The Eruption of Mount. Pelee

Mount. Pelee was a gentle mountain that hadn't erupted in a long time (excluding the time that it had spilled ash in 1851). But 51 years later, May 8, 1902 one of the worst volcanic eruptions in the history of volcano eruptions happened. The mountain bursted out extremely toxic gases which could kill someone in seconds. The gases were approximately 500 degrees celcius! And the burst had so much power it could knock over a 6 ton (12,000 pounds) statue!

 

The death toll was one of the worst in history with around 30,000 people dead. There were other volcanos with worse death tolls, but majority of those deaths were because of secondary problems like burning food and people starving to death. Those 30,000 in St. Pierre were directly killed by the volcano.

 

The death tolls infact were so bad, there were only three survivors. A prisoner in a dungeon like cell named Auguste Ciparis, a shoe maker, and a little girl. All had severe burns.