Flood | 139 | Williamsburg/Northampton | [11] |
1963 | Sinking of the USS Thresher | Shipwreck | 129 | off Cape Cod [c] | [12] |
1884 | Sinking of the SS City of Columbus | Shipwreck | 103 | off Martha's Vineyard [d] | [13] |
1953 | 1953 Worcester tornado | Weather | 94 | Worcester | [14] |
1973 | Delta Air Lines Flight 723 | Aviation accident | 89 | Boston | [15] [16] |
1860 | Pemberton Mill collapse | Collapse (building) | 88 to 145 | Lawrence | [17] [18] |
1938 | 1938 New England hurricane | Weather | 88 | Statewide | [19] |
1875 | Precious Blood Church fire | Fire | 78 | Holyoke | [20] |
1960 | Eastern Air Lines Flight 375 | Aviation accident | 62 | Boston Harbor | [21] [22] |
1905 | Grover Shoe Factory disaster | Explosion | 58 | Brockton | [23] |
1916 | Summer Street Bridge disaster | Railway accident | 46 | Boston | [24] |
1956 | Sinking of the SS Andrea Doria | Ship collision | 46 | off Nantucket [e] | [25] |
1925 | Pickwick Club collapse | Collapse (building) | 44 | Boston | [26] |
1927 | Sinking of the USS S-4 | Ship collision | 40 | off Provincetown [f] | [29] |
1887 | Forest Hills disaster | Collapse (rail bridge) | 38 | Boston | [30] |
1911 | Septic sore throat outbreak | Disease | 38 | Boston | [31] |
1953 | Explosion aboard USS Leyte | Shipboard explosion | 37 | Boston (Naval Annex) | [32] [33] |
1871 | Great Revere train wreck of 1871 | Railway collision | 30 | Revere | [34] |
1913 | Arcadia Hotel fire | Fire | 28 | Boston | [35] [36] |
1872 | Great Boston Fire of 1872 | Fire | 26 to 30 | Boston | [37] [38] |
1946 | Mount Tom B-17 crash | Aviation accident | 25 | Holyoke | [39] [40] |
1874 | Granite Mill fire | Fire | 23 | Fall River | [41] |
1890 | 1890 Quincy train wreck | Railway accident | 23 | Quincy | [42] |
1958 | Northeast Airlines Flight 258 | Aviation accident | 23 | Nantucket | [43] [44] |
1903 | United States Cartridge Company explosion | Explosion | 22 | Lowell | [45] |
1915 | St. John's School fire | Fire | 21 | Peabody | [46] |
1919 | Great Molasses Flood | Flood | 21 | Boston | [47] |
1928 | Preble Box Toe Company explosion | Explosion | 20 | Lynn | [48] |
1878 | Wollaston disaster | Railway accident | 19 | Quincy | [49] |
1908 | Great Chelsea fire of 1908 | Fire | 19 | Chelsea | [50] |
1945 | SS Silver Star Park and SS Mangore collision | Ship collision | 19 | off New Bedford [g] | [53] [54] |
1966 | 1966 Nantucket radar plane crash | Aviation accident | 19 | off Nantucket [h] | [55] [56] |
2012 | 2012–2013 flu season | Disease | 18 | Statewide | [57] |
1905 | Baker Bridge train wreck | Railway collision | 17 | Lincoln | [58] |
1910 | Morewood Lake Ice Company explosion | Explosion | 17 | Pittsfield | [59] |
1944 | Sinking of the USS YF-415 | Shipboard explosion | 17 | off Hingham [i] | [60] |
1804 | 1804 New England hurricane | Weather | 16 | Statewide | [61] |
1965 | 1965 Nantucket radar plane crash | Aviation accident | 16 | off Nantucket [j] | [62] [63] |
1942 | Garnet Peak C-53 crash | Aviation accident | 16 | Peru | [64] [65] |
1958 | Westover Air Force Base KC-135 crash | Aviation accident | 15 | Chicopee | [66] [67] |
1967 | 1967 Nantucket radar plane crash | Aviation accident | 15 | off Nantucket [k] | [68] [69] |
1984 | Beverly rooming house fire | Fire | 15 | Beverly | [70] |
1893 | Chester train wreck | Collapse (rail bridge) | 14 | Chester | [71] |
1928 | Beacon Oil explosion | Explosion | 14 | Everett | [72] |
1867 | Hoosac Tunnel Central Shaft accident | Collapse (rail tunnel) | 13 | Florida | [73] |
1906 | Amsden Building collapse | Collapse (building) | 13 | Framingham | [74] [75] |
1941 | Strand Theatre fire | Fire | 13 | Brockton | [76] |
1942 | Melvin Hall fire | Fire | 13 | Lynn | [77] |
1956 | Swampscott train wreck | Railway collision | 13 | Swampscott | [78] |
1966 | Everett train-truck crash | Railway accident | 13 | Everett | [79] |
1890 | North End tenement fire (North Street) | Fire | 12 | Boston | [80] [81] |
1952 | Camp Edwards C-47/F-94B collision | Aviation accident | 12 | Mashpee | [82] [83] |
1958 | Northeast Airlines Flight 285 | Aviation accident | 12 | New Bedford | [84] [85] |
1886 | Deerfield railway accident | Railway accident | 11 | Deerfield | [86] |
1902 | Frank A. Palmer and Louise B. Crary collision | Ship collision | 11 | off Gloucester [l] | [87] |
1913 | Lawrence bathhouse tragedy | Drowning | 11 | Lawrence | [88] |
1919 | Springfield Boys' Club Camp drownings | Drowning | 11 | East Otis | [89] |
1964 | January 1964 blizzard | Weather | 11 | Statewide | [90] |
1966 | Paramount Hotel explosion | Explosion | 11 | Boston | [91] |
1902 | North End lodging house fire (Fleet Street) | Fire | 10 | Boston | [92] [93] |
1944 | Mount Holyoke B-24 crash | Aviation accident | 10 | South Hadley | [94] [95] |
1973 | Worcester rooming house fire | Fire | 10 | Worcester | [96] |