The earthquake in Turkey and Syria on February 6 became the most destructive and deadly in the region in the last 100 years.

Thousands of people have already become victims of the elements, rescuers continue to dismantle the rubble of houses.

Among all natural disasters, earthquakes rank first in the world in terms of economic damage and number of casualties.

Every year in the world, seismologists record about a million earthquakes, but only a few have great power and lead to significant destruction and human casualties.

TSN.ua compiled a list of the most deadly and powerful earthquakes of the XXI century.

January 26, 2001

In northwestern India, in the state of Gujarat, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7 claimed more than 20,000 lives.

Almost 170,000 people were injured, more than a million were left homeless.

About 400,000 buildings were destroyed.

December 26, 2003

An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.6 occurred in the city of Bam in Iran.

The aftershock occurred early in the morning when most of the local residents were still asleep.

As a result, thousands of people found themselves under the rubble.

More than 26,000 people died, 30,000 were injured.

The effects of the earthquake were so devastating because many of the buildings were made of mud and did not meet the construction requirements for seismically active zones.

December 26, 2004

One of the most powerful earthquakes in history with a magnitude of 9.1 occurred in the Indian Ocean.

An earthquake near the island of Sumatra caused a 15-meter tsunami that reached the shores of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand and other countries.

In total, up to 300,000 people died in 14 countries of South Asia and East Africa, and more than a million were forced to leave their homes.

October 8, 2005

An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.9 occurred in the Pakistan-controlled part of the Kashmir region.

More than 87,000 people died, more than 138,000 were injured.

The element caused powerful destruction - the city of Balakot was completely destroyed, numerous villages were wiped off the face of the earth.

4 million people were left homeless.

The earthquake in Kashmir became the most destructive in South Asia in the last 100 years.

May 27, 2006

In the city of Yogyakarta on the island of Java in Indonesia, an earthquake caused the death of almost 30 thousand people, 138 thousand were injured.

More than half a million houses were damaged or completely destroyed.

May 12, 2008

An earthquake with a magnitude of 8 occurred in the Chinese province of Sichuan.

At least 87,000 people died, 374,000 were injured, and 18,000 were missing and presumed dead.

More than 45.5 million people in 10 provinces and regions were affected.

At least 15 million people were evacuated from their homes and more than 5 million were left homeless.

Economic losses from the natural disaster were estimated at 86 billion dollars.

January 12, 2010 

The 7.0-magnitude earthquake in Haiti killed up to 316,000 people and injured 300,000.

In terms of the number of victims, this is the strongest earthquake in the history of the entire America, as well as one of the most destructive in the 21st century.

March 11, 2011

In Japan, an earthquake with a magnitude of 9.1 occurred near the east coast of the island of Honshu, which triggered a tsunami.

Up to 20,000 people died, more than 6,000 were injured, and more than 330,000 buildings were destroyed.

Damage from the natural disaster was estimated at 300 billion dollars.

April 25, 2015

In Nepal, during the 7.8-magnitude earthquake, more than 9,000 people died, more than 25,000 were injured, and 770,000 houses were damaged or destroyed.

Aftershocks destroyed many houses in the capital of Nepal, Kathmandu.

Tremors were also seen on Mount Everest, triggering snow avalanches that killed at least 19 climbers.

Photo: @DailySabah

Photo: contactmusic.com/photographer Albert Reyes

February 6, 2022

A devastating earthquake in Turkey occurred on February 6 near the city of Gaziantep.

The 7.8-magnitude earthquake was the most powerful in Turkey in more than 80 years, and it also affected Syria.

Shocks were felt even in Cyprus, Egypt and Lebanon.

Previously, the authorities estimated the number of victims at more than 4 thousand people, but the World Health Organization warned that the number of victims could increase eight times.

Photo: Associated Press

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