This is the deadliest ship accident in history.

Ships play a vital role in human mobility, the movement of economic commodities, and even national defense.

Indonesia itself has the Pinisi ship, a sailing vessel that symbolizes the maritime glory of the Bugis people and is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

But it's not just glory. Many major tragedies have also occurred on ships, caused by both natural conditions and human error.

Citing Insider, here are 5 ship accidents with the highest death tolls in history:

1. MV Wilhelm Gustloff

The MV Wilhelm Gustloff was a German passenger ship originally built for tourism. However, over time, it was repurposed for various needs, from a hospital to a military training facility.

In 1945, this ship was used by the German army to rescue personnel and Nazi officials who were besieged by Russian troops in the Baltic Sea. However, the ship was hit by three torpedoes fired from a submarine.

The ship sank, killing approximately 9,000 people. This is the ship accident with the highest number of casualties in history.

2. MV Dona Paz

In 1987, this Philippine-flagged ferry collided with an oil tanker carrying 8,000 barrels of explosives. The MV Dona Paz immediately caught fire and exploded.

This is the second deadliest ship disaster in history and the worst civilian incident. There were over 4,000 passengers on board. Only 24 survived the incident. The History Channel dubbed this incident the 'Asian Titanic'.

3. SS Kiangya

The SS Kiangya was a Chinese passenger steamship that exploded and sank in the mouth of the Huangpu River in 1948. The explosion was allegedly caused by the ship striking a mine left over from the Japanese Navy from World War II, killing 3,920 people.

4. MV Le Joola

The MV Le Joola was a Senegalese government-owned passenger ferry that sank near the coast of Gambia on September 26, 2002.

The ship capsized and sank, killing 1,863 people. The main cause was overloading due to the number of passengers far exceeding capacity.

5. Mont Blanc

On December 6, 1917, the Norwegian ship Imo left Halifax, a port in Nova Scotia, Canada, and collided with the Mont Blanc, a French ship carrying explosives.

As a result of the collision, the Mont Blanc was pushed towards the shore and exploded a few minutes later. The explosion was reportedly so powerful that it shattered windows as far as 50 miles away. In this accident, 1,800 people were reported killed, 9,000 injured, and 1,600 houses destroyed.

(Also read: 10 Worst Plane Crashes in Asia)