1586 Eruption of Kelud
Kelud in Indonesia erupted in 1586 with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 5. The eruption killed 10,000 people.
Where it erupted
Kelud, Indonesia, with its other significant eruptions.
The eruption
The toll
- Deaths
- 10,000
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
10,000 reported killed, cause not known. Original accounts describe violent eruption of "flaming sulfur", ejection of large stones into a city, and large amounts of ash that obscured the sun for 3 days. (reference #9675)
Other significant eruptions of Kelud
More
Sources
Volcanoes and significant eruptions from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. Volcano numbers are the Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program’s. NCEI event 126.