Some of the world’s most deadly earthquakes in the past two decades are listed below, after a 7.8 magnitude quake struck central Turkey and northwest Syria on Monday and killed thousands of people.
Pakistan earthquake 2005
October 8, 2005
A 7.6 magnitude quake northeast of Islamabad killed at least 73,000 people. The quake also rocked Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu Kashmir, killing 1,244 there.
Haiti
August 14, 2021
A 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck southern Haiti, killing more than 2,200 people and destroying or damaging about 13,000 homes.
Indonesia
September 28, 2018
A 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck the island of Sulawesi, resulting in a 1.5-metre tsunami and killing more than 4,300 people.
Iran
November 12, 2017
A magnitude 7.3 earthquake shook the eastern Kermanshah region, killing more than 400 people. At least six people died in neighbouring Iraq.
Mexico
September 19, 2017
A 7.1 magnitude quake hit central Mexico, killing at least 369 people and causing more devastation in the capital than any temblor since an earthquake in 1985 that killed thousands.
Italy
August 24, 2016
A 6.2 magnitude quake struck a cluster of mountain communities east of Rome in central Italy, killing about 300 people.
Ecuador
April 16, 2016
A magnitude 7.8 earthquake hammered Ecuador, killing more than 650 people on the country’s Pacific coast.
Afghanistan
October 26, 2015
A magnitude 7.8 earthquake rocked the Afghan northeast, killing nearly 400 people in the country as well as in northern Pakistan.
Nepal
April 25, 2015
A magnitude 7.8 earthquake ravaged impoverished Nepal, killing nearly 9,000 people and disrupting the lives of more than eight million.
China
August 3, 2014
A magnitude 6.3 earthquake devastated southwestern China, killing at least 600 people in a remote area of Yunnan province.
Pakistan
September 24, 2013
Twin earthquakes, measuring 7.7 and 6.8 magnitude, rattled southwestern Balochistan province, killing at least 825 people.
Iran
August 11, 2012
Two strong quakes, measuring 6.4 magnitude and 6.3 respectively, killed at least 300 people near the city of Tabriz in northwestern Iran.
Turkey
October 23, 2011
A powerful magnitude 7.2 earthquake shook southeast Turkey, killing more than 600 people.
Japan
March 11, 2011
A 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami struck Japan’s northeast, killing about 15,690 people and injuring 5,700. The earthquake also triggered the world’s biggest nuclear disaster since Chernobyl in 1986.
New Zealand
February 22, 2011
A 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit Christchurch, killing at least 180 people.
Chile
February 27, 2010
An 8.8 magnitude quake and subsequent tsunami in Chile killed more than 500 people, wrecking hundreds of thousands of homes and mangling highways and bridges.
Asia
December 26, 2004
A 9.15 magnitude earthquake off Sumatra triggered a tsunami that barrelled into Indonesia, Thailand, India, Sri Lanka and many other countries in the region, devastating villages and tourist islands and leaving almost 230,000 dead or missing.
