Fifty seven people died in an explosion in the US on May 18, 1980. The explosion had the power of 500 atomic bombs and was the largest of its kind in recorded American history, according to the BBC
A 24-km tall mushroom cloud
Over 10,000 earthquakes shook Mount St Helens, a volcano in Washington state, US, between March 16–May 17, 1980, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). On May 18, it erupted in an explosion heard even 1,100 km away. A giant mushroom-shaped cloud of ash rose 24 km into the sky in 15 minutes. The ash fell in in 11 US states
The volcano collapses
The volcano’s northern flank and its summit got swept away resulting in a huge landslide—“the largest debris avalanche on earth in recorded history,” according to the USGS. Over 240 sq. km of forest was destroyed
7,000
big game animals such as deer and elk died, the BBC quoted The Washington State Department of Game as saying. Eighteen species of small mammals living near the volcano also perished