List of natural disasters by death toll

A natural disaster is a sudden event that causes widespread destruction, lots of collateral damage or loss of life, brought about by forces other than the acts of human beings. A natural disaster might be caused by earthquakes, flooding, volcanic eruption, landslide, hurricanes etc. In order to be classified as a disaster, it will have profound environmental effect and/or human loss and frequently incurs financial loss.

Ten worst natural disasters

Rank Death toll (estimate) Event Location Date
1 1,000,000–4,000,000*[1]1931 China floodsChinaJuly, August, 1931
2 900,000–2,000,000[2]1887 Yellow River floodChinaSeptember, October, 1887
3 830,000[3]1556 Shaanxi earthquakeChinaJanuary 23, 1556
4 450,000 (242,000–655,000) 1976 Tangshan earthquake China July 28, 1976
5 375,000 (250,000–500,000)[1]1970 Bhola cycloneEast Pakistan (now Bangladesh)November 13, 1970
6 300,000[4] 1839 India cycloneIndiaNovember 25, 1839
7 300,000[5] 1737 Calcutta cyclone India October 7, 1737
8 280,000 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami Indian Ocean December 26, 2004
9 273,400[6]1920 Haiyuan earthquakeChinaDecember 16, 1920
10 250,000–300,000[7]526 Antioch earthquakeByzantine Empire (now Turkey)May 526

* Estimate by Nova's sources are close to 4 million and yet Encarta's sources report as few as 1 million. Expert estimates report wide variance.

The list does not include several volcanic eruptions with uncertain death tolls resulting from collateral effects (crop failures, etc.), though these may have numbered in the millions; see List of volcanic eruptions by death toll.

The list does not include the man-made 1938 Yellow River flood, caused entirely by a deliberate man-made act (an act of war, destroying dikes).

An alternative listing is given by Peter Hough in his 2008 book Global Security.[8]

Ten deadliest natural disasters since 1900

Rank Death toll (estimate) Event* Location Date
1. 1,000,000–4,000,000 1931 China floods China July 1931
2. 450,000 (242,000–655,000) 1976 Tangshan earthquake China July 1976
3. 375,000 (250,000–500,000) 1970 Bhola cyclone East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) November 1970
4. 280,000 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami Indian Ocean December 26, 2004
5. 273,400 1920 Haiyuan earthquake China December 1920
6. 229,000 Typhoon Nina—contributed to Banqiao Dam failure China August 7, 1975
7. 160,000[9] 2010 Haiti earthquake Haiti January 12, 2010
8. 145,000 1935 Yangtze river flood China 1935
9. 143,000 1923 Great Kanto earthquake Japan September 1923
10. 138,866 1991 Bangladesh cyclone Bangladesh April 1991

This list does not include industrial or technological accidents, epidemics, or the 1938 Yellow River flood.

Lists of natural disasters by cause

Ten deadliest avalanches

Main articles: Avalanches and List of avalanches
Rank Death toll (estimate) Event Location Date
1. 20,000 1970 Huascarán avalanche; triggered by the 1970 Ancash earthquake[10] Peru 1970
2. 10,000 Tyrolean Alps Avalanche [11][12] Italy 1916
3. 4,000 1962 Huascarán avalanche[10] Peru 1962
4. 310 2015 Afghanistan avalanches Afghanistan 2015
5. 265 Winter of Terror Austria-Switzerland 1951
6. 201 2012 Afghanistan avalanches Afghanistan 2012
7. 172 2010 Salang avalanches Afghanistan 2010
8. 140 2012 Siachen Glacier avalanche Pakistan 2012
9. 125 Kolka-Karmadon rock ice slide Russia 2002
10. 102 2010 Kohistan avalanche Pakistan 2010

Ten deadliest blizzards

Main article: Blizzard
Rank Death toll (estimate) Event Location Date
1.4,0001972 Iran blizzardIran1972
2.3,000Carolean Death MarchSweden/Norway1719
3.9262008 Afghanistan blizzardAfghanistan2008
4.400Great Blizzard of 1888United States1888
5.3181993 North American Storm ComplexUnited States1993
6.235Schoolhouse BlizzardUnited States1888
7.199Hakko-da Mountains incidentJapan1902
8.154North American blizzard of 1996United States1996
9.144Armistice Day BlizzardUnited States1940
10.1332008 Chinese winter stormsChina2008

Ten deadliest tropical cyclones

Rank Death toll Event Location Date
1.375,000 (250,000–500,000) 1970 Bhola cyclone East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) November 13, 1970
2.300,000[4] 1839 India CycloneIndiaNovember 25, 1839
2.300,000[5] 1737 Calcutta cyclone India October 7, 1737
4.229,000 Super Typhoon Nina—contributed to Banqiao Dam failure China August 7, 1975
5.200,000[13] Great Backerganj Cyclone of 1876 India (now Bangladesh) October 30, 1876
6.150,000 (30,000 to 300,000)[14] 1881 Haiphong Typhoon Vietnam October 8, 1881
7.138,866 1991 Bangladesh cyclone Bangladesh April 29, 1991
8.138,366 Cyclone Nargis Myanmar May 2, 2008
9.100,000[15] 1882 Bombay cyclone India 1882
10.80,000[16] 1874 Bengal cyclone India October 1874

52 deadliest earthquakes

Rank Death toll (estimate) Event Location Date
1.830,0001556 Shaanxi earthquakeChinaJanuary 23, 1556
2.650,000–779,000[17][18][19]1976 Tangshan earthquakeChinaJuly 28, 1976
3.280,0002004 Indian Ocean earthquakeIndonesiaDecember 26, 2004
4.273,400[6]1920 Haiyuan earthquakeChinaDecember 16, 1920
5.250,000–300,000[7]526 Antioch earthquake Byzantine Empire (now Turkey)May 526
6.260,000[20]115 Antioch earthquakeRoman Empire (now Turkey)December 13, 115
7.230,0001138 Aleppo earthquakeZengid dynasty (now Syria)October 11, 1138
8.200,000[21]1303 Hongdong earthquakeMongol Empire (now China)September 17, 1303
9.200,000856 Damghan earthquakeAbbasid Caliphate (now Iran)December 22, 856
10.200,000[22]1780 Tabriz earthquakeIranJanuary 8, 1780
11.170,000[23]896 Udaipur earthquakeIndia896
12.160,000[9]2010 Haiti earthquakeHaitiJanuary 12, 2010
13.150,000893 Ardabil earthquakeAbbasid Caliphate (now Iran)March 23, 893
14.142,807[24][25]1923 Great Kanto earthquakeJapanSeptember 1, 1923
15.130,000[26]533 Aleppo earthquakeByzantine Empire (now Syria)November 29, 533
16.123,000[1]1908 Messina earthquakeItalyDecember 28, 1908
17.110,0001948 Ashgabat earthquakeTurkmen SSR, Soviet Union (now Turkmenistan)October 5, 1948
18.100,0001290 Chihli earthquakeMongol Empire (now China)September 27, 1290
19.100,0001970 Ancash earthquakePeruMay 31, 1970
20.100,000[27]2005 Kashmir earthquakePakistan (Azad Kashmir)October 8, 2005
21.87,587[28][29]2008 Sichuan earthquakeChinaMay 12, 2008
22.80,000[30]1721 Tabriz earthquakeIranApril 26, 1721
23.80,000[31]458 Antioch earthquakeByzantine Empire (now Turkey)September 458
24.80,0001667 Shamakhi earthquakeSafavid dynasty (now Azerbaijan)November 1667
25.80,0001854 Great Nankaidō earthquakeJapanNovember 1854
26.80,000[32][33]1169 Aleppo earthquakeZengid dynasty (now Syria)1169
27.77,0001727 Tabriz earthquakeIranNovember 18, 1727
28.73,000[34]1718 Gansu earthquakeQing Empire (now China)June 19, 1718
29.70,000[35]1033 Ramala earthquakeFatimid Caliphate (now West Bank)December 10, 1033
30.70,000[36]847 Damascus earthquakeAbbasid Caliphate (now Syria)847
31.70,000[37]1868 Ecuador earthquakesEcuadorAugust 15, 1868 and August 16, 1868
32.60,000[38]587 Antioch earthquake Byzantine Empire (now Turkey) September 30, 587
33.60,000[39]1101 Khorasan earthquakeGreat Seljuq Empire (now Iran)1101
34.60,0001268 Cilicia earthquakeArmenian Kingdom of Cilicia (now Turkey)1268
35.60,0001693 Sicily earthquakeKingdom of Sicily (now Italy)January 11, 1693
36.60,0001935 Quetta earthquakeIndia (now part of Pakistan)May 31, 1935
37.50,000[40]844 Damascus earthquakeAbbasid Caliphate (now Syria)September 18, 844
38.50,000[41]1042 Tabriz earthquakeAbbasid Caliphate (now Iran)November 4, 1042
39.50,0001783 Calabrian earthquakesKingdom of Naples (now Italy)1783
40.50,0001990 Manjil–Rudbar earthquakeIranJune 21, 1990
41.40,000–50,000[42] 1755 Lisbon earthquakePortugalNovember 1, 1755
42.45,000[43]850 Iran earthquakeAbbasid Caliphate (now Iran)July 15, 850
43.45,000[44]856 Corinth earthquakeByzantine Empire (now Greece)November 856
44.45,000[45][46]856 Tunisia earthquakeAbbasid Caliphate (now Tunisia)December 3, 856
45.42,571[47]1668 Shandong earthquakeQing Empire (now China)July 25, 1668
46.40,9001927 Gulang earthquakeGansu, ChinaMay 22, 1927
47.40,000[48]342 Antioch earthquakeRoman Empire (now Turkey)342
48.40,000[49]662 Damghan earthquakeUmayyad Caliphate (now Iran)April 26, 662
49.40,000[50]1455 Naples earthquakeCrown of Aragon (now Italy)December 5, 1455
50.40,000[51]1754 Cairo earthquakeOttoman Empire (now Egypt)September 2, 1754
51.40,000[52]1755 Tabriz earthquakeIranJune 7, 1755
52.40,0001797 Riobamba earthquakeSpanish Empire (now Ecuador)February 4, 1797

Ten deadliest floods / landslides

Note: Some of these floods and landslides may be partially caused by humans – for example, by failure of dams, levees, seawalls or retaining walls.

Rank Death toll Event Location Date
1. 1,000,000–4,000,000[53] 1931 China floods China 1931
2. 900,000–2,000,000 1887 Yellow River (Huang He) flood China 1887
3. 229,000[54] Failure of 62 dams, the largest of which was Banqiao Dam, result of Typhoon Nina. China 1975
4. 145,000 1935 Yangtze river flood China 1935
5. more than 100,000 St. Felix's Flood, storm surge Netherlands 1530
6. 100,000 Hanoi and Red River Delta flood North Vietnam 1971
7. up to 100,000 1911 Yangtze River flood China 1911
8. 50,000–80,000 St. Lucia's flood, storm surge Netherlands 1287
9. 60,000 North Sea flood, storm surge Netherlands 1212
10. 36,000 St. Marcellus flood, storm surge Netherlands 1219

The list does not include the man-made 1938 Yellow River flood caused entirely by a deliberate man-made act (an act of war, destroying dikes).

Deadliest heat waves

Measuring the number of deaths caused by a heat wave requires complicated statistical analysis, since heat waves tend to cause large numbers of deaths among people weakened by other conditions. As a result, the number of deaths is only known with any accuracy for heat waves in the modern era in countries with developed healthcare systems.

Main article: Heat wave
Rank Death toll Event Location Date
1. 70,000 2003 European heat wave Europe 2003
2. 56,000 2010 Russian heat wave Russia 2010
3. 5,000–10,000 1988 United States heat wave United States 1988
4. 3,418 2006 European heat wave Europe 2006[55]
5. 2,541 1998 India heat wave India 1998[55]
6. 2,500 2015 Indian heat wave India 2015
6. 2,500 2015 Pakistan heat wave Pakistan 2015
8. 1,700–5,000 1980 United States heat wave United States 1980
9. 1,718 2010 Japanese heat wave Japan 2010[56]
10. 1,693 1936 North American heat wave North America 1936[55]

Deadliest limnic eruptions

Main article: Limnic eruption

(Only 2 recorded cases.)

Rank Death toll Event Location Date
1. 1,744 Lake Nyos Cameroon 1986
2. 37 Lake Monoun Cameroon 1984

10 deadliest storms (non-cyclones)

Main article: Storm
Rank Death toll Event Location Date
1. 15,100 Vargas tragedy Venezuela 1999
2. 903 Rio de Janeiro floods and mudslides Brazil 2011
3. 500 Lofoten, Heavy storm Norway 1849
4. 250 Great Lakes Storm of 1913 United States and Canada (Great Lakes region) 1913
5. 242 1996 Amarnath Yatra tragedy India 1996
6. 210 Trøndelag, storm ("Follastormen") Norway 1625
7. 189 Eyemouth, Scotland, storm ("Black Friday") United Kingdom 1881
8. 156 1972 Rainstorm Disasters Hong Kong 1972
9. 140 Trøndelag, storm ("Titran disaster") Norway 1899
10. 128 2008 Santa Catarina floods and mudslides Brazil 2008

10 deadliest tornadoes

Rank Death toll Event Location Date
1. 1,300 The Daulatpur-Salturia Tornado Manikganj, Bangladesh 1989
2. 923 1969 East Pakistan Tornado East Pakistan, Pakistan (now Bangladesh) 1969
3. 695 The Tri-State Tornado United States (Missouri–Illinois–Indiana) 1925
4. 681 1973 Dhaka Tornado Bangladesh 1973
5. 600 The Valletta, Malta Tornado Malta 1551
6. 500 The Sicily Tornadoes Sicily, Two Sicilies (now Italy) 1851
7. 500 The Narail-Magura Tornadoes Jessore, East Pakistan, Pakistan (now Bangladesh) 1964
8. 500 The Comoro Tornado Comoro 1951
9. 442 The Yangtze River Tornado China 2015
10. 440 The Tangail Tornado Bangladesh 1988

10 deadliest tsunamis

Rank Death toll Event Location Date
1. 300,000-500,000 (est.) 365 Crete earthquake Greece July 21, 365
2. 280,000 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami Indian Ocean December 26, 2004
3. 123,000[1] 1908 Messina earthquake Italy December 28, 1908
4. 36,417–120,000 1883 eruption of Krakatoa Indonesia August 26, 1883
5. 40,000–50,000[42] 1755 Lisbon earthquake Portugal November 1, 1755
6. 30,000-100,000 (est.) Minoan Eruption Greece 2nd Millennium BC
7. 31,000 1498 Meiō Nankaidō earthquake Japan September 20, 1498
8. 30,000 1707 Hōei earthquake Japan October 28, 1707
9. 27,122[57] 1896 Sanriku earthquake Japan June 15, 1896
10. 25,674 1868 Arica earthquake Chile August 13, 1868

A 1782 possible tsunami causing about 40,000 deaths in the Taiwan Strait area may have been of "meteorological" origin (a cyclone)[58]

10 deadliest volcanic eruptions

Rank Death toll Event Location Date
1. 92,000 1815 eruption of Mount Tambora (see also Year Without a Summer) Indonesia April 10, 1815
2. 36,000 1883 eruption of Krakatoa Krakatoa, Indonesia August 26–27, 1883
3. 33,000 Eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 Mount Vesuvius, Pompeii and Herculaneum, Italy August 24, 79 A.D.
4. 29,000 Mount Pelée Martinique May 7 or May 8, 1902
5. 23,000 Armero tragedy Nevado del Ruiz, Colombia November 13, 1985
6. 15,000 1792 Unzen earthquake and tsunami Japan 1792
7. 12,000 Mayon Volcano Philippines 1814
8. 10,000 Mount Kelud Indonesia 1586
9. 9,350 (25% of population of Iceland) Laki Iceland June 8, 1783
10. 6,000 Santa Maria Guatemala 1902

10 deadliest wildfires / bushfires

Main articles: Wildfire, Bushfire and List of wildfires
Rank Death toll Event Location Date
1.1,200–2,500 Peshtigo Fire, Wisconsin United States October 8, 1871
2.1,200 Kursha-2 Fire Soviet Union August 3, 1936
3.453 Cloquet Fire, Minnesota United States October 12, 1918
4.418 Great Hinckley Fire, Minnesota United States September 1, 1894
5.282 Thumb Fire, Michigan United States September 5, 1881
6.273 Matheson Fire, Ontario Canada July 29, 1916
7.240 Sumatra and Kalimantan Fires Indonesia 1997
8.213 Black Dragon Fire China May 1987
9.173 Black Saturday bushfires Australia February 7 – March 14, 2009
10.160 Miramichi Fire Canada October 1825

See also

Other lists organized by death toll

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 The world's worst natural disasters Calamities of the 20th and 21st centuries CBC News'.' Retrieved 2010-10-29.
  2. ↑ "NOVA Online | Flood! | Dealing with the Deluge". Pbs.org. Retrieved 2010-08-11.
  3. ↑ "Top 10 Deadliest Earthquakes". Time. January 13, 2010. Retrieved May 8, 2010.
  4. 1 2 "The Worst Natural Disasters by Death Toll" (PDF). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 2008-04-06. Retrieved 2011-03-11.
  5. 1 2 "10 'Worst' Natural Disasters". Eas.slu.edu. Retrieved 2010-08-11.
  6. 1 2 "Death toll of 1920 China earthquake higher than previously estimated". News.xinhuanet.com. Retrieved 2014-02-13.
  7. 1 2 Paula Dunbar. "Significant Earthquake". Ngdc.noaa.gov. Retrieved 2014-02-13.
  8. ↑ Understanding Global Security, Peter Hough, 2008, chapter 8, page 192, table 8.1 'The ten worst natural disasters in history'
  9. 1 2 "Mortality, crime and access to basic needs before and after the Haiti earthquake: a random survey of Port-au-Prince households". Taylor Francis Online. Retrieved 2014-02-13.
  10. 1 2 "The Peru Earthquake: A Special Study". Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. Oct 1970: 17.
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  12. ↑ "The Italian Alps Avalanche of 1916". 2013-03-11. Retrieved 2014-12-14.
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  16. ↑ "Cyclones". Nih.ernet.in. Retrieved 2014-02-13.
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  18. ↑ 1976 Tangshan earthquake#Death toll
  19. ↑ ja:地震の年表#.E8.A2.AB.E5.AE.B3.E3.81.8C.E5.A4.A7.E3.81.8D.E3.81.AA.E5.9C.B0.E9.9C.87
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  26. ↑ Paula Dunbar. "Significant Earthquake". Ngdc.noaa.gov. Retrieved 2014-02-13.
  27. ↑ "Construction of Earthquake Resistant Buildings and Infrastructure Implementing Seismic Design and Building Code in No rthern Pakistan 2005 Earthquake Affected Area" (PDF). International Journal of Business and Social Science. Retrieved 2014-02-13.
  28. ↑ "Deaths from Earthquakes in 2008". Earthquake.usgs.gov. 2010-04-21. Retrieved 2014-02-13.
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  30. ↑ Paula Dunbar. "Significant Earthquake". Ngdc.noaa.gov. Retrieved 2014-02-13.
  31. ↑ Paula Dunbar. "Significant Earthquake". Ngdc.noaa.gov. Retrieved 2014-02-13.
  32. ↑ Syria: Halab (Aleppo),Dimashq (Damascus). "Syria: Halab (Aleppo),Dimashq (Damascus) Earthquake of 1169". Earthquakes.findthedata.org. Retrieved 2014-02-13.
  33. ↑ "What was the magnitude of the Syria: Halab (Aleppo),Dimashq (Damascus) Earthquake in 1169?". Earthquakes.findthedata.org. Retrieved 2014-02-13.
  34. ↑ Paula Dunbar. "Significant Earthquake". Ngdc.noaa.gov. Retrieved 2014-02-13.
  35. ↑ Paula Dunbar. "Significant Earthquake". Ngdc.noaa.gov. Retrieved 2014-02-13.
  36. ↑ Paula Dunbar. "Significant Earthquake". Retrieved 24 October 2014.
  37. ↑ Paula Dunbar. "Significant Earthquake". Retrieved 24 October 2014.
  38. ↑ Paula Dunbar. "Significant Earthquake". Retrieved 24 October 2014.
  39. ↑ Paula Dunbar. "Significant Earthquake". Retrieved 24 October 2014.
  40. ↑ Paula Dunbar. "Significant Earthquake". Retrieved 24 October 2014.
  41. ↑ Paula Dunbar. "Significant Earthquake". Retrieved 24 October 2014.
  42. 1 2 The Opportunity of a Disaster: The Economic Impact of the 1755 Lisbon Earthquake. Discussion Paper 06/03, Centre for Historical Economics and Related Research at York, York University, 2006
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  44. ↑ "Yahoo! Groups". Retrieved 24 October 2014.
  45. ↑ http://earthquakes.findthedata.org/l/223/Tunisia-Tunis-Syria-Egypt-Yemen
  46. ↑
  47. ↑ Paula Dunbar. "Significant Earthquake". Retrieved 24 October 2014.
  48. ↑ Paula Dunbar. "Significant Earthquake". Retrieved 24 October 2014.
  49. ↑ Paula Dunbar. "Significant Earthquake". Retrieved 24 October 2014.
  50. ↑ Paula Dunbar. "Significant Earthquake". Retrieved 24 October 2014.
  51. ↑ http://earthquakes.findthedata.org/l/1220/Egypt-Al-qahirah-cairo
  52. ↑ Paula Dunbar. "Significant Earthquake". Retrieved 24 October 2014.
  53. ↑ "Worst Natural Disasters In History". Nbc10.com. Retrieved 2010-08-11.
  54. ↑ 229,000 is the highest of a range of unofficial estimates, including also deaths of ensuing epidemics and famine, in Yi 1998
  55. 1 2 3 "You're experiencing world's 5th deadliest heatwave ever". Times of India. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
  56. ↑ Kanoko Matsuyama; Shigeru Sato (13 July 2011). "Heatstroke Deaths Quadruple as Japan Shuns Air Conditioners to Save Power". Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved 1 June 2012. "last year, when a record 1,718 people died of heatstroke as the summer heat broke records."
  57. ↑ Paula Dunbar. "Significant Earthquake". Retrieved 24 October 2014.
  58. ↑ Written records of historical tsunamis in the northeastern South China Sea

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