List of disasters in Great Britain and Ireland by death toll

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Template:Short description Template:Use British English Template:Use dmy dates The following list of disasters in Great Britain and Ireland is a list of major disasters (excluding acts of warTemplate:Efn) which relate to the United Kingdom, Ireland or the Isle of Man, or to the states that preceded them, or that involved their citizens, in a definable incident or accident such as a shipwreck, where the loss of life was forty or more.

Over 1,000 fatalities

Deaths in
Italics indicate an
estimated figure
 Event Year Notes
3,500,000 Black Death pandemic 1347–1350 See discussion of death toll estimates at the death toll section
citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref> to 1,500,000 || Great Irish Famine || 1845–1849 || See discussion of death toll estimates at the death toll section

300,000 to 480,000<ref>Sir William Wilde, "Table of Cosmical Phenomena", pp. 124–32; Dickson, "The other great famine", in Cathal Póirtéir, (ed.) The Great Irish Famine (1955), Mercier Press, pp. 53–55; and David Dickson, "The gap in famines: a useful myth?", in E. Margaret Crawford (ed.), Famine: the Irish experience, Edinburgh: John Donald, 1989, pp. 97–98</ref> Great Irish Famine of 1740–41 (The Great Frost) 1740–1741 citation CitationClass=web

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250,000 1918 influenza pandemic 1918 (Sep–Nov) An estimated 200,000 people died in England and Wales.<ref>"British Influenza Epidemic of 1918–19" in Encyclopedia of Plague and Pestilence: From Ancient Times to the Present (3rd ed. 2008: ed. George Childs Kohn), Infobase, p. 46.</ref> Although the official number of deaths in Scotland due to the pandemic is 17,575, a modern estimate of total pandemic mortality in Scotland is between 27,641 and 33,771.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> About 20,000 died in Ireland.<ref>Michael B. A. Oldstone, Viruses, Plagues, and History, Oxford University Press, 1998, p. 174.</ref>
Template:COVID-19 data/Text (estimate for UK only) COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom and COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Ireland 2020–2023 The COVID-19 pandemic caused a worldwide death toll of 6.9 million people.
200,000+<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> 1557 influenza pandemic 1557–1561 From 1557 to 1559 the population contracted by 2%.
150,000+ Seven ill years 1695–1699 The last major famine to occur in Scotland. Marked by large-scale migration, especially to Ireland
125,000<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> 1889–1890 flu pandemic 1889–1893 Influenza pandemic originating from St Petersburg, Russia.
100,000+ [[Sweating sickness|Sweating sickness Template:Smaller]] 1485 ff. citation CitationClass=web

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80,000<ref name = "ExStar">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Hong Kong flu pandemic 1968–1970 Influenza pandemic. Figure for UK deaths only.
78,319+ Third cholera pandemic 1848–1854 First cases in Edinburgh in October 1848. Major outbreaks across Britain, including the famous 1854 Broad Street cholera outbreak, where John Snow was able to identify contaminated water as being the source of the disease.<ref name="1947 Cholera report">Template:Cite journal</ref> Estimate is for deaths in Great Britain only.
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}}</ref> || Great Plague of London || 1665–1666 || The last major epidemic of the bubonic plague to occur in England.

65,000 Year Without a Summer 1816 Famine and typhoid fever in Ireland<ref>Bill Bryson; A Short History..., p. 372, Template:ISBN</ref> and food riots in England and France, caused by the 1815 eruption of Mount Tambora affecting the weather.
60,000<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> 1847–48 influenza pandemic 1847–1848 Worldwide influenza outbreak.
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}}</ref>Template:Efn|| 1870–1875 Europe smallpox epidemic || 1870–1875 || Mortality figure for England and Scotland only. The epidemic started during the Franco-Prussian War, and spread throughout Europe.

41,644+<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> 1837–1840 smallpox epidemic 1837–1840 Especially severe smallpox epidemic.
40,000 1603 London plague epidemic 1603 Bubonic plague epidemic in London.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

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}}</ref><ref>Bell, Walter George (1951). Belinda Hollyer (ed.). The great Plague in London (folio society ed.). Folio society by arrangement with Random House. pp. 3–5</ref>

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}}</ref> || 1775–1776 England Influenza outbreak || 1775–1776 || Unusually deadly influenza epidemic.

35,417 1625 London plague epidemic 1625 Bubonic plague epidemic in London.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
33,000<ref name="ExStar" /> Asian flu pandemic 1957–1958 Influenza pandemic which originated in Guizhou, China.
32,854 Second cholera pandemic 1831–1833 The disease arrived in Britain from Asia in October 1831. Major outbreaks in various cities. Cases tailed off after 1833.<ref name="1947 Cholera report"/>
23,000<ref name="BBC Laki">Template:Cite news</ref>Template:Efn "Laki haze" 1783–1784 (Jun–Feb) Eruption of a volcano in Iceland sent a huge toxic gas cloud across Britain, killing thousands.<ref name="BBC Laki" />
20,100+ 1563 London plague 1563–1564 Bubonic plague epidemic in London.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
20,000 1235 famine 1235 London badly affected; many resort to eating tree bark for survival.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
19,900+ 1592–93 London plague 1592–1593 Bubonic plague epidemic in London.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
17,000+<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 1257 Samalas eruption 1258 Crop failures and famines caused by the 1257 Samalas eruption in Indonesia affecting the weather; around 15,000 die in London.
15,785 to 16,447 HIV/AIDS pandemic 1979–present Approximately 12,105 had died in the UK by 1996.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Between 1997 and 2012, 2,450 died of AIDS-related illness in England and Wales.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref> Between 2013 and 2018, approximately 832–1,494 died because of HIV/AIDS in the UK.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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}}</ref>Template:Efn About 398 died in Ireland by 2005.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

15,548+ Fourth cholera pandemic 1865–1873 Major outbreaks in 1865 and 1866. Smaller outbreaks in Scotland in 1873.<ref name="1947 Cholera report" />
12,000 Storegga Slide Template:Date table sorting Massive submarine landslides off the coast of Norway cause a huge tsunami to hit the eastern coast of Britain, killing 12,000 prehistoric Britons. This was one quarter of the entire population at the time.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
8,000 Great Storm of 1703 1703 (26 November) Atlantic hurricane across southern England and the English Channel, deaths chiefly at sea, including 1083 in naval ships wrecked on Goodwin Sands<ref name="Pocket On This Day">Template:Cite book</ref>
7,600 Winter of 1894–95 1894–1895 (December–February) An 8-week period of severe cold weather with a weekly death rate of around 950.<ref>"The Frost Of 1895", British Medical Journal. Vol. 1, No. 1790 (20 April 1895), p. 886. Template:JSTOR</ref>
6,500+<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="amflu">Template:Cite book</ref> 1729 Influenza epidemic 1729 (September–December) Influenza outbreak with very high mortality rates.
5,000+<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> 1836–37 influenza pandemic 1836–1837 Influenza outbreak with high mortality rates.
5,000+ Great Famine (14th century) 1315–1317
Template:Nowrap Great Smog of London 1952 (December)
4,000 to 7,000 HMT Lancastria 17 June 1940 - largest single-ship loss of life in British maritime history
4,000 1911 United Kingdom heat wave 1911 (July–September) Newspapers ran "deaths from heat" columns.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
3,500+ 1782 Central Atlantic hurricane 1782 (16–17 Sep) Loss of HMS Ramillies, HMS Centaur; storeships Dutton and British Queen; captured French prize ships Ville de Paris, Glorieux, Hector and Caton; plus other merchantmen.
3,200+<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> The encephalitis lethargica pandemic of 1915–1926 1917–1924 Some victims were left in a statue-like condition, and many of those who survived never returned to their pre-existing "aliveness"; it is thought that the Spanish flu pandemic, which coincided with the encephalitis pandemic, contributed to the seriousness of the disease<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
3,000+ Tainted blood scandal 1970s–1980s (deaths up to decades later)<ref>http://www.taintedblood.info/timeline/ Template:Webarchive Retrieved 1 September 2015</ref> citation CitationClass=web

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3,000 1212 Great Fire of London 1212 (10 July) Source for fatalities is the Guinness Book of Records<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> but historical evidence unclear
3,000 1976 British Isles heat wave 1976 (23 June – 27 August) At the time the hottest summer in central England in 250 years<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
2,985 2022 European heatwave 2022 saw five distinct extreme heat periods between 16 June and 25 August The summer of 2022 saw the highest ever recorded temperature in England at 40.3C
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}}</ref> || 2006 European heat wave || 2006 (26 June – 30 July)

2,234 <ref>Difference between the number of deaths in that period and the average number in other years.</ref> 2003 European heat wave 2003 (4–13 August)
2,200 1880 London coal smog 1880 citation CitationClass=web

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2,000+ 1540 European drought, 1540–1541 great heat and drought, 1540 also known as the 'Big Sun Year' 1540–1541 Heat and drought caused freshwater from the Thames to shrink to such an unprecedented extent that seawater flowed on the tide past London Bridge, polluting the water supply. The resulting dysentery and cholera killed 'thousands'.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

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2,000 Bristol Channel floods 1607 (30 January)<ref name="NewStyle">New style dating.</ref>
1,900+ Christmas Eve storm 1811 (24 December) Wrecks Template:HMS, Template:HMS and Template:HMS off Thorsminde, Jutland; and Template:HMS and the transport Template:Ship off Texel, Netherlands
1,550+ Scilly naval disaster 1707 (22 October) HMS Association, Template:HMS, Template:HMS and Template:HMS
1,500+ Peasants' Revolt 1381 (30 May–November) Peasants protest against poll taxes, serfdom and the socio-economic tensions generated by the Black Death pandemic. Some march on London demanding reform, and after initial successes are brutally suppressed.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
1,500+ RMS Titanic 1912 (15 April) Estimates vary but most official sources and historians put the death toll at upwards of 1500.
1,200 Strait of Gibraltar storm 1694 (1 March)<ref name="NewStyle"/> Wrecks HMS Sussex and accompanying ships
1,198 Template:RMS 1915 (7 May) Struck by torpedo on starboard side. Sank in the Celtic Sea within 18 minutes
1,012 Template:RMS 1914 (29 May) Canadian Pacific ship sank in Gulf of St. Lawrence, registered in UK with crew almost entirely from Merseyside
1,000+<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Storm off Winterton Ness 1692 200 colliers wrecked off the Norfolk coast
1,000<ref name="smog report">Template:Cite journal</ref> 1956 London smog 1956 (December)
1,000 1867 San Narciso hurricane 1867 (29 October) Up to 50 UK vessels driven ashore on Saint Thomas, Danish West Indies, including Template:RMS and RMS Wye (180 deaths between these)<ref name="Marshall, Logan 1912">Marshall, Logan (1912). Sinking of the Titanic and Great Disasters of the Sea.</ref>
1,000 Great Hurricane of 1780 in the Caribbean 1780 (10 October) Royal Navy ships lost included HMS Stirling Castle, HMS Laurel, HMS Andromeda, HMS Thunderer and HMS Phoenix

200–999 fatalities

Deaths in
Italics indicate an
estimated figure
 Event Year Notes
908 2016 heat wave 2016 (September) Included the hottest September day in the UK since 1911<ref name="heat wave report" />
900+ Plymouth Sound storm 1691 (3 September) Wrecks HMS Coronation<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref> and HMS Harwich<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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}}</ref> killing 600 + 300 respectively

900 HMS Victory (1737) 1744 (3 October) Wrecked on the Casquets in the Channel Islands
892 2019 European heatwaves 2019 (July–August) Temperatures were as high as 38.7C in Cambridge, the highest temperature ever recorded in the UK at the time<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
890+ Quebec Expedition disaster 1711 (22 August) Seven transport ships and one storeship wrecked in thick fog on the Saint Lawrence River, Canada
863<ref name="heat wave report" /> 2018 British Isles heat wave 2018 (22 June – 7 August)
843 Template:HMS explosion 1917 (9 July) Magazine explosion in Scapa Flow
800 HMS Royal George capsizes 1782 (29 August) At Spithead
780 1873 London smog 1873 (December) The first in a series of major smog build-ups in London<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

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779<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> 1892 London smog 1892 (December) Excess deaths from air pollution
778<ref name="heat wave report" /> 2017 heat wave 2017 (June)
748+ Royal Charter Storm 1859 (26 October) The Royal Charter and other ships wrecked in Lligwy Bay, Anglesey
738 HMS Bulwark explosion 1914 (26 November) Magazine explosion off Sheerness
700 to 800<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> 1948 London smog 1948 (26 November – 1 December) Excess deaths from air pollution
699 HMS Ramillies<ref>Formerly HMS Royal Katherine</ref> 1760 (15 February) Ran aground off Bolt Head, Devon
690 HMS Queen Charlotte fire 1800 (17 March) Exploded in the Tuscan Archipelago
646 SS Mendi 1917 (21 February) Rammed by SS Darro off the Isle of Wight
640 Template:SS disaster 1878 (3 September) Collision with the Bywell Castle in the River Thames near Woolwich (Estimates vary, but most historians put the death toll as between 600 and 700)
635 SS Norge shipwreck 1904 (28 June) Danish ship ran aground off Rockall
619 1995 Great Britain and Ireland heat wave 1995 (28 June – 22 August) The hottest August on record in England and Wales since 1659<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
612 Tramore storm 1816 (30 January) Wrecks the ships Template:Ship,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref> Boadicea and Template:Ship<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

600+ an unidentified troop ship 1796 (23 January) Shipwreck possibly one of Admiral Christian's West Indies convoy wrecked on Loe Bar, Cornwall<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
564 SS Utopia disaster 1891 (17 March) British ship carrying (mostly) Italian migrants in collision with HMS Anson off Gibraltar<ref>562 passengers and crewmembers of Utopia and two rescuers from HMS Immortalité. "The Dead of the Utopia", The New York Times, 20 March 1891.</ref>
546 Template:SS 1873 (1 April) White Star liner struck rocks off Nova Scotia
540 to 760<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 2013 Great Britain and Ireland heat wave 2013 (July) Estimate for UK deaths only
531+ 1623–24 famine 1623–1624 East Lancashire badly affected;<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> said to be the last peace-time famine in England.
531<ref>British victims only.</ref> 1953 North Sea storm and flood 1953 (31 JanTemplate:Spaced ndash1 Feb) Included the ferry MV Princess Victoria
520 HMS Namur 1749 (14 April) Wrecked in a storm near Fort St. David, India
500 HMS Minotaur 1810 (22 December) Wrecked on Haak Bank near Texel, Netherlands
500 "Black Monday" 1209 (Easter Monday) Massacre of English settlers by Irish clans, near Ranelagh, Dublin
491 HMS York 1804 (Jan) Struck the Inchcape rock and sank with the loss of her entire crew
481 HMS Captain 1870 (7 September) Sank off Cape Finisterre, Spain, due to design flaws
480 SS City of Glasgow 1854 (March) Disappeared after leaving Liverpool for Philadelphia
473 Cospatrick 1874 (18 November) Caught fire in the South Atlantic
464 HMS Courageux 1796 (18 December) Shipwrecked at Apes' Hill, Barbary Coast (now Monte Hacho, Ceuta, Africa)<ref>Grocott, p. 41.</ref>
457<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 2009 swine flu pandemic 2009–2010 Global influenza pandemic, the second involving the influenza A virus subtype H1N1 after the Spanish flu
454 Vryheid 1802 (23 November) Formerly Template:Ship, shipwrecked in a gale off the Kent coast between Hythe and Dymchurch; 18 of 472 on board survived
450 HMS Birkenhead 1852 (25 February) Shipwrecked near Cape Town
450 Royal Charter (ship) 1859 (26 October) Wrecked off Dulas Bay, Anglesey
439 Senghenydd colliery disaster 1913 (14 October) Gas explosion at the Universal Colliery, Senghenydd, Caerphilly, Glamorganshire, Britain's worst mining accident
431 HMS Otranto 1918 (6 October) Shipwrecked off Islay. 351 United States troops and 80 crew perished
424 Pomona 1859 (30 April) American ship carrying, mainly Irish, emigrants from Liverpool to New York, wrecked on a sandbank at Ballyconigar, off Wexford, Ireland
421 HMS Natal 1915 (30 December) Magazine explosion. Precise number of deaths disputed; 421 is highest estimate
400+ Sinking of Rochdale and Prince of Wales 1807 (20 November) Ships carrying troops leaving Dublin for the Napoleonic Wars
400+ HMS Invincible 1801 (16 March) Sank off Norfolk while en route to the Battle of Copenhagen
400 HMS Winchester 1695 (1 September) Shipwrecked on a reef off Key Largo, Florida
400 Cataraqui 1845 (4 August) Shipwrecked off King Island (Tasmania)
384 Annie Jane 1853 (28 September) Emigrant ship out of Liverpool, wrecked on Vatersay in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland
361 The Oaks explosion 1866 (12 December) Colliery disaster, Barnsley, Yorkshire (383 claimed but not verified)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

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380 Mary Rose 1545 (18 July) Warship sank in action off Portsmouth
379 Template:HMS 1943 (27 March) Aircraft carrier: accidental fuel explosion in Firth of Clyde
374 Driver 1856 (February) American clipper ship carrying migrants to the US out of Liverpool, disappeared while crossing the Atlantic Ocean
372 Arniston 1815 (30 May) Wrecked at Waenhuiskrans, South Africa
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}}</ref> || Queen || 1814 (14 Jan) || Wrecked in Carrick Roads, Cornwall

360+ Elizabeth 1810 (27 December) Chartered East Indiaman wrecked off Dunkirk
358 HMS Victoria 1893 (22 June) Rammed by HMS Camperdown in the Mediterranean Sea
352 HMS Princess Irene 1915 (27 May) Explosion while on the River Medway, Sheerness
349 HMS Sceptre 1799 (5 November) Wrecked during a storm in Table Bay, near the Cape of Good Hope<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
347 Template:HMS 1806 (20 October) Wrecked off Tunisia; 100 survivors crammed into the ship's launch
344 Pretoria Pit Disaster 1910 (21 December) Underground explosion at the Hulton Bank Colliery, Westhoughton, Lancashire
340 Aeneas 1805 (23 October) Troopship wrecked on the Îles aux Mortes along the Canadian coastline while carrying troops to Quebec
338 HMS Curaçao 1942 (2 October) Light cruiser run down and cut in two by Template:RMS north of Ireland
335 Template:SS 1875 (7 May) German liner wrecked off the Isles of Scilly
329 Air India Flight 182 1985 (23 June) Act of terror: destroyed by a bomb, crashed into the Atlantic Ocean while in Irish airspace
317<ref>317 named fatalities (Memorials & Monuments in St Ann's Church – HMS Eurydice Template:Webarchive).</ref> Template:HMS 1878 (22 March) Sank off the Isle of Wight; commemorated by Gerard Manley Hopkins in the poem "The Loss of the Eurydice"
316+ Sybelle 1834 (11 September) Emigrant ship out of Cromarty wrecked off St. Paul Island (Nova Scotia)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
303<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Kapunda 1887 (20 January) Emigrant ship out of London, collided with the barque Ada Melmore off Brazil
300 to 400<ref name="smog report" /> 1962 London smog 1962 (December)
300 White Ship 1120 (25 November) Shipwrecked off Barfleur, Normandy, taking the only legitimate son of King Henry I of England
300+ HMS Amphion 1796 (22 September) Magazine explosion while at Plymouth, Devon
300 HMS London 1665 (7 March) Accidental explosion while in the Thames Estuary
297 RMS Tayleur 1854 (21 January) Shipwrecked off Lambay Island, Dublin Bay during its maiden voyage after its iron hull deflected its compass
293 Northfleet 1873 (22 January) Rammed at night by a Spanish steamboat while anchored off Dungeness
290 Albion Colliery explosion 1894 (23 June) Firedamp explosion at Cilfynydd in South Wales<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

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285 Gordon Riots 1780 (2–13 June) Rioters shot by troops
281 HMS Atalanta 1880 (31 January) HMS Eurydice's sister ship, disappeared after leaving Bermuda bound for Falmouth, Cornwall
276 VOC Hollandia 1743 (13 June) Shipwrecked off Annet, Isles of Scilly
270 Great Sheffield Flood 1864 (11 March) Caused by collapse of Dale Dike Reservoir during its first filling
270<ref>All victims, regardless of nationality.</ref> Pan Am Flight 103 1988 (21 December) Blown apart at 31,000 ft over Lockerbie, Scotland, by terrorist bomb in hold
268 Abercarn colliery disaster 1878 (11 September) Mining disaster at Abercarn, MonmouthshireTemplate:Citation needed
266 Gresford Disaster 1934 (22 September) Mining accident near Wrexham, North Wales
260 Earl of Abergavenny 1805 (5 February) East Indiaman shipwrecked off Portland Bill
253 HMS Saldanha 1811 (4 December) Shipwrecked during gale off Lough Swilly, Donegal, Ireland
250+ Night of the Big Wind 1839 (6–7 January) A severe windstorm sweeps across Ireland causing flooding and other damage
250+ RMS Royal Adelaide 1850 (30 March) Irish paddle steamer shipwrecked on Tongue Sands off Margate, Kent<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
247 East Indiaman Doddington 1755 (17 July) Shipwrecked in Algoa Bay, South Africa
246 HMS Avenger 1847 (20 December) Wrecked off the Galite Islands, Tunisia
241 Template:Ship 1847 (28 April) Shipwrecked off Islay<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

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240 HMS Lutine 1799 (9 October) Shipwrecked off Vlieland
238<ref>Mostly non-British nationals.</ref> MV Dara 1961 (8 April) British-India Steam Navigation Company passenger liner evacuated in the Persian Gulf off Dubai following explosion and fire
237 SS Anglo Saxon 1863 (27 April) Canadian ship wrecked in dense fog off Cape Race, Newfoundland, Canada on passage from Liverpool
228 HMS Tribune 1797 (16 November) Wrecked during a storm off Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
226 Quintinshill rail crash 1915 (22 May) Three-train collision in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, Britain's worst railway accident<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
224 Template:Ship 1835 (13 May) Convict ship out of Cork wrecked on reefs off King Island, Tasmania
220 SS London 1866 (11 January) Sank during gale in the Bay of Biscay<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

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220 Great Blizzard of 1891 1891 (9–13 March) Strong winds and snow across southern England lead to deaths on land and at sea<ref>Woodward, Antony; Penn, Robert (2007). The Wrong Kind of Snow. Template:ISBN</ref>
220 Hartley Colliery disaster 1862 (16 January) Caused by steam engine metal fatigue, in Northumberland
215 Lady of the Lake 1833 (11 May) Struck iceberg in the North Atlantic and sank
212 Sovereign 1814 (18 October) Wrecked off St. Paul Island (Nova Scotia)
210 SS Rinaldo 1878 (18 December) Collision with French steamship Byzantin (which sustains most casualties) in the Dardanelles<ref name="Marshall, Logan 1912"/>
208 Harpooner 1816 (10 November) Military transport ship shipwrecked off Newfoundland
207 Blantyre mining disaster 1877 (22 October) Gas explosion in a Scottish colliery
205 Template:SS 1860 (20 February) A Canadian Allan Line Royal Mail Steamer out of Liverpool and Queenstown (Cobh) wrecked off Cape Sable Island (Nova Scotia)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

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201 HMY Iolaire 1919 (1 January) Admiralty yacht returning soldiers to the Isle of Lewis after World War I sank off Holm near Stornoway in the Outer Hebrides<ref name = list>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

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100–199 fatalities

Deaths in
Italics indicate an
estimated figure
 Event Year Notes
193 MS Herald of Free Enterprise 1987 (6 March) Ferry capsized off Zeebrugge in under one minute after its RORO bow doors were left open. Unlawful killing verdict.
192 Transport ship Dispatch and Brig-of-War HMS Primrose 1809 (22 January) Both ships sank after hitting The Manacles.<ref name=Manacles>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

191 Template:SS (Inman Line) 1870 (after 28 January) Ship out of New York City and Halifax, Nova Scotia, bound for Liverpool disappeared in the Atlantic Ocean, possibly struck an iceberg
189 Lundhill Colliery explosion 1857 (19 February) Colliery disaster, Wombwell, Yorkshire.
189 Wood Pit Colliery explosion 1878 (7 June) Colliery disaster, Haydock, Lancashire. The total fatalities, which included one man and all of his five sons, may have been 204 or more.<ref>Ian Winstanley, Those Who Died Template:Webarchive</ref>
189 HMS Orpheus 1863 (7 February) Sank off Auckland due to outdated nautical charts and shortcuts.
189 Eyemouth Disaster 1881 (14 October) Local fishing fleet sank during a European windstorm that struck the southeast coast of Scotland. [1]
186 Exeter Theatre Royal fire 1887 (5 September) Fire at the Theatre Royal, Exeter caused by gas lights.
186 PS Pacific 1856 (after 23 January) American ship lost at sea out of Liverpool [sister ship of SS Arctic]
183 Victoria Hall disaster 1883 (16 June) Crowd crush at Sunderland after a children's Variety show to get prizes and gifts resulted in compressive asphyxia and trampling.
179 SS Cambria 1870 (19 October) Shipwrecked at Inishtrahull
178 United Kingdom BSE outbreak 1996–2001 Variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease outbreak in the UK. Known colloquially as "mad cow disease", victims contracted the disease through eating infected beef.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref><ref name="vCJD">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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178 First Ferndale Colliery disaster 1867 (8 November) Mining disaster in the Rhondda Valley, Glamorganshire, caused by gas accumulation and miners tampering with safety lamps
178 Ocean Monarch 1848 (24 August) Shipwreck and fire off Great Orme, Llandudno caused by steerage passengers' smoking materials
178 Clifton Hall Colliery explosion 1885 (18 June) Explosion of firedamp gas in a colliery at Salford
176 Turkish Airlines Flight 981 1974 (3 March) Crashed in the Ermenonville Forest, France due to cargo door design flaw.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref> The flight was headed to London Heathrow and most of the passengers were British

176 Llannerch, Cwmnantddu 1890 (6 February) Colliery gas explosion near Pontypool, Monmouthshire after the mine refused safety lamps by its MD two months earlier
173 Bethnal Green tube station panic 1943 (3 March) Crowd crush caused by British anti-aircraft battery salvo
172 HMS Serpent 1890 (9 November) Royal Navy torpedo cruiser launched in 1887 shipwrecked off Camariñas, Galicia
168 Burns Pit Disaster 1909 (16 February) Mining disaster at Stanley, County Durham
167 Piper Alpha 1988 (6 July) Oil platform gas leak, explosion and fire 30m above cold seas in the North Sea
164 Seaham Colliery accident 1880 (8 September) Mining accident at Seaham, County Durham
163<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The John Bodkin Adams murders 1946–1956 Though controversially acquitted in court of the murder of a patient in 1957, Doctor John Bodkin Adams is widely suspected to have murdered around 163 of his patients over 10 years<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
157 Deutschland 1875 (6 December) Shipwrecked during a blizzard on Kentish Knock sandbank, Thames Estuary. Tugboat rescue delayed until the next day, most died of hypothermia
155 Minnie Pit disaster 1918 (12 January) Mining disaster at Podmore Hall, Halmer End, Staffordshire
150 Clifford's Tower fire massacre 1190 (16 March) Massacre of Jews in York by a mob
146 Risca colliery disasters 1860 (1 December) Coal mining disaster at Black Vein Colliery Risca, Monmouthshire caused by a gas explosion
146 Dan-Air Flight 1008 1980 (25 April) Air traffic control instructed the plane to fly an unpublished holding pattern, which led the plane into the dangerously high terrain of Mount Esperanza, Tenerife
146 Aberfan disaster 1966 (21 October) Coal-waste spoil tip collapsed onto a junior school, Glamorganshire
143 Swaithe Main Colliery disaster 1875 (6 December) Mining disaster at Worsbrough, Yorkshire
141 SS Berlin 1907 (21 February) Great Eastern Railway steamship out of Harwich wrecked off Hook of Holland
140 HMS Condor 1901 (3 December) Ship lost with all hands in a gale off Vancouver Island
140 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami 2004 (26 December) UK victims only; see Countries affected by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
139 George III 1835 (12 April) Convict ship wrecked in D'Entrecasteaux Channel, Tasmania
139 Combs Pit disaster 1893 (4 July) Mining disaster at Thornhill, Yorkshire
137 National Shell Filling Factory explosion 1918 (1 July) Munitions explosion at Chilwell in Nottinghamshire. Eight tons of TNT exploded
136 Wellington Pit disaster 1910 (11 May) Coal mining disaster at Whitehaven, Cumberland
135 Fifth cholera pandemic 1893 The last outbreak of cholera in Britain took place in 1893<ref name="1947 Cholera report" />
135 Alexander 1815 (27 March) Ship out of Bombay wrecked near Portland within sight of shore. The ship was caught in a gale and ran aground at night
133 Template:Ship 1833 (31 August) Convict ship from Woolwich to Australia wrecked off Boulogne
133 MV Princess Victoria 1953 (31 January) Early roll-on/roll-off ferry disaster in the North Channel during a storm.
131 Lincoln typhoid fever epidemic 1904 (November) – 1905 (April)
130 Rothsay Castle 1831 (18 August) Paddle steamer from Liverpool shipwrecked in the Menai Strait under the command of a drunken captain.
129 John Franklin's Northwest Passage expedition 1845–1848 HMS Erebus and HMS Terror caught in pack ice; the crews endured botulism, lead poisoning and cannibalism before starvation.
128 TSMS Lakonia 1963 (22 December) Caught fire and sank off Madeira. Resulted in 98 (mainly British) passenger deaths, plus 33 crew fatalities.
128 HMS Gladiator 1908 (25 April) Shipwrecked in a collision with an American steamship during a snowstorm, Isle of Wight.
125 HMS Primrose 1809 (22 January) Shipwrecked on The Manacles, Cornwall.
125 SS Hilda 1905 (18 November) London & South Western Railway steamship wrecked in snow squalls off Saint-Malo.
124 BOAC Flight 911 1966 (5 March) Aircraft broke up in flight near Mount Fuji, Japan. A significant percentage of the fatalities were American and Japanese citizens.
124 SS Daphne 1883 (3 July) Capsized during her ship naming and launching, River Clyde, Glasgow.
123 Ocean Queen 1856 (February) Clipper ship out of London disappeared in the Atlantic Ocean.
121 Dunbar 1857 (20 August) Clipper out of Plymouth wrecked at Sydney Cove, Australia.
120 New Risca pit explosion 1880 (5 July) Coal mining disaster, Risca, Monmouthshire.
120+ Bibighar Massacre 1857 (15 July) Massacre of European women and children at Cawnpore (Kanpur), India during the Indian Rebellion of 1857.
119 National Colliery explosion 1905 (11 July) Coal mine explosion at Wattstown, Rhondda Valley, Glamorganshire.
118 British European Airways Flight 548 1972 (18 June) Crashed into a field at Staines. Possible heart attack suffered by the pilot after takeoff.
114 Cymmer Colliery explosion 1856 (15 July) Coal mine explosion at Cymmer, Porth, Glamorganshire.
112 Parc Slip Colliery gas explosion 1892 (26 August) Gas explosion due to a damaged Davy lamp, Tondu, Glamorganshire
112 SS Stella 1899 (30 March) London & South Western Railway steamship wrecked on a granite reef in fog at full speed, sinking in 8 minutes, at the Casquets, Channel Islands.
112 Harrow and Wealdstone rail crash 1952 (8 October) Three trains collided in patchy fog in morning rush hour. Death toll second only to Quintinshill rail crash.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
112 Dan-Air Flight 1903 1970 (3 July) De Havilland Comet crashed into a mountain in Catalonia, Spain
111 Caledonian Airways Flight 153 1962 (4 March) Crashed after take-off from Douala, Cameroon
110 <ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Template:RMS 1852 (4 January) Steam engine of a wooden mail paddle steamer caught fire in the Bay of Biscay
109 Faversham gunpowder mill explosion 1916 (2 April)
108 Invicta International Airlines Flight 435 1973 (10 April) Crashed into a forested, snowy hillside near Hochwald, Switzerland
106 SS Mohegan 1898 (14 October) Shipwrecked off The Manacles, Cornwall
104 William Pit disaster 1947 (15 August) Coal mining disaster at Whitehaven, Cumberland<ref>– Photograph of William PitTemplate:Dead link</ref>
104 HMS Brazen 1800 (26 January) Shipwrecked off Newhaven, Sussex.
102 Pelican 1793 (20 March) Sank in the River Mersey.
102 HMS Feversham 1711 (7 October) Shipwrecked off Scatarie Island, Louisbourg, Nova Scotia.
102 Wallsend Colliery explosion 1835 (18 June) Colliery explosion, Wallsend, Northumberland.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

101 Naval Steam Colliery explosion 1880 (10 December) Colliery explosion, Tonypandy, Rhondda Valley. 4 bodies unidentified.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

100+ Template:HMS 1748 (27 February) Wrecked on the Seven Stones reef.<ref name=larn92>Template:Cite book</ref>
100 to 240<ref name="BBC 2011" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Windscale fire 1957 (10 October) (deaths up to decades later) One of the world's worst nuclear accidents.<ref name="BBC 2011">Template:Cite news</ref> Radioactive material released, causing many local cancer deaths in the long term.<ref name= "BBC 2007">Template:Cite news</ref> Number of deaths disputed.<ref name="BBC 2007" />
100 "Battle" of May Island 1918 (31 January – 1 February) Two Royal Navy submarines sunk after collisions during naval exercise
100 Moray Firth fishing disaster 1848 (19 August) Open hulled fishing fleet storm disaster
100 HMS Confiance 1822 (21 September) 36-gun, 393 ton brig sloop was wrecked between Mizen Head and Three Castles Head, at the south-westernmost point of Ireland
100<ref>The Avalanche.</ref> Avalanche 1877 (11 September) Ship out of London for Wellington, New Zealand, collided with American Forest Queen off Isle of Portland, English Channel, both sinking, with a further 20+ casualties from the Forest Queen

Fewer than 100 fatalities

Deaths
Italics indicate an
estimated figure
 Event Year Notes
99 Meikle Ferry disaster 1809 (16 August) Over-laden ferryboat sank in Dornoch Firth, Scotland
99 HMS Thetis submarine disaster 1939 (1 June) Flooded through torpedo tube during pre-war sea trials, Liverpool Bay, salvaged but sunk by depth charges with all hands in 1943
98 Edmond 1850 (19 November) A chartered passenger sailing vessel sunk at Edmond Point in Kilkee, County Clare with 216 on board
98 Britannia Airways Flight 105 1966 (1 September) Britannia Airways Bristol Britannia G-ANBB from Luton Airport, aircrash at Ljubljana
97 Hillsborough Stadium Disaster 1989 (15 April) 97 men, woman and 37 teenagers killed, police failures were the main cause of the tragedy in the United Kingdom’s worst sporting disaster
95 Haswell Colliery explosion 1844 (28 September) County Durham
95 "Fatal Vespers" 1623 (26 October) Floor collapse at house in Blackfriars, London, being used as a chapel
94 Carlingford Lough disaster 1916 (3 November) Template:SS and a coalship SS Retriever collided and sank, Carlingford Lough, County Down
93 St Scholastica Day riot, Oxford 1355 (10–12 February) A "town and gown" dispute over beer escalates over three days
92 Felling mine disaster, County Durham 1812 (25 May) Firedamp explosion, ushers in safety lamps by George Stephenson and Humphry Davy
91 Carrick-on-Suir disaster 1799 (9 February) Barge capsize under bridge, in Ireland<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name = IWH_COS>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

91 Cadeby Main pit disaster 1912 (9 July) Two underground coal mine explosions at Cadeby, South Yorkshire
90 Lewisham rail crash 1957 (4 December) Railway signals missed in the rush hour fog
88 Armagh rail disaster 1889 (12 June) 10 runaway railway passenger cars on a Sunday School day trip
88 1967 Air Ferry DC-4 accident, 1967 (3 June) Douglas C-54 G-APYK, from Kent International Airport, Mont Canigou, France
87 Morfa Mine, Port Talbot 1890 (10 March) Glamorganshire, Colliery gas explosion
86 SS Egypt 1922 (20 May) Shipwreck, off Ushant, Brittany
85 Rohilla 1914 (30 October) Ran aground off Whitby, with a survivor of the sinking of the Template:RMS two years earlier rescued again
84 British Eagle 1964 (29 February) International Airlines aircrash Bristol Britannia G-AOVO from Heathrow Airport, Innsbruck, Austria,
84 Paisley canal disaster 1810 (10 November) Canal pleasure boat capsize, Paisley, Scotland
83 East Side pit, Senghenydd 1901 (24 May) Glamorganshire, Colliery gas explosion, precursor to the 1913 disaster
81 Mardy Colliery, Rhondda Valley 1885 (23 December) Glamorganshire, mining disaster
81 Easington Colliery 1951 (29 May) County Durham, coal mine explosion,
81 Holmfirth Flood 1852 (5 February) Bilberry Reservoir collapsed, Holme Valley, West Yorkshire
80+ PS Queen Victoria 1853 (15 February) Wrecked below a lighthouse in a night-time snowstorm, off Howth Head, Dublin
80 Llandow air disaster 1950 (12 March) Fairflight Avro Tudor G-AKBY, Sigginstone, Glamorganshire, with returning Welsh Rugby Union supporters on board (highest confirmed death toll of any civil aviation disaster up to that date)
80 Creswell Colliery 1950 (26 September) Mining accident caused by smoke inhalation, Creswell, Derbyshire
79 Great Yarmouth Suspension bridge 1846 (2 May) Collapse above a river, killing children watching a clown
79 British Admiral out of Liverpool wrecked off Tasmania 1874 (23 May)
79 HMS Glatton 1918 (16 September) Wrecked by accidental explosion, Dover harbour
79 Markham Colliery disaster 1938 (10 May) Underground explosion Derbyshire
78 Burwell, Cambridgeshire Barn fire 1727 (8 September) Occurred during a puppet show with the doors nailed shut
77 Ocean Home 1856 (5 September) American ship sinks after collision with Cherubim off Lizard Point, Cornwall
77 Diglake Colliery Disaster 1895 (14 January) Inrush of water into Diglake Colliery, North Staffordshire
76 Third plague pandemic 1896–1926 Series of outbreaks across Britain and Ireland as part of a pandemic, with Glasgow and Suffolk being particularly badly affected (the last death of plague in Britain occurred in 1926)<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
76 Maypole Colliery disaster 1908 (18 August) Underground explosion at Abram, Lancashire
75 Tay Bridge disaster 1879 (28 December) Cast iron bridge collapse with a train crossing during an evening storm, Dundee
75 HMS Affray 1951 (17 April) Mysterious submarine disaster in English Channel
75 STV Royston Grange 1972 (11 May) A Houlder Line cargo liner, destroyed by fire after a collision with Liberian-registered tanker Tien Chee in the Rio de la Plata
74 Template:SS 1893 (19 February) Lost at sea, possibly due to iceberg strike off Nova Scotia, out of Liverpool, with no Wireless Telegraph to make a distress call
73 Udston mining disaster 1887 (28 May) Hamilton, Scotland, firedamp explosion
73 Silvertown explosion 1917 (19 January) Explosion in a TNT factory in West Ham [2]
72 Stockport Air Disaster 1967 (4 June) British Midland Airways Argonaut G-ALHG, an unrecognised flaw in the fuel system made the plane returning from Majorca uncontrollable.
72 Grenfell Tower fire 2017 (14 June) Residential tower block in North Kensington, London<ref name="BBCGFVictims">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

71 Glen Cinema Disaster 1929 (31 December) Paisley, Scotland<ref>Glen Cinema Website</ref>
70+ 1900 English beer poisoning 1900 6,000 people poisoned by consuming arsenic-tainted beer, with Manchester being the worst affected area<ref name="Dyer">Template:Cite journal</ref>
70 Great Gale of 1871 1871 (10 February) Bridlington 100 shipwrecks, incl. Royal National Lifeboat Harbinger, plus other losses at sea, estimated total of 70 marine fatalities
70 RAF Fauld 1944 (27 November) Munitions explosion during World War II, Staffordshire<ref>The Fauld Explosion.</ref> Largest explosion on British soil.
69 HMS M1 1925 (12 November) Submarine wreck in collision with Swedish surface vessel off Plymouth
69<ref>Template:Citation.</ref> Trimdon Grange colliery disaster 1882 (16 February) Underground explosion in County Durham
67 September 11, 2001 attacks 2001 (11 September) [UK victims only]
66 BEA Comet G-ARCO bombing 1967 (12 October) Off Rhodes [all nationalities] [3]
66 Ibrox disaster 1971 (2 January) Compressive asphyxia spectator crush on stairway at Ibrox Park football stadium, Glasgow
65 Theatre Royal, Dunlop Street, Glasgow 1849 (17 February) Panic ensuing from a false fire alarm
65 Cherokee class brig-sloop HMS Jasper 1817 (20 January) Wrecked in hurricane-force winds on either Rame Head, Cornwall or Bear's Head, Mount Batten, Devon<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

64 Middle Duffryn Mine 1852 (14 May) Colliery explosion near Aberdare, Glamorganshire<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

64 Masbrough boat disaster 1841 (5 July) John and William overturns on launch near Rotherham<ref>Rotherham1 – 1841 Boat Disaster, Masbrough</ref>
64 HMS Truculent 1950 (12 January) Submarine collision on the surface, Thames Estuary, survivors died of hypothermia on mid-winter mudbanks
63 British Airways Flight 576 1976 (10 September) Mid-air collision with Inex-Adria Aviopromet Flight 550 above Zagreb, caused by ATC error<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
63 Peckfield Colliery Disaster 1896 (30 April) Micklefield, Yorkshire
63 Victoria coal pit, Nitshill near Glasgow 1851 (15 March) Explosion<ref>Nitshill 15 March 1851 Template:Webarchive scottishmining.co.uk, accessed 5 April 2009</ref>
63 Great Western Mine 1893 (11 April) Rhondda Valley Colliery mining disaster, South Wales
63 BEA Flight 706 aircrash 1971 (2 October) A Vickers Vanguard G-APEC flight 706, Aarsele, Belgium
63 Mauricewood Colliery disaster 1889 (5 September) Underground fire, Penicuik, Scotland<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

63 Dinas Rhondda 1879 (13 January ) Colliery gas explosion at Llantrisant, Rhondda Valley, Glamorganshire<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

62 PS Comet II 1825 (21 October) Sank in collision off Gourock, Scotland
61 SS Thames 1841 (4 January) Steamship shipwrecked in a night-time storm, Isles of Scilly
61 Freckleton Air Disaster 1944 (23 August) A USAAF Consolidated B-24 Liberator heavy bomber crashed into a village school in a storm, Freckleton, Lancashire, (3 aircrew, 58 ground fatalities)
60+ Harwich ferry disaster 1807 (18 April) A 'grossly overladen' coastal vessel capsizes while transporting soldiers and their families
60 Dalhousie 1853(October ) "Blackwall frigate" sank off Beachy Head
60 HMS M2 British M class submarine 1932 (26 January) Floods through her Parnall Peto seaplane hangar doors, Lyme Bay
58 Wharncliffe Woodmoor Colliery 1936 (6 August) Underground explosion caused by an electrical fault
58 Garland of Topsham 1649 (30 January) A vessel carrying Charles I's possessions wrecked on Godrevy Island, Cornwall<ref name=Noall>Template:Cite book</ref>
57 Tylorstown 1896 (27 January) Rhondda Valley Colliery mining disaster, South Wales
57 Sneyd Colliery Disaster 1942 (1 January) Burslem, Staffordshire
57 HMS K5 1921 (24 January) A submarine sank in deep water, 120 miles south-west of the Isles of Scilly during sea trials
56 Bradford City stadium fire 1985 (11 May) Bradford City A.F.C.'s Valley Parade stadium caught fire after a discarded cigarette set fire to rubbish underneath the wooden stands
56 7 July 2005 London bombings 2005 (7 July) By suicide bombers on public transport
55 Manchester air disaster 1985 (22 August) Flight 28M, a Boeing 737-236 engine fire before takeoff on a holiday flight to Corfu
53 Second Ferndale Colliery disaster 1869 (10 June) Explosion in Rhondda Valley, Glamorganshire
53 Great fire of Newcastle and Gateshead 1854 (6 October) Firestorm and explosion
52 Lletty Shenkin Colliery, Cwmbach 1849 (10 August) Underground explosion, Aberdare, South Wales<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

52 Yellow fever outbreak, Template:HMS 1861 (July) West Indies<ref>HMS Firebrand Memorial</ref>
52 Loch Ard 1878 (1 June) A clipper out of Gravesend, Kent, wrecked off Loch Ard Gorge, just off the Shipwreck Coast of Victoria, Australia in thick fog
52 HMS Wasp 1884 (22 September) Wrecked on Tory Island, County Donegal
52 Marine Colliery 1927 (1 March) Gwm near Ebbw Vale, Monmouthshire, coal mine disaster
51 Colney Hatch Lunatic Asylum fire, London 1903 (27 January) In an early psychiatric hospital holding up to 3,500 patients
51 Marchioness disaster, River Thames 1989 (20 August) A pleasure boat rammed by a dredger under a bridge
51 St Hilda Colliery, South Shields, coal pit explosion 1839 (28 June) citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

50+ Winter of 1962–63 1962–63 One of the coldest winters on record in the United Kingdom. The river Thames froze solid<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
50 Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 aircrash 1969 (5 January) Crashed into a house, Boeing 727 YA-FAR, Gatwick
50 Summerland fire disaster 1973 (2 August) Douglas, Isle of Man, a fire in a leisure centre
50 Whiddy Island disaster 1979 (8 January) Explosion of oil tanker Betelguese in Bantry Bay, Ireland
49? SS Nile 1854 (30 November) All the crew and passengers died when she hit The Stones reef off Godrevy Head, Cornwall; leading to building of the lighthouse<ref name="Index">Template:Cite book</ref>
49 Booth's clothing factory fire, Huddersfield 1941 (31 October) Fire at a major clothing factory in Huddersfield, West Riding of Yorkshire<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
49 HMS Punjabi collision with the battleship Template:HMS 1942 (1 May) Sinking 469 miles north-west of Shetland.
49 Hither Green rail crash 1967 (5 November ) In London, a broken rail caused derailment of an express train
48 Stardust fire 1981 (14 February) A nightclub fire in Artane, Dublin, 841 people had attended a disco there, of whom 48 died and 214 were injured as a result of the fire
48 A British Eagle International Airlines Vickers Viscount 1968 (9 August) En route from London to Innsbruck, Austria, breaks up in mid-air over Bavaria
47<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Burns' Day Storm 1990 (25 January) Violent storm that started on Burns' day and affected north-western Europe, hurricane-force winds in some areas
47 Emma 1828 (29 February) Capsizes after launching, Mersey and Irwell Navigation, Manchester<ref>Manchester Courier 1 March 1828.</ref>
47 Gethin Pit disaster 1862 (19 February) First of two underground colliery explosions at Abercanaid, near Merthyr Tydfil. South Wales
47 R101 airship crash 1930 (5 October) Beauvais, France
47 SS Samtampa 1947( 23 April) Wrecked off Sker Point in the Bristol Channel (death toll includes 8 crew of Mumbles lifeboat)
47 Auchengeich coal mining disaster 1959 (18 September) Auchinloch, Lanarkshire, Scotland
47 Kegworth Air Disaster 1989 (8 January) British Midland Flight 92, Leicestershire, the pilot shut down the wrong engine (just missed the M1 Motorway)
47 1973 Nantes mid-air collision 1973 (5 March) [British victims only] Two aircraft heading to Heathrow Airport collided due to ATC error.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
46 Wreck of Confederate States of America blockade runner PS Lelia 1865 (14 January) (39 fatalities) and lifeboat crew (7 fatalities) in Liverpool Bay
45 Bentley Coal mine disaster 1931 (20 November) Bentley, South Yorkshire
45 Six Bells Colliery Disaster 1960 (28 June) Aberbeeg, Monmouthshire
45 Aquila Airways Short Solent flying boat crash 1957 (15 November) Isle of Wight
45 Sumburgh disaster 1986 (6 November) A Brent oilfield CH-47 Chinook helicopter crashed at sea
45 PS Nimrod 1860 (28 February) An Irish steamer sank off St David's Head
45 Cleggan Bay Disaster 1927 (27 October) A strong gale killed 45 fishermen off the coast of County Galway
44 R38 (ZR-2) airship crash 1921 (24 August) River Humber, near Hull
44 MV Derbyshire 1980 (9 September) Bibby Line bulk carrier sank during Typhoon Orchid, south of Japan (by tonnage the largest UK-flagged ship loss)
43 Croydon typhoid outbreak of 1937 1937 (October–December) Outbreak originating from a polluted chalk water well; 341 cases<ref name="Ravenel1938">Template:Cite journal</ref>
43 Bourne End rail crash 1945 (30 September) Derailment taking crossover at speed near Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire; driver had worked for 26 consecutive days
43 Moorgate tube crash 1975 (28 February) London Underground train runs at speed into dead-end tunnel in the morning rush hour
41 Little Baldon air crash 1965 (6 July) Handley Page Hastings aircraft crashed at Little Baldon, Oxfordshire, during parachute training flight from RAF Abingdon, caused by metal fatigue
40 Garden Pit Disaster 1844 (14 February) 40 men and boys are crushed or drowned when water from the River Cleddau broke through the roof of their coalmine at Landshipping, Pembrokeshire, Wales<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

40 Regent's Park skating disaster 1867 (15 January) Ice covering the boating lake collapsed and 200 people plunged in<ref>"The Catastrophe in the Regent's Park", The Times, 22 January 1867, p. 12</ref>
40 Low Moor Explosion 1916 (21 August) Explosion at a picric acid plant producing explosives for the war effort in the First World War<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

See also

Notes

Template:Notelist

References

Template:Reflist

Template:Disasters

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