When earth itself was born out of natural disasters, one can hardly blame it for something that happens simply due to the way our planet has been formed. Earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, volcanoes are all part of nature, where we mortal can do nothing but be in awe of the destruction that these can cause. Did you know that the worst ever natural disaster occurred barely six years back? Here are some of the worst natural disasters in the world:
1. 2004 Tsunami
It was a result of a marine earthquake of a magnitude of between 9.1 and 9.3, which occurred on 26 December, 2004, having epicenter off the Sumatran west coast. The earthquake generated huge destructive tsunamis around the coastline of the landmasses in the Indian Ocean. Over 230,000 fatalities were reported from fourteen countries, also floods with waves as high as 30 meters were observed. Indonesia had the maximum damage followed by India, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.
2. 1201, Middle East
In about 1201-02 an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.6 on Richter Scale, occurred in Syria, Egypt and other surrounding countries killing almost 1.1 million people. The aftershocks were reported for four days from Damascus, Hamah, and Cairo. Rather than earthquake, more people died due to diseases and hunger. Records show that shocks were observed in far off places like Anatolia, Armenia, and Iran.
3. Cyclone Nargis
It appeared on April 27, 2008 and dissipated on May 3, 2008 with strongest winds reaching 103 – 135 mph. The coastal regions of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, India, and Burma were the most affected killing about 145,000 and many reported missing. The rehabilitation cost went up to $10 billion.
4. Floods in China, 1959
Floods have been one of the most destructive natural occurring disasters in china. An immense flooding of Yangtze River in 1931 caused about 3 million fatalities mostly due to diseases and hunger. Also in 1938-39 about a million people died due to floods and not to forget the flooded water of Yellow River of 1887 which claimed about 900,000 lives.
Natural disasters are closely related to the geographical region. It is needless to say that people staying in the vicinity of an epicenter or active volcano are probably the bravest in the world.
1. 2004 Tsunami
It was a result of a marine earthquake of a magnitude of between 9.1 and 9.3, which occurred on 26 December, 2004, having epicenter off the Sumatran west coast. The earthquake generated huge destructive tsunamis around the coastline of the landmasses in the Indian Ocean. Over 230,000 fatalities were reported from fourteen countries, also floods with waves as high as 30 meters were observed. Indonesia had the maximum damage followed by India, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.
In about 1201-02 an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.6 on Richter Scale, occurred in Syria, Egypt and other surrounding countries killing almost 1.1 million people. The aftershocks were reported for four days from Damascus, Hamah, and Cairo. Rather than earthquake, more people died due to diseases and hunger. Records show that shocks were observed in far off places like Anatolia, Armenia, and Iran.
3. Cyclone Nargis
It appeared on April 27, 2008 and dissipated on May 3, 2008 with strongest winds reaching 103 – 135 mph. The coastal regions of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, India, and Burma were the most affected killing about 145,000 and many reported missing. The rehabilitation cost went up to $10 billion.
Floods have been one of the most destructive natural occurring disasters in china. An immense flooding of Yangtze River in 1931 caused about 3 million fatalities mostly due to diseases and hunger. Also in 1938-39 about a million people died due to floods and not to forget the flooded water of Yellow River of 1887 which claimed about 900,000 lives.
Natural disasters are closely related to the geographical region. It is needless to say that people staying in the vicinity of an epicenter or active volcano are probably the bravest in the world.
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