1903 Eruption of Karthala
Karthala in the Comoros erupted in 1903. The eruption killed 17 people.
Where it erupted
Karthala, Comoros, with its other significant eruptions.
The eruption
The toll
- Deaths
- 17
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.
In the summer of 1903 the emanation of suffocating gases was so strong that 17 people, who stayed near the solfataras at an elevation of 1600 m, were killed. No eruption. (reference #9675)
Other significant eruptions of Karthala
More
Every eruption in 1903The 1900sKarthalaEarthquakes near Karthala
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 6267.