On the morning of 6 December 1917, the French cargo ship SS Mont-Blanc was hit by the Norwegian vessel SS Imo in the harbour of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Mont-Blanc, laden with high explosives, caught fire and detonated, devastating the Richmond district of Halifax. At least 1,782 people, largely in Halifax and Dartmouth, were killed by the blast, debris, fires, or collapsed buildings, and an estimated 9,000 others were injured. The blast was the largest human-made explosion at the time. It released the equivalent energy of roughly 2.9 kilotons of TNT (12 TJ).
Key Facts
| Subject | Halifax Explosion |
| Category | 1917 maritime disaster in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada |
| Reading time | 1 min · Intermediate |
| Key date | 1917 |
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