Year[lower-alpha 1] |
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 |
Heatwave |
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] |
1898 |
Sinking of the Portland |
Shipwreck |
193 to 245 |
Gloucester |
[9] |
1874 |
Mill River Flood of 1874 |
Flood |
139 |
Williamsburg and Northampton |
[10] |
1963 |
Sinking of the USS Thresher |
Submarine wreck |
129 |
Cape Cod |
[11] |
1884 |
Sinking of the SS City of Columbus |
Shipwreck |
103 |
Martha's Vineyard |
[12] |
1953 |
1953 Worcester tornado |
Tornado |
94 |
Worcester |
[13] |
1973 |
Delta Air Lines Flight 723 |
Aviation accident |
89 |
Boston |
[14] |
1860 |
Pemberton Mill collapse |
Explosion and building collapse |
88 to 145 |
Lawrence |
[15][16] |
1938 |
1938 New England hurricane |
Hurricane |
88 |
Statewide |
[17] |
1875 |
Precious Blood Church fire |
Fire |
78 |
Holyoke |
[18] |
1960 |
Eastern Air Lines Flight 375 |
Aviation accident |
62 |
Boston |
[19] |
1905 |
Grover Shoe Factory disaster |
Explosion and building collapse |
58 |
Brockton |
[20] |
1916 |
Summer Street Bridge disaster |
Streetcar accident |
46 |
Boston |
[21] |
1956 |
Sinking of the SS Andrea Doria |
Shipwreck |
46 |
Nantucket |
[22] |
1925 |
Pickwick Club collapse |
Building collapse |
44 |
Boston |
[23] |
1927 |
Sinking of the USS S-4 |
Shipwreck |
40 |
Provincetown |
[24] |
1887 |
Forest Hills disaster |
Bridge collapse |
38 |
Boston |
[25] |
1911 |
Septic score throat outbreak |
Disease |
38 |
Boston |
[26] |
1853 |
USS Leyte explosion |
Explosion |
36 |
Boston |
[27] |
1871 |
Great Revere train wreck of 1871 |
Railway accident |
30 |
Revere |
[28] |
1872 |
Great Boston Fire of 1872 |
Fire |
30 |
Boston |
[29] |
1913 |
Arcadia Hotel fire |
Fire |
28 |
Boston |
[30] |
1946 |
Mount Tom B-17 crash |
Aviation accident |
25 |
Holyoke |
[31] |
1874 |
Granite Mill fire |
Fire |
23 |
Fall River |
[32] |
1890 |
1890 Quincy train wreck |
Railway accident |
23 |
Quincy |
[33] |
1958 |
Northeast Airlines Flight 258 |
Aviation accident |
23 |
Nantucket |
[34] |
1903 |
United States Cartridge Company explosion |
Explosion |
22 |
Lowell |
[35] |
1915 |
St. John's School fire |
Fire |
21 |
Peabody |
[36] |
1919 |
Great Molasses Flood |
Flood |
21 |
Boston |
[37] |
1928 |
Preble Box Toe Company explosion |
Explosion |
20 |
Lynn |
[38] |
1878 |
Wollaston disaster |
Railway accident |
19 |
Quincy |
[39] |
1908 |
Great Chelsea fire of 1908 |
Fire |
19 |
Chelsea |
[40] |
1945 |
SS Silver Star Park and SS Mangore collision |
Shipwreck |
19 |
New Bedford |
[41][42] |
1966 |
1966 Nantucket radar plane crash |
Aviation Accident |
19 |
Nantucket |
[43] |
2012 |
2012–2013 flu season |
Disease |
18 |
Statewide |
[44] |
1905 |
Baker Bridge train wreck |
Railway accident |
17 |
Lincoln |
[45] |
1910 |
Morewood Lake Ice Company explosion |
Explosion |
17 |
Pittsfield |
[46] |
1942 |
Garnet Hill crash |
Aviation accident |
17 |
Peru |
[47] |
1944 |
Sinking of the USS YF-415 |
Shipwreck |
17 |
Hingham |
[48] |
1804 |
1804 New England hurricane |
Hurricane |
16 |
Statewide |
|
1965 |
1965 Nantucket radar plane crash |
Aviation Accident |
16 |
Nantucket |
[49] |
1958 |
Westover Air Force Base KC-135 crash |
Aviation Accident |
15 |
Chicopee |
[50] |
1967 |
1967 Nantucket radar picket plane crash |
Aviation Accident |
15 |
Nantucket |
[51] |
1984 |
Beverly rooming house fire |
Arson |
15 |
Beverly |
[52] |
1893 |
Chester train wreck |
Bridge collapse |
14 |
Chester |
[53] |
1928 |
Beacon Oil explosion |
Explosion |
14 |
Everett |
[54] |
1867 |
Hoosac Tunnel Central Shaft accident |
Tunnel collapse |
13 |
Florida |
[55] |
1906 |
Amsden Building collapse |
Building collapse |
13 |
Framingham |
[56][57] |
1941 |
Strand Theatre fire |
Fire |
13 |
Brockton |
[58] |
1942 |
Melvin Hall fire |
Fire |
13 |
Lynn |
[59] |
1956 |
Swampscott train wreck |
Railway accident |
13 |
Swampscott |
[60] |
1966 |
Everett train-truck crash |
Railway accident |
13 |
Everett |
[61] |
1890 |
Boston tenement fire |
Fire |
12 |
Boston |
[62] |
1952 |
Camp Edwards plane collision |
Aviation accident |
12 |
Mashpee |
[63] |
1958 |
Northeast Airlines Flight 285 |
Aviation accident |
12 |
New Bedford |
[64] |
1886 |
Deerfield railway accident |
Railway accident |
11 |
Deerfield |
[65] |
1902 |
Frank A. Palmer and Louise B. Crary collision |
Shipwreck |
11 |
Gloucester |
[66] |
1913 |
Lawrence bathhouse tragedy |
Drowning |
11 |
Lawrence |
[67] |
1919 |
Springfield Boys' Club Camp drownings |
Drowning |
11 |
East Otis |
[68] |
1964 |
January 1964 blizzard |
Blizzard |
11 |
Statewide |
[69] |
1966 |
Paramount Hotel explosion |
Explosion |
11 |
Boston |
[70] |
1902 |
Italian lodging house fire |
Fire |
10 |
Boston |
[71] |
1944 |
Mount Holyoke bomber crash |
Aviation accident |
10 |
South Hadley |
[72] |
1973 |
Worcester rooming house fire |
Fire |
10 |
Worcester |
[73] |