The eastern Mediterranean earthquake, which had a magnitude of 7.7 on the Richter scale, outperformed the 1999 earthquake that struck Turkey, killing more than 17,000 people.
Here is a list of earthquakes in order of death toll:
Sumatra earthquake (2004): 230 thousand dead
On December 26, 2004, a massive earthquake measuring 9.1 on the Richter scale struck the coast of Sumatra in Indonesia, which led to a tsunami, which reached the coasts of East Africa, and at that time, the height of the tsunami reached a speed of 700 kilometers per hour. sometimes up to 30 metres.
The earthquake and tsunami claimed more than 230,000 lives across the region, including 170,000 in Indonesia alone.
Haiti earthquake (2010): 200,000 dead
On January 12, 2010, a magnitude 7 earthquake in Haiti killed more than 200,000 people and displaced 1.5 million people. The earthquake reduced the capital, Port-au-Prince, and its suburbs to rubble.
In the aftermath, a cholera epidemic spread in the country, starting in October 2010, after the infection was transmitted by international soldiers from Nepal who came as peacekeepers, after the earthquake. The epidemic killed more than 10,000 people as of January 2019.
Sichuan earthquake (2008): 87 thousand dead
On May 12, 2008, a 7.9-magnitude earthquake struck the Sichuan province in southwestern China, killing more than 87,000 people, while 4.45 million were injured, and among the victims were thousands of students who died in the collapse of schools. The earthquake caused destruction in large areas of the region.
Kashmir earthquake (2005): 73 thousand dead
On October 8, 2005, a 7.6-magnitude earthquake caused more than 73,000 deaths and the displacement of 3.5 million, especially in the Pakistani part of Kashmir. The earthquake destroyed almost all medical facilities.
Bam earthquake – Iran (2003): 31 thousand dead
On December 26, 2003, a 6.6-magnitude earthquake struck the city of Bam in southeastern Iran, killing more than 31,000 people, which constituted more than a quarter of the city’s population. There was massive damage to the historic city.
Eastern Mediterranean earthquake (2023): more than 22,000 dead
On February 6, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck southern Turkey and neighboring northern Syria, followed by a 7.5-magnitude aftershock. The final death toll reached more than 22,000 as of Friday morning, February 10, 2023, while the number of injured approached 80,000, in addition to thousands of displaced persons.
Gujarat earthquake – India (2001): 20 thousand dead
On January 26, 2001, a 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck Gujarat in western India, killing more than 20,000 people. and destroyed the city of Bhuj.
Fukushima earthquake – Japan (2011): 18,500 dead
On March 11, 2011, Japan was rocked by a 9.1-magnitude earthquake. Less than an hour later, a huge wave (tsunami) exceeding 20 meters high in some places hit the coast of the Tohoku region in the northeast of the country, killing all forms of life.
The Fukushima nuclear plant was flooded, and the cores of its three reactors melted, causing the worst civilian nuclear disaster since Chernobyl in Ukraine in 1986.
The disaster resulted in 18,500 dead and missing, and forced more than 165,000 people to leave Fukushima Prefecture due to radiation.
Nepal earthquake (2015): 9 thousand dead
On April 25, 2015, about 9,000 people died in a 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck central Himalayan Nepal. The capital, Kathmandu, and the areas around the epicenter were badly damaged.
Java earthquake (2006): 6 thousand dead
On May 26, 2006, a 6.3-magnitude earthquake killed about 6,000 people on the Indonesian island of Java. Some 38,000 people have been injured and more than 420,000 have been displaced.
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