Vesuvius

1873 Eruption of Vesuvius

1873 · 9 deaths

Vesuvius in Italy erupted in 1873. The eruption killed 9 people.

Where it erupted

Vesuvius, Italy, with its other significant eruptions.

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The eruption

Date
1873
Volcano
Vesuvius, complex volcano
Country
Italy
Killed by
Gas (from eruptive craters, fumaroles and solfataras); Tephra (ash, bombs, lapilli, steam blasts)
Location
40.821° N, 14.426° E

The toll

Deaths
9

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.

Spring of 1873. Date probably mistaken for 1872 (Vesuvius not in eruption in 1873) but Fisher reported that 2 tourists fell white fleeing a slight eruption at the summit and were covered with lava; 7 others died of suffocation. (reference #9675)

Other significant eruptions of Vesuvius

More

Every eruption in 1873The 1800sVesuviusEarthquakes near Vesuvius

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 6244.