April 5, 1977 Eruption of Karthala

Name: April 5, 1977 Eruption of Karthala
Start: 1977-04-05
Location: Karthala, Comoros

April 5, 1977 · VEI 1 · 1 death · 293 houses destroyed

Karthala in the Comoros erupted on April 5, 1977 with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 1. The eruption killed 1 person.

Where it erupted

Karthala, Comoros, with its other significant eruptions.

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The eruption

Date: April 5, 1977
Volcano: Karthala, shield volcano
Country: Comoros
Volcanic Explosivity Index: 1, small (eruption column 100 m to 1 km)
Killed by: Lava flows
Location: 11.750° S, 43.380° E

The toll

Deaths: 1
Damage: Limited (under about $1 million)
Houses destroyed: 293

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.

One possible fatality from lava flow. (reference #9675)

293 houses destroyed and 566 m of roads inundated. (reference #13732)

Other significant eruptions of Karthala

Every eruption in 1977 The 1900s Karthala Earthquakes near Karthala This day in weather history

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 1731.