List of natural disasters by death toll: Difference between revisions
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| <span style="display:none">$</span>139 || [[The Assam Tornado]] || [[India]] [[Assam]] || [[1963]] |
| <span style="display:none">$</span>139 || [[The Assam Tornado]] || [[India]] [[Assam]] || [[1963]] |
Revision as of 06:26, 3 March 2008
For man-made disasters see: List of wars and disasters by death toll
This article possibly contains original research. (February 2008) |
This article includes a list of references, related reading, or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. (February 2008) |
A death toll is the number of dead as a result of war, violence, accident, natural disaster, extreme weather, or disease.
Below is a list of death tolls for various natural disasters. Most numbers are estimates and are often in dispute. The incidents are ranked by the highest estimate given.
Some events overlap categories.
This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. |
Ten deadliest natural disasters
Rank | Event | Location | Date | Death Toll (Estimate) |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | 1931 Yellow River flood | China | summer 1931 | 1,000,000 to 3,700,000 *** |
2. | 1887 Yellow River flood | China | 1887, September-October | 900,000-2,000,000 |
3. | 1970 Bhola cyclone | Bangladesh | 1970, November 13 | 500,000-1,000,000 |
4. | 1556 Shaanxi earthquake | Senshi Province China | 1556, January 23 | 830,000 |
5. | 1839 India Cyclone | India | 1839, November 25 | 300,000+ |
6. | 1642 Kaifeng Flood | China | 1642 | 300,000 |
7. | 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake/tsunami | Indian Ocean | 2004, December 26 | 283,100** |
8. | 1976 Tangshan earthquake | China | 1976, July 28 | 242,000* |
9. | 1975 Banqiao Dam failure | China | 1975, August | 231,000 |
10. | 1138 Aleppo earthquake | Syria | 1138 | 230,000 |
* Official Government figure. Estimated death toll as high as 655,000. ** Official figure. Estimated death toll as high as 350,000. *** Estimate by Nova's sources are close to 4 million and yet Encarta's sources report as few as 1 million. Expert estimates report wide variance.
Deadliest natural disasters by event
Event | Event name | Location | Date | Death Toll (Estimate) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Avalanche | Wellington avalanche | United States | March 1, 1910 | 96 |
Blizzard | Iran Blizzard | Iran | 1972 | 4,000 |
Drought | 1921-1922 Soviet Union drought | Soviet Union | 1921 - 1922 | 5,000,000 |
Earthquake | Shaanxi Earthquake | China | 1556 | 830,000 |
Famine | The Great Chinese Famine | China | 1958 - 1961 | 20,000,000-43,000,000 |
Flood | 1931 Yellow River flood | China | 1931 | 1,000,000-3,700,000 |
Hailstorm | Roopkund, Uttaranchal | India | 9th century | 200-600 |
Heat wave | European Heat Wave of 2003 | Europe | 2003 | 37,451 |
Landslide | 1999 Vargas mudslide | Venezuela | 1999 | 20,006 |
Limnic Eruption | Lake Nyos | Cameroon | 1986 | 1,746 |
Pandemic | Black Death | worldwide | 1330 - 1351 | 75,000,000 |
Tornado | Saturia-Manikganj Sadar Tornado | Bangladesh | April 26, 1989 | 1,300 |
Tropical cyclone | 1970 Bhola cyclone | Bangladesh | November 13, 1970 | 300,000-500,000 |
Tsunami | Indian Ocean Tsunami | Indian Ocean | 2004 | 283,000 |
Volcano | Mount Tambora | Indonesia | 1815 | 92,000 |
Wildfire | Peshtigo Fire | United States | October 8, 1871 | 1,200 |
Earthquakes
Volcanic Eruptions
Notes
A supervolcano that occurred at Lake Toba around 74,000 years ago is thought to have wiped out approximately 99 percent of the global human population, reducing the population from at most 60 million to less than 10 thousand; see Toba catastrophe theory. This eruption is not listed because it occurred before recorded history. Also, the Thera eruption in the Aegean Sea between 1550 and 1650 B.C. may have caused a large number of deaths throughout the region, from Crete to Egypt. See Also La Garita Caldera and Supervolcanoes
References
Tsunamis
- See Historic tsunami for more detailed information.
Limnic Eruptions
Death Toll | Event | Location | Date |
---|---|---|---|
1,746 | Lake Nyos | Cameroon | 1986 |
37 | Lake Monoun | Cameroon | 1984 |
Extreme Weather
Heat waves
Death Toll | Event | Location | Date |
---|---|---|---|
37,451 | European Heat Wave of 2003 | Europe | 2003 |
3,418 | European Heat Wave of 2006 | France, Belgium, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Romania | 2006 |
2,541 | 1998 India heat wave | India | 1998 |
1,900 | 2003 India heat wave | India | 2003 |
1,250 - 10,000 | 1980 United States heat wave | United States | 1980 |
1,000 - 1,500 | 1987 Mediterranean heat wave | Greece, Bosnia, Serbia, Turkey, Italy | 1987 |
over 1,000 | 1994 East Asia heat wave | China, Japan, South Korea | 1994 |
739 | Chicago Heat Wave of 1995 | United States (Chicago, Illinois) | 1995 |
500 | Hungary Heat Wave of 2007 | Hungary | 2007 |
437 | Southern regions, Australia 1895-1896 | Australia | 1895-1896 |
380 | Northern Mexico Heat Wave of 1990 | Mexico | 1990 |
Hail
Death Toll | Event | Location | Date |
---|---|---|---|
200-600 | Roopkund, Uttaranchal | India | 9th century |
246 | Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh | India | 1888 |
25 | Henan Province | China | 2002 |
Storms (Non cyclone)
Death Toll | Event | Location | Date |
---|---|---|---|
15,000 | Torrential rains and mudslides | Venezuela | 1999 |
669 (and 695 missing) | Heavy storms ("Winnie") | Philippines | 2004 |
250+ | Great Lakes Storm of 1913 | United States and Canada (Great Lakes region) | 1913 |
~20 | 2007 Hunter region and Central Coast storms | Australia | 2007 |
Tornadoes
Cyclones, Hurricanes and Typhoons
References
Floods and Landslides
Death Toll | Event | Location | Date |
---|---|---|---|
1,000,000–3,700,000 | 1931 Yellow River (Huang He) flood | China | 1931 |
900,000–2,000,000 | 1887 Yellow River (Huang He) flood | China | 1887 |
500,000–700,000 | 1938 Yellow River (Huang He) flood | China | 1938 |
231,000 | Banqiao Dam failure. Approximately 86,000 people died from flooding and another 145,000 died during subsequent epidemics. | China | 1975 |
145,000 | 1935 Yangtze river flood | China | 1935 |
more than 100,000 | St. Felix's Flood, storm surge | Netherlands | 1530 |
100,000 | Hanoi and Red River Delta flood | North Vietnam | 1971 |
100,000 | 1911 Yangtze river flood | China | 1911 |
50,000-80,000 | St. Lucia's flood, storm surge | Netherlands | 1287 |
60,000 | North Sea flood, storm surge | Netherlands | 1212 |
40,000 | 1949 Eastern Guatemala flood | Guatemala | 1949 |
36,000 | St. Marcellus flood, storm surge | Netherlands | 1219 |
30,000 | 1954 Yangtze river flood | China | 1954 |
28,700 | 1974 Bangladesh monsoon rain | Bangladesh | 1974 |
25,000-40,000 | St. Marcellus flood / Grote Mandrenke, storm tide | Netherlands, Germany, Denmark | 1362 |
20,006 | 1999 Vargas Mudslide | Venezuela | 1999 |
20,000 | All Saints' Flood, storm surge | Netherlands | 1570 |
20,000 | 1939 Tianjin flood | China | 1939 |
14,000 | Christmas flood, storm surge | Netherlands, Germany, Denmark | 1717 |
10,000-100,000 | St. Elisabeth flood, storm surge | Netherlands, Belgium | 1421 |
8,000-15,000 | Burchardi flood | Germany, Denmark | 1634 |
10,000 | Great Iran Flood | Iran | 1954 |
10,000 | 1824 St. Petersburg flood | Russia | 1824 |
several thousands | St. Juliana flood, storm surge | Netherlands | 1164 |
several thousands | St. Agatha flood, storm surge | Netherlands | 1288 |
several thousands | St. Clemens flood, storm surge | Netherlands | 1334 |
several thousands | All Saints flood, storm surge | Netherlands | 1532 |
several thousands | North Sea flood, storm surge | Netherlands | 1703 |
6,200 | Sichuan, Hubei, Anhui flood | China | 1980 |
5,000 | Cojup valley, Cordillera Blanca mountain range, landslide by massive avalanche | Peru | 1941 |
4,892 | 1968 Rajasthan, Gujarat monsoon rain | India | 1968 |
4,800 | 1951 Manchuria flood | China | 1951 |
3,838 | 1998 Eastern India, Bangladesh monsoon rain | India, Bangladesh | 1998 |
3,814 | 1989 Sichuan flood | China | 1989 |
3,800 | 1978 Northern India monsoon rain | India | 1978 |
3,656 | 1998 Yangtze river flood | China | 1998 |
3,500 | 1948 Fuzhou flood | China | 1948 |
3,084 | 1993 South Asian monsoon rain | Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan | 1993 |
3,076 | 2004 Eastern India, Bangladesh monsoon rain | India, Bangladesh | 2004 |
3,000 | 1992 Afghanistan flood, mainly, Gulbahar, Kalotak, Shutul, Parwan, flash flood, mudslide | Afghanistan | 1992 |
2,910 | 1950 Pakistan flood | Pakistan | 1950 |
2,775 | 1996 China flood, torrential floods, mud-rock flows | China | 1996 |
2,566 | 1953 Japan flood, mainly Kitakyushu, Kumamoto, Wakayama, Kizugawa, massive rain, flood, mudslide | Japan | 1953 |
2,400 | North Sea flood, storm surge | Netherlands | 838 |
2,379 | 1988 Bangladesh monsoon rain | Bangladesh | 1988 |
2,200 | Johnstown Flood | United States (Pennsylvania) | 1889 |
2,142 | North Sea flood of 1953 storm surge | Netherlands, United Kingdom | 1953 |
2,075 | 1981 Sichuan, Shanxi Flood | China | 1981 |
2,055 | 1987 Bangladesh monsoon rain | Bangladesh | 1987 |
2,000–5,000 some reports list as many as 12,000 dead | Morvi dam burst | India (Morvi, Gujarat) | 1979 |
2,000–4,000 | Huascaran, Ranrahirca landslide by massive avalanche | Peru | 1962 |
1,909 | Vajont Dam landslide and flood | Italy | 1963 |
1,834 | 1992 Pakistan, Northern India monsoon rain | Pakistan, India | 1992 |
1,723 | 1991 China flood, mainly, Sichuan, Guizhou, Hubei, torrential floods, mud-rock flows | China | 1991 |
1,624 | Fujian, Anhui, Zhejiang flood | China | 2005 |
1,605–3,363 | spring flooding | Haiti, Dominican Republic | 2004 |
1,558 | St. Martin flood, storm surge | Netherlands | 1686 |
1,532 | 2002 China flood, torrential floods, mud-rock flows | China | 2002 |
1,503 | Mumbai and the surrounding state Maharashtra, Kamataka, monsson rain | India | 2005 |
1,437 | 1995 China flood, mainly, Hunan, Jiangxi, Liaoning, Sichuan, Fujian, torrential rain, devastating floods, mud-rock flows | China | 1995 |
1,348 | 2007 China flood, mountain torrents, mud-rock flows | China | 2007 |
1,144 | 2006 Southern Leyte mudslide | Philippines | 2006 |
1,029 | 2004 China flood, mountain torrents, mud-rock flows, landslide | China | 2004 |
1,000–1,500 | Santa Catarina, [[1]Tubarão], torrential heavy rain | Brazil | 1974 |
992 | Isahaya, massive rain and mudslide | Japan | 1957 |
941 | Inuyama Iruka pond failure | Japan | 1868 |
933 | 1938 Massive rain of Japan, mainly Tokyo, Kobe, massive rain and landslide | Japan | 1938 |
915 | Barcelona, flash flood | Spain | 1962 |
848 | 1977 Karachi flood | Pakistan | 1977 |
844 | 2006 North Korea flooding | North Korea | 2006 |
827 | Algiers, Bab El Oued, devastating flood, mudslide | Algeria | 2001 |
800 | North Sea flood, storm surge | Netherlands | 1825 |
800 | 2000 Mozambique flood | Mozambique | 2000 |
785 | 1967 Brazil flood, mainly Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, flood and landslide | Brazil | 1967 |
705 | 2006 Ethiopia flood, mainly Omo River Delta, Dire Dawa, Tena, Gode, flash flood, heavyrain | Ethiopia | 2006 |
702 | 1999 Vietnam flood, mainly occurred at Thua Thien Hue | Vietnam | 1999 |
672 | 1972 Seoul, Kyonggi flood | South Korea | 1972 |
653 | 1972 Luzon flood | Philippines | 1972 |
640 | 1987 Villatina landslide disaster | Colombia | 1987 |
610 | 2007 North Korea flooding | North Korea | 2007 |
540 | 1969 Tunisia flooding | Tunisia | 1969 |
532 | Cuzco, Huallaga, torrential rain, flooding, landslide | Peru | 1982 |
517 | 1967 Massive rain of Japan, mainly, Kobe, Kure, Agano river, massive rain and landslide | Japan | 1967 |
506 | KwaZulu-Natal | South Africa | 1987 |
500 | Malawi, flashflood and landslide | Malawi | 1991 |
464 | Lisbon flash flood | Portugal | 1967 |
445 | Western Japan, massive rain and landslide | Japan | 1972 |
429 | 2002 Nepal flood, mainly occurred at Makwanpur, monssnal rain, flood, landslide | Nepal | 2002 |
425 | 1999 Mexico flood, mainly occurred at Tabasco, Puebla, Chiapas, flood and mudslide | Mexico | 1999 |
421 | Malpasset Dam failure | France | 1959 |
420 | St. Aarons Flood | Amsterdam | 1420 |
408 | 1969 South Korea flood, mainly, Gyeongsangbukdo, Gyeongsangnamdo, Gangwon, torrential rain, landslide | South Korea | 1969 |
407 | 1993 Iran flood, mainly occurred at Isfahan, Bandar Abass, flash flood and landslide | Iran | 1993 |
405 | 1998 South Korea flood, heavy massive rain, landslide | South Korea | 1998 |
400 | 1955 Lebanon Tripoli flood | Lebanon | 1955 |
400 | St. Francis Dam failure | United States (California) | 1928 |
386 | Thailand, Malaysia, mainly, Nakhon, Songkhla, Kelantan, torrential rain | Thailand, Malaysia, | 1988 |
385 | Ohio River flood of 1937 | United States (Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois) | 1937 |
373 | 1966 Rio de Janeiro flood, flood and landslide | Brazil | 1966 |
364 | Piura, Tumbes, torrential rain, flooding, landslide | Peru | 1983 |
353 | 2007 African Nations flood | mainly Sudan, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Kenya, and many African country | 2007 |
347 | 1996 Yemen flood | Yemen | 1996 |
345 | 1987 South Korea flood, mainly, Chungchongnamdo, Chollanamdo, Kangwon, torrential rain, landslide | South Korea | 1987 |
342 | 2006 East African Flood | Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia | 2006 |
315 | North Sea flood of 1962 storm tide | Germany | 1962 |
313 | 2003 Sumatra flood, mainly Jambi, Batanghari, Tondano, torrential rain, flash flood, landslide | Indonesia | 2003 |
300 | Quebrada Blanca canyon, landslide | Colombia | 1974 |
299 | Nagasaki, massive rain and landslide | Japan | 1982 |
290 | Rio de Janeiro and Fluminense flood | Brazil | 1988 |
272 | 1973 Granada, Almeria, Murcia flood | Spain | 1973 |
270 | Great Sheffield flood dam disaster | United Kingdom | 1864 |
268 | Val di Stava dam dam disaster | Italy | 1985 |
261 | Gormec, avalanche | Turkey | 1992 |
259 | 1966 Maian flood | Jordan | 1966 |
255 | 1998 Tajikistan flood | Tajikistan | 1998 |
250 | Josefina dam failure | Ecuador | 1993 |
238 | Rapid City, South Dakota flood | United States | 1972 |
200–600 | Chungar landslide, flood, avalanche | Peru | 1971 |
200 | Pamir Mountain area, mud and rock slides, torrential rain | Tajikistan | 1992 |
190 | Huigra, landslide | Ecuador | 1931 |
165 | 2004 Brazil flood, mainly Sao Paulo, Pemambuco, torrential rain, mudslide | Brazil | 2004 |
159 | Sarno flood and landslide | Italy | 1998 |
154 | KwaZulu-Natal | South Africa | 1995 |
144 | Aberfan disaster | United Kingdom (Wales) | 1966 |
135 | Ozengeli, avalanche | Turkey | 1993 |
128 | Izumo, massive rain and mudslide | Japan | 1964 |
120 | 1991 Antofagasta Flood, mud swept | Chile | 1991 |
119 | 2007 Central and East Java torrential monsson rain, landslide, flood | Indonesia | 2007 |
117 | Masuda, massive rain and landslide | Japan | 1983 |
114 | Seoul, Inchon, heavy rain | South Korea | 1990 |
111 | Trondheim, landslide | Norway | 1893 |
110 | northern Caucasas, northern Okrug, heavy rain, landslide | Russia | 2002 |
104 | 1981 Laingsburg flood | South Africa | 1981 |
98 | Flood of the millennium | Poland, Czech Republic | 1997 |
94 | Mameyes Disaster | Puerto Rico (Ponce) | 1985 |
over 90 | Columbus, Ohio flood on March 25, 1913 | United States | 1913 |
81 | Holmfirth Flood - Bilberry Reservoir dam failure | United Kingdom | 1852 |
80 | Johnstown Flood - Failure of Laurel Run Dam and flash flooding | United States | 1977 |
78 | Austin Dam failure | United States | 1911 |
73 | Kagoshima, mudslide and debris flow | Japan | 1993 |
70 | New Orleans dike failure | United States | 2005 |
47 | McDonald Dam failure | United states | 1900 |
19 | North Sea flood, storm surge | Netherlands | 1916 |
16 | Brisbane flood | Australia | 1974 |
11 | 2007 United Kingdom floods | United Kingdom | 2007 |
Wildfires, Bushfires
Death Toll | Event | Location | Date |
---|---|---|---|
1,200 - 2,500 | Peshtigo Fire, Wisconsin | United States | 1871 |
453 | Cloquet Fire, Minnesota | United States | 1918 |
418 | Hinckley Fire, Minnesota | United States | 1894 |
250+ | Thumb Fire, Michigan | United States | 1881 |
200 - 250 | Matheson Fire, Ontario | Canada | 1916 |
240 | Sumatra, Kalimantan | Indonesia | 1997 |
230 | Landes region | France | 1949 |
213 | Greater Hinggan, Heilongjiang | China | 1987 |
160 | Miramichi Fire, New Brunswick | Canada | 1825 |
110 | 1963 Parana Forest fires, | Brazil | 1963 |
75 | Ash Wednesday [2] | Australia | 1983 |
74 | 2007 Greek forest fires | Greece | 2007 |
73 - 200 | Great Porcupine Fire, Ontario | Canada | 1911 |
71 | Black Friday (1939) | Australia (Victoria) | 1939 |
62 | 1967 Tasmanian fires | Australia (Tasmania) | 1967 |
60 | SE Victoria (incl Gippsland & Dandenongs) Bushfire [3] | Australia (Victoria) | 1926 |
48 | Massif des Aures | Algeria | 1959 |
References
Blizzards
Death Toll | Event | Location | Date |
---|---|---|---|
4,000 | Iran Blizzard | Iran | 1972 |
770 | 2008 Afghanistan blizzard with snow storm | Afghanistan | 2008 |
400 | Great Blizzard of 1888 | United States | 1888 |
318 | 1993 North American Storm Complex | United States | 1993 |
235 | Schoolhouse Blizzard | United States | 1888 |
199 | Hakkoda during military training exercise | Japan | 1902 |
144 | Armistice Day Blizzard | United States | 1940 |
133 | 2008 China Blizzard during snow storm | China | 2008 |
54 | Blizzard of 1978 | United States | 1978 |
29 | Blizzard of 1977 | United States | 1977 |
Contractible Diseases
This article appears to contradict the article List of epidemics. |
Death Toll | Event | Location | Date |
---|---|---|---|
300,000,000+ | Smallpox | Worldwide | 20th century alone |
300,000,000+ | Bubonic Plague: Black Death | Asia, Europe, Africa | 1300s-1720s; |
Bubonic Plague: Plague of Justinian | Asia, Europe, Africa | 540-590 | |
Bubonic Plague: Third Pandemic | Worldwide | 1850s-1950s | |
80,000,000 - 250,000,000 | Malaria | Worldwide | 20th century to present |
40,000,000 - 100,000,000 | Tuberculosis | Worldwide | 20th century to present[3] |
20,000,000 - 100,000,000 | Spanish Flu | Worldwide | 1918 - 1919 |
25,250,000 | AIDS | Worldwide | 1981 - present |
5,000,000 | Antonine Plague | Roman Empire | 165 - 180 |
4,000,000 | Asian Flu pandemic | Worldwide | 1957 |
750,000 | Hong Kong Flu pandemic | Worldwide | 1968 |
775 | Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) | Mostly East Asia, few cases in Europe, Canada and United States | 2002-2003 |
677 | West Nile Virus outbreak | North America | 1999 - 2004 |
256 | H5N1 strain of Bird Flu | (mainly in Asia, few in Africa and Middle East) | 2003-present |
Famine
This article appears to contradict the article List of famines. |
- Please Note: Some of these famines may be partially or completely caused by humans.
Footnotes
See also
Other lists organized by death toll
- List of wars and disasters by death toll
- List of accidents and disasters by death toll
- List of battles and other violent events by death toll
- List of disasters in Australia by death toll
- List of Canadian disasters by death toll
- List of New Zealand disasters by death toll
- List of United Kingdom disasters by death toll
- List of United States disasters by death toll
External links
- Death Toll from Disasters, War, Terrorists
- World's worst natural disasters since 1900
- Plague - Encyclopaedia Britannica 1911
- Famine - Encyclopaedia Britannica 1911
- The worst Natural Disasters ever
- The international disaster database
- Forces of Nature: Worst Disasters
- Guinness Book of World Records
- USGS Earthquake Hazards Program
- CRED EM-DAT
- War Disaster and Genocide
- Worlds Worst Natural Disasters
- The dimension of famine
- A Brief History of Population
- The facts on malnutrition & famine
- Emergency Management Australia, Disasters Database Report