On Martinique, Mount Pelée erupted at 7:50 a.m. on 8 May1902 killing 30,000 people, mostly in Saint-Pierre.

22 May 2019
Image: Rehcral
Via Wikimedia Commons
Concern over the volcano grew due to its recent activity. In April, explosions began at its summit, followed by numerous quakes, ash showers, and thick sulfurous gas clouds affecting the region. This drove ground insects and snakes into Saint-Pierre, causing serious problems for residents and livestock. Fifty people, mostly children, died from snakebites. As volcanic activity persisted, ash contaminated water sources, killing livestock. Outdoor activities near the mountain were canceled, and by May, many were worried.
On 5 May, a crater collapsed, sending scalding water and pyroclastic debris into a river, burying workers at a sugar works. The lahar, traveling at 62 mph (100 kph), hit the sea, causing a small tsunami that flooded low-lying areas of Saint-Pierre. By 7 May, conditions worsened with more ash clouds and reddish-orange glows visible from the craters at night.
Many began fleeing into the city (it was believed safe from lava flows)while many were trying to flee. Those that did leave would realize later how lucky they were.

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A large black cloud composed of superheated gas, ash and rock rolled headlong down the south flank of Mt. Pelée at more than 100 miles per hour, its path directed by the V-shaped notch at the summit. In less than one minute it struck St. Pierre with hurricane force. The blast was powerful enough to carry a three-ton statue sixteen meters from its mount. One-meter-thick masonary walls were blown into rubble and support girders were mangled into twisted strands of metal. The searing heat of the cloud ignited huge bonfires. Thousands of barrels of rum stored in the city’s warehouses exploded, sending rivers of the flaming liquid through the streets and into the sea. The cloud continued to advanced over the harbor where it destroyed at least twenty ships anchored offshore. The hurricane force of the blast capsized the steamship Grappler, and its scorching heat set ablaze the American sailing ship Roraima, killing most of her passengers and crew. The Roraima had the misfortune of arriving only a few hours before the eruption. Those on on board could only watch in horror as the cloud descended on them after annihilating the city of St. Pierre. Of the 28,000 people in St. Pierre, there were only two known survivors.
(How Volcanoes Work: MT. PELÉE ERUPTION (1902),Geology Department,University of San Diego)

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The 1902 Mount Pelée eruption was the deadliest volcanic disaster of the 20th century and the only fatal volcano in French history, as Martinique is a French department. It obliterated Saint-Pierre, leaving ruins and corpses. The French warship Suchet reported total destruction within the 8-square-mile pyroclastic flow path. Beyond this zone, damage was lighter, and more survived. Another eruption on May 20 killed 2,000, mostly rescuers, engineers, and mariners. On August 30, a further eruption caused fatalities and a tsunami, marking Mount Pelée’s last deadly event. A 1929 eruption saw no deaths due to evacuations.
The city of Saint-Pierre was never rebuilt and small villages now exists where it once did. Mount Pelee has been quiet but is under constant watch and considered an active volcano.
Sources
Devastating Disasters. devastatingdisasters.com/mount-pelee-volcanic-eruption-may-8-1902.
—. “Mount Pelée Begins to Erupt, Burying Caribbean City.” HISTORY, 6 May 2024, www.history.com/this-day-in-history/volcanic-eruption-buries-caribbean-city.
“The Eruption of La Montagne Pelée.” History Today, www.historytoday.com/archive/months-past/eruption-la-montagne-pelee.