Among famines, pandemics and wars, natural
disasters have been the causes for some of
the largest losses of human life in the world,
so join us as we look at the 10 deadliest
natural disasters of all time.
10 526 Antioch earthquake Death Toll: 250,000–300,000
The 526 Antioch earthquake hit Syria and Antioch
in the Byzantine Empire in 526. It struck
during late May, probably between May 20–29,
at mid-morning, killing approximately 250,000
people. The earthquake was followed by a fire
that destroyed most of the buildings left
standing by the earthquake. The maximum intensity
in Antioch is estimated to be between VIII
(Severe) and IX (Violent) on the Mercalli
intensity scale. The estimated magnitude for
the earthquake is 7.0 on the surface wave
magnitude scale and the initial earthquake
was followed by 18 months of aftershocks.
It has been suggested that the very high number
of casualties was a result of there being
a large number of visitors in the city from
the surrounding countryside, there to celebrate
Ascension Day.
9 1920 Haiyuan earthquake Death Toll: 270,000
The Haiyuan earthquake occurred on December
16th 1920 in Haiyuan County, Ningxia Province,
Republic of China. The earthquake reportedly
hit 7.8 on the Richter magnitude scale, followed
by a series of aftershocks for three years.
Today's Chinese media claim the earthquake
was of magnitude 8.5, although the scale is
not specified. It caused total destruction
in the area, initially killing between 200,000
to 240,000 people. However, many more deaths
would follow because of harsh winter conditions.
Many of the survivors refused to build anything
other than temporary shelters due to the aftershocks,
but these shelters were not enough to protect
them from the severe winters that swept through
the areas affected.
8 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami
Death Toll: 280,000
The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake occurred
on the 26th December with an epicentre off
the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. Because
of the date it is also known as the Christmas
tsunami or Boxing Day tsunami. The undersea
megathrust earthquake was caused when the
Indian Plate was subducted by the Burma Plate
and triggered a series of devastating tsunamis
along the coasts of most landmasses bordering
the Indian Ocean, killing 230,000 people in
14 countries, and inundating coastal communities
with waves up to 30 metres high. Indonesia
was the hardest-hit country, followed by Sri
Lanka, India, and Thailand, it caused the
entire planet to vibrate as much as 1 centimetre
and triggered other earthquakes as far away
as Alaska.
7 1737 Calcutta Cyclone Death Toll: 300,000
On 7 October 1737, a natural disaster struck
the city of Calcutta in India. For a long
time this was believed in Europe to have been
the result of an earthquake, but it is now
believed to have been a tropical cyclone.
Thomas Joshua Moore, the duties collector
for the British East India Company in Calcutta,
wrote in his official report that a storm
and flood had destroyed nearly all the thatched
buildings and killed 3,000 of the city's inhabitants.
Other reports from merchant ships indicated
an earthquake and tidal surge were to blame,
destroying 20,000 ships in the harbor and
killing 300,000 people. Take that number with
a grain of salt though, since the population
of Calcutta at the time was between 3,000
– 20,000 and the same numbers show up in
the 1839 Coringa cyclone, which also suggests
20,000 ships and 300,000 people.
6 1839 India cyclone Death Toll: 300,000
Coringa is a small village situated near the
mouth of the Godavari River on the southeastern
coast of India. It once was a bustling port
city. In 1789, it was brutally hit by a cyclone
that left some 20,000 dead. Though devastated,
the port city was still able to function.
On November 25, 1839, Coringa was slammed
by a disastrous cyclone that delivered terrible
winds and a giant 12 m storm surge. The port
was destroyed (some 20,000 vessels were lost)
and 300,000 people were killed. Never fully
rebuilt, Coringa today remains a simple village.
5 1970 Bhola Cyclone Death Toll: 375,000 (250,000–500,000)
The 1970 Bhola cyclone was a devastating tropical
cyclone that struck East Pakistan (now Bangladesh)
and India's West Bengal on 12 November 1970.
It remains the deadliest tropical cyclone
ever recorded, and one of the deadliest natural
disasters in modern times. Up to 500,000 people
lost their lives in the storm, primarily as
a result of the storm surge that flooded much
of the low-lying islands of the Ganges Delta.
The Pakistani government led by junta leader
General Yahya Khan was severely criticized
for its delayed handling of the relief operations
following the storm, both by local political
leaders in East Pakistan and in the international
media. During the election that took place
a month later, the opposition Awami League
gained a landslide victory in the province,
and continuing unrest between East Pakistan
and the central government triggered the Bangladesh
Liberation War, which led to widespread atrocities
and eventually concluded with the creation
of the country of Bangladesh.
4 1976 Tangshan Earthquake Death Toll: 450,000
(242,000–655,000)
The Tangshan earthquake, also known as the
Great Tangshan earthquake, was a natural disaster
that occurred on July 27, 1976. It is believed
to be the largest earthquake of the 20th century
by death toll. The epicenter of the earthquake
was near Tangshan in Hebei, People's Republic
of China, an industrial city with approximately
one million inhabitants. The number of deaths
initially reported by the Chinese government
was 655,000, but this number has since been
stated to be around 240,000 to 255,000. Another
report indicates that the actual death toll
was much higher, at approximately 650,000,
and explains that the lower estimates are
limited to Tangshan and exclude fatalities
in the densely populated surrounding areas.
3 1556 Shaanxi Earthquake Death Toll: 830,000
The 1556 Shaanxi earthquake was a catastrophic
earthquake and is also the deadliest earthquake
on record, killing approximately 830,000 people.
It occurred on the morning of 23 January 1556
in Shaanxi, during the Ming Dynasty. More
than 97 counties were affected. An 840-kilometre-wide
(520 mi) area was destroyed, and in some counties
as much as 60% of the population was killed.
Most of the population in the area at the
time lived in yaodongs, artificial caves in
loess cliffs, many of which collapsed with
great loss of life.
2 1887 Yellow River flood Death Toll: 900,000–2,000,000
The 1887 Yellow River flood was a devastating
flood on the Yellow River in China. This river
is prone to flooding due to the elevated nature
of the river, running between dykes above
the broad plains surrounding it. The flood,
that began in September 1887, killed some
900,000 people. For centuries, the farmers
living near the Yellow River had built dikes
to contain the waters, which over time flowed
higher because silt accumulated on the riverbed.
In 1887, this rising river, swollen by days
of heavy rain, overcame the dikes on around
28th September, causing a massive flood. After
the flood, two million were left homeless.
The resulting pandemic and lack of basic essentials
claimed as many lives as those lost directly
to the flood.
1 1931 China Floods Death Toll: 1,000,000–4,000,000
The 1931 Central China floods or the Central
China floods of 1931 were a series of floods
that occurred in the Republic of China. The
floods are generally considered among the
deadliest natural disasters ever recorded,
and almost certainly the deadliest of the
20th century, excluding famines and pandemics.
Estimates of the total death toll go all the
way up to 4 million. In the years running
up to the disaster, China had been suffering
from awful drought conditions. But by the
winter of 1930, changes began to occur. There
was particularly heavy snow fall over parts
of the country. As the spring of 1931 arrived
and weather started to thaw, China was also
bombarded with very heavy rainfall. This sudden
and unexpected change meant that the rivers
were higher than normal levels, which resulted
in the Yangtze river, the yellow river and
the Huai river all overflowing and causing
millions to lose their lives.
