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Deadly Volcanoes


Volcano Under the City Homepage

Launch slide show Deadly Volcanoes

Over the past four centuries, volcanoes have killed more than a quarter million people, most of whom perished in a handful of epic disasters. Some volcanoes threatened populations with torrents of searing lava, as the African volcano Nyiragongo did in January, 2002. But most deaths resulted from secondary causes in the wake of an eruption—mudflows, tsunamis, and starvation. As the following historic accounts illustrate, saving lives in the future will require not just successful scientific forecasts, but also the political will and resources to evacuate and provide aid to those in danger. To revisit some of the worst volcanic disasters of the past 400 years, click on the image at left.—Susan K. Lewis

  

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