Of the 1.35 million people killed by natural disasters between 1995 and 2015, more than half died in earthquakes and the rest due to hazards related to weather and climate. This is evidenced by UN Office report on disaster risk reduction and Center for Disaster Epidemiology Research (Belgium).
The vast majority of deaths occurred in low- and middle-income countries. The poorest countries paid the highest price in terms of the number of fatalities in disasters.
Introducing you ten most destructive cataclysmshappened in the last 20 years.
10. Drought in Somalia
This natural disaster, which lasted from 2010 to 2011, claimed the lives of more than twenty thousand Somalis. Due to low rainfall, for two consecutive seasons, Somalia's growing season in 2010-2011 was the driest since 1950. And the delivery of humanitarian aid to this country was hampered by the civil war.
9. Earthquake in Iran
The victims of the disaster that happened in 2003 in the city of Bam were 26 thousand people. The magnitude of the earthquake on the Richter scale was 6.7. Since it happened early in the morning, many townspeople met death in a dream.
8. Flooding in Venezuela
It happened in December 1999 due to the rains that rained during the week. Thirty thousand people became victims of the flood, and two hundred thousand families lost their homes.
7. Tsunami in Sri Lanka
In December 2004, a terrible tsunami hit Sri Lanka. The waves caused by a strong earthquake near the island of Sumatra reached a height of 15 meters. They easily washed away the houses of the Sri Lankans located on the coast into the ocean. As a result of this disaster, 35 thousand people died.
6. Heat in Russia
The summer of 2010 was not just hot, but monstrously hot. The situation was aggravated by frequent fires in different regions of the country and the resulting smog. From June to August 2010, over 58 thousand people died due to the heat.
5. Earthquake in Pakistan
Again, the earthquake was ranked among the worst natural disasters of the last 20 years. It happened in October 2010 and led to the death of 73 thousand people. And about 3 million Pakistani citizens lost their homes over their heads.
4. Earthquake in China
In the Chinese province of Sichuan, 87,000 people died in 2008. This was the result of a magnitude 8 earthquake. When the main earthquake passed, more than 10 thousand repeated tremors followed. The echoes of the natural disaster reached Beijing, and from this city to the epicenter - 1.5 thousand kilometers.
3. Cyclone "Nargis" in Myanmar
2008 was a truly disastrous year for Myanmar due to the tropical cyclone Nargis. Initially it was supposed that it will pass along the southeast coast of India or Bangladesh. However, on May 1, the cyclone changed direction, and the wind speed increased to 215 km / h. The casualties from "Nargis" amounted to 139,515 people.
2. Earthquake and tsunami in Indonesia
In 2004, the Indian Ocean recorded the third strongest undersea earthquake on record. His strength was up to 9.3 points.This caused the appearance of giant waves, which, reaching the shores of Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka and other countries, led to massive casualties. Over 182,136 people died, but the number of victims is possibly much higher, as the bodies of many people were carried into the ocean.
1. Earthquake in Haiti
The most terrible and destructive a natural disaster over the past 20 years has been the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. The main shock with a magnitude of 7 occurred near the capital of Port-au-Prince, followed by repeated aftershocks, many with an amplitude of more than 5. About 229,699 people died.
