With preliminary casualties rising by the hour, the earthquake in Turkey and Syria is already among the ten deadliest of the 21st century.

2004: 230,000 dead in Southeast Asia.

On December 26, 2004, a 9.1 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Sumatra (Indonesia) triggered a giant tsunami that killed more than 230,000 people off the coast of ten countries in Southeast Asia, including 170,000 people in Indonesia.

Giant waves, starting at a speed of 700 km / h, reach a height of up to 30 meters.

2010: 200,000 dead in Haiti

On January 12, 2010, a magnitude 7 earthquake in Haiti killed more than 200,000 people and left 1.5 million people homeless. An earthquake turns the capital of Port-au-Prince into a pile of rubble.

Then in October 2010, the country was hit by a cholera epidemic brought in by peacekeepers from Nepal who arrived after the earthquake. By January 2019, the epidemic will claim more than 10,000 lives.

2008: 87,000 dead in Sichuan.

On May 12, 2008, a magnitude 7.9 earthquake killed more than 87,000 people and injured 4.45 million people, devastating large areas of Sichuan province (southwest China). Among the victims were thousands of students who died as a result of the collapse of schools.

2005: 75,000 dead in Kashmir

On 8 October 2005, a 7.6 magnitude earthquake killed over 73,000 people and left 3.5 million people homeless, mostly in the Pakistani-controlled area of ​​Kashmir. The medical infrastructure was practically non-existent.

2003: 31,000 dead in Bam, Iran.

On December 26, 2003, the southeastern Iranian city of Bam was struck by a magnitude 6.6 earthquake that killed more than 31,000 people, almost a quarter of the city’s population. The old city, built of mud bricks, a world heritage gem, is crumbling.

2001: 20,000 dead in India

On January 26, 2001, an earthquake of magnitude 7.7 occurred in the state of Gujarat (western India), killing more than 20,000 people.

2011: 18,500 dead in Japan

On March 11, 2011, a 9.1 magnitude earthquake hit Japan. Less than an hour later, a giant wave, in places exceeding 20 meters, hit the coast of the Tohoku region (northeast), destroying everything in its path.

Water floods the Fukushima nuclear power plant, where the cores of three reactors melted, causing the worst peacetime nuclear disaster since Chernobyl in 1986.

As a result of the natural disaster, about 18,500 people died and went missing, and more than 165,000 people from Fukushima prefecture were forced to leave their homes due to radioactive releases.

2023: more than 11,200 dead in Turkey and Syria.

On February 5, 2023, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck southern Turkey and neighboring Syria, followed by a very strong 7.5 magnitude aftershock.

The latest preliminary count for today, at 13:00 Greek time, is more than 11,200 dead.

2015: 9,000 dead in Nepal

On April 25, 2015, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck central Nepal, killing about 9,000 people. The capital Kathmandu and areas of the epicenter, 80 km away, have been destroyed.

2006: 6,000 dead on the island of Java

On May 26, 2006, a 6.3 magnitude earthquake in Java killed nearly 6,000 people. As a result of the disaster, about 38,000 people were injured and more than 420,000 were left homeless.

Source: APE-MEB, AFP.