A glance at the world’s deadliest quakes in past 25 years

February 07, 2023, 04:20 PM
by AP/UNB

UNB News
Publish- February 07, 2023, 04:20 PM
AP/UNB

A glance at the world’s deadliest quakes in past 25 years

Civil defense workers and security forces search through the wreckage of collapsed buildings in Hama, Syria, Monday, Feb. 6, 2023. A powerful earthquake has caused significant damage in southeast Turkey and Syria and many casualties are feared. Damage was reported across several Turkish provinces, and rescue teams were being sent from around the country. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)

A magnitude 7.8 earthquake shook Turkey and Syria on Monday, killing more than 5,000 people in the two countries. The death toll is expected to rise as rescuers working in cold and snow look for trapped people in the rubble of toppled buildings.

Here are some of the world’s deadliest earthquakes in the past 25 years:

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— June 22, 2022: In Afghanistan, more than 1,100 people die in magnitude 6.1 earthquake.

— Aug. 14, 2021: In Haiti, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake kills more than 2,200 people.

— Sept. 28, 2018: A magnitude 7.5 earthquake hits Indonesia, triggering a tsunami and killing more than 4,300 people.

— April 25, 2015: In Nepal, more than 8,800 people are killed by a magnitude 7.8 earthquake.

— March 11, 2011: A magnitude 9.0 quake off the northeast coast of Japan triggers a tsunami, killing nearly 20,000 people.

— Jan. 12, 2010: In Haiti, over 100,000 people are killed by a magnitude 7.0 quake. Government estimates put the number at a staggering 316,000 dead.

— May 12, 2008: A magnitude 7.9 quake strikes eastern Sichuan in China, resulting in over 87,500 deaths.

— May 27, 2006: More than 5,700 people die when a magnitude 6.3 quake hits the island of Java, Indonesia.

— Oct. 8, 2005: A magnitude 7.6 earthquake kills over 80,000 people in Pakistan’s Kashmir region.

— March 28, 2005: A magnitude 8.6 quake in northern Sumatra in Indonesia kills about 1,300 people.

— Dec. 26, 2004: A magnitude 9.1 quake in Indonesia triggers an Indian Ocean tsunami, killing some 230,000 people in a dozen countries.

— Dec. 26, 2003: A magnitude 6.6 earthquake hits southeastern Iran, resulting in more than 20,000 deaths.

— May 21, 2003: More than 2,200 people are killed in a magnitude 6.8 earthquake in Algeria.

— Jan. 26, 2001: A magnitude 7.6 quake strikes Gujarat in India, killing as many as 20,000 people.

— Aug. 17, 1999: A magnitude 7.6 earthquake hits Izmit, Turkey, killing about 18,000 people.

— May 30, 1998: Over 4,000 people are killed after a 6.6 magnitude temblor hits Afghanistan’s Badakhshan province.

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Source: U.S. Geological Survey