10 of History's Deadliest Earthquakes: Aceh Tsunami Included

Earthquakes are among the deadliest natural disasters in world history. Between 2010 and 2019, for example, earthquakes claimed 267,480 lives globally.

History records the largest earthquake ever recorded occurred in Valdivia, a city in southern Chile, in 1950. This 9.5 magnitude earthquake killed at least 1,655 people and left 2 million homeless.

Below is a list of the 10 deadliest earthquakes in world history:

1. Shaanxi (China, 1556) – 830,000 deaths
2. Port-au-Prince (Haiti, 2010) – 316,000 deaths
3. Antakya (Turkey, 115) – 260,000 deaths
4. Antakya (Turkey, 525) – 250,000 deaths
5. Tangshan (China, 1976) – 242,769 deaths
6. Gyzndzha (Azerbaijan, 1139) – 230,000 deaths
7. Aceh, Sumatra (Indonesia, 2004) – 227,899 deaths
8. Damghan (Iran, 856) – 200,000 deaths
9. Gansu (China, 1920) – 200,000 deaths
10. Dvin (Armenia, 893) – 150,000 deaths

The earthquake in Shaanxi Province, China, is recorded as the deadliest earthquake in world history, with 830,000 deaths. The 8.0 magnitude earthquake was felt in 97 counties, and an area of 836.9 km² was destroyed. In some counties, an estimated 60% of the population perished.

The Sumatran earthquake in Aceh is also among the deadliest earthquakes in the world, killing 227,899 people. This earthquake triggered a tsunami with waves reaching 13 meters, impacting most of Aceh Province and several other areas along the west coast of Sumatra Island.

(Read More: 5 of the Deadliest Floods in History)