05/15/2005

Associated Press

"You could hear women lamenting, children crying, men shouting. Some were calling for parents, others for children or spouses; they could only recognize them by their voices. Some bemoaned their own lot, other that of their near and dear. There were some so afraid of death that they prayed for death. Many raised their hands to the gods, and even more believed that there were no gods any longer and that this was one last unending night for the world."

_Pliny the Younger, 79 A.D., describing the eruption of Vesuvius that destroyed Pompeii and Herculaneum, killing thousands.

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Volcanic eruptions have killed more than 300,000 people since 1500 — from lava flows, ash falls, mudflows, tsunamis and posteruption starvation. The 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, which killed 57 people, brought national attention to the dangers of volcanos in the Pacific "Ring of Fire," which includes St. Helens, Rainier, Baker and Hood. Here's a list of some of the deadliest volcano activity in the past 500 years, and the approximate death tolls:

_Kelut, Indonesia, 1586: 10,000

_Vesuvius, Italy, 1631: 4,000

_Oshima, Japan, 1741: 1,481

_Papadanyan, Indonesia, 1772: 2,960

_Lakagigar, Iceland, 1783: 9,340

_Unzen, Japan, 1792: 15,000

_Tambora, Indonesia, 1815: 92,000

_Galunggung, Indonesia, 1822: 4,000

_Nevado del Ruiz, Colombia, 1845: 1,000

_Krakatau, Indonesia, 1883: 36,417

_Ritter, Papua New Guinea, 1888: 3,000

_Mount Pelee, Martinique, 1902: 29,000

_Kelut, Indonesia, 1919: 5,110

_Lamington, Papua New Guinea, 1951: 2,942

_Hibok-Hibok, Philippines, 1951: 500

_Agung, Indonesia, 1963: 1,148

_El Chichon, Mexico, 1982: 2,000

_Nevado del Ruiz, Colombia, 1985: 23,000

_Lake Nyos, Cameroon, 1986: 1,700

_Mount Pinatubo, Philippines, 1991-1996: 800

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Source: U.S. Geological Survey.