For centuries, natural disasters have haunted humanity. Some happened so long ago that scientists cannot estimate the scale of the destruction. For example, the Mediterranean island of Stroggli is believed to have been wiped off the map by a volcanic eruption around 1500 BC. The tsunami caused destroyed the entire Minoan civilization, but no one knows even the approximate number of deaths. However, the 10 worst known disasters, mostly earthquakes and floods, killed an estimated 10 million people.
10. Aleppo earthquake - 1138, Syria (Victims: 230,000)
One of the most powerful earthquakes known to mankind, and the fourth largest in the number of victims (estimated at over 230 thousand dead). The city of Aleppo, a large and populous urban center since antiquity, is geologically located along the northern part of a system of major geological faults, which also includes the Dead Sea basin, and which separate the Arabian and African tectonic plates, which are in constant interaction. The Damascus chronicler Ibn al-Qalanisi recorded the date of the earthquake - Wednesday, October 11, 1138, and also indicated the number of victims - over 230 thousand people. Such a number of casualties and destruction shocked contemporaries, especially the Western crusader knights, since at that time in northwestern Europe, where most of them were from, a rare city had a population of 10 thousand inhabitants. After the earthquake, the population of Aleppo recovered only to early XIX century, when the city again recorded a population of 200 thousand inhabitants.
9. Indian Ocean Earthquake - 2004, Indian Ocean (Victims: 230,000+)
The third, and according to some estimates the second most powerful, is the underwater earthquake in the Indian Ocean that took place on December 26, 2004. It caused a tsunami, which caused most of the damage. Scientists estimate the earthquake's magnitude to be between 9.1 and 9.3. The epicenter was underwater, north of the island of Simeulue, northwest of Indonesian Sumatra. Huge waves reached the shores of Thailand, southern India and Indonesia. Then the wave height reached 15 meters. Many areas suffered enormous destruction and casualties, including Port Elizabeth, South Africa, which is 6,900 km from the epicenter. The exact number of victims is unknown, but it is estimated from 225 to 300 thousand people. The true figure can no longer be calculated, since many bodies were simply carried away into the sea. It is curious, but several hours before the arrival of the tsunami, many animals reacted sensitively to the impending disaster - they left the coastal zones, moving to higher ground.
8. Banqiao Dam Failure - 1975, China (Victims: 231,000)
There are different estimates of the number of victims of the disaster. The official figure, about 26,000 people, only takes into account those directly drowned in the flood itself; taking into account those who died from epidemics and famine that spread as a result of the disaster, the total number of victims is, according to different estimates, 171,000 or even 230,000. The dam was designed to survive the largest floods that occur once every thousand years (306 mm of precipitation per day). However, in August 1975, the largest flooding in 2,000 years occurred as a consequence of the powerful Typhoon Nina and several days of record storms. The flood caused a huge wave of water 10 kilometers wide, 3-7 meters high. The tide moved 50 kilometers from the coast in an hour and reached the plains, creating artificial lakes there with a total area of 12,000 sq. km. Seven provinces were flooded, including thousands of square kilometers of countryside and countless communications lines.
7. Tangshan earthquake - 1976, China (Victims: 242,000)
The second most powerful earthquake also occurred in China. On July 28, 1976, the Tangshan earthquake occurred in Hebei province. Its magnitude was 8.2, which allows us to consider the event the largest natural disaster of the century. The official death toll was 242,419. However, most likely the figure was underestimated by the PRC authorities by 3-4 times. This suspicion is based on the fact that according to Chinese documents, the strength of the earthquake is indicated as only 7.8 points. Tangshan was almost immediately destroyed by powerful tremors, the epicenter of which was located at a depth of 22 km below the city. Even Tianjin and Beijing, which are located 140 kilometers from the epicenter, were destroyed. The consequences of the disaster were terrible - 5.3 million houses were destroyed and damaged to such an extent that they were uninhabitable. The number of victims increased due to the subsequent series of tremors to 7.1. Today in the center of Tangshan there is a stele that reminds of the terrible disaster, and there is an information center dedicated to those events. It is a unique museum on this topic, the only one in China.
6. Kaifeng Flood - 1642, China (Victims: 300,000)
Long-suffering China again. Formally, this disaster can be considered natural, but it was caused by human hands. In 1642 in China there was peasant revolt, whose leader was Li Zicheng. The rebels approached the city of Kaifeng. To prevent the rebels from capturing the city, the command of the Ming Dynasty troops gave the order to flood the city and surrounding area with the waters of the Yellow River. When the water receded and the famine caused by the artificial flood ended, it turned out that of the 600,000 people in the city and surrounding area, only half survived. At that time it was one of the bloodiest punitive actions in history.
5. Indian Cyclone - 1839, India (Victims: 300,000+)
Although the photograph of the cyclone does not date back to 1839, it can be used to appreciate the full power of this natural phenomenon. The Indian cyclone of 1839 was not destructive in itself, but it produced powerful tidal waves that killed 300,000 people. Tidal waves completely destroyed the city of Coringa and sank 20,000 ships that were in the city's bay.
4. Great Chinese Earthquake - 1556 (Victims: 830,000)
In 1556, the most destructive earthquake in human history took place, called the Great Chinese Earthquake. It happened on January 23, 1556 in Shaanxi province. Historians believe the disaster killed about 830,000 people, more than any other similar event. Some areas of Shaanxi were completely depopulated, and in the rest more than half the people died. Such a huge number of victims was explained by the fact that most of the inhabitants lived in loess caves, which immediately collapsed during the first shocks or were subsequently flooded by mudflows. According to modern estimates This earthquake was assigned a category of 11 points. One of the eyewitnesses warned his descendants that when a disaster begins, they should not rush headlong into the street: “When a bird’s nest falls from a tree, the eggs often remain unharmed.” Such words are evidence that many people died while trying to leave their homes. The destructiveness of the earthquake is evidenced by the ancient steles of Xi'an, collected in the local Beilin Museum. Many of them were crumbling or cracked. During the cataclysm, the Wild Goose Pagoda located here survived, but its foundation sank by 1.6 meters.
3. Bhola Cyclone - 1970 (Casualties: 500,000 - 1,000,000)
A destructive tropical cyclone that struck the territories of East Pakistan and Indian West Bengal on November 12, 1970. The deadliest tropical cyclone and one of the most destructive natural disasters in modern history. About half a million people lost their lives when the storm surge flooded many of the low-lying islands of the Ganges delta. It was the sixth storm cyclone of the 1970 North Indian Ocean hurricane season and the strongest of the year.
A cyclone formed over central part Bay of Bengal on November 8, after which it began to move north, gaining strength. It reached the peak of its power on the evening of November 12, and on the same night there was contact with coastline East Pakistan. The storm surge devastated numerous offshore islands, sweeping away entire villages and destroying the region's farmland in its wake. In the worst-affected area of the country, Tazumuddin upazila, more than 45% of the 167,000 population died.
Political consequences
The unwieldy pace of rescue efforts only increased anger and resentment in East Pakistan and contributed to the local resistance movement. Subsidies were slow to arrive, and transport was slow to deliver desperately needed supplies to storm-ravaged areas. In March 1971, tensions steadily increased, foreign specialists began to leave the province, fearing outbreaks of violence. Subsequently, the situation continued to deteriorate and escalated into the War of Independence, which began on March 26. Later, in December of the same year, this conflict expanded into the Third Indo-Pakistani War, which culminated in the creation of the state of Bangladesh. The events that took place can be considered one of the first cases when a natural phenomenon provoked a civil war, subsequent external intervention by a third power and the disintegration of one country into two independent states.
2. Yellow River Valley Flood - 1887, China (Victims: 900,000 - 2,000,000)
One of the most terrible floods in modern human history, which, according to different sources, claimed from 1.5 to 7 million human lives, happened in the late spring of 1887 in the northern provinces of China, in the Yellow River Valley. Heavy rains throughout almost all of Hunan that spring caused the river to flood. The first flood occurred at a sharp bend, in the vicinity of the city of Zhangzhou.
Day after day, bubbling waters invaded the cities, destroying and devastating them. In total, 600 cities along the river's banks were affected by the flood, including the walled city of Hunan. The rapid flow continued to wash away fields, animals, cities and people, flooding an area 70 km wide with water that reached a depth of 15 meters.
The water, often against the wind and tide, slowly flooded terrace after terrace, on each of which 12 to 100 families accumulated. Of the 10 houses, only one or two survived. Half of the buildings were hidden under water. People lay on the roofs of houses, and old people who did not die of hunger died of cold.
The tops of the poplars that once stood along the roads stuck out of the water like algae. Here and there they held onto old trees with thick branches strong men and called for help. In one place, a box containing a dead child, whom his parents had placed there for safety, was nailed to a tree. The box contained food and a note with a name. In another place a family was discovered, all the members of which had died, the child was placed on the highest place ... well covered with clothes."
The destruction and devastation left after the waters subsided was simply terrible. Statistics have never been able to cope with the task of counting. By 1889, when the Yellow River finally returned to its course, disease was added to the misfortunes of the flood. It is estimated that half a million people died from cholera.
1. Great Flood - 1931, China (Victims: 1,000,000 - 4,000,000)
The summer monsoon period of 1931 was unusually stormy. Heavy rains and tropical cyclones raged across river basins. The dams withstood intense rain and storms for weeks, but they eventually gave way and collapsed in hundreds of places. Approximately 333,000 hectares of land were flooded, at least 40,000,000 people lost their homes, and crop losses were enormous. Over large areas, the water did not recede for three to six months. Diseases, food shortages, and lack of shelter led to the death of a total of 3.7 million people.
One of the epicenters of the tragedy was the city of Gaoyou in the northern province of Jiangsu. A powerful typhoon hit China's fifth largest lake, Gaoyu, on August 26, 1931. Its water level has already risen to record heights as a result of heavy rains in previous weeks. A squally wind raised high waves that crashed against the dams. After midnight the battle was lost. The dams were broken in six places, and the largest gap reached almost 700 m. A stormy stream swept through the city and the province. In one morning alone, about 10,000 people died in Gaoyu.
Nature can give us happy moments, but at the same time take them away and bring terrible disasters. For modern man environment This is not a temple that needs to be valued and protected from bad influences; rather, the world for us is a workshop where everyone does what they want.
Natural disasters often occur in the world, perhaps this is nature indicating to humanity that people are not as majestic as is commonly believed.
History knows a large number of natural disasters that claimed a huge number of human lives.
The event took place in Shenxi province. It is difficult to say exactly what strength the tremors were, but most likely it was very strong earthquake magnitude of at least 8 points. As a result, more than 830 thousand people died, which is quite a lot even by modern standards. This is the greatest loss for humanity in its history, at least known to us.
This was a powerful shock for local residents, as approximately 2.2 billion m3 of clay collapsed. In a couple of minutes, the entire village was buried under the ground, the large river was blocked and a new lake was formed. In addition to the village, the disaster also affected residents of other villages, but they were luckier; they were left without houses, as they were sunk.
The most powerful flood known to mankind occurred in the Republic of China. It was a completely rainy season, with heavy downpours causing the two Yellow and Yangtze rivers to overflow. Unfortunately, the death toll was 4 million people, with more than 40 million people left without a roof at all. There was so much water that in some areas it continued to stand for six months.
No need to search natural disasters abroad, you can find them in your own country. So in 1824 there was a powerful flood in St. Petersburg. Many buildings retain those nightmarish memories, as there are marks on their walls indicating the level of flooding. Despite the fact that the government counted about 1 thousand dead, their number is much higher. Unfortunately, no one kept an accurate record of the missing.
It is believed that this is the most powerful tsunami that has ever occurred in Europe. It went through many countries, but the residents of Portugal got the most. It was such a powerful tsunami that nothing remained of the capital, more than a hundred thousand inhabitants died, most of the buildings, structures and monuments of the idle time disappeared.
The Caribbean Sea is famous not only for pirates, but also for a fairly strong hurricane that hit the Lesser Antilles. Then the death toll was more than 27 thousand people. But no one knows for sure about the scale of the tragedy; we only know that the wind speed at that time was definitely at least 320 km/h.
A strong hurricane arose in Atlantic Ocean, the speed approached 285 km/h. More than 11 thousand people died, approximately the same number disappeared and have not been found until now. The disaster would have claimed more lives, but modern buildings and warning the authorities helped to avoid too many casualties.
This natural disaster is known to many of us; every television channel talked about the hurricane. As a result of the hurricane, more than 1,800 people died and many houses and other important structures were destroyed. The total damage caused was more than $125 billion.
The country has always been characterized by high temperatures towards the end of summer; that year there were more than 3 thousand fires in local forests. About 2.7 thousand km2 of forests were damaged, olive groves, farms and wild forests were completely destroyed, and 79 people died during the fire.
We have heard many times about strong eruptions volcanoes, one of the most terrible occurred in Krakatoa. It was such a powerful disaster that the entire island was destroyed, killing about 2 thousand local residents immediately. The powerful explosion created a strong wave, which created a strong tsunami, which in turn led to the death of another 36 thousand people on neighboring islands.
10 MOST SCARY NATURAL PHENOMENA
2.12.2018 at 23:03 · oksioksi · 2 240
10 worst natural disasters in the world
The history of mankind has undergone a large number of disasters with various natural disasters. Some occurred so long ago that most scientists cannot estimate the extent of the destruction.
Natural disasters are extremely unpredictable, highly destructive and often overwhelming. That is why people fear them the most. We present to your attention a list of some of the most horrific natural and man-made disasters that have claimed many human lives.
10. Banqiao Dam
In 1952, there was a disaster at Banqiao, a dam made of soil that was built to protect against flooding. During the construction of the dam, gross mistakes were made; as a result, the dam was covered with microcracks, and later could not withstand the pressure of tropical hurricane Nina. As a result, the flood killed 26 thousand people. Seven areas in China were flooded, with the few remaining communications destroyed after the rain.
Spread quickly among survivors dangerous disease with famine, the consequences of the disaster claimed another 170-220 thousand people.
9. Indian cyclone - 1839
On November 25, 1839, a cyclone and storm occurred in India, which destroyed the city of Coringa. He destroyed almost everything he came into contact with. 2 thousand ships that were in the bay were destroyed. The city was not restored. The storm wave that the cyclone raised washed away almost 300 thousand people.
The incident was one of the worst floods ever to hit the typhoon-ravaged area. Ancient city Coring was never restored.
8. Flood in Kaifeng
The year 1642 was marked by a tragedy - a flood in Kaifeng, a man-made catastrophic event. Kaifeng was located on the southern banks of the river. Yellow River. The city was covered with yellow river waters immediately after the Ming Dynasty soldiers ordered the dams to be opened to prevent the advance of Li Jicheng's troops. Then the subsequent famine with plague and flood claimed the lives of 300-380 thousand people.
7. Earthquake in Aleppo
One of the horrific natural disasters that ever occurred in nature was the earthquake in Aleppo in October 1138. According to some estimates, more than 230 thousand people died. In those ancient times, Aleppo was the largest urban center. The city was located along major geological faults. After the earthquake, the population of Aleppo was able to recover closer to the beginning of the 19th century.
6. Chinese earthquake - 1556
In 1556, one of the most destructive earthquakes recorded in historical reference books occurred, which occurred on January 23, 1556 in the Shaanxi region. Historical reference books believe that the tragedy claimed the lives of more than 820 thousand people.
In some areas of Shaanxi no one was left alive at all, while in others more than half the population died. Such human losses were due to the fact that more people lived in caves that collapsed as a result of the tremors.
5. 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
The third largest earthquake in history was the Indian Ocean earthquake at the end of December 2004. This resulted in a very large wave that caused great damage. Scientists estimated the amplitude of the earthquake at 9.1-9.3 points.
The source of the earthquake was recorded under water, large waves, approximately 15 meters high, reached the coast of Thailand, southern regions India and Indonesia. Many territories suffered greatly, the earthquake caused a lot of destruction, the exact losses are unknown, according to rough estimates it is 220-300 thousand people.
4. Tangshan earthquake
In the provincial Chinese town of Hebei in 1976, the strongest earthquake of the 20th century occurred. According to official statistics from the PRC authorities, disasters have the following indicators: the number of deaths was estimated at 250 thousand, an earthquake with a fluctuation magnitude of 7.9. Unofficial calculations revealed that the number of victims is 650-800 thousand people.
The epicenter of the earthquake occurred at a depth of 22 kilometers. The city collapsed almost to the ground in a couple of tens of seconds. About 800 thousand people were injured with varying degrees of severity.
3. Cyclone Bhola
November 1970 was marked by tragic events with dire consequences. Almost 500 thousand people died as a result of the storm's tidal wave on the coast of East Pakistan.
The typhoon was truly fatal, as the map of states changed significantly. Due to sharp criticism of the authorities for slow actions in eliminating the consequences of the hurricane, the Eastern opposition party won the elections. After this, a protracted confrontation began, which led to military conflicts. As a result, Bangladesh was formed.
2. Floods on the Yellow River in 1887
Flood on the river The Yellow River in the late spring of 1887 became one of the most terrifying in historical records. According to some sources, 1.4 - 2 million people died. Disasters occurred in the northern provinces of China in the Yellow River Valley. Heavy rain in almost all areas of the Yellow River provoked flooding on the river, leading to flooding of 50 thousand square meters. miles around. Peasants, aware of the peculiarities of frequent flooding of the Yellow River, built dams that saved them from annual flooding. However, that year the river demolished everything in its path.
1. Flood in China - 1931
China's long dry summer brought heavy summer monsoon rains with a tropical cyclone. The result was rivers overflowing their banks, which flooded about 333 thousand hectares of land, at least 40 million people were left without homes and huge losses harvest. In large areas the water did not drain for 3 to 6 months. Diseases, lack of food, lack of a roof over their heads - all this led to great losses, according to some estimates, up to 4 million people.
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The volcano that destroyed ancient Pompeii cannot be responsible for the worst natural disaster in history, despite the fact that many films have been made and many songs have been sung on the subject. Modern natural disasters claim countless lives. Take a look at our grim list. It contains only the most terrible disasters of all times.
Earthquake in the Syrian city of Aleppo (1138)
Fortunately, these days the news reports do not shock us with giant faults in the Dead Sea area. Now there is a relatively stable tectonic relief. Syria experienced unprecedented cataclysms in the 12th century. Seismic activity in the north of the country continued for almost a year and ultimately resulted in a devastating cataclysm. In 1138, the city of Aleppo was completely destroyed and others suffered settlements and military installations. In total, the disaster took the lives of 230,000 people.
Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami (2004)
This is the only event on the list that many of us caught. This tragedy is considered the deadliest ever modern history. It all started with an underwater earthquake of magnitude 9.3 off the coast of Indonesia. Then the disaster transformed into a violent tsunami, rushing to the shores of 11 countries. A total of 225,000 people died, and about a million more people along the Indian Ocean coast were left homeless. It's sad that this happened during the heyday of earthquake-resistant architectural technology, and not in the days of dugouts with thatched roofs.
Antioch earthquake (526)
People like to compare the potential end of the world to disasters of biblical proportions. The earthquake in Antioch is the only natural disaster that is more or less close to the biblical era. This natural disaster occurred in the first millennium after the birth of Christ. The Byzantine city experienced an earthquake of magnitude 7.0 between May 20 and May 29, 526. Due to the high population density (rare for the region at the time), 250,000 people died. The fires that arose as a result of the cataclysm also contributed to the increase in the number of victims. 
Earthquake in Gansu Province of China (1920)
The next natural disaster on our list created a giant rift over 160 kilometers long. According to experts, the greatest damage was caused not by an earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale, but by landslides, which carried away entire cities underground and were the main reason slowing down the provision of assistance. According to various estimates, the cataclysm claimed the lives of 230,000 to 273,000 inhabitants.
Tangshan Earthquake (1976)
Another terrible earthquake of the 20th century shows that the natural disaster itself is not as terrible as the imperfect infrastructure of the area in which it occurs. Tremors with a magnitude of 7.8 hit China's Tangshan on the night of July 28 and instantly leveled 92 percent of residential buildings in this city of a million people. Lack of food, water and other resources became the main obstacles in rescue efforts. In addition, they were destroyed railways and bridges, so there was nowhere to wait for help. Many victims died under the rubble. 
Cyclone at Coringa, India (1839)
By the early 19th century, Coringa had become the main Indian port city at the mouth of the Godavari River. On the night of November 25, 1839, this title had to be relinquished. The cyclone that struck destroyed 20,000 ships and 300,000 people. Many victims were thrown into the open sea. Now there is a small village on the site of Coringa. 
Cyclone Bhola, Bangladesh (1970)
The Bay of Bengal regularly experiences natural disasters, but none was more devastating than Cyclone Bhola. Hurricane wind gusts on November 11, 1970 reached 225 kilometers per hour. Due to extreme poverty in the region, no one was able to warn the population of the impending danger. As a result, the cyclone destroyed more than half a million lives. 
Chinese earthquake (1556)
Despite the fact that in the 16th century a system for assessing the magnitude of tremors had not yet been introduced, historians have calculated that the earthquake that occurred in China in 1556 could have had a magnitude of 8.0 - 8.5. It so happened that the densely populated area took the brunt of the attack. The disaster created deep canyons that forever trapped more than 800,000 people.
Flood on the Yellow River (1887)
One of largest rivers in the world is responsible for as many deaths as all other rivers combined. In 1887, the deadliest flood was recorded, which was exacerbated by heavy rains and the destruction of dams in the Changshu area. The flooded low-lying plains claimed the lives of about two million Chinese. 
Flood on the Yangtze River (1931)
A record natural disaster occurred with the beginning heavy rains and the Yangtze River flood in April 1931. This natural disaster, coupled with dysentery and other diseases, claimed about three million lives. In addition, the destruction of rice fields caused widespread famine.
October 13 marks the International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction - which is not an occasion to remember the most terrible and deadly natural disasters in the history of mankind.
Earthquake in Syria. 1202
The earthquake of 1202, the epicenter of which was in the Dead Sea, was not so much powerful as it was long-lasting and large-scale - it was felt over a vast territory located between Syria and Armenia. The exact number of deaths is unknown - in the 13th century no one kept a population count, but even according to the most conservative estimates, the earthquake claimed the lives of more than a million people.
Earthquake in China. 1556
One of the most destructive earthquakes in human history - in China - occurred on January 23, 1556. Its epicenter was located in the area of the right tributary of the Yellow River, Weihe, and it affected 97 districts in several Chinese provinces. The earthquake was accompanied by landslides, landslides and changes in river beds, which, in turn, led to floods, and the destruction of houses and temples led to severe fires. As a result of the disaster, the soil liquefied and pulled buildings and people underground; its impact was felt even at a distance of 500 kilometers from the epicenter. The earthquake killed 830 thousand people.
Earthquake and tsunami in Portugal. 1755
The infamous Lisbon earthquake began on November 1, 1755 at nine o'clock in the morning - only twenty minutes passed from the first tremors in the sea to the moment when a 15-meter tsunami covered the central embankment of the city. Most of its inhabitants were at church services - celebrating All Saints' Day, so they had no chance of salvation. Fires started in Lisbon and lasted for ten days. In addition to the capital, sixteen more Portuguese cities were damaged, and neighboring Setubal was almost completely washed away by the tsunami. The victims of the earthquake were from 40 to 60 thousand people. Architectural gems such as the Opera House and the Royal Palace, as well as the paintings of Caravaggio, Titian and Rubens, were lost.
Great Hurricane. 1780
The Great Hurricane - or Hurricane San Calixto II - is the most powerful and deadliest tropical cyclone in human history. It originated in early October 1780 in the Cape Verde Islands and raged for a week. On October 10, at a speed of 320 kilometers per hour, San Calixto II struck Barbados, Martinique, St. Lucia and St. Eustatius, leaving thousands of dead everywhere. The islands of Dominica, Guadeloupe, Antigua and St. Kitts were also affected. The great hurricane destroyed houses to the ground and tore ships from their anchors and smashed them against the rocks, and heavy cannons flew in the air like matches. As for human casualties, a total of 27 thousand people died during the rampage of San Calixto II.
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History knows several eruptions of the Krakatoa volcano, but the most destructive was the one that happened on August 27, 1883. Then, as a result of the most powerful explosion in the history of mankind, 20 cubic kilometers of stones and ash and a jet of steam 11 meters high literally tore apart a volcanic island in the Sunda Strait - between the islands of Java and Sumatra. The shock waves circled the globe seven times and formed a 36-meter-high tsunami that hit the coast, killing 36,000 people. In total, 200 thousand people died as a result of the Krakatoa eruption.
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Several floods in China, following one after another, claimed a total of 4 (!) million lives. Historians believe that this is the largest and most tragic natural disaster in human history. In August 1931, the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers, overflowing their banks as a result of prolonged rains, destroyed the dams holding them back and began to flow, sweeping away everything in their path. The water completely destroyed Agriculture in several dozen provinces, and the city of Gaoyu, located on the shore of the lake, was completely washed away. But the worst thing was human casualties: those who did not die from water died from devastation, hunger and epidemics.
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On May 31, 1970, due to an earthquake whose epicenter was in Pacific Ocean, a rock-ice avalanche broke off from Mount Huascarana in Peru and, moving at a speed of a thousand kilometers per hour, covered the towns of Ranragirk and Yungay located in the valley of the Rio Santa River - all that remained of them was a cemetery with the figure of Christ hovering above it. In just a few minutes, the avalanche wiped them and several other small villages, including the ports of Kasma and Chimbote, off the face of the earth. The result of the cataclysm: 70 thousand dead, among whom were Czech climbers who were planning to conquer the Andes, and 150 thousand wounded. The memory of those whose lives were taken by the avalanche was honored in Peru with eight days of mourning.
Cyclone Bhola. 1970
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George Harrison at a charity concert in Bangladesh.
Tropical Cyclone Bhola is one of the worst natural disasters of the 20th century. On November 13, 1970, a wave 15 (!) meters high hit the islands and coast of East Pakistan, washing away entire settlements and agricultural land along its path. In a short time, 500 thousand people died - mostly elderly people and children. The disaster had political consequences: riots began, the participants of which accused the Pakistani government of inaction and slow elimination of the consequences. Started Civil War between East Pakistan and the central government, which resulted in the declaration of independence of Bangladesh.
The whole world helped restore the affected areas. One of the most famous charity events was the concert organized by George Harrison: inviting many famous performers, he raised a quarter of a million dollars in one day.
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It's hot in Europe. 2003
The heat wave that hit the continent in 2003 - the hottest summer since the end of World War II - caught the health system by surprise European countries, which turned out to be unprepared for the loads when medical care Not tens, but hundreds and thousands of people were in need. Countries such as France, Austria, Italy, Hungary, Croatia and Bulgaria were particularly affected. Temperatures in some areas did not drop below +40°C. The first to be hit were the elderly, as well as allergy sufferers and those who suffered from cardiovascular diseases. In total, about 70 thousand people died on the European continent that summer.
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Tsunami in the Indian Ocean. 2004
Along with the European heatwave of 2003, many people also remember the tsunami in the Indian Ocean that happened a year and a half later - Ukrainian citizens were among the dead. The deadly wave was the result of the largest earthquake in the history of the Indian Ocean, which occurred on December 26, 2004. Its magnitude on the Richter scale was 9. As a result, a tsunami was formed, the height of which was coastal zone was 15 meters, and in the splash zone - 30 meters. An hour and a half after the earthquake, it reached the shores of Thailand, two hours later - Sri Lanka and India, and claimed the lives of 250 thousand people.
