Listed below are the worst disasters in Poland's history, listed by death toll. This list excludes warfare, the Holocaust and intentional acts of destruction, but may include accidents in which the military, Polish or foreign, was involved (e.g. Osiecznica bus disaster - a collision between a Polish bus and a Soviet Army truck).
Some of the disasters listed here occurred outside of current Polish borders (e.g. the Smolensk Tu-154 crash) or in times when Poland was not internationally recognized (e.g. during the partitions of Poland), but the predominant number of victims were either Poles or Polish citizens.
Over 100 confirmed deaths +DisasterTypeLocationDeathsDateLOT Polish Airlines Flight 5055Aviation accidentWarsaw1839 May 1987Mining accidentKatowice1043–4 March 1896Mining accidentChorzów10321 March 1954
40 to 99 confirmed deaths +DisasterTypeLocationDeathsDateSmolensk Tu-154 crashAviation accidentSmolensk9610 April 2010LOT Polish Airlines Flight 007Aviation accidentWarsaw8714 March 1980Mining accidentZabrze7228 August 1958Otłoczyn railway accidentTrain wreckOtłoczyn6719 August 1980Katowice Trade Hall roof collapseBuilding collapseChorzów6528 January 2006Derecho624 July 1928Structure fireWielopole Skrzyńskie5811 May 19551997 Central European floodFloodWestern Poland56July 19971934 flood in PolandFloodSouth of Poland5514-20 July 19341980 Górna Grupa psychiatric hospital fireStructure fireGórna Grupa5531 October 1980Sinking of the MS Jan HeweliuszShipwreckingBaltic Sea (near Rügen)5514 January 1993LOT Polish Airlines Flight 165Aviation accidentPolica (near Zawoja)532 April 1969Rotunda PKO Bank explosionGas explosionWarsaw4915 February 1979
20 to 39 confirmed deaths +DisasterTypeLocationDeathsDate1978 Balkan Bulgarian Tupolev Tu-134 crashAviation accidentGabare (near Byala Slatina, Bulgaria)39 Poles (out of 73 total fatalities)16 March 1978Structure fireCzechowice-Dziedzice3726 June 19711962 LOT Vickers Viscount Warsaw crashAviation accidentWarsaw3319 December 1962PKS Gdańsk bus crashTraffic collisionGdańsk322 May 1994Traffic collisionŻywiec3015 November 1978Warsaw Holy Cross Church StampedeStampedeWarsaw3025 December 1881Grenoble coach crashTraffic collisionVizille, France2622 July 2007Train wreckJulianka 253 November 1976Osieck rail crashTrain wreckOsieck254 June 1981Sinking of the MS Busko ZdrójSinkingNorth Sea248 February 1985Kamień Pomorski homeless hostel fireStructure fireKamień Pomorski2313 April 20092006 Halemba coal mine disasterMining accidentRuda Śląska2322 November 2006Boat fireGdańsk Shipyard2213 December 19611995 Gdańsk gas explosionGas explosionGdańsk2317 April 1995Mirosławiec air accidentAviation accidentMirosławiec2023 January 2008MS Kudowa ZdrójMediterranean Sea2020 January 1983Wujek-Śląsk coal mine disasterMining accidentRuda Śląska2018 September 2009
15 to 19 confirmed deaths +DisasterTypeLocationDeathsDateBalaton coach crashTraffic collisionNear Lake Balaton in Hungary191 July 2002Mining accidentRuda Śląska1910 January 19901968 Biały Jar avalancheAvalancheSněžka (near Karpacz)1920 March 1968Nowe Miasto nad Pilica bus crashTraffic collisionNowe Miasto nad Pilica1812 October 2010Mysłowice coal mine disasterMining accidentMysłowice184 February 1987B406/6 trawler explosionGdańsk Shipyard1818 June 1980Motława ferry disasterShipwreckGdańsk181 August 1975M/v NysaNorth Sea1810 January 1965Polish Air Force An-24 crashAviation accidents Szczecin1828 February 19731976 Gdańsk gas explosionGas explosionGdańsk171 February 1976Szczekociny rail crashTrain wreckSzczekociny163 March 2012Ursus rail crashTrain wreckUrsus1620 August 1990Radkowice rail crashTrain wreckRadkowice1427 August 1973Osiecznica bus crashTraffic collisionOsiecznica1522 January 1978Wyszaka streetcar crashTram derailmentSzczecin157 December 1967
10 to 14 confirmed deaths +DisasterTypeLocationDeathsDateBrandenburg coach crashSchönefeld1426 September 2010Structure fireSzczecin1427 April 1987MS CzubatkaNorth Sea1410 May 1955Krosno Odrzańskie tornadoTornadoKrosno Odrzańskie1313 May 1886Izbicko level crossing accidentIzbicko136 January 1960near Mezőkeresztes, Hungary1216 August 20262022 Croatian bus crashTraffic collisionA4 highway near Breznički Hum, Croatia126 August 2022Storm in MazuryMasuria1221 August 2007Jeżewo coach crashSikory-Wojciechowięta1230 September 2005Reptowo rail crashReptowo125 May 1997Bydgoszcz rail crashŚliesin (near Bydgoszcz)123 June 1972MS CyrankaNorth Sea124 October 1956ČSM-north coal mine disasterStonava (near Karviná), Czechia1220 December 2018Psie Pole rail crashMirków11 (unofficial death toll is 32)9 July 1977Jas-Mos coal mine disasterMining accident1010 February 2002Ministry of Interior and Administration helicopter crashNear Cisna1010 January 1991Drogomil level crossing accidentDrogomil104 June 1988Piła rail crashPiła1019 May 1988MS BrdaHanstholm, Denmark1010 January 1975Rokitnica coal mine disasterZabrze1023 March 1971Agricultural University building collapseWrocław1022 March 1966 Fewer than 10 confirmed deaths +DisasterTypeLocationDeathsDateBratoszewice level crossing collisionBratoszewice930 July 20121983 Łódź gas explosionGas explosionŁódź87 December 19831963 smallpox epidemic in WrocławEpidemicWrocław717 July – 19 September 1963Building collapseŚwiebodzice68 April 2017Koszalin escape room fireStructure fireKoszalin54 January 20192008 Poland tornado outbreakTornadoOpole Voivodeship, Silesian Voivodeship and Łódź Voivodeship.415–16 August 20082022 missile explosion in PolandExplosionPrzewodów215 November 2022 See also List of disasters in Antarctica by death toll List of disasters in Australia by death toll List of disasters in Canada by death toll List of disasters in Croatia by death toll List of disasters in Germany by death toll List of disasters in Great Britain and Ireland by death toll List of disasters in New Zealand by death toll List of disasters in Ukraine by death toll List of disasters in the United States by death toll
References