Deadliest Incidents In History

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.

Yangtze River Flood — China

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

Uttarakhand Floods and Landslides — India

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

Pakistan Monsoon Floods — Pakistan

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

Western Europe Floods — Germany

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cecilia Flood — Germany

All Saints' Flood — Netherlands

The All Saints' Flood of 1570 occurred on November 1–2, 1570 in the Spanish Netherlands, and is considered the worst North Sea flood disaster before the 20th century. It flooded the entire coast of the Netherlands and East Frisia. The effec

St. Elizabeth's flood — Netherlands

The St. Elizabeth's flood of 1421 was a flooding of the Grote Hollandse Waard, an area in what is now the Netherlands. It takes its name from the feast day of Saint Elisabeth of Hungary which was formerly 19 November. During the night of 18

St Julian flood — Netherlands

Christmas flood of 1717 — Netherlands

The Christmas Flood of 1717 was the result of a northwesterly storm, which hit the coast area of the Netherlands, Germany, and Scandinavia on Christmas night of 1717. In total, about 14,000 people drowned. It was the last large storm flood

Burchardi flood

The Burchardi flood (also known as the second Grote Mandrenke) was a storm tide that struck the North Sea coast of North Frisia, Dithmarschen (in modern-day Germany) and southwest Jutland (in modern-day Denmark) on the night between 11 and

2013 North India floods — India

In June 2013, a mid-day cloudburst centered on the North Indian state of Uttarakhand caused devastating floods and landslides, becoming the country's worst natural disaster since the 2004 tsunami. The rainfall received that month was far gr

Storm Daniel — Libya

Storm Daniel, also known as Medicane Daniel or Cyclone Daniel, was a relatively weak yet catastrophic and erratic tropical cyclone that became the deadliest Mediterranean tropical-like cyclone in recorded history, as well as the second-cost

Great Flood of 1862 — United States

The Great Flood of 1862 was the largest flood in the recorded history of California, Oregon, and Nevada, inundating the Western United States and portions of British Columbia and Mexico. It was preceded by weeks of continuous rains and snow

1949 Eastern Guatemalan Floods — Guatemala

On October 14–16, 1949, a series of violent and devastating floods killed an estimated 1,000 to 40,000 people in Central America, principally Guatemala. Estimates of the death toll ranged from 1,000 to 40,000, with reliable estimates sugges

2010 China floods — North Korea

Floods in China in 2010 resulted in over 3,000 deaths. Three hundred and ninety-two people died, and a further 232 people were reported missing as of June 30, 2010, including 57 people in a landslide in Guizhou. Fifty-three of the deaths oc

Netherlands storm surge (838) — Netherlands

North Sea flood of 1953 — United Kingdom

The North Sea flood of 1953, also known as the Big Flood or East Coast Flood (in England) or as the Flood Disaster (Dutch: Watersnoodramp), was a flood caused by a heavy storm surge in the North Sea that struck low-lying coastal areas of th