Martinique is an island in the Caribbean Sea. There are a number of volcanoes on the island, including one called Mount Pelee.
In 1902, the volcano began to pour ash over St. Pierre, then the largest city on Martinique. Then, on May 8 of that year, the volcano erupted, destroying St. Pierre in three minutes and killing almost 40,000 people.
Only one man in St. Pierre survived the volcano, he was a prisoner in an underground jail cell!
