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Many hotel occupants above the fire were trapped, and some were either rescued from windows or jumped into nets that were held by firemen below. The disaster resulted in 119 deaths, some of which occurred when the victims jumped from windows to escape the flames.
The Winecoff Hotel Fire in Atlanta, Georgia, was one of the deadliest hotel fires in US history. On December 7, 1946, the fire broke out in the 15-story building, which was considered "absolutely fireproof." The hotel’s interiors proved to be highly combustible, and the fire spread rapidly.
On New Year’s Eve in 1986, three employees of the Dupont Plaza Hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico, intentionally started a fire due to labor disputes with the hotel’s owners. The fire killed 98 people and injured a further 140.
Most of the victims had been burned beyond recognition, three of whom had been trapped in the elevator. Despite the deliberate origin of the disaster, an investigation revealed many safety violations in the hotel, including a lack of emergency exits.
On November 21, 1980, a devastating fire erupted at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. The blaze was caused by a faulty wire and claimed the lives of 85 people as it quickly spread through the casino and hotel.
Many of the victims perished due to inhalation of the smoke that had spread through the ventilation system, although some were airlifted to safety via helicopter (pictured). After the tragedy, over 1,300 lawsuits were filed and US$223 million was awarded to plaintiffs. Ever since the disaster, hotels have been required to have sprinkler systems in every room.
The JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton Hotels in South Jakarta, Indonesia, were both hit by suicide bombers in the early hours of July 17, 2009. Including the perpetrators, there were only nine fatalities, although both hotels sustained heavy damage.
Investigations into the attack revealed that the bombers had smuggled the explosives in through the loading docks of the hotels. Both perpetrators (an 18-year-old and a 28-year-old) were checked into the hotels as guests.
In 1986, the six-story Hotel New World in Singapore collapsed after improper renovations and poor construction practices had weakened the building’s structural integrity. Of the 50 victims trapped beneath the rubble, only 17 made it out alive.
Initially, many feared that as many as 300 people had been trapped beneath the hotel debris, but this number dropped in the days after. Investigations afterward found that the renovations done to the hotel had made it heavier, and the building was unable to support its own weight.
While the fire raged and brigades attempted to quell the flames, the building’s north wall collapsed without warning, which caused the entire building to cave. A total of 20 firefighters died inside the building, alongside a few residents who had run back inside to retrieve their possessions.
On January 19, 2017, a fire broke out on the ninth floor of the 15-story Plasco Building in Tehran, Iran. Ten fire brigades attempted to stop the blaze for hours and tried to make sure that the building had been fully evacuated.
Prior to mid-1981, the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Kansas City, Missouri, featured multiple overhead walkways that stretched above the hotel’s high-ceilinged lobby. However, on July 17, two of the walkways collapsed in the middle of a party, which caused the deaths of 114 people and injuries to 216.
The accident was the result of egregious and gross negligence in the hotel’s construction. Due to corporate irresponsibility, the design of the walkways was fatally flawed and would eventually have collapsed even under one-third of the weight it held on the fateful night of the disaster.
The Royal Plaza Hotel in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, killed an astonishing 137 people when it collapsed on August 13, 1993. It took less than 10 seconds for the building to fall into a pile of rubble, while the only remaining structure was that of the hotel’s front elevator hall.
The collapse was caused by poor construction practices that resulted in a catastrophic structural failure. Three years before the incident, additional floors were added to the building without permits, and the errors in their construction meant that the building was unable to support the weight.
The deadliest hotel fire in the world occurred at the Daeyeonggak Hotel in Seoul, South Korea, on December 25, 1971. A gas canister on the second floor exploded and the resulting blaze engulfed the building within half an hour, ultimately claiming 158 lives.
At least 38 victims perished after jumping from windows to escape the inferno; some even clung to mattresses in the hopes of surviving the fall. Multiple people were arrested due to negligence surrounding the hotel’s construction, including hotel employees and city officials.
The Windsor Hotel fire, which occurred on March 17, 1899, in New York City, is one of the deadliest hotel fires in the city's history. The blaze broke out on St Patrick’s Day, reportedly starting from a discarded cigarette or match.
Due to the lack of modern fire safety measures, the blaze rapidly engulfed the building. Panic ensued as guests tried to escape, but the fire ultimately resulted in the deaths of 86 people, though some estimates suggest the death toll could have been higher as not all victims were identified.
In the early morning hours of January 10, 1883, the Milwaukee fire department in Wisconsin was called to a burning blaze at the Newhall House Hotel, which was notoriously filled with fire safety hazards.
The fire started in the hotel’s wooden elevator shaft, and the flames raced quickly upward and spread through the building floor by floor. Many were saved by firefighters, but 76 victims were unable to escape the flames or the smoke.
Despite the fact that the La Salle Hotel in Chicago was described as the "largest, safest, and modern hotel west of New York City," the claim was fatally undermined when a fire ripped through the building on June 5, 1946, and killed 61 people.
Much of the La Salle Hotel was equipped with varnished wood paneling that accelerated the blaze and suffocated victims. Many people fled through the fire escape on the side of the building, although 150 had to be rescued by fire services.
On March 27, 2002, a suicide bombing at the Park Hotel in Netanya, Israel, resulted in the deaths of 30 civilians and the injury of 140 more. The incident occurred during the Jewish holiday of Passover, and the explosion came from the hotel dining room on the ground floor.
The male bomber, disguised as a woman, managed to pass the security guard while carrying a suitcase containing the explosives. Many of the victims were senior citizens over the age of 70, while the youngest was 20 years old.
The Summerland Leisure Center and Hotel, located on the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea, was the site of a major fire on August 2, 1973, which caused the deaths of 50 people, including 11 children. The fire spread rapidly through the complex due to the use of highly flammable materials, including asbestos, in the building’s construction.
The blaze was caused by three boys who were smoking in a disused kiosk on the center’s miniature golf course. Considering there were more than 3,000 people present when the fire started and the building’s design fueled the fire, it has been noted that the death toll was mercifully low.
Sources: (Grunge) (PBS) (The New York Times) (Smithsonian Magazine) (History.com) (BBC) (The Guardian)
As the decades pass, many building regulations have been put into place to ensure the safety of anyone who ventures inside a hotel, but not all buildings comply with these standards. There have been some horrible man-made disasters over the years, and a lot of people have perished while staying at hotels.
Between fires and collapses, human negligence is often found to be the sole cause of these disasters. And as for loss of life, they rank as some of the worst catastrophes in history. Click through the gallery to see which hotel disasters are considered the worst ever to happen.
The worst hotel disasters in history
An overnight stay can turn into a catastrophe
LIFESTYLE Catastrophe
As the decades pass, many building regulations have been put into place to ensure the safety of anyone who ventures inside a hotel, but not all buildings comply with these standards. There have been some horrible man-made disasters over the years, and a lot of people have perished while staying at hotels.
Between fires and collapses, human negligence is often found to be the sole cause of these disasters. And as for loss of life, they rank as some of the worst catastrophes in history. Click through the gallery to see which hotel disasters are considered the worst ever to happen.