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.