Mountains are often celebrated for their beauty and opportunities for adventure, but some have histories filled with devastating accidents, deadly avalanches, volcanic eruptions, and catastrophic landslides.
A video from Curiosity Dude examines eight of the world’s deadliest mountains, looking beyond individual disasters to identify which peaks have repeatedly claimed lives over centuries. Some primarily threaten climbers, while others have destroyed entire communities living below their slopes.
Mountains With Deadly Histories
Mount Gongga, also known as Minya Konka, rises 24,790 feet above China’s Sichuan Province. 37 people have apparently died attempting to reach its summit while only 20 had successfully made it to the top.
New Hampshire’s Mount Washington is another dangerous mountain. Standing just 6,288 feet tall, it is notorious for extreme and unpredictable weather. Wind gusts reached 231 mph in 1934, and its historical casualty memorial listed 161 deaths by 2019.
Mount Everest has recorded 344 climbing fatalities according to the Himalayan Database. An estimated 200 bodies remain on the mountain, including the climber famously known as Green Boots, whose body became a recognizable landmark along the route to the summit.
Mountains That Destroy Communities
Other mountains bring danger directly to the people living below them. Mount Nyiragongo in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has repeatedly sent fast-moving lava into nearby communities, while Mount Elgon along the Uganda-Kenya border has experienced devastating landslides. At least 1,000 people reportedly died in landslides across the Mount Elgon region between 2010 and 2020. Peru’s Mount Huascarán has also experienced catastrophic avalanches, including the 1970 disaster that buried the town of Yungay.
The World’s Deadliest Mountain
Curiosity Dude identifies Colombia’s Nevado del Ruiz as the deadliest mountain in the investigation. The volcano has produced devastating mudflows known as lahars for centuries. Its November 1985 eruption triggered flows that destroyed much of Armero, killing more than 23,000 people in the town alone.
With an estimated 26,000 fatalities across its recorded history, Nevado del Ruiz takes the top spot. Its history demonstrates that mountain hazards can threaten entire communities, not just those attempting to climb their peaks.
