Deadliest Incidents In History

Spanish Flu Pandemic — United States

An H1N1 influenza pandemic infected roughly a third of humanity and killed tens of millions in about two years.

COVID-19 Pandemic — China

The largest global health emergency in a century, with reported deaths near 7 million and excess mortality estimates far higher.

China Floods — China

The deadliest natural disaster in recorded history: months of flooding along the Yangtze and Huai rivers, followed by famine and disease.

Yellow River Flood — China

The Yellow River broke its dikes in Henan province, flooding 130,000 km² of the most densely farmed land on earth.

Ethiopian Famine — Ethiopia

Drought combined with conflict and government policy produced a famine that became a defining global humanitarian emergency.

Shaanxi Earthquake — China

The deadliest earthquake ever recorded, striking a region where millions lived in cave dwellings carved into soft loess cliffs.

Tangshan Earthquake — China

A magnitude 7.6 earthquake flattened an industrial city of a million people in under thirty seconds, while almost everyone slept.

Bhola Cyclone — Bangladesh

The deadliest tropical cyclone in recorded history drove a storm surge across the densely populated islands of the Ganges Delta.

Haiti Earthquake — Haiti

A magnitude 7.0 quake 25 km from Port-au-Prince destroyed a capital city and triggered one of the largest humanitarian operations ever mounted.

Coringa Cyclone — India

A massive storm surge destroyed the busy port city of Coringa on India's Andhra coast; it was never fully rebuilt.

Haiyuan Earthquake — China

A magnitude 8.3 earthquake in Ningxia triggered enormous loess landslides that buried whole villages.

Indian Ocean Tsunami — Indonesia

A magnitude 9.1 megathrust earthquake off Sumatra sent tsunami waves across the Indian Ocean, killing people in 14 countries.

Yangtze River Flood — China

Renewed catastrophic flooding on the Yangtze just four years after the 1931 disaster, striking a region still recovering.

Great Kantō Earthquake — Japan

A magnitude 7.9 earthquake and the firestorms that followed destroyed much of Tokyo and Yokohama in a single afternoon.

Bangladesh Cyclone (BOB 01) — Bangladesh

A category-5-equivalent cyclone struck the Chittagong coast with a six-metre surge, killing around 138,000 people.

Cyclone Nargis — Myanmar

Nargis drove a devastating surge across Myanmar's Irrawaddy Delta in the country's worst recorded natural disaster.

Sichuan (Wenchuan) Earthquake — China

A magnitude 7.9 earthquake in mountainous Sichuan killed nearly 90,000 people and collapsed thousands of school buildings.

Kashmir Earthquake — Pakistan

A magnitude 7.6 earthquake in northern Pakistan struck on a school morning, killing tens of thousands of children in collapsing classrooms.

Messina Earthquake and Tsunami — Italy

Europe's deadliest earthquake destroyed Messina and Reggio Calabria before dawn, followed within minutes by a 12-metre tsunami.

Mount Tambora Eruption — Indonesia

The largest eruption in recorded history caused a global "year without a summer" and widespread famine.

Ancash Earthquake and Huascarán Avalanche — Peru

A magnitude 7.9 offshore earthquake triggered a rock-and-ice avalanche that buried the town of Yungay in about three minutes.

European Heatwave — France

A record summer killed tens of thousands across Europe, with France worst affected; a turning point for heat-emergency planning.

Turkey–Syria Earthquakes — Turkey

Twin magnitude 7.8 and 7.5 earthquakes nine hours apart collapsed tens of thousands of buildings across southern Turkey and northern Syria.

Russian Heatwave and Wildfires — Russia

Record heat, drought and peat-fire smog produced Russia's deadliest environmental disaster of modern times.

Manjil–Rudbar Earthquake — Iran

A magnitude 7.4 earthquake destroyed towns and villages across northern Iran shortly after midnight.

Krakatoa Eruption — Indonesia

One of the loudest sounds in recorded history, followed by tsunamis that killed tens of thousands around the Sunda Strait.

Bam Earthquake — Iran

A magnitude 6.6 earthquake levelled the ancient mud-brick city of Bam, including its 2,000-year-old citadel.

Mount Pelée Eruption — France

A pyroclastic flow destroyed Saint-Pierre, Martinique in minutes, killing almost the entire population.

Nevado del Ruiz Eruption and Armero Lahar — Colombia

A modest eruption melted a glacier, sending mudflows that buried the town of Armero — history's deadliest lahar.

Tōhoku Earthquake and Tsunami — Japan

A magnitude 9.1 earthquake sent a tsunami over Japan's northeast coast and triggered the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident.

Bhopal Gas Disaster — India

The world's worst industrial disaster: a methyl isocyanate leak exposed over half a million people in their sleep.

Galveston Hurricane — United States

The deadliest natural disaster in United States history destroyed a thriving island city in one night.

West Africa Ebola Epidemic — Liberia

The largest Ebola outbreak in history overwhelmed health systems in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) — Philippines

One of the strongest storms ever to make landfall destroyed Tacloban with a surge that behaved like a tsunami.

Uttarakhand Floods and Landslides — India

Extreme early-monsoon rain in the Himalayas triggered flash floods and landslides during peak pilgrimage season.

MV Doña Paz Ferry Disaster — Philippines

The deadliest peacetime maritime disaster in history: an overloaded ferry collided with an oil tanker and burned.

Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster — Ukraine

Reactor No. 4 exploded during a safety test, spreading radioactive contamination across Europe.

September 11 Attacks — United States

Coordinated hijackings destroyed the World Trade Center towers and struck the Pentagon, killing 2,977 people.

Mina Crowd Crush (Hajj) — Saudi Arabia

Converging pilgrim crowds in Mina produced the deadliest crowd disaster in the history of the Hajj.

Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Accident — Japan

Tsunami flooding disabled backup power, causing meltdowns in three reactors and a mass long-term evacuation.

Hurricane Katrina — United States

Levee failures after Katrina's landfall flooded 80 percent of New Orleans and exposed deep failures in US disaster response.

Pakistan Monsoon Floods — Pakistan

Record monsoon rainfall and glacier melt submerged a third of Pakistan, affecting 33 million people.

Benxihu Colliery Explosion — China

A coal-dust and gas explosion in a Japanese-operated mine in occupied China killed 1,549 workers — the worst mining disaster in history.

Sinking of the RMS Titanic — United Kingdom

The Titanic struck an iceberg on her maiden voyage; about 1,500 died, largely because lifeboat capacity was less than half the people aboard.

Rana Plaza Building Collapse — Bangladesh

An eight-storey garment factory building collapsed a day after cracks appeared and workers were ordered back inside.

Bihar Train Disaster — India

A passenger train derailed off a bridge into the Bagmati River during a cyclone — India's worst rail disaster.

Tenerife Airport Disaster — Spain

Two Boeing 747s collided on a fog-covered runway at Los Rodeos — the deadliest accident in aviation history.

Japan Airlines Flight 123 — Japan

The deadliest single-aircraft accident in history: a faulty repair caused explosive decompression and loss of control.

Sampoong Department Store Collapse — South Korea

A Seoul department store collapsed in 20 seconds after management ignored visible structural failure and kept the store open.

Great Chicago Fire — United States

A fire in a drought-stricken timber city destroyed 9 km² of Chicago and reshaped American building codes.

Western Europe Floods — Germany

Up to two months of rain fell in two days over Germany and Belgium, destroying valley towns in hours.

Beirut Port Explosion — Lebanon

2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored for years in a port warehouse detonated, devastating central Beirut.

Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire — United States

146 garment workers died in a New York factory fire where exit doors had been locked; the disaster transformed labour law.

Station Nightclub Fire — United States

Pyrotechnics ignited foam soundproofing in a Rhode Island nightclub; 100 people died, most at a single crowded exit.

Hillsborough Disaster — United Kingdom

97 football fans were fatally crushed in overcrowded standing pens at Sheffield; decades of inquiry followed.

Grenfell Tower Fire — United Kingdom

Combustible cladding turned a single-flat kitchen fire into a fatal high-rise inferno in west London.

Lac-Mégantic Rail Disaster — Canada

An unattended oil train rolled downhill into a Quebec town centre and exploded, killing 47 people.

Black Death

The Black Death was a plague pandemic that occurred in Europe from 1346 to 1353. It was one of the most fatal pandemics in human history, leading to the death of up to 50 million people, or 50% of Europe's 14th-century population. The disea

Great Chinese Famine — China

The Great Chinese Famine (Chinese: 三年大饥荒; lit. 'three years of great famine') was a famine that occurred between 1959 and 1961 in the People's Republic of China (PRC). Some scholars have also included the years 1958 or 1962. It is widely re

1918–1920 flu pandemic

The 1918–1920 flu pandemic, also known as the Great Influenza epidemic or by the misleading name Spanish flu, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 subtype of the influenza A virus. The earliest probable c

HIV/AIDS

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a preventable disease. It can be ma

cocoliztli epidemic

The Cocoliztli Epidemic or the Great Pestilence was an outbreak of a mysterious illness characterized by high fevers and bleeding which caused 5–15 million deaths in the North American territory of New Spain during the 16th century. The Azt

Holodomor — Ukraine

The Holodomor, also known as the Ukrainian famine, was a massive man-made famine in Soviet Ukraine from 1932 to 1933 that killed millions of Ukrainians. The Holodomor was part of the wider Soviet famine of 1930–1933 which affected the major

Great Bengal famine of 1770 — Bangladesh

The Great Bengal famine of 1770 struck Bengal and Bihar between 1769 and 1770 and affected some 30 million people, which was about one third of the current population of the area. It occurred during a period of dual governance in Bengal. T

Soviet famine of 1932–1933

The Soviet famine of 1930–1933 was a famine in the major grain-producing areas of the Soviet Union, including Ukraine and parts of Russia (Kazakhstan, North Caucasus, Kuban, Volga region, the southern Urals, and western Siberia). Major fac

1957–1958 influenza pandemic

The 1957–1958 Asian flu pandemic was a global pandemic of influenza A virus subtype H2N2 that originated in Guizhou in Southern China. The number of excess deaths caused by the pandemic is estimated to be 1–4 million around the world (1957–

1931 China floods — China

The 1931 China floods, or the 1931 Yangtze–Huai River floods, were a series of devastating floods that occurred from June to August 1931 in China, hitting major cities such as Wuhan, Nanjing and beyond, and eventually culminating in a dike

Black Death in England

The Black Death was a bubonic plague pandemic, which reached England in June 1348. It was the first and most severe manifestation of the second pandemic, caused by Yersinia pestis bacteria. The term Black Death was not used until the late 1

North Korean famine — North Korea

The North Korean famine (Korean: 조선기근), dubbed by the government as the Arduous March (고난의 행군), was a period of mass starvation together with a general economic crisis from 1994 to 1999 in North Korea. During this time there was an increase

Bengal famine of 1943 — Bangladesh

The Bengal famine of 1943 was a famine during World War II in the Bengal Province and Orissa Province of British India. An estimated 800,000–3.8 million people died, in the Bengal region (present-day Bangladesh and West Bengal), from starva

1772–1773 Persian Plague — Iran

The Persian plague epidemic of 1772–1773, also simply known as the Persian Plague, was a massive outbreak of plague, more specifically Bubonic plague, in the Persian Empire, which claimed around 2 million lives in total. It was one of the m

Upper Doab famine of 1860–1861

The Doab famine of 1860–1861 was a famine in India that affected the Ganga-Yamuna Doab in the North-Western Provinces, large parts of Rohilkhand and Awadh, the Delhi and Hissar divisions of the Punjab, all in British India, then under Crown

Swine fever outbreak in Belgium in 1990 — Belgium

1048 Yellow River flood — China

The 1048 Yellow River flood was a natural disaster along the Yellow River in China that was caused by the failure of a fascine in Shanghu in 1048 AD. It caused over a million people to be killed and many displaced, and was a major cause of

1889–1890 pandemic

The 1889–1890 pandemic, often referred to as the "Asiatic flu" or "Russian flu", was a worldwide respiratory viral pandemic. It was the last great pandemic of the 19th century, and is among the deadliest pandemics in history. The pandemic

Italian Plague of 1629-1631

The Italian plague of 1629–1631, also referred to as the Great Plague of Milan, was part of the second plague pandemic that began with the Black Death in 1348 and ended in the 18th century. One of two major outbreaks in Italy during the 17t

Hong Kong flu

The Hong Kong flu, also known as the 1968 flu pandemic, was an influenza pandemic that occurred between 1968 and 1970 and which killed between one and four million people globally. It is among the deadliest pandemics in history, and was cau

Chinese famine of 1942-43 — China

The Henan famine of 1942–1943 (Chinese: 河南大饑荒) occurred within the context of the Second Sino-Japanese War and resulted from a combination of natural and human factors. Anthony Garnaut put the death toll to be "well under one million", prob

Tenmei famine — Japan

The Great Tenmei famine (天明の大飢饉, Tenmei no daikikin) affected Japan during the Edo period. The famine was the deadliest one during the early modern period in Japan. It is considered to have begun in 1782 and lasted until 1788. It was named

1887 Yellow River flood — China

The 1887 Yellow River flood in the Qing Dynasty was a flood in China that began in late September 1887 and killed at least 930,000 people. It was the single deadliest flood in Chinese history, as well as one of the largest natural disasters

1556 Shaanxi earthquake — China

One of the deadliest earthquakes in history occurred in the early morning of 23 January 1556 in Huaxian, Shaanxi, during the Ming dynasty. Most of the residents there lived in yaodongs—artificial caves in loess cliffs—which collapsed and bu

Swine fever outbreak in Belgium — Belgium

COVID-19 pandemic in Europe

The global COVID-19 pandemic arrived in Europe with its first confirmed case in Bordeaux, France, on 24 January 2020, and subsequently spread widely across the continent. By 17 March 2020, every country in Europe had confirmed a case, and a

Drought in Central Europe 1540

The year round heat and drought in 1540 was the worst climatic event of this kind since the 1473 heat and drought in Europe. It had catastrophic consequences in large parts of the continent. From February until the end of the year it was

1938 Yellow River flood — China

The 1938 Yellow River flood (simplified Chinese: 花园口决堤事件; traditional Chinese: 花園口決堤事件; pinyin: Huāyuánkǒu Juédī Shìjiàn; lit. 'Huayuankou Dam Burst Incident') was a man-made flood in China from June 1938 to January 1947 created by the inte

1970 Bhola cyclone

The 1970 Bhola cyclone, also known as the Great Cyclone of 1970 or simply the Bhola Cyclone, was the deadliest tropical cyclone on record, as well as one of the deadliest humanitarian disasters ever recorded. It struck East Pakistan (presen

Famine in Czech lands (1770-1772)

1839 Coringa cyclone

On 25 November 1839, the port city of Coringa in present-day Andhra Pradesh on the southeastern coast of British India was battered by a tropical cyclone that destroyed the harbour. Known as the 1839 Coringa cyclone and sometimes also refer

Famine in Somalia — Somalia

The 1992 famine in Somalia resulted from a severe drought and devastation caused by warring factions in southern Somalia, primarily the Somali National Front, in the fertile inter-riverine breadbasket between the Jubba and Shebelle rivers.

atomic bombing of Hiroshima — Japan

On 6 and 9 August 1945, the United States detonated two atomic bombs over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, respectively, during the final days of World War II. The aerial bombings killed 150,000 to 246,000 people, most of whom

1920 Haiyuan earthquake — China

The 1920 Haiyuan earthquake (Chinese: 海原大地震; pinyin: Hǎiyuán dà dìzhèn) occurred in Haiyuan County, Ningxia Province, Republic of China at 19:05:53 (UTC+8) on 16 December 1920. It was also called the 1920 Gansu earthquake because Ningxia wa

Antioch earthquake of 115 — Turkey

An earthquake occurred in Antioch on 13 December 115 AD. It had an estimated magnitude of 7.5 on the surface-wave magnitude scale and an estimated maximum intensity of XI (Extreme) on the Mercalli intensity scale. Antioch and surrounding ar

2011 East Africa drought — South Sudan

Occurring between July 2011 and mid-2012, a severe drought affected the entire East African region. Said to be "the worst in 60 years", the drought caused a severe food crisis across Somalia, Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya that threatened the

drought in Nigeria — Nigeria

Long-term drought in Nigeria has resulted in desertification and a shortage of land for raising cattle and growing crops. To acquire land for farming or grazing, farmers and herdsmen are encouraged to go to new areas, which frequently leads

Antioch earthquake of 526 — Turkey

The 526 Antioch earthquake struck Syria and, in particular, the city of Antioch in the Byzantine Empire. It occurred some time in late May 526, probably between 20 and 29 May, during mid-morning, killing approximately 250,000 people. This w

1976 Tangshan earthquake — China

A Mw 7.6 earthquake hit the region around Tangshan, Hebei, China, at 03:42:55 on 28 July (19:42:55, 27 July UTC) 1976. The maximum intensity of the earthquake was XI (Extreme) on the Mercalli scale. In minutes, 85 percent of the buildings i

2010 Haiti earthquake — Haiti

A catastrophic magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake struck Haiti at 16:53 local time (21:53 UTC) on Tuesday, 12 January 2010. The epicenter was near the town of Léogâne, Ouest department, approximately 25 kilometres (16 mi) west of Port-au-Prince, H

2004 Indian Ocean earthquake — Indonesia

On 26 December 2004, at 07:58:53 local time (UTC+7), a Mw 9.2–9.3 earthquake struck with its epicenter off the west coast of Aceh, in northern Sumatra, Indonesia. The undersea megathrust earthquake, known in the scientific community as the

856 Damghan earthquake — Iran

The Damghan earthquake or the Qumis earthquake occurred on 22 December 856 (242 AH) in Khorasan province, Abbasid Caliphate. The earthquake had an estimated magnitude of 7.9, and a maximum intensity of X (Extreme) on the Mercalli intensity

Kyōhō famine — Japan

The Kyōhō famine (享保の大飢饉, Kyōhō no daikikin), was a famine on the Japanese island of Kyushu during the reign of Emperor Nakamikado in the Edo period. It is estimated that 12,172-169,000 people died from starvation. The famine, named after t

atomic bombing of Nagasaki — Japan

On 6 and 9 August 1945, the United States detonated two atomic bombs over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, respectively, during the final days of World War II. The aerial bombings killed 150,000 to 246,000 people, most of whom

2019 Whakaari / White Island eruption — New Zealand

On 9 December 2019, Whakaari / White Island, an active stratovolcano island in New Zealand's northeastern Bay of Plenty region, explosively erupted. The island was a popular tourist destination, known for its volcanic activity, and 47 peopl

893 Ardabil earthquake — Iran

The 893 Dvin earthquake occurred on 28 December 893 at around midnight. It had a magnitude of approximately 6 and a maximum intensity of approximately IX (Violent) on the Mercalli intensity scale. It destroyed the city of Dvin in Armenia, c

Algerian Civil War — Algeria

The Algerian Civil War (Arabic: الحرب الأهلية الجزائرية, romanized: al-Ḥarb al-Ahlīyah al-Jazāʼirīyah), known in Algeria as the Black Decade (Arabic: العشرية السوداء, romanized: al-ʻAshrīyah al-Sawdāʼ; French: La décennie noire), was a civi

1980 El Asnam earthquake — Algeria

The 1980 El Asnam earthquake occurred on October 10 at 13:25:23 local time with a moment magnitude of 7.1 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (Extreme). The shock occurred in the Algerian town of El Asnam (now known as Chlef). The shocks

1923 Great Kantō Earthquake — Japan

The Great Kantō Earthquake (Japanese: 関東大地震, Kantō daijishin, or 関東大震災, Kantō daishinsai) was a megathrust earthquake that struck the Kantō Plain on the main Japanese island of Honshu at 11:58:32 JST (02:58:32 UTC) on Saturday, 1 September

1856 Edo typhoon

Great Fire of Meireki — Japan

The Great Fire of Meireki (明暦の大火, Meireki no taika), also known as the Great Furisode Fire, destroyed 60–70% of Edo (now Tokyo), then de facto capital city of Japan, on 2 March 1657, the third year of the Meireki Era. The fire lasted for th

Burning of Smyrna

The burning of Smyrna (Greek: Καταστροφή της Σμύρνης, romanized: Katastrofí tis Smírnis, "Smyrna catastrophe"; Turkish: 1922 İzmir Yangını, "1922 İzmir Fire"; Armenian: Զմիւռնիոյ Մեծ Հրդեհ, Zmyuṙnio Mets Hrdeh) destroyed much of the port ci

1667 Shamakhi earthquake — Azerbaijan

The 1667 Shamakhi earthquake occurred on 25 November 1667 with an epicenter close to the city of Shamakhi, Azerbaijan (then part of Safavid Iran). It had an estimated surface-wave magnitude of 6.9 and a maximum felt intensity of X (Extreme)

2005 Kashmir earthquake — Afghanistan

An earthquake occurred at 08:50:39 Pakistan Standard Time on 8 October 2005 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, region administered by Pakistan. Its epicenter was 19 km northeast of the city of Muzaffarabad, and 90 km north north-east of Islamabad,

1718 Tongwei–Gansu earthquake — China

An earthquake occurred on June 19, 1718, in Tongwei County, Gansu Province, Qing dynasty, present-day China. The estimated surface wave magnitude (Ms) 7.5 earthquake was designated a maximum Modified Mercalli intensity of X (Extreme), causi

2008 Sichuan earthquake — China

An earthquake occurred in the province of Sichuan, China at 14:28:01 China Standard Time on May 12, 2008. Measuring at 8.0 Ms (7.9–8.3 Mw), the earthquake's epicenter was located 80 kilometres (50 mi) west-northwest of Chengdu, the provinci

1693 Sicily earthquake — Italy

The 1693 Sicily earthquake was a natural disaster that struck parts of southern Italy near Sicily, then a territory part of the Crown of Aragon by the Kings of Spain Calabria and Malta, on 11 January at around 21:00 local time. This earthqu

Amasya–Çorum earthquake of 1598 — Turkey

The 1598 Amasya–Çorum earthquake devastated central north Anatolia during the month of May. The earthquake destroyed the towns of Amasya and Çorum, killing at least 60,000 people. A tsunami accompanied the shock, drowning many people along

Ruzagayura famine

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St. Lucia's flood — Netherlands

St. Lucia's flood (Sint-Luciavloed) was a storm tide that affected the Netherlands and Northern Germany on 13/14 December 1287 (OS), St. Lucia Day and the day after, killing approximately 50,000 to 80,000 people in one of the largest floods