Worst Earthquakes In History

[Subhash Dua]

 

 

Here are few of worst earthquakes ever recorded in history.

Nepal Earthquake (2015)

Nearly 1,000 are known to have died in a powerful earthquake in Nepal today 25th April, 2015, with many more feared trapped under rubble, officials say.

The 7.8 magnitude quake struck an area between the capital, Kathmandu, and the city of Pokhara, the US Geological Survey said.

Tremors were felt across the region, with further loss of life in India, Bangladesh, Tibet and on Mount Everest.

The government has declared a state of emergency in the affected areas.

A national police spokesman told the BBC that 970 people had died in the quake, and that more than 1,700 had been injured. At least 539 people were killed in the Kathmandu valley, he added.

New Zealand Earthquake (2011)

Also known as the Christchurch earthquake, this magnitude 6.3 quake that occurred on February 22, 2011 severely damaged New Zealand’s second-largest city. It also killed 185 people, 238 were reported missing, and164 patients were treated for injuries. One of the nation’s deadliest peacetime disasters, this caused significant damage to Christchurch and the central Canterbury region with an estimated US $16 billion worth of damages incurred, though it was of lesser strength than the 7.1 magnitude quake that hit Canterbury six earlier in September 4, 2010.

Tōhoku Earthquake and Tsunami (2011)

A 9.0 magnitude quake followed by tsunami waves hit the east coast of Japan in March 11, 2011. With a depth of 24.4 km, this was the largest earthquake to ever strike Japan in recorded history. Documented as the 7th largest earthquake in the world, it led to about 15 million dead or injured, and 2,814 people missing. It also affected 18 prefectures, with over 250,000 buildings damaged or destroyed and caused a near nuclear disaster when there was a partial meltdown in 3 reactors of the Fukushima nuclear plant, which is the 2nd largest nuclear disaster after Chernobyl.

Haiti Earthquake (2010)

A magnitude 7.0 earthquake that has a depth of 8.1 miles rocked Haiti on January 12, 2010. Its epicenter was located just south west of Port-Au-Prince with 59 aftershocks ranging from 4.2 to 5.9 magnitudes in strength. The strongest earthquake to hit the country since 1770, it had led to over 200,000 deaths, 2 million homeless, and 3 million people in need of emergency aid. At least US $195 million have been given with another US $120 million pledges from different countries, along with a large number of aid workers to help with rescue operations.

Pakistan Earthquake (2005)

The 2005 Pakistan earthquake, that registered 7.6 in the Richter scale, had its epicenter in Kashmir near the city of Muzaffarabad. It occurred on the morning of October 8, 2005 and the official death toll was 75,000 people with 106,000 people injured. The severity of the damage was attributed to the poor construction of the buildings. Over US $5.4 billion in aid arrived from all over the world to help with rescue and relief efforts.

Indian Ocean Earthquake (2004)

Also known as the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake, it was estimated to be a magnitude 9.15, and occurred on December 26, 2004. While the earthquake itself lasted for only 10 seconds, it caused a tsunami that killed 200,000 to 310,000 people along the shores of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, South India, and Thailand with one death even occurring at Port Elizabeth in South Africa, 8,000 miles away from the epicenter.

Gujarat Earthquake (2001)

This earthquake happened on India’s 51st Republic Day celebration in January 26, 2001. The quake, which had a magnitude between 7.6 and 7.7, lasted for over 2 minutes with the epicenter about 9 km south-southwest of the Chobari village. It resulted in a death toll of 20,000 people, injured 167,000 and destroyed 400,000 homes. It also caused major shock waves that spread 700 km where 21 districts were affected and left 600,000 people homeless.

Tangshan Earthquake in China (1976)

The Great Tangshan earthquake struck China on July 28, 1976 causing the death of 240,000 people and injured 164,000 more. Regarded as the deadliest earthquake of the 20th century, it also rocked, both literally and politically, the seat of the Chinese Communist Party in Beijing. The very large 7.8 earthquake hit an area where it was totally unexpected causing the city of Tangshan to be obliterated. It was caused by the 25-mile long Tangshan Fault, which runs near the city.

Haiyuan Earthquake (1920)

Also known as the 1920 Gansu Earthquake, this is the 4th worst earthquake ever recorded next to the Antioch Earthquake in the year 526. With a death toll of 240,000, this quake occurred in December 16, 1920 with its epicenter in Haiyuan County, in the Ningxia Province of China.

Aleppo Earthquake (1138)

The deadliest earthquake in history, it occurred in October 11, 1138 and was named after the city of Aleppo in Syria, now called Halab. Its death toll was approximated at 230,000 as the city was destroyed along with its surrounding areas.

Antioch Earthquake (526)

The third worst earthquake disaster in the world happened in the year 526 and may have probably struck late in May between the 20th and 29th as there is no specific date on record. This major earthquake hit Syria and Antioch with a death toll between 250,000 to 300,000.

[harash kapoor]

May the world remain free from Earthquakes, Subhash.

Harash

---

Date: Thu, 30 Apr 2015 07:13:58 +0530
Subject: Worst Earthquakes In History
From: drsubh...@gmail.com
To: afmc-a...@googlegroups.com

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "AFMC Group A Batch" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to afmc-a-batch...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

[Ambrish gupta]

terrible suffering