Earthquakes most deadly natural disaster worldwide
February 2, 2010
By
Canadian Consulting Engineer
The United Nations has determined that earthquakes have been the deadliest of all natural disasters during the...
The United Nations has determined that earthquakes have been the deadliest of all natural disasters during the past decade. Earthquakes have accounted for 60 per cent of deaths from natural disasters around the world.
In raw numbers, the most tragic natural disasters of the past decade were: the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, which left 226,408 dead; Cyclone Nargis which killed 138,366 people in Myanmar in 2008; the Sichuan earthquake in China in 2008 which killed 87,476 people, and an earthquake in Pakistan that killed 73,338 people in 2005. The next largest numbers were the 72, 210 who died in heat waves in Europe in 2003.
Asia has been the most perilous continent in terms of natural disasters, accounting for 85% of all fatalities.
The eight most populous cities on earthquake fault lines are Tokyo, Mexico City, New York, Mumbai, Delhi, Shanghai, Kolkata and Jakarta.
The European Union estimates that 200,000 people died in the January 12 earthquake in Haiti. Many more than that are now homeless and living in camps.
