Devastating Earthquakes Albert

#5 Armenia, USSR Dec 7, 1988 6.8 25,000 people killed About 19,000 people were injured and 500,000 left homeless in the Leninakan-Spitak-Kirovakan area of northern Armenia, USSR. More than 20 towns and 342 villages were affected, 58 of them destroyed completely. Spitak was almost totally destroyed, and one-quarter of the housing units in Leninakan were destroyed or damaged.

#4 Lisbon, Portugal Nov 1, 1755 8.6 60,000 people killed Most of Lisbon's 250,000 inhabitants were at church for All Saints' Day when the first quake struck at 9:40 a.m. on November 1, 1755. It was followed by an even more powerful tremor, which sent buildings toppling down on the terrified population. Huge waves generated by the quake crashed over the country, drowning thousands and causing widespread damage. Fire raged through what was left of the city, burning for three days. Other countries also experienced a great deal of destruction in the Lisbon quake and associated tsunamis. Approximately 10,000 people died in Morocco alone.

#3 Tokyo-Yokohama, Japan Sep 1, 1923 8.3 143,000 people killed The 1923 earthquake was one of Japan's worst natural disasters. The ground shook for five minutes as the Sagami Bay Fault ruptured. Thousands of buildings collapsed and a tsunami measuring 36 feet (11 meters) struck the coast. Most destructive of all were the resulting fires. A massive firestorm swept through Tokyo, destroying two thirds of the city's remaining buildings and burning thousands. A commemoration service is held annually in Tokyo on the anniversary of the catastrophic event.

#2 Kansu, China Dec 16, 1920 8.5 200,000 people killed The Kansu region had been earthquake-free for 280 years before this disastrous quake struck. A great deal of the damage was due largely to poor soil conditions throughout the province with intense shock waves causing violent undulations of surface clay and several landslips. An area 280 miles by 95 miles (450km by 150km) was severely affected by landscape deformation. Ten cities suffered widespread destruction and heavy casualties.

#1 Tangshan, China Jul 27, 1976 8.0 255,000 people killed This is probably the greatest death toll from an earthquake in the last four centuries, and the second greatest in recorded history. An additional 800,000 people were reported injured. Damage was as far as Beijing, but was mostly in the Tangshan area. Collapse of School, Tangshan, China