Deadliest Earthquakes on Record



(50,000 deaths or more)


The following table lists the deadliest earthquakes on record according to date, location, number of deaths, and magnitude. On Jan. 23, 1556, an 8.0 magnitude earthquake struck Shansi, China killing 830,000 people.
Date
Location
Deaths
Magnitude
Jan. 23, 1556
Shansi, China
830,000
~8
July 27, 1976
Tangshan, China
255,0001
7.5
Aug. 9, 1138
Aleppo, Syria
230,000
n.a.
Dec. 26, 2004
off west coast of northern Sumatra
225,000+
9.0
Jan. 12, 2010
Haiti
222,570
7.0
Dec. 22, 8562
Damghan, Iran
200,000
n.a.
May 22, 1927
near Xining, Tsinghai, China
200,000
7.9
Dec. 16, 1920
Gansu, China
200,000
7.8
March 23, 8932
Ardabil, Iran
150,000
n.a.
Sept. 1, 1923
Kwanto, Japan
143,000
7.9
Oct. 5, 1948
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, USSR
110,000
7.3
Dec. 28, 1908
Messina, Italy
70,000–
100,000
3
7.2
Sept. 1290
Chihli, China
100,000
n.a.
May 12, 2008
Eastern Sichuan, China
87,587
7.9
Oct. 8, 2005
Pakistan
 80,361
7.6
Nov. 1667
Shemakha, Caucasia
 80,000
n.a.
Nov. 18, 1727
Tabriz, Iran
 77,000
n.a.
Dec. 25, 1932
Gansu, China
 70,000
7.6
Nov. 1, 1755
Lisbon, Portugal
 70,000
8.7
May 31, 1970
Peru
 66,000
7.9
May 30, 1935
Quetta, Pakistan
 30,000–
 60,000
7.5
Jan. 11, 1693
Sicily, Italy
 60,000
n.a.
12684
Silicia, Asia Minor
 60,000
n.a.
June 20, 1990
Iran
 50,000
7.7
Feb. 4, 1783
Calabria, Italy
 50,000
n.a.
1. Official. Estimated death toll as high as 655,000.
2. Note that these dates are prior to A.D. 1000. No digit is missing.
3. Estimated.
4. No date available.
Source: National Earthquake Information Center, U.S. Geological Survey. Data compiled from several sources.

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