Quote:
Originally Posted by gmw
I find it amazing that so few actually died as an immediate consequence. Sure, 1600 is a lot (out of just 60,000 or so), but this was a huge explosion with 15+ minutes for people to get themselves into the line of fire - which they were doing. I guess it says something about the resilience of the human animal, despite how fragile it sometimes seems.
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According to the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, there were more than 2,000 dead (1951 identified victims and 250 unidentified bodies - possibly some overlap). Since there were many transients in Halifax at the time, the exact number killed may never be determined.
There was an element of luck in where Mont Blanc blew up; the explosion occurred in the upper Narrows. This concentrated the worst effects in the Richmond area; Richmond Bluff and Citadel Hill shielded much of the city from the direct blast.