In Turkey And Syria Earthquake A Trail Of Natural Calamities That Has Always Left Mankind Devastated

Nature has hit hard Turkey and war-torn Syria. A powerful earthquake of 7.8 magnitude has flattened neighbourhoods with images showing buildings crumbling down like a pack of cards. The scenes have made eyes moist across the globe.

Here we look at the devastating earthquakes in history that has forced human being scaling heights to kneel down:

Haiti Earthquake

In 2010, a powerful earthquake of 7 magnitude on Richter scale left nearly 3,16,000 people dead. Some reports put the death toll at 2,20,000. The tremors of the earthquake were even felt in neighbouring countries including Cuba and Venezuela. The natural calamity also left a deep scar on the country’s people who were left displaced after the tragedy.
 
Indonesia Earthquake

In 2004, a powerful earthquake of 9.1 magnitude struck Indonesia’s Sumatra island. The powerful shockwaves created ripples not only in Indonesia, but other countries including Sri Lanka, India and Thailand. The calamity left nearly 2,27,899 people dead. The earthquake in the Indian Ocean also resulted in devastating tsunamis ranging from 15-30 metres in height. 

China Earthquake 

In 2008, an earthquake of 7.9 magnitude hit China’s Sichuan province. The calamity left 87,000 people dead and over 3,70,000 people injured.

Japan Earthquake

In 2011, an earthquake of 9.1 magnitude hit Japan. The resulting tsunami killed around 18,000 people. The earthquake also resulted in damage to the Fukushima nuclear power plant resulting in a nuclear disaster as well. 

Nepal Earthquake

In 2015, a powerful earthquake of 7.8 magnitude hit Nepal. The disaster left over 8,000 people dead and left thousands of people homeless. It was the worst natural disaster reported in Nepal since 1934.

Afghanistan Earthquake

In 1998, an earthquake of 6.6 magnitude struck Afghanistan. There were two earthquakes that struck the country that year. The first quake in February in the province of Takhar killed around 2,300 people (some estimate the casualties at 4,000). The second quake of 6.6 magnitude struck the same region in May, killing around 4,700 people. 

Japan Earthquake

In 1923, a powerful earthquake of 7.9 magnitude hit Japan. The disaster left over 1,42,000 people dead. It also resulted in the collapse of over half of the brick buildings at the time. The quake also triggered tsunamis with a height of up to 12m. The earthquake was followed by fires and tornados. 

Chile Earthquake

In 1960, Chile was hit by a powerful earthquake of 9.5 magnitude. The disaster lasted for about 10 minutes and killed around 1,000-6,000 people. 

China Earthquake

In 1976, China was hit by a powerful earthquake of 7.5 magnitude. The earthquake struck country’s Tangshan region killing over 2,42,000 people. 

There are a few more deadly earthquakes recorded in ancient history:

1556 (16TH CENTURY) China earthquake:

A magnitude 8 earthquake struck China’s Shaanxi region, killing a massive 8,30,000 people at the time. The impact of the quake was such that in some counties, it is estimated that 60% of the population was killed. 

In ancient history, earthquakes in Antakya in modern-day Turkey (526 AD), also killed lakhs of people and sent cities into complete ruin. In 856 AD, an entire city had to be abandoned due to the extensive damage caused by a 7.9 earthquake.