Aug 26, 2024
By: Kapil Yadav
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A magnitude 7.6 earthquake hit Changma, Yumen, Gansu province, China on December 25, 1932. The massive intensity of this earthquake caused a ground rupture of 116 km and caused more than 70,000 deaths.
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Due to the strict censorship of the Soviet Union, most details about this earthquake are still unknown. But, it still is one of the most devastating earthquakes in history with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (Extreme), killing more than 1,00,000 people. The epicentre of this earthquake was located approximately 25 kilometers southwest of Ashgabat.
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With its epicenter being under the Pacific Ocean, the Ancash earthquake originated off the coast of Peru, on May 31, 1970. Due to the moment magnitude of 7.9, it caused massive landslides killing more than 70,000 people.
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Almost razing the industrial city of Tangshan, which is located 110 km east of Beijing, this 7.5 magnitude earthquake caused heavy damage. Considered one of the largest natural disasters, this earthquake killed more than 2,40,000 people and caused extensive property damage.
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On December 26, 2004, a 9.1-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Sumatra triggered a massive tsunami. It killed at least 230,000 people across 13 countries. Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Maldives, and Thailand suffered severe damage.
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Hitting the Pakistan-administered Kashmir region on October 8, 2005, with a magnitude of 7.6, this earthquake shook the whole region. With a reported collapse of more than 32,000 buildings and the death of more than 79,000 people, this earthquake caused massive damage not only in the region of Kashmir but also in the cities of Islamabad, Lahore, and Gujarat.
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It occurred on May 12, 2008, in the mountainous central region of Sichuan Province in southwestern China. This 7.9 magnitude earthquake became the reason for more than 90,000 deaths, according to the official Chinese data.
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Occurred on January 12, 2010, and this earthquake devastated the affected area of Haiti and caused massive damage. With an official number of more than 3,00,000 deaths, it is one of the most devastating earthquakes of the last century.
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Killing over 55,000 people on 6 February 2023, the region Türkiye (Turkey) and Syria, experienced a series of earthquakes of magnitude 5.6. These earthquakes caused numerous buildings to collapse and damaged a dam on the Orontes River causing it to overflow.
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