List of disasters in New Hampshire by death toll

Aftermath of the 1907 train wreck in Canaan

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

• Some of the events occurred prior to New Hampshire becoming a U.S. state.
• Acts of war are generally excluded, such as the French and Indian Wars, although specific localized events, such as the Raid on Oyster River, are included.
• Some of the events occurred in the Atlantic Ocean, at varying distances from land (such distances, when known, are noted via footnote).

Year [a]	Event	Type	Death toll	Location	Sources
1918	Spanish flu pandemic	Disease	3,907	Statewide	[1]
2020	COVID-19 pandemic	Disease	2,972	Statewide	[2]
1694	Raid on Oyster River	Massacre	104	Durham	[3]
2012	2012–2013 flu season	Disease	44	Statewide	[4]
1893	Strafford County Farm fire	Fire	41	Dover	[5] [6]
1941	Sinking of the USS O-9 (SS-70)	Shipwreck	33	off Portsmouth [b]	[7]
1968	Northeast Airlines Flight 946	Aviation accident	32	Etna	[8]
1907	Canaan disaster	Railway collision	26	Canaan	[9]
1939	Sinking of the USS Sailfish (SS-192)	Shipwreck	26	off Seabrook [c]	[10]
1689	Raid on Dover	Massacre	23	Dover	[11]
1938	1938 New England hurricane	Weather	13	Statewide	[12]

See also

• 1911 Eastern North America heat wave ^[d]
• USS Thresher (SSN-593) ^[e]
• Willey House (New Hampshire) ^[f]
• List of accidents and disasters by death toll
• List of natural disasters by death toll
• List of disasters in Massachusetts 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. Approximately 15 miles (24 km) off Portsmouth.
3. Approximately 10 miles (16 km) off Seabrook.
4. A New Hampshire death toll for this event, which killed 380 to 2000 people in total, is currently lacking.
5. The Thresher sank in April 1963 off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, resulting in the loss of 129 lives. The submarine departed from Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, which, despite its name, has been judged to be located in Kittery, Maine. See Piscataqua River border dispute.
6. A landslide at this location in 1826 resulted in nine deaths.

References

1. "1918–1920 — Influenza and Pneumonia Pandemic". usdeadlyevents.com. Retrieved September 24, 2025.
2. "New Hampshire coronavirus cases and deaths". usafacts.org. Retrieved September 24, 2025.
3. "The Davis Garrison: Surviving the Massacre" (PDF). NH.us. Retrieved September 24, 2025.
4. "2012-13 Influenza Season | Summary Report for New Hampshire | September 30, 2012 – May 18, 2013" (PDF). NH.gov. New Hampshire Department of Health & Human Services. p. 7. Retrieved September 24, 2025.
5. "Fire at the Insane Asylum". dover.nh.gov. Dover Public Library. Retrieved September 24, 2025. The insane asylum was burned to ashes, and forty-one of the forty-four inmates were cremated
6. "Bodies Taken From Ruins". The Boston Globe . February 11, 1893. p. 1. Retrieved September 25, 2025– via newspapers.com.
7. Kennedy, Eric R. (September 1991). "Forgotten Tragedy: The Loss of the USS 0-9". usni.org. Retrieved September 24, 2025.
8. Ranter, Harro. "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Flight Safety Foundation. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
9. "The Worst Train Wreck in New Hampshire History - The 1907 Canaan Disaster". New England Historical Society. 2022. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
10. "Sailfish I (SS-192)". history.navy.mil. Naval History and Heritage Command . Retrieved September 24, 2025.
11. Robinson, J. Dennis (1997). "Cochecho Massacre". Seacoast NH History. www.seacoastnh.com. Archived from the original on January 14, 2010. Retrieved July 6, 2010– via Wayback Machine.
12. "1938 hurricane was the worst natural disaster to strike New Hampshire, new study finds". The Center Square . November 18, 2020. Retrieved September 24, 2025.