Worst Explosions Ever: Deadliest Fires in Recorded History

Explosions from man-made devices have taken the lives of many people over the course the past couple of centuries. In the list below we have listed the top 10 worst explosions ever, excluding mining disasters, terrorist and military bombs, and natural explosion such as volcanoes. These are best estimate figures, which should be treated with caution, since, as with fires and shipwrecks, body counts following explosions are notoriously unreliable.

1- Bombay, India Apr 14, 1944

The cargo ship Fort Stikine explosion was caused by ammunition carried in this vessle. This disaster occurred during the World War II, while some claimed that the massive explosion was the result of a Japanese sabotage.
Estimated number killed 1,376

2- Smederevo, Yugoslavia, June 9, 1941

During WWII the fortress of Smederevo was used for ammunition storage. On June 5, 1941, the ammunition exploded throughout the entirety of Smederevo. This disastrous explosion reached settlements as far as 10 km away from the origin of the fire.
Estimated number killed 1,500

3- Archangel, Russia, February 20, 1917

Yet another explosion and this time in Russia. There was also an Ammo Ship Explosion in Archangelsk, Russia on February 20, 1917 during World War 1, trigerred by ammunition carried on the ship.
Estimated number killed 1,500

4- Memphis, Tennessee, US, April 27, 1865

This was probably one of the worst maritime disaster in American history, when the steamship Sultana exploded and burned on the Mississippi River. The Sultana, used to make frequent trips up and down the Mississippi River between New Orleans and St. Louis during the war, often carrying military personnel. During one trip the ship’s boiler exploded on Sultana a paddle steamer.
Estimated number killed 1,547

5- Hamont Station, Belgium, August 3, 1918

The disaster of August 3, 1918 of Hamon in Belgium was caused by ammunitions explosion again. This time ammunition was triggered in side the trains carrying them setting of huge fire and destruction.
Estimated number killed 1,750

6- Halifax, Nova Scotia, December 6, 1917

The Halifax Explosion occurred on Thursday, December 6, 1917, when the Canadian city of Halifax was devastated by the huge detonation of the SS Mont-Blanc, a French cargo ship, fully loaded with wartime explosives, which accidentally crashed with the Norwegian SS Imo.
Estimated number killed 1,963

7- Lanchow, China, October 26, 1935

Data still not quite clear about this explosion disaster but what we know for sure that it was caused by an arsenal fire.
Estimated number killed 2,000

8- Salang Tunnel, Afghanistan, November 3, 1982

During the Soviet-Afghan war, the tunnel of Salang was a crucial military link to the South but prone to ambush attacks. On November 3, 1982 the Salang tunnel fire was caused after a gasoline tanker truck blew up in the tunnel and the fire engulfed a military convoy.
Estimated number killed more than 2,000 people

9- Breschia, Italy, August 18, 1769

In this explosion the Church of San Nazaire caught on fire after being struck by lightening. The explosion caused massive damage and killed scores of people.
Estimated number more than 3000 people

10- Rhodes, Greece, April 3, 1856

The explosion event in Rhodes holds the record for the most disastrous explosion of all times. The fire caused was a lightning strike, which unfortunately hit a gunpowder storage cargo.