September 26, 1650 Eruption of Santorini

Some died of opthalmias caused by sulfurous vapor; others (approx. 50) were suffocated by vapors on Sept 30. The crew of a ship passing too near the volcano was suffocated on Oct 2. Others (approx. 20 laborers) were killed by a shower of black dust on Nov 4. Fytikas attributes 50 deaths to a tsunami, and does not mention other fatalities. [Reference #1633 - Fytikas lists 50 deaths due to gases from the eruption?] (reference #9675)

On 29/9/1650 a tsunami caused serious damage to Thera's coasts and to other islands, within a radius of 150 km. The SO2, which was produced in large quantities from Kolombos centre, proved to be a serious danger when the volcanic plume was directed by the wind towards Thera. More than 50 people lost their lives and more than 1O00 animals were killed... Gases from the eruption of 1650 caused the death of 50 people and more than 1O00 animals on Thera. (reference #1633)

At least seventy people staying offshore or along the north-eastern coast of Santorini died from asphyxiation. Men approaching the eruption site by boat on October 2 were found burnt, but there is no clear evidence of pyroclastic surges flowing over water to reach the coast of Santorini, as occurred during the 1883 eruption of Krakatau (Carey et al.,1996; Paris et al., 2014b). (reference #12780)