Tsunami death toll is huge!

[Charlesbusa]

Tsunami Death toll tops 117,000, unbelieveable!!!
And climbing...
Many many more expected to perish from contaminated drinking water and diseases.

Besides wars and plagues, what other natural disasters have killed more people? Is this the worst one ever??

 

[Sane_man]

There's been earthquakes in Asia that have killed just has many people in the past.

 

[Revlis]

Much Worse:

"3. My first earthquake is one of the most famous, the 1976 Tangshan earthquake in China, a magnitude 8 event whose toll of lives varies between the official 255,000, and an estimated 655,000. This event truly began the modern era of intense seismic hazard monitoring in China and the West.

4. This choice again highlights volcano-related disasters. However, should I choose the Tambora, Indonesia volcano of 1815, in which 80,000 people died of the subsequent famine, or the famous Dradatoa explosion, again in Indonesia, in 1883 in which more than 50,000 people died, many of them engulfed in a tsunami? Well, you see I did both!"

 

[Revlis]

Oh and of course, war has killed a whole lot more than that, and of course the Plague was worse...

Oh and over 40K Americans are killed each year on US Highways!!!

Oh and the Flu Kills around 20K or so each year!!

 

[babuski]

Revlis...you are supposed to be planning a move to Seattle.


add to your list....

Bubonic Plague
Spanish Flu

and....for the conservatives out there....1,000,000 babies are aborted each and every year. Thats 10 Tsunami equivalents every year.

 

[Kento-Moto]

- Tangshan, China July 28, 1976 Officially, the Chinese government estimated between 240,000 and 250,000 people were killed with an additional +600,000 were injured. In the decades since the quake, the death toll has been estimated closer to half a million. Either number would make this the most deadly quake in the twentieth century.

- Between 20-40 million died of spanish flu in 1918, including an estimated 675,000 americans.

-WWI 8-15 million WWII est. 60 million

-In the course of a hundred days in 1994 the Hutu government of Rwanda and its extremist allies very nearly succeeded in exterminating the country's Tutsi minority. Using firearms, machetes, and a variety of garden implements, Hutu militiamen, soldiers, and ordinary citizens murdered some 800,000 Tutsi and politically moderate Hutu. It was the fastest, most efficient killing spree of the twentieth century.

and they say riding a motorcycle is dangerous...

 

[oldguy]

China has had the worst natural disasters. 9 million in the 1800 because of drought.
http://www.reachm.com/amstree....-others

 

[flynjay]

Here's some general info...

Dec. 28, 1908 — A magnitude-7.2 earthquake kills 123,000 people in the Messina-Reggio Calabria area of eastern Sicily and southernmost Italy.

Jan. 13, 1915 — An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.5 leaves 29,980 dead in Avezzano, Italy.

Dec. 16, 1920 — Gansu, China is hit with an earthquake reaching magnitude 8.6 that kills 200,000 people.

Sept. 1, 1923 — An temblor of 8.3 magnitude in Japan destroys one-third of Tokyo and most of Yokohama. More than 140,000 are killed.

May 22, 1927 — An earthquake reaching 7.9 magnitude hits near Xining, China and kills approximately 200,000.

Dec. 25, 1932 — Approximately 70,000 people are killed after an earthquake reaching 7.6 magnitude hits the Gansu region in China.

May 30, 1935 — A magnitude 7.5 temblor strikes Quetta, Pakistan, killing more than 30,000 people.


Jan. 24, 1939 — An earthquake of 8.3 magnitude in Chile kills roughly 28,000 people.

Dec. 27, 1939 — More than 32,000 die in the Erzincan province in eastern Turkey during a 7.9-magnitude quake.

Oct. 5, 1948 — An earthquake of 7.3 magnitude in Turkmenistan kills over 110,000 people.

Aug. 15, 1950 — Up to 30,000 are estimated to have been killed in an earthquake of 8.6 magnitude in Assam, India.

May 31, 1970 — An earthquake reaching a magnitude of 7.9 in Peru leaves over 60,000 dead.

Nov. 13, 1970 — A cyclone in the Ganges Delta of Bangladesh kills at least 300,000 people.

Feb. 4, 1976 — A series of earthquakes reaching a magnitude of 7.5 in Guatemala leave over 23,000 dead.

July 28, 1976 — The worst earthquake to hit China in 20th century with an estimated magnitude at between 7.8 and 8.2 leaves more than 240,000 dead in Tangshan.

Sept. 16, 1978 — An earthquake of 7.7 magnitude in Tabas, Iran kills 25,000 people.

Nov. 14-16, 1985 — Volcanic eruption of Nevada del Ruiz near Bogota, Colombia, kills approximately 25,000 people.

Dec. 7, 1988 — A 6.9-magnitude earthquake in Armenia kills nearly 25,000.

June 21, 1990 — An earthquake of 7.7 magnitude in northwest Iran destroys cities and villages in Caspian Sea area and kills at least 50,000 people.

Sept. 30, 1993 — As many as 10,000 are killed from an earthquake of 6.0 magnitude that struck the state of Maharashtra in India.

Aug. 17, 1999 — More than 17,000 are killed as a magnitude-7.4 quake hits western Turkey.

Dec. 26, 2003 — More than 26,000 killed after an earthquake of 6.5 magnitude strikes the ancient historic city of Bam in southeast Iran.

Dec. 26, 2004 — A 9.0 earthquake off the western coast of Indonesia's Sumatra island launches tsunami waves that slam shorelines in Asia and Africa, killing more than 117,000 people.

 

[Let 'er eat!]

From the New York Times today:

Tourists try to rush to safety before the tsunami hit the Hat Rai Lay Beach in Thailand. The water had receded before the deadly wave struck.

 

[bacharles]

In 1991 there was an earthquake in Argentina that killed a little over 138,000. Now some may not consider this a natural disaster, but the Holocaust was estimated to be some 400 to 500 thousand people. Now I don't know about any of you, but I consider Hitler a "freak of nature."

 

[DAB]

Now some may not consider this a natural disaster, but the Holocaust was estimated to be some 400 to 500 thousand people.  Now I don't know about any of you, but I consider Hitler a "freak of nature."

Don't know where you're getting your Holocaust statistics, mine tell me there were closer to 5.5 million killed.

 

[Hyachaos]

The worst natural disaster in the history of mankind takes place not with tsunamis, earthquakes, hurricanes,tornadoes or monsoons. It takes place when a kid grows up to hate early on in life. Then they become Dictators and Kings. The rest is history.

 

[justintime2]

From the New York Times today:

Tourists try to rush to safety before the tsunami hit the Hat Rai Lay Beach in Thailand. The water had receded before the deadly wave struck.

Interesting that they turn to run from it...at that point it is too late. Better to face the thing head on and have the view of a life time on your way out.

 

[Kento-Moto]

Same thing happened in my home town of Hilo in 1946 then again in 1960 Water recedes then everyone curious goes down to the water or what used to be the beach... some were actually picking up fish ... then WHAMO!

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[Big O]

That pic posed an interesting question of the surf dudes at work Kent. Which way would you go? Back up the beach, or out into the water and try to dive under like you would in heavy surf? Would you be able to paddle out fast enough if you had a board? Can you duck dive under 20ft surf?

 

[gnome]

And you guys voted Bush back in. . . . yep there will be a rise in WorldWide deaths.

.GNOME.

 

[Charlesbusa]

That pic posed an interesting question of the surf dudes at work Kent.  Which way would you go?  Back up the beach, or out into the water and try to dive under like you would in heavy surf?  Would you be able to paddle out fast enough if you had a board?  Can you duck dive under 20ft surf?

Good question, where is our surf "expert", ... Kent.... ??

Do ya run, or dive under a Tsunami??

 

[Charlesbusa]

Yeah, I left out wars and plagues because we Humans can always do worse than mother nature.

 

[Charlesbusa]

Here's some general info...

Dec. 28, 1908 — A magnitude-7.2 earthquake kills 123,000 people in the Messina-Reggio Calabria area of eastern Sicily and southernmost Italy.

Jan. 13, 1915 — An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.5 leaves 29,980 dead in Avezzano, Italy.

Dec. 16, 1920 — Gansu, China is hit with an earthquake reaching magnitude 8.6 that kills 200,000 people.

Sept. 1, 1923 — An temblor of 8.3 magnitude in Japan destroys one-third of Tokyo and most of Yokohama. More than 140,000 are killed.

May 22, 1927 — An earthquake reaching 7.9 magnitude hits near Xining, China and kills approximately 200,000.

Dec. 25, 1932 — Approximately 70,000 people are killed after an earthquake reaching 7.6 magnitude hits the Gansu region in China.

May 30, 1935 — A magnitude 7.5 temblor strikes Quetta, Pakistan, killing more than 30,000 people.


Jan. 24, 1939 — An earthquake of 8.3 magnitude in Chile kills roughly 28,000 people.

Dec. 27, 1939 — More than 32,000 die in the Erzincan province in eastern Turkey during a 7.9-magnitude quake.

Oct. 5, 1948 — An earthquake of 7.3 magnitude in Turkmenistan kills over 110,000 people.

Aug. 15, 1950 — Up to 30,000 are estimated to have been killed in an earthquake of 8.6 magnitude in Assam, India.

May 31, 1970 — An earthquake reaching a magnitude of 7.9 in Peru leaves over 60,000 dead.

Nov. 13, 1970 — A cyclone in the Ganges Delta of Bangladesh kills at least 300,000 people.

Feb. 4, 1976 — A series of earthquakes reaching a magnitude of 7.5 in Guatemala leave over 23,000 dead.

July 28, 1976 — The worst earthquake to hit China in 20th century with an estimated magnitude at between 7.8 and 8.2 leaves more than 240,000 dead in Tangshan.

Sept. 16, 1978 — An earthquake of 7.7 magnitude in Tabas, Iran kills 25,000 people.

Nov. 14-16, 1985 — Volcanic eruption of Nevada del Ruiz near Bogota, Colombia, kills approximately 25,000 people.

Dec. 7, 1988 — A 6.9-magnitude earthquake in Armenia kills nearly 25,000.

June 21, 1990 — An earthquake of 7.7 magnitude in northwest Iran destroys cities and villages in Caspian Sea area and kills at least 50,000 people.

Sept. 30, 1993 — As many as 10,000 are killed from an earthquake of 6.0 magnitude that struck the state of Maharashtra in India.

Aug. 17, 1999 — More than 17,000 are killed as a magnitude-7.4 quake hits western Turkey.

Dec. 26, 2003 — More than 26,000 killed after an earthquake of 6.5 magnitude strikes the ancient historic city of Bam in southeast Iran.

Dec. 26, 2004 — A 9.0 earthquake off the western coast of Indonesia's Sumatra island launches tsunami waves that slam shorelines in Asia and Africa, killing more than 117,000 people.

Good info, thanks

 

[Charlesbusa]

Over 150,000 now dead and still counting....