Deadliest Earthquakes on Record

 

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–
100,0003		 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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