Disasters in Poland by death toll
Encyclopedia
Listed below are the worst disasters in Poland's history, listed by death toll. This list excludes warfare and intentional acts of destruction.
Over 100 confirmed deaths
- Renard coal mine disaster, 1880, SosnowiecSosnowiecSosnowiec is a city in Zagłębie Dąbrowskie in southern Poland, near Katowice. It is one of the central districts of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union - a metropolis with a combined population of over two million people located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Brynica river .It is situated in...
, around 200 killed - LOT Polish Airlines Flight 5055LOT Polish Airlines Flight 5055LOT Polish Airlines Flight 5055 crashed in the Kabaty Woods nature reserve on the outskirts of Warsaw on May 9, 1987. The aircraft was an Ilyushin Il-62M bearing the name Tadeusz Kościuszko...
, 1987 (9 May), WarsawWarsawWarsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, 183 killed - Kleofas coal mine disaster, 1896, KatowiceKatowiceKatowice is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, on the Kłodnica and Rawa rivers . Katowice is located in the Silesian Highlands, about north of the Silesian Beskids and about southeast of the Sudetes Mountains.It is the central district of the Upper Silesian Metropolis, with a population of 2...
(then German EmpireGerman EmpireThe German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
), 104 killed - "Barbara-Wyzwolenie" coal mine disaster, 1954 (21 March), ChorzówChorzówChorzów is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. Chorzów is one of the central districts of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union - a metropolis with a population of 2 million...
, 103 killed
40 to 99 confirmed deaths
- Smolensk Tu-154 crash2010 Polish Air Force Tu-154 crashThe 2010 Polish Air Force Tu-154 crash occurred on 10 April 2010, when a Tupolev Tu-154M aircraft of the Polish Air Force crashed near the city of Smolensk, Russia, killing all 96 people on board...
, 2010 (10 April), SmolenskSmolenskSmolensk is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River. Situated west-southwest of Moscow, this walled city was destroyed several times throughout its long history since it was on the invasion routes of both Napoleon and Hitler. Today, Smolensk...
, (RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
), 96 killed, including Polish President Lech KaczyńskiLech KaczynskiLech Aleksander Kaczyński was Polish lawyer and politician who served as the President of Poland from 2005 until 2010 and as Mayor of Warsaw from 2002 until 22 December 2005. Before he became a president, he was also a member of the party Prawo i Sprawiedliwość... - LOT Polish Airlines Flight 007LOT Polish Airlines Flight 007LOT Polish Airlines Flight 007 crashed near Okęcie Airport in Warsaw, Poland, on 14 March 1980, due to mechanical failure as the crew aborted a landing and attempted to go-around. All 87 crew and passengers died.- The aircraft :...
, 1980 (14 March), WarsawWarsawWarsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, 87 killed - "Makoszowy" coal mine disaster, 1958 (28 August), ZabrzeZabrzeZabrze is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. The west district of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union is a metropolis with a population of around 2 million...
, 72 killed - Otłoczyn railway accidentOtłoczyn railway accidentThe Otłoczyn railway accident was a train wreck which occurred on August 19, 1980, near the village of Otłoczyn . At 4:30 a.m., a freight train collided with a passenger train which ran from Torun Main Station to Łódź Kaliska...
, 1980 (19 August), near Brzoza Toruńska, 67 killed - Katowice Trade Hall roof collapseKatowice Trade Hall roof collapseOn 28 January 2006, the roof of one of the buildings at Katowice International Fair collapsed in Chorzów / Katowice, Poland....
, 2006 (28 January), ChorzówChorzówChorzów is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. Chorzów is one of the central districts of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union - a metropolis with a population of 2 million...
, 65 killed - Outdoor Cinema fire, 1955 (11 May), Wielopole SkrzyńskieWielopole SkrzynskieWielopole Skrzyńskie is a village in Ropczyce-Sędziszów County, Subcarpathian Voivodeship, in south-eastern Poland. It is the seat of the gmina called Gmina Wielopole Skrzyńskie...
, 58 killed - Górna Grupa mental hospital fire, 1980 (31 October - 1 November), Górna GrupaGórna GrupaGórna Grupa is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Dragacz, within Świecie County, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-central Poland. It lies approximately south-west of Dragacz, north-east of Świecie, and north of Toruń....
, 55 killed - Flood of the Century, 1997 (July), western PolandPolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, 55 killed - MS Jan Heweliusz, 1993 (14 January), Baltic SeaBaltic SeaThe Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
(near RugenRügenRügen is Germany's largest island. Located in the Baltic Sea, it is part of the Vorpommern-Rügen district of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.- Geography :Rügen is located off the north-eastern coast of Germany in the Baltic Sea...
Island), 55 killed - LOT Polish Airlines Flight 165LOT Polish Airlines Flight 165LOT Polish Airlines Flight LO 165, operated by an Antonov An-24 aircraft, registration SP-LTF, en route from Warsaw to Cracow Balice airport crashed during a snowstorm on the northern slope of Polica mountain near Zawoja in southern Poland on 2 April 1969 at 16:08 local time , killing all 53...
, 1969 (2 April), PolicaPolicaPolica, locally known as Police, is a mountain, , in southern Poland near Zawoja, in the Żywiec Beskids mountain range.LOT Polish Airlines Flight 165 crashed on the northern slope of Police on 2 April 1969...
(near ZawojaZawojaZawoja is a village in Southern Poland located close to Maków Podhalański. It is situated in Sucha County . With neighbouring village of Skawica it constitutes a rural Zawoja Commune. It has 6,200 inhabitants and is often mentioned as one of the biggest Polish villages...
), 53 killed - Rotunda PKO Bank explosion1979 Warsaw gas explosionThe 1979 explosion at PKO Bank Polski’s Rotunda office in Warsaw took place on February 15, 1979, at 12:37 p.m. As a result, 49 people died and 135 were injured. Officially, the tragedy was caused by a gas explosion, but in the course of time much speculation appeared, and Varsovians talked among...
, 1979 (15 February), WarsawWarsawWarsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, 49 killed
20 to 39 confirmed deaths
- Czechowice-Dziedzice Refinery fire, Czechowice-DziedziceCzechowice-DziedziceCzechowice-Dziedzice is a town in Bielsko County, Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland with 34,867 inhabitants . It lies on the northeastern edge of the historical region of Cieszyn Silesia...
, 1971 (26 June26Year 26 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Lentulus and Sabinus...
-27 June), 37 killed - LOT Polish Airlines 1962 crash, 1962 (19 December), WarsawWarsawWarsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, 33 killed - PKS Gdańsk bus crashPoland bus disaster of 1994Poland's bus disaster of 1994 was a bus crash near Gdańsk involving a commuter bus PKS that veered into a road-side tree. In the accident, 32 people died and 45 were injured.-Accident:...
, 1994 (2 May), GdańskGdanskGdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
-Kokoszki, 32 killed - Wilczy Jar buses tragedy, 1978 (15 November), Wilczy Jar (n. ŻywiecZywiecŻywiec is a town in south-central Poland with 32,242 inhabitants . Between 1975 and 1998, it was located within the Bielsko-Biała Voivodeship, but has since become part of the Silesian Voivodeship....
-Oczków), 30 killed - Grenoble coach crashAccident on the Rampe de Laffrey (2007)The accident on the Rampe de Laffrey on July 22, 2007, was one of the most serious accidents to occur along a stretch of road widely considered among the worst in France. 26 Polish pilgrims were killed when their bus flew off the road and into a ravine near the town of Vizille...
, 2007 (22 July), VizilleVizilleVizille is a commune in the Isère department in south-eastern France.Vizille is home to the Musée de la Révolution Française de Vizille, a rich depository of archival and rare materials devoted to the French Revolution, housed since 1984 in the Château de Vizille, a Monument Historique. The library...
(FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
), 27 killed - Julianka rail crash, 1976 (3 November), JuliankaJulianka, Silesian VoivodeshipJulianka is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Przyrów, within Częstochowa County, Silesian Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It lies approximately south-west of Przyrów, east of Częstochowa, and north-east of the regional capital Katowice....
(n. CzęstochowaCzestochowaCzęstochowa is a city in south Poland on the Warta River with 240,027 inhabitants . It has been situated in the Silesian Voivodeship since 1999, and was previously the capital of Częstochowa Voivodeship...
), 25 killed - Osieck rail crash, 1981 (4 June), OsieckOsieckOsieck is a village in Otwock County, Masovian Voivodeship, in east-central Poland. It is the seat of the gmina called Gmina Osieck. It lies approximately south-east of Otwock and south-east of Warsaw....
, 25 killed - MS Busko Zdrój, 1985 (8 February), North SeaNorth SeaIn the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
, 24 killed - Kamień Pomorski homeless hostel fireKamień Pomorski homeless hostel fireThe Kamień Pomorski homeless hostel fire occurred in north-western Poland at 00:30 local time on 13 April 2009. The fire occurred during the night at a three-story homeless hostel in Kamień Pomorski , a town with a population of 10,000 situated approximately 60 kilometres or 37 miles...
, 2009 (13 April), SzczecinSzczecinSzczecin , is the capital city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in Poland. It is the country's seventh-largest city and the largest seaport in Poland on the Baltic Sea. As of June 2009 the population was 406,427....
, 23 killed - Halemba coal mine disaster, 2006, 2006 (22 November), Ruda ŚląskaRuda SlaskaRuda Śląska is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. It is a district in the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union, a metropolis with a population of 2 million. It is located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Kłodnica river ....
, 23 killed - MS Maria Konopnicka fire in Stocznia Gdańska, 1961 (13 December), 23 killed
- Wojska Polskiego 39 Street gas explosion, 1995 (17 April), GdanskGdanskGdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
, 22 killed - ivan Kupala Day, 1956 (24 June), WarsawWarsawWarsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, ~20 killed - Mirosławiec air accident crash, 2008 (23 January), Mirosławiec, 20 killed
- MS Kudowa Zdrój, 1983 (20 January), Mediterranean SeaMediterranean SeaThe Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
, 20 killed - Wujek-Śląsk coal mine disaster, 18 September 2009, Ruda ŚląskaRuda SlaskaRuda Śląska is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. It is a district in the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union, a metropolis with a population of 2 million. It is located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Kłodnica river ....
- a methane explosion killed 12 in the coal mine and a further 8 would die in the hospital
15 to 19 confirmed deaths
- Balaton coach crash, 2002 (1 July), n. BalatonLake BalatonLake Balaton is a freshwater lake in the Transdanubian region of Hungary. It is the largest lake in Central Europe, and one of its foremost tourist destinations. As Hungary is landlocked , Lake Balaton is often affectionately called the "Hungarian Sea"...
(HungaryHungaryHungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
), 19 killed - Halemba coal mine disaster, 1990 (10 January), Ruda ŚląskaRuda SlaskaRuda Śląska is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. It is a district in the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union, a metropolis with a population of 2 million. It is located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Kłodnica river ....
, 19 killed - Biały Jar, 1968 (20 March), Biały Jar (n. KarpaczKarpaczKarpacz is a spa town and ski resort in Jelenia Góra County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, south-western Poland, and one of the most important centres for mountain hiking and skiing, including ski jumping. Its population is about 5,000...
), 19 killed - Nowe Miasto nad Pilica bus crash, 2010 (12 October), Nowe Miasto nad PilicaNowe Miasto nad PilicaNowe Miasto nad Pilicą is a town in Grójec County, Masovian Voivodeship, Poland, with 3,885 inhabitants ....
, 18 killed - "Mysłowice" coal mine disaster, 1987 (4 February), Mysłowice, 18 killed
- B406/6 trawler explosion in Stocznia Gdańska, 1980 (18 June), GdańskGdanskGdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
, 18 killed - Motława, 1975 (1 August), GdańskGdanskGdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
, 18 killed - M/v "Nysa", 1965 (10 January), North SeaNorth SeaIn the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
, 18 killed - Polish Air ForcePolish Air ForceThe Polish Air Force is the military Air Force wing of the Polish Armed Forces. Until July 2004 it was officially known as Wojska Lotnicze i Obrony Powietrznej...
An-24 crash, 1973 (28 February), SzczecinSzczecinSzczecin , is the capital city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in Poland. It is the country's seventh-largest city and the largest seaport in Poland on the Baltic Sea. As of June 2009 the population was 406,427....
airport 17 killed - Struga 12 street gas explosion, 1976 (1 February), GdańskGdanskGdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
, 17 killed - Ursus rail crash, 1990 (20 August), Ursus (n. WarsawWarsawWarsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
), 16 killed - Radkowice rail crash, 1973 (27 August), Radkowice, 16 killed
- Osiecznica bus crash, 1978 (22 January), n. OsiecznicaOsiecznicaOsiecznica may refer to the following villages in Poland:*Osiecznica, Lower Silesian Voivodeship *Osiecznica, Lubusz Voivodeship...
, 15 killed - Wyszaka streetcar crash, 1967 (7 December), Szczecin, 15 killed
10 to 14 confirmed deaths
- "Kaskada" restaurant fire, 1981 (27 April), SzczecinSzczecinSzczecin , is the capital city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in Poland. It is the country's seventh-largest city and the largest seaport in Poland on the Baltic Sea. As of June 2009 the population was 406,427....
, 14 killed - MS Czubatka, 1955 (10 May), North SeaNorth SeaIn the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
, 14 killed - Brandenburg bus crash, 2010, (26 September), (n.SchonefeldSchönefeld-Places in Germany:*Schönefeld, a municipality of Brandenburg near Berlin*Leipzig-Schönefeld, a quarter of Leipzig, Saxony*Schönefeld , a village in the town Beelitz, Brandenburg...
), 13 killed - Izbicko level crossing accident, 1960, (6 January), IzbickoIzbickoIzbicko is a village in Strzelce County, Opole Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. It is the seat of the gmina called Gmina Izbicko...
, 13 killed - Storm in Mazury, 2007 (21 August), Mazury (north-eastern Poland), 12 killed
- Jeżewo coach crash, 2005 (30 September), Sikory-WojciechowiętaSikory-WojciechowietaSikory-Wojciechowięta is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Kobylin-Borzymy, within Wysokie Mazowieckie County, Podlaskie Voivodeship, in north-eastern Poland.-References:...
(n. Stare JeżewoStare JezewoStare Jeżewo is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Tykocin, within Białystok County, Podlaskie Voivodeship, in north-eastern Poland. It lies approximately south of Tykocin and west of the regional capital Białystok....
), 12 killed - Reptowo rail crash, 1997 (5 May), ReptowoReptowo, West Pomeranian VoivodeshipReptowo is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Kobylanka, within Stargard County, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-western Poland. It lies approximately west of Stargard Szczeciński and south-east of the regional capital Szczecin....
(n. SzczecinSzczecinSzczecin , is the capital city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in Poland. It is the country's seventh-largest city and the largest seaport in Poland on the Baltic Sea. As of June 2009 the population was 406,427....
), 12 killed - Bydgoszcz rail crash, 1972 (3 June), Śliesin (n. Bydgoszcz), 12 killed
- MS Cyranka, 1956 (4 October), North SeaNorth SeaIn the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
, 12 killed - Psie Pole rail crash, 1977 (9 July), Mirkowo (n. Wrocław), 11 killed (unofficial - 32 killed)
- "Jas-Mos" coal mine disaster, 2002 (10 February), 10 killed
- Ministry of Interior MSWiA helicopter crash, 1991 (10 January), n. CisnaCisnaCisna is the main village of the Gmina Cisna in the Lesko County, in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship of south-eastern Poland. It lies in the Solinka valley in between the Bieszczady mountains.-History:...
, 10 killed - Drogomil level crossing accident, 1988 (4 June), DrogomilDrogomilDrogomil is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Bytom Odrzański, within Nowa Sól County, Lubusz Voivodeship, in western Poland. It lies approximately south-east of Bytom Odrzański, south-east of Nowa Sól, and south-east of Zielona Góra....
(n. Bytom OdrzańskiBytom OdrzanskiBytom Odrzański is a town on the Oder river in western Poland, in Nowa Sól County of Lubusz Voivodeship.-History:Archaeological findings from the Stone Age and Bronze Age around Bytom suggest a early settlement. A Slavic gród is mentioned in 1005...
), 10 killed - Piła rail crash, 1988 (19 May), Piła, 10 killed
- MS Brda, 1975 (10 January), HanstholmHanstholmHanstholm is a small town and a former island, now elevated area in Thisted municipality of Region Nordjylland, located in the northern part of Denmark. Coordinates:...
(DenmarkDenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
), 10 killed - "Rokitnica" coal mine disaster, 1971 (23 March), ZabrzeZabrzeZabrze is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. The west district of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union is a metropolis with a population of around 2 million...
, 10 killed - Agricultural University building collapse, 1966 (22 March), Wrocław, 10 killed