List of disasters in Massachusetts by death toll

Ruins of the Great Boston Fire of 1872

Aftermath of the Grover Shoe Factory disaster (1905)

Great Chelsea fire of 1908

Streetcar involved in the Summer Street Bridge disaster (1916) being raised from the river

Wreckage of the Great Molasses Flood (1919)

Damage from the 1953 Worcester tornado

Andrea Doria sinking (1956)

Wreckage of Eastern Air Lines Flight 375 (1960)

Wreckage of the 1967 Nantucket radar plane crash, in a hangar after recovery

This is a list of known disasters that have occurred in Massachusetts, organized by death toll. Historically documented events that caused 10 or more deaths are included. Notes:

• Some of the events occurred prior to Massachusetts becoming a U.S. state.
• Acts of war are excluded, such as battles of the American Revolutionary War in Massachusetts.
• Some of the events occurred in the Atlantic Ocean, at varying distances from land (such distances, when known, and noted via footnote).

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]

See also

• List of accidents and disasters by death toll
• List of natural disasters by death toll
• List of disasters in the United States by death toll

Notes

1. For continuous multi-year events, the year in the year column represents the initial year of the event, unless otherwise noted.
2. The wreck is located within Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary.
3. Approximately 220 miles (350 km) east of Cape Cod
4. Approximately one mile (1.6 km) northwest of Gay Head Light
5. Approximately 50 miles (80 km) south of Nantucket
6. Approximately 1,800 yards (1.0 mi; 1.6 km) off Wood End Coast Guard Station, ^[27] which was located near Wood End Light. ^[28]
7. Described as "in the vicinity of Hen and Chickens Lightship at Buzzards Bay, Mass." ^[51] although another source places the collision at "about 45 nm ENE of the Long Island Sound access to New York City and about 10 nm from Newport, RI". ^[52]
8. Approximately 125 miles (201 km) east of Nantucket
9. Approximately 14 miles (23 km) northeast of Boston Harbor
10. Approximately 85 miles (137 km) northeast of Nantucket
11. Approximately one-quarter mile (0.40 km) off Madaket Beach
12. The wrecks are located in Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary.

References

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