Earthquakes are one of the deadliest natural disasters that this planet has every now and then. They happen almost every day on small levels as the tectonic plates shift but sometimes their high magnitude can wreak havoc on civilizations, so much so that entire cities get ruined.
Here are the last decade’s deadliest earthquakes:
Nepal- April 25 2015
This was one of the deadliest earthquakes in the history of this region. With over 8000 people dead, this 7.8 earthquake destroyed homes in India, Nepal, Tibet, Bangladesh and even caused an avalanche at Mount Everest killing more than a dozen climbers.
The UN reported that over 8 million people were affected in this earthquake.
China- August 3, 2014
A 6.2 earthquake hit Wenping China that killed more than 700 people. The earthquake mostly struck the mountainous part of China where there were many villages surrounding it causing more than 12,000 homes to be wrecked and 2,000 people to be injured.
Pakistan- September 24, 2013
A 7.7 magnitude earthquake hit the southwestern province of Baluchistan that killed 825 people. The epicenter was a town called Dalbadi and all the villages surrounding it got destroyed.
Japan- March 11, 2011
This monstrosity of an earthquake measuring a magnitude of 9 on the Richter scale killed 16,000 people and left 2000 missing. The tsunami was as high as 90 feet in many areas and it destroyed millions of homes.
This earthquake was the largest one in Japan’s history.
Chile- February 27, 2010
This 8.8 earthquake left more than 700 people dead when it hit the coast of Chile. Around 1.5 million people were affected and displaced from their homes. It is estimated that more than 500,000 homes were destroyed.
Haiti-January 12, 2010
This is one of the deadliest earthquakes ever to hit the world that literally rocked the capital of Haiti. It was reported that around 316,000 people were dead in the city of Port-au-Prince and it left 1.5 million people homeless.
Even to this day, there are still many people living in tents and suffering the aftermath of the quake.
Indonesia- September 30, 2009
The tsunami that hit Sumatra was due to the 7.5 magnitude earthquake. The quake hit the ocean and rippled its way across the shores of the western island of Indonesia, most of the deaths were in Padang ruining almost 500 buildings.
China- May 12, 2008
A 7.9 magnitude earthquake hit the Sichuan province in China on May 12 killing more than 90,000 people and making it the deadliest one in the region in the last 40 years. It left 5 million people homeless and caused a whopping $122 billion loss to the Chinese economy due to the destruction.
Peru- August 15, 2007
This earthquake measured a massive 8 on the Richter scale and was felt in many cities across Peru. It left 500 people dead. Luckily, the epicenter was in its southern most desert where there weren’t any people living there.
Earthquakes are inevitable and unavoidable. One can only try their best to run for safety in times like these and hope for the best.
