The Top 10 Most Devastating Natural Disasters

Number 10: 526 Antioch Earthquake, Turkey

250,000 people died in Antioch in May 526. There was a huge celebration going on in Antioch at the time the 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck so there were a large number of visitors. The massive earthquake was followed by almost 2 years of aftershocks.

Number 9: 1920 Haiyuan Earthquake, China

The devastating 8.0 earthquake that occurred the afternoon of December 16th, 1920 claimed over 230,000 lives. Massive landslides, fires, and flooding spread across the country. Aftershocks continued for almost 3 years.

Number 8: 2004 Earthquake & Tsunami, Indian Ocean

On December 26th, 2004, the 3rd largest ever recorded earthquake with a magnitude of 9.1 struck Sumatra, Indonesia. The epicenter was in the middle of the Indian Ocean and it triggered a tsunami with waves reaching 60 ft in some locations across the Indian Ocean. It is estimated that 170,000-280,000 people lost their lives.

Number 7: 1737 Calcutta Cyclone, India

October 11th 1839, 15 in of rain fell within 6 hours and a huge wave between 30-35 ft hit the city of Calcutta. 200-300,000 people died when their poorly constructed houses made of straw and mud collapsed around them.

Number 6: 1839 Indian Cyclone, India

Coringa, India was a densely populated city until the night of November 25th, 1839. 250,000-300,000 people were killed when a 40 ft storm surge came sweeping thru the sleeping city.

Number 5: 1970 Bhola Cyclone, Pakistan

The Bhola Cyclone’s staggering death toll was sadly a result of very poor responsiveness/communication. The majority of people knew about the impending cyclone and heard the alarm, however, they didn’t take any precautions. Over 300,000 people died when the cyclone hit.

Number 4: 1976 Tangshan Earthquake, China

At 3am on July 28th, 1976 a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck killing almost half of the residents of Tangshan, China. Estimates of fatalities ranging from 300,000 to over 600,000 were reported. Poor building construction was a large contributor to the horrific death toll.
Number 3: 1556 Earthquake, China

An 8.3 magnitude earthquake struck in the late evening of January 23, 1556 killing thousands of people in their sleep. 50 ft deep crevacises appeared in the middle of the mangled city of Shaanxi. Over 800,000 people died across 300 miles of what was once densely populated cities/villages.

Number 2: 1887 Yellow River Floods, China

900,000 people lost their lives in September 1887 when the Yellow River broke thru the dikes and filled over 50,000 miles with massive quantities of water. The Yellow River was located in the middle of flat ground that stretched for thousands of miles, which allowed the water to travel fast and overcame the residents before they even knew what was happening.

Number 1:

The deadliest natural disaster of the 20th century occurred during July-August 1931 in China. The capital city at the time was Nanjing which was located on an island in a flood zone. Nanjing was home to millions of people. During the night of August 25th, over 200,000 died in their sleep. The following days an estimated 3.5-4 million people drowned and/or died from(waterborne disease) cholera and typhus. The staggering death toll resulted in the construction of the Three Gorges Dam, which over 70 years later in 2012 was finally complete and is one of the largest power stations in the world.

Time for the question of the day:

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Voice Over by Christopher Hudspeth
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Music by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com),
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