Deadliest Earthquakes on Record
Date
Location
Deaths
Magnitude
Jan. 23, 1556
Shansi, China
830,000
n.a.
July 27, 1976
Tangshan China
255,0001
8.0
Aug. 9, 1138
Aleppo, Syria
230,000
n.a.
May 22, 1927
near Xining, China
200,000
8.3
Dec. 22, 8562
Damghan, Iran
200,000
n.a.
Dec. 16, 1920
Gansu, China
200,000
8.6
March 23, 8932
Ardabil, Iran
150,000
n.a.
Sept. 1, 1923
Kwanto, Japan
143,000
8.3
Oct. 5, 1948
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, USSR
110,000
7.3
Dec. 28, 1908
Messina, Italy
70,000—
100,0003
7.5
Sept. 1290
Chihli, China
100,000
n.a.
Nov. 1667
Shemakha, Caucasia
80,000
n.a.
Nov. 18, 1727
Tabriz, Iran
77,000
n.a.
Nov. 1, 1755
Lisbon, Portugal
70,000
8.7
Dec. 25, 1932
Gansu, China
70,000
7.6
May 31, 1970
Peru
66,000
7.8
12684
Silicia, Asia Minor
60,000
n.a.
Jan. 11, 1693
Sicily, Italy
60,000
n.a.
May 30, 1935
Quetta, Pakistan
30,000—
60,000
7.5
Feb. 4, 1783
Calabria, Italy
50,000
n.a.
June 20, 1990
Iran
50,000
7.7
1. Official. Estimated death toll as high as 655,000.
2. Note that these dates are prior to A.D. 1000. No digit is missing.
3. Estimated.
Source: National Earthquake Information Center, U.S. Geological Survey. Data compiled from several sources.
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