Deadliest earthquakes and tsunamis of the past century

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HONG KONG: Three villages were reportedly flattened in the Solomon Islands yesterday when a tsunami triggered by an 8.0-magnitude quake crashed ashore.

Below is a list of the world’s deadliest earthquakes, including quake-induced tsunamis, over the past century:

– 2011: Japan: more than 19,000 were killed when a tsunami triggered by an undersea quake slammed into the northeast coast, triggering a nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi atomic plant. Magnitude 9.0.

– 2010: Haiti: between 250,000 and 300,000 killed when a quake hits what is already one of the world’s poorest countries, devastating the capital Port-au-Prince.
Magnitude 7.0.

– 2008: Sichuan province, China: 87,000 dead or missing. A large number of children are among the dead, with shoddily-built schools blamed. Magnitude 8.0.

– 2005: Indian and Pakistani Kashmir: at least 75,000 killed with poor construction in the mountainous region accounting for the high death toll. Magnitude 7.6.

– 2004: Indian Ocean: more than 226,000 died when a tsunami sparked by an undersea earthquake off Indonesia hit countries around the Indian Ocean. Magnitude 9.1.

– 2003: Iran: More than 30,000 killed in and around the city of Bam, with mud-built homes blamed for the level of destruction. Magnitude 6.6.

– 2001: India: More than 20,000 killed when a quake hits Gujarat on India’s Republic Day holiday. Magnitude 7.7.

– 1990: Iran: 50,000 dead when quake hits in the northwest of the country near the Caspian Sea. Magnitude 7.4.

– 1976: Tangshan, Hebei Province, China: officials said 242,000 people died, although some Western sources said the toll was higher. Magnitude 7.8.

– 1970: Mount Huascaran, Peru: earthquake and resulting avalanche killed 66,800. Magnitude 7.5.

– 1948: USSR: More than 100,000 people killed in and around Ashgabat in modern-day Turkmenistan. Magnitude 7.3.

– 1939: Erzincan, Turkey: 35-40,000 killed. Magnitude 8.0.

– 1935: Quetta, India (now Pakistan): more than 50,000 killed. Magnitude 7.6.

– 1932: Gansu province, China: around 70,000 died. Magnitude 8.0.

– 1927: Nanshan province, China: up to 200,000 dead. Magnitude 8.0.

– 1923: Yokohama, Japan: more than 142,000 people died in the Great Kanto earthquake and resulting fire, which destroyed Tokyo. Magnitude 8.2.

– 1920: Gansu, northwestern China: more than 100,000 killed. Magnitude 8.5. — AFP