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Yangtze River flood of 1931
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Country: China
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Estimated death toll: 3.7 million people
Major flood events along the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang) in central and eastern China have occurred from ancient times to the present, causing considerable destruction of property and many casualties, but the major flood of 1931 stands out. It covered tens of thousands of square miles, flooding rice fields and various cities, including Nanjing and Wuhan. The flood affected more than 50 million people. Government organizations, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, estimated the death toll to have been about 3.7 million people.
Bhola cyclone of 1970
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Country: East Pakistan (now Bangladesh)
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Estimated death toll: 300,000–500,000 people
Also called the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta cyclone, the Bhola cyclone was a catastrophic tropical cyclone that struck East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) on November 12, 1970, killing hundreds of thousands of people in the densely populated Ganges-Brahmaputra delta. Although it was not ranked in the top category of cyclone intensity scales, it was one of the deadliest tropical cyclones in recorded history. The cyclone formed over the Bay of Bengal on November 8, 1970. After reaching a peak wind speed of 115 miles (185 km) per hour, it made landfall on the coast of East Pakistan on November 12. The cyclone was accompanied by a storm surge (a rapid elevation of sea level) that flooded the low-lying region. Most of the deaths were caused by drowning, and entire villages were wiped out. In addition, the cyclone affected the political environment in the country: West Pakistan’s failure to send sufficient aid to East Pakistan in the aftermath was one of the key factors that prompted widespread protests and calls for independence in East Pakistan.
Tangshan earthquake of 1976
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Country: China
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Estimated death toll: 242,000–655,000 people
On July 28, 1976, a magnitude-7.5 earthquake nearly razed the Chinese coal-mining and industrial city of Tangshan, resulting in one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history. The death toll was officially reported as 242,000 people, but it may have been as high as 655,000. At least 700,000 more people were injured, and property damage was extensive, reaching even Beijing (about 68 miles [110 km] west of Tangshan). Most of the fatalities resulted from the collapse of unreinforced masonry homes in which people were sleeping. Shaking from the quake was felt more than 680 miles (1,100 km) away in all directions, and later that day a major aftershock (magnitude 7.1) occurred in the city of Luanxian, some 43 miles (70 km) to the northeast. This aftershock caused additional damage and casualties.
Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004
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Estimated death toll: 228,000 people killed and tens of thousands missing
On December 26, 2004, an undersea earthquake with a magnitude of 9.1 struck off the coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Over the next seven hours, a tsunami—a series of immense ocean waves—triggered by the quake reached out across the Indian Ocean, devastating coastal areas as far away as East Africa. Some locations reported that the waves had reached a height of 30 feet (9 meters) or more when they hit the shoreline. The tsunami killed an estimated 228,000 people across 15 countries, with India, Indonesia, Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Thailand sustaining massive damage. Indonesian officials estimated that the death toll there alone ultimately exceeded 200,000, particularly in northern Sumatra’s Aceh province. Tens of thousands were reported dead or missing in Sri Lanka and India, a large number of them from the Indian Andaman and Nicobar Islands territory. The low-lying island country of Maldives reported more than a hundred casualties and immense economic damage. Several thousand tourists vacationing in the region also were reported dead or missing.