Bhuj earthquake among six severe earthquakes in the history of mankind. Check the list

A massive earthquake of 7.8 magnitude hit Turkey, in the wee hours of Sunday killing more than 100 people. According to reports, the tremors were felt in Lebanon, Syria and Cyprus, while Italy issued an alert Tsunami.

ALSO READ || Massive Earthquake Rocks Turkey, over 100 People Dead

The US Geological Survey said that it was a 7.8 magnitude tremor, which struck on Sunday morning around 4:17 local time at a depth of 17.9 km (11 miles) near the city of Gaziantep. Turkey is known for being in the world’s most active earthquake zones.

Even in 1999, the Turkish region of Duzce suffered a 7.4 magnitude earthquake which was the worst to hit Turkey in decades, causing death to as many as 17,000 people, including 1,000 in Istanbul.

In this article, we will take a look at the five biggest earthquakes in the history of mankind.

Bio-Bio, Chile – May 1960

One of the largest earthquakes in recent history was recorded in Bio-Bio Chile in May, 1960. The state authorities estimated the magnitude 9.4 to 9.6, which shook the ground for around 10 minutes, killing around 1,000 to 6,000 people.

As per the figures, it was the highest magnitude earthquake ever recorded and reportedly caused a damage of around $3.6 billion to $7.66 billion in today’s dollars.

Alaska Earthquake, 1964:

It was an unfortunate Good Friday in Alaska and history remembers it as The Great Alaska Earthquake, with a magnitude of 9.2, which lasted for a little less than 5 minutes. Although only nine people died from the tremors, more than 100 people died in the tsunami which was caused due to the quake.

Tsunami waves from this earthquake were observed as far as Antarctica, Peru, Mexico, Japan and New Zealand.

Bhuj Earthquake, Gujarat, 2001:

It is the third largest and second most destructive in India over the last two centuries. The earthquake killed more than 20,000 people, destroying thousands of homes, and rendering lakhs of people homeless.

Sumatra Earthquake, 2004:

South Asia experienced its most horrifying natural calamity in 2004, when a tsunami triggered by an earthquake of magnitude 9.1. Sumatra in Indonesia being the epicentre, the aftermath of it caused a massive tsunami that lashed and claimed lives in Thailand, Sri Lanka, India and Indonesia. An estimate of 2,27,000 lives were claimed across 14 countries.

Nepal, 2015:

Over 8,000 people died in the earthquake that struck Nepal in 2015. Regions in India, China, Pakistan and Bangladesh were affected by the tremors. More than 40 deaths were reported in those countries, where the worst-hit area was the eastern Indian state of Bihar, bordering Nepal.

Japan, 2011:

The Japan earthquake and tsunami of 2011 was one of the severe natural disasters in the country’s history that shook north-eastern Japan on March 11, 2011.

It was arguably the biggest earthquake to hit Japan in 140 years and left more than 1,20,000 buildings destroyed, 2,78,000 were half-destroyed and 7,26,000 were partially destroyed.