A collapsing volcano in 1792 triggered a tsunami that claimed 15,000 lives
Nature
When the Mayuyama peak collapsed into the sea in 1792, it triggered a massive tsunami that devastated the coast of Kyushu and became Japan's deadliest volcanic disaster.
The 1792 eruption of Mount Unzen began with a series of earthquakes that eventually caused the entire eastern flank of the Mayuyama dome to collapse. This massive landslide swept through the city of Shimabara before hitting the Ariake Sea, generating a wall of water up to 30 feet high.