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The 10 strongest earthquakes in history (and the 10 earthquakes with the most victims)

The 10 strongest earthquakes in history (and the 10 earthquakes with the most victims)

A strong earthquake does not always mean a high number of victims. Not even the same magnitude causes the same number of deaths: although it is still too early to tell, the powerful earthquake on the border between Turkey and Syria registered this February 6, of magnitude 7.8, it has more than 2,300 victims; another earthquake of the same magnitude that occurred in Turkey in 1999 left a total of 17,000 dead. However, this is not the only example (and there is still time for those figures to catch up): the biggest earthquake in historythe one in Valdivia (Chile) in 1960, had a magnitude of 9.5, but the death toll was 1,655.

Another clear example is the earthquake in Prince William Sound, the second most powerful in history, which with a magnitude of 9.2 caused the death of 60 people, plus another 130 victims due to the tsunami that occurred after the tremor. The following year, in 1965, the Rat Islands earthquake in Alaska became one of the strongest in history, with a magnitude of 8.7, it only had property damage, but no fatalities.

The 10 strongest earthquakes in history

  • Valdivia (Chile), in 1960 | Magnitude: 9.5 | Dead: 1,655
  • Prince William Sound (Alaska), in 1964 | Magnitude: 9.2 | dead: 190
  • Sumatra/Andaman (Indonesia), in 2004 | Magnitude: 9.2 | Dead: 227,000
  • Tohoku (Japan), in 2011 | Magnitude: 9 | Dead: 15,899
  • Kamchatka (Russia), in 1952 | Magnitude: 9 | Dead: 2,600
  • Maule (Chile), in 2010 | Magnitude: 8.8 | dead: 525
  • Colombia and Ecuador, in 1906 | Magnitude: 8.8 | Dead: 1,500
  • Rat Islands (Alaska), in 1965 | Magnitude: 8.7 | dead: 0
  • north sumatra (Indonesia), in 2005 | Magnitude: 8.5 | dead:
  • Assam (Tibet), in 1950 | Magnitude: 8.6 1 Deaths: 1,526

However, there is an earthquake that does appear on both lists: the one that affected the Aceh area, in Indonesian Sumatra in 2004, was one of the most powerful (9.2), but also one of the deadliest: the latest figures pointed to some 227,000 fatalities, although it is never easy to count the human casualties in an event like this. The one in Sumatra is the one that inspired José Antonio Bayona for his film ‘The Impossible’, which tells the story of a family separated by the tsunami that affected this region and that, despite the difficulties, ends up reuniting: based on the data and considering it was a true storya story with a certain point of miracle.

He deadliest earthquake to date It is the earthquake in Haiti, from just over a decade ago, which left more than 316,000 fatalities. About two weeks later, more than fifty aftershocks of a magnitude greater than 4.5 points had already been registered. The Haitian government also estimated that some 250,000 homes and some 30,000 commercial buildings had been completely destroyed.

The 10 deadliest earthquakes in the history of the last century

  • Prince Port (Haiti), in 2010 | Magnitude: 7 | Dead: 316,000
  • haiyuan (China), in 1920 | Magnitude: 7.8 | Dead: 273,000
  • Sumatra/Andaman (Indonesia), in 2004 | Magnitude: 9.2 | Dead: 227,000
  • tangshan (China), in 1976 | Magnitude: 7.5 | Dead: 165,700
  • tokyo (Japan), in 1923 | Magnitude: 7.8 | Dead: 142,800
  • Sichuan (China), in 2008 | Magnitude: 7.9 | Dead: 88,000
  • Cashmere, in 2005 | Magnitude: 7.6 | Dead: 80,000
  • Ashgabat (Turkmenistan), in 1948 | Magnitude: 7.3 | Dead: 110,000
  • ancash (Peru), in 1970 | Magnitude: 7.9 | Dead: 70,000
  • Manjil-Rudbar (Iran), in 1990 | Magnitude: 7.4 | Dead: 35,000

Source: Lasexta

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