Top 10

Worst Disasters in the world

(of 21st century)

10. 2001 Gujarat earthquake (Death toll: 19,727)

The 2001 Gujarat earthquake of a magnitude of between 7.6 and 7.7 occurred at almost an early morning of January 26, 2011 at 8:46 AM local time and lasted for over two minutes. Almost around 19,727 people were killed and 167,000 were injured.

The total property damage was estimated to be around $5.5 billion. Around 600,000 people became homeless in 21 districts which were affected due to the shock waves that spread for about 700 km

9. 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami (Death toll: 18,400)

The recent 2011 Tohoku earthquake in Japan which literally means Northeast region Pacific Ocean offshore earthquake measured around 9.0 magnitude and struck the coast of Japan on March 11, 2011, Friday. So far around 18,400 deaths have been confirmed with 2,778 injured and around 17,339 people missing as reported by the Japanese National Police Agency. The earth itself shifted from its axis by about 10 cm (3.9 in) So far around 18,400 deaths have been confirmed with 2,778 injured and around 17,339 people missing as reported by the Japanese National Police Agency. The earth itself shifted from its axis by about 10 cm (3.9 in). The Japanese government estimated the cost to reach about $309 billion.

8. 2003 European heat wave (Death toll: 40,000)

The 2003 European heat wave was one of the hottest summers in Europe, especially in France in recorded history. The death toll reachs almost 40,000.

 In France almost 14,802 deaths happened because of this heat wave according to the French National Institute of Health. Extensive forest fires occurred in Portugal with almost five per cent of the countryside and ten per cent of the forests being destroyed due to temperatures reaching 48 degrees Celsius (118 degrees Fahrenheit). In Netherlands, there were about 1,500 heat related deaths with temperature reaching 37.8 degrees Celsius there. A couple of hundreds deaths were reported both in Spain and Germany, where temperatures reached 45.1 and 41 degrees Celsius respectively. In Switzerland, many glaciers were melted in the Alps causing avalanches and flash floods with a new national record of temperature at 41.5 degrees Celsius (106.7 degrees Fahrenheit) recorded in Grono, Graubunden. The United Kingdoms highest recorded temperature was on 10 August, 2003 with 38.5 degrees Celsius (101.3 degrees Fahrenheit) in Kent and Scotland broke its record of the highest temperature in Greycrook at 32.9 degrees Celsius (91.2 degrees Fahrenheit).

7. 2003 Iran earthquake (Death toll 43,000)

The 2003 Bam earthquake struck at early hours of 5:46 AM local time on December 26, 2003, Friday in Bam and surrounding Kerman province of southeastern Iran. The earthquake is estimated to be of 6.6 magnitude according to the United States Geological Survey, causing 26,271 deaths and some 30,000 injured. But some estimates also approximate the death toll to be around 43,000.

6. 2010 Russian heat wave (Death toll: 56,000)

The 2010 Northern Hemisphere summer, also known as the 2010 Russian heat wave, had an effect on most parts of the United States, Canada Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Indochina, South Korea, Japan, China, North Africa and generally the whole of the European continent in the months from May till August with June being the fourth consecutive warmest month on record globally. Around 56,000 people died all across the mentioned places because of this calamity.

5. 2008 Sichuan earthquake (Death toll: 69,197)

The 2008 Sichuan earthquake, which is also sometimes called Great Sichuan Earthquake, struck at 14:28 local time on May 12, 2008 in Sichuan province of China that killed around 69,197 people according to the official figures. It left some 374,176 people injured, 18,222 were listed as missing, and some 4.8 million people became homeless, where the numbers could even go as high as 11 million according to some reports. The Chinese government announced to spend around $146.5 billion over the next three years in reconstruction and damage control measures.

4. 2005 Kashmir earthquake (Death toll: 86,000)

The 2005 Kashmir Earthquake struck in the morning on October 8, 2005 in the Pakistanadministered Kashmir, which affected the nearby area of Gilgit-Baltistan and most parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. According to the Pakistani governments official death toll, around 75,000 people died, but the international donors estimate the deaths to be around 86,000.

The tremors were also felt in the nearby countries of Tajikistan, Afghanistan, western China, and also the Indian-administered Kashmir, where around 1,400 people died. The earthquake was a consequence of the rising of the Himalayas.

3. 2008 Cyclone Nargis (Death toll: 146,000)

Cyclone Nargis was a strong tropical cyclone that became the worst natural disaster for Myanmar on May 2, 2008 which led to around 146,000 deaths and some 55,000 were reported missing. The damages were estimated to have cost around $10 billion.

2. 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami (Death toll: 230,000)

The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, scientifically known as Sumatra-Adaman earthquake, occurred on December 26, 2004, Sunday at 00:58 UTC, which had an epicenter off the western cost of Sumatra, Indonesia. It killed almost 230,000 people in 14 countries, with the hardest hit country being Indonesia, followed by Sri Lanka, India, and Thailand. The earthquake was felt at the same time at places like Bangladesh, India, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, Singapore, and the Maldives, which was followed by the tsunami. Altogether, the international community donated more than $14 billion for humanitarian efforts.

1. 2010 Haiti earthquake (Death toll: 316,000)

The 2010 Haiti earthquake struck on January 12, 2010 at 16:53 local time with a magnitude of 7.0 and had an epicenter near the town of Leogane, which is almost 25 km (16 miles) west of Haitis capital, Port-au-Prince. According to estimates, some 3 million people were affected by the disaster, with a death toll of around 316,000 people and 300,000 injured and 1,000,000 approximately became homeless. Around 30,000 commercial buildings are said to have been destroyed completely. Almost above 90 per cent of rubble remains uncleared till date. Around $1.1 billion were donated for the relief efforts, but only two per cent of the money has been given so far