Human consequences
At least 165 coastal villages are destroyed.
Home › All disasters › Eruption of Krakatoa
VolcanoEruption of Krakatoa
36,417Deaths
Not quantifiedDisplaced / homeless
Not quantifiedEstimated cost
- Official toll; the vast majority of victims were killed by the tsunamis.
A series of explosions blows the island apart; the last one is heard as far away as Rodrigues Island, nearly 4,800 km away. Tsunamis more than 30 m high devastate the coasts of Java and Sumatra.
Consequences
Environmental consequences
Aerosols lower Northern Hemisphere summer temperatures by about 0.4 °C; blood-red sunsets are seen around the world.
Economic consequences
Ports, plantations and shipping lanes in the strait are disrupted for years.
Political consequences
The first global media event reported in near real time, thanks to the telegraph network.
Reach of the explosion
- Rodrigues Island · explosion heard 4,800 km away
Further reading
Similar disasters
- Eruption of Mount TamboraVolcano · Indonesia (Dutch East Indies)1815
- Eruption of Mount PeléeVolcano · France1902
- Eruption of Mount PinatuboVolcano · Philippines1991
- Armero tragedyVolcano · Colombia1985
In the rankings : The deadliest volcanic eruptions No. 2
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