The worst disasters in history. The worst disasters in human history 10 natural disasters

Hello! As always, the author of this blog, Vladimir Raichev, is with you. Recently, I have posted more than one rating of the most terrible natural disasters and catastrophes. Many readers probably already have dissonance and misunderstanding about the most terrible natural disasters that have occurred. More on this below.

The fact is that any emergency is characterized by several parameters:

• the size of the territory it covered;
• the number of human casualties;
• the amount of material damage.

That is why it is quite difficult to single out some top natural disasters or industrial disasters that would give an unambiguous assessment of which emergency is the most-most. So be patient, reader.

Fortunately, in the history of mankind there were no such natural phenomena that threatened the extinction of all living things, although the activities of the people themselves repeatedly led to the extinction of various species of animals, plants and human populations on certain islands and territories. Here is an approximate top 5 of the most terrible natural disasters in the history of mankind:

1931 At the beginning of the year, China experienced a series of major floods that claimed 4 million lives. Ten times more people were left homeless. This is, according to historians, the largest natural disaster in the history of mankind, as it led to the largest number of victims.

The cause of the cataclysm was strong and prolonged monsoon rains, which washed away all dams and protective ramparts in the lower and middle basins of the Yangtze River, as a result of which a huge territory was flooded - 300 thousand square meters. km.

The huge number of victims is explained by the fact that it is the Yangtze River basin that has been an area of ​​intensive agriculture for centuries, where farmers grow a lot of rice and other food crops.

TOP 2: earthquake in Syria

1202. On the territory of Syria, the epicenter was supposedly located in the Dead Sea, an earthquake occurred, which was not very strong, but very long, while shaking for thousands of kilometers around - from Sicily to Armenia, so a huge layer of earth was shaking, which is obviously connected with pressing shocks of a huge area of ​​magma.

More than a million people died - the exact figure of the dead is unknown, since in those ancient times there was no population census, and information about the earthquake itself was reported by chronicles, which, as you know, are often replete with inaccuracies and errors.

TOP 3: the worst earthquake in China

January 1556. China. Possibly the worst earthquake in human history. The number of victims is about 850 thousand, while most of the dead lived in the epicenter area.

The large number of victims is largely due to the fact that people then did not know anything about the technology of building earthquake-resistant buildings, and many of them lived in very fragile limestone caves.

This earthquake is also known as the Great China Earthquake. Its epicenter was in the province of Shaanxi, not far from the Himalayas, and 20-meter failures and cracks opened here. Severe destruction was observed within a radius of 500 km from the epicenter.

I have already published the TOP 7 most terrible earthquakes in the history of mankind, read more about them.

Top 4: another terrible earthquake in China

1976 Tangshan City, Hebei Province, China. All 655 thousand inhabitants of the city died. The epicenter of a very strong earthquake was at a great depth - 22 kilometers and just under this ill-fated city.

TOP 5: the terrible cyclone Bhola

5. 1970 A terrible cyclone named Bhola passed through the Ganges delta. As a result of its impact on the Ganges delta, a many-hour storm tide hit, killing more than half a million people who lived on the islands of the delta.

What caused it is not known for certain. Most likely, there was an accumulation effect, since huge masses of water came from the sea for a whole day, and only then did their outflow begin.

Natural disasters not included in this TOP

This list does not include many terrible natural disasters, such as the 8.8 magnitude earthquake in 1906 in Ecuador, which led to a small number of victims due to the country's low population density, and the recent 2004 earthquake in the Indian Ocean of magnitude 9.2 magnitude, which led to a tsunami, that hit all the shores of this ocean and claimed the lives of more than 250 thousand people.

As well as numerous strong earthquakes on the territory of the Japanese islands and waters. The small number of victims in Japanese earthquakes can only be explained by the diligence and qualifications of the builders of houses in the country of the rising sun, which make them very, very seismic resistant. Or earthquakes in the region of the Caucasus Range, the Iranian Highlands and other earthquake-prone regions of the planet.

The most powerful earthquake in recent human history occurred in the Indian state of Assam in 1950. The earth's crustal shocks in this area occurred for five days, and their magnitude was not determined, since it went beyond the limits of the instrumental scale. The number of victims turned out to be small - no more than seven thousand, since the earthquake area was very sparsely populated.

Read about these natural disasters, I am sure that among them you will find no less terrible cataclysms of nature. And I, perhaps, will finish and say goodbye to you until the next meeting.

Do not forget to subscribe to the blog if you want me to send you announcements of the most interesting articles by mail. Well, if you sit down and share a link to this article with your friends on social networks, then know that somewhere in the city of Moscow there will be a person who will be immensely grateful to you. Until we meet again, bye bye.

The volcano that destroyed ancient Pompeii cannot be responsible for the saddest natural disaster in history, despite the fact that many films have been made and many songs have been sung on the subject. Modern natural disasters claim countless human victims. Take a look at our grim list. It contains only the most terrible catastrophes of all time.

Earthquake in the Syrian city of Aleppo (1138)

Fortunately, these days the news reports do not shock us with giant faults in the Dead Sea area. Now there is a relatively stable tectonic relief. Syria experienced unprecedented cataclysms in the 12th century. Seismic activity in the north of the country lasted for almost a year and eventually resulted in a destructive cataclysm. In 1138, the city of Aleppo was destroyed to the ground, other settlements and military installations suffered. In total, the elements claimed the lives of 230,000 people.

Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami (2004)

This is the only event on the list that many of us have seen. This tragedy is considered the deadliest in modern history. It all started with a 9.3 magnitude underwater earthquake off the coast of Indonesia. Then the elements transformed into a cruel tsunami that rushed to the shores of 11 countries. In total, 225,000 people died, and about a million more inhabitants of the Indian Ocean coast were left homeless. It is sad that this happened during the heyday of the development of earthquake-resistant architectural technologies, and not in the days of thatched dugouts.

Antioch earthquake (526)

People like to compare the potential end of the world to catastrophes of biblical proportions. The earthquake in Antioch is the only natural cataclysm that is more or less close to the biblical era. This natural disaster occurred in the first millennium from the birth of Christ. The Byzantine city in the period from 20 to 29 May 526 experienced an earthquake of magnitude 7.0. Due to the high population density (which was rare for the region at the time), 250,000 people died. The fires caused by the cataclysm also contributed to the increase in the number of victims.

Earthquake in the Chinese province of Gansu (1920)

The next natural disaster on our list has created a giant rift over 160 kilometers long. According to experts, the greatest damage was caused not by an earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale, but by landslides that swept entire cities underground and were the main reason that slowed down the response. According to various estimates, the cataclysm claimed the lives of 230,000 to 273,000 inhabitants.

Tangshan earthquake (1976)

Another terrible earthquake of the 20th century shows that the natural disaster itself is not so terrible as the imperfections of the infrastructure of the area in which it occurs. Aftershocks of magnitude 7.8 hit the Chinese Tangshan on the night of July 28 and instantly leveled 92 percent of residential buildings in this millionth city. The lack of food, water and other resources became the main obstacles in the rescue efforts. In addition, railway tracks and bridges were destroyed, so there was nowhere to wait for help. Many of the victims died under the rubble.

Cyclone at Koring, India (1839)

By the early 19th century, Koringa had become the main Indian port city at the mouth of the Godavari River. On the night of November 25, 1839, this title had to be folded. The oncoming cyclone destroyed 20,000 ships and 300,000 people. Many of the victims were thrown into the open sea. Now there is a small village on the site of Koringa.

Cyclone Bhola, Bangladesh (1970)

Natural disasters regularly hit the Bay of Bengal, but none has been more devastating than Cyclone Bhola. Hurricane wind gusts on November 11, 1970 reached 225 kilometers per hour. Due to extreme poverty in the region, no one was able to warn the population of the impending danger. As a result, the cyclone killed more than half a million lives.

Chinese earthquake (1556)

Despite the fact that in the 16th century a system for assessing the magnitude of tremors was not yet introduced, historians have calculated that the earthquake that occurred in China in 1556 could have had a magnitude of 8.0 - 8.5. It so happened that the main blow was taken by a densely populated area. The disaster created deep canyons that permanently swallowed over 800,000 people.

Flood on the Yellow River (1887)

One of the largest rivers in the world is responsible for more deaths than all other rivers combined. In 1887, the deadliest flood was recorded, which was exacerbated by heavy rains and the destruction of dams near the city of Changshu. The flooded low-lying plains claimed the lives of about two million Chinese.

Flood on the Yangtze River (1931)

The record-breaking natural disaster came with the onset of heavy rains and flooding on the Yangtze River in April 1931. This natural disaster, coupled with dysentery and other diseases, killed about three million lives. In addition, the destruction of rice fields caused mass starvation.

Below is a list of the ten biggest natural disasters in human history. The rating is based on the number of deaths.

Earthquake in Aleppo

Death toll: about 230,000

The ranking of the largest natural disasters in the history of mankind opens with an earthquake in Aleppo with a magnitude of 8.5 on the Richter scale, which occurred in several stages near the city of Aleppo in northern Syria on October 11, 1138. It is often referred to as the fourth earthquake in history in terms of the number of deaths. According to the references of the Damascus chronicler Ibn al-Qalanisi, approximately 230,000 people died as a result of this catastrophe.

2004 Indian Ocean earthquake

Number of victims: 225,000–300,000

An underwater earthquake that occurred on December 26, 2004 in the Indian Ocean off the western coast of North Sumatra, 250 kilometers southeast of the city of Banda Aceh. It is considered one of the strongest earthquakes of the XX-XXI centuries. Its magnitude, according to various estimates, ranged from 9.1 to 9.3 on the Richter scale. Arising at a depth of about 30 km, the earthquake caused a series of devastating tsunamis, the height of which exceeded 15 meters. These waves caused enormous destruction and claimed the lives of, according to various estimates, from 225,000 to 300,000 people in 14 countries. The coasts of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand suffered the most from the tsunami.

Death toll: 171,000–230,000

The Banqiao Dam is a dam on the Ruhe River, Henan Province, China. On August 8, 1975, due to the powerful typhoon Nina, the dam was destroyed, thereby causing flooding and a huge wave 10 km wide and 3-7 meters high. This disaster, according to various estimates, claimed the lives of from 171,000 to 230,000 people, of which about 26,000 died directly from the flood. The rest died from subsequent epidemics and famine. In addition, 11 million people have lost their homes.

Number of victims: 242,419

The Tangshan earthquake, measuring 8.2 on the Richter scale, is the deadliest earthquake of the 20th century. It happened on July 28, 1976 in the Chinese city of Tangshan at 3:42 local time. Its hypocenter was located near the industrial city of a millionaires at a depth of 22 km. Aftershocks with a power of 7.1 did even more damage. According to the Chinese government, the number of victims was 242,419 people, but according to other sources, about 800,000 people died, and another 164,000 were seriously injured. The earthquake also affected settlements located at a distance of 150 kilometers from the epicenter, including Tianjin and Beijing. More than 5,000,000 houses were completely destroyed.

Flood in Kaifeng

Death toll: 300,000–378,000

The Kaifeng flood is a man-made disaster that hit Kaifeng in the first place. This city is located on the south bank of the Yellow River in the Chinese province of Henan. In 1642, the city was flooded by the Yellow River after the Ming Dynasty army opened the dams to prevent the advance of Li Zicheng's troops. Then about 300,000–378,000 people died from the flood and the subsequent famine and plague.

Indian cyclone - 1839

Death toll: over 300,000

The fifth place in the ranking of the largest natural disasters in history is occupied by the Indian cyclone - 1839. On November 16, 1839, a 12-meter wave caused by a powerful storm completely destroyed the large port city of Koringa, in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. More than 300,000 people died then. After the disaster, the city was never rebuilt. Now in its place is a small village with a population (2011) - 12,495 inhabitants.

Death toll: approximately 830,000

This earthquake, with a magnitude of approximately 8, occurred on January 23, 1556 in the Chinese province of Shaanxi, during the reign of the Ming Dynasty. More than 97 districts were affected by it, everything was destroyed on an area of ​​​​840 km, and in some areas 60% of the population died. In total, the China earthquake claimed the lives of approximately 830,000 people - more than any other earthquake in human history. The huge number of victims is due to the fact that the majority of the population of the province lived in loess caves, which were destroyed or flooded by mudflows immediately after the first shocks.

Number of victims: 300,000–500,000

The most destructive tropical cyclone in history that hit the territories of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) and the Indian state of West Bengal on November 12, 1970. An estimated 300-500 thousand people died from it, mainly as a result of a 9 m high storm surge that flooded many low-lying islands in the Ganges delta. The sub-districts of Thani and Tazumuddin suffered the most from the cyclone, killing more than 45% of the population.

Death toll: about 900,000

This devastating flood occurred on September 28, 1887 in Henan Province, China. The reason for this was the torrential rains that had been falling here for many days. Due to the rains, the water level in the Yellow River rose and destroyed the dam, near the city of Zhengzhou. The water quickly spread throughout northern China, covering an area of ​​approximately 130,000 square kilometers. km, taking the lives of about 900 thousand people, and leaving about 2 million homeless.

Number of victims: 145,000–4,000,000

The largest natural disaster in the world is the flood in China, or rather a series of floods that occurred in 1931 in South-Central China. This catastrophe was preceded by a drought that lasted from 1928 to 1930. However, the following winter was very snowy, with a lot of rain in the spring, and during the summer months, the country suffered from heavy rains. All these facts contributed to the fact that the three largest rivers in China: the Yangtze, the Huaihe, the Yellow River overflowed their banks, taking the lives of, according to various sources, from 145 thousand to 4 million people. Also, the largest natural disaster in history caused epidemics of cholera and typhus, and also led to famine, during which cases of infanticide and cannibalism were recorded.

No matter how far scientific and technological progress strides, catastrophes have happened, are happening and, probably, will happen for a long time to come. Some of them could have been avoided, but most of the worst events in the world were inevitable because they happened at the behest of mother nature.

Worst plane crash ever

Collision of two Boeing 747s

Humanity does not know a more terrible plane crash than the one that occurred on March 27, 1977 on the island of Tenerife, belonging to the Canary group. On this day, two Boeing 747s collided at Los Rodeo Airport, one of which belonged to KLM, the other to Pan American. This terrible tragedy claimed 583 lives. The reasons that led to this disaster is a fatal and paradoxical combination of circumstances.

Los Rodeos airport this ill-fated Sunday was seriously overloaded. The dispatcher spoke with a strong Spanish accent, and radio communications suffered from serious interference. Because of this, the Boeing commander KLM misinterpreted the command to abort the flight, which became the fatal cause of the collision of two maneuvering aircraft.

Only a few passengers managed to escape through the holes formed in the Pan American aircraft. Another Boeing lost its wings and tail, causing it to fall 150 meters from the crash site, after which it was dragged for another 300 meters. Both flying cars caught fire.

There were 248 passengers on board the Boeing KLM, none of whom survived. The Pan American plane was the site of the death of 335 people, including the entire crew, as well as the famous model and actress Yves Meyer.

The worst of man-made disasters

On July 6, 1988, the worst disaster in the history of oil production occurred in the North Sea. It happened on the Piper Alpha oil platform, which was built in 1976. The number of victims was 167 people, the company suffered a loss of about three and a half billion dollars.

The most annoying thing is that the number of victims could be much less if it were not for ordinary human stupidity. There was a large gas leak, followed by an explosion. But instead of stopping the oil supply immediately after the start of the accident, the service personnel waited for the command from the management.

The countdown went on for minutes, and soon the entire platform of the Occidental Petroleum corporation was engulfed in fire, even the living quarters caught fire. Those who could have survived the blast were burned alive. Only those who managed to jump into the water survived.

Worst water accident ever

When the topic of tragedies on the water is touched upon, the movie Titanic involuntarily comes to mind. Moreover, such a disaster really happened. But this shipwreck is not the worst in the history of mankind.

Wilhelm Gustloff

The sinking of the German ship "Wilhelm Gustloff" is considered to be the biggest disaster that occurred on the water. The tragedy occurred on January 30, 1945. Its culprit was a submarine of the Soviet Union, which knocked out a ship that could accommodate almost 9,000 passengers.

This, at that time, the perfect product of shipbuilding, was made in 1938. It seemed unsinkable and contained 9 decks, restaurants, a winter garden, climate control, gyms, theaters, dance floors, swimming pools, a church, and even Hitler's rooms.

Its length was more than two hundred meters, it could swim half the planet without refueling. The ingenious creation could not sink without outside interference. And it happened in the person of the crew of the S-13 submarine, commanded by A. I. Marinesko. Three torpedoes were fired at the legendary ship. In a matter of minutes, he was in the abyss of the waters of the Baltic Sea. All crew members were killed, including about 8,000 representatives of the German military elite who were evacuated from Danzig.

The crash of the Wilhelm Gustloff (video)

The greatest environmental tragedy

Shrunken Aral Sea

Among all environmental disasters, the leading place is occupied by the drying up of the Aral Sea. At its best, it was the fourth largest among all the lakes in the world.

The disaster occurred due to the unreasonable use of water, which was used to water gardens and fields. The shrinkage was due to the ill-considered political ambitions and actions of the leaders of those times.

Gradually, the coast line moved far inland, which led to the extinction of most species of flora and fauna. In addition, droughts began to increase, the climate changed significantly, navigation became impossible, and more than sixty people were left without work.

Where did the Aral Sea disappear: strange symbols on the dried bottom (VIDEO)

Nuclear disaster

What could be worse than a nuclear catastrophe? The lifeless kilometers of the exclusion zone of the Chernobyl region are the embodiment of these fears. The accident occurred in 1986, when one of the power units of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant exploded early in April morning.

Chernobyl 1986

This tragedy claimed several hundred lives of tow trucks, thousands died over the next ten years. And how many people were forced to leave their homes, only God knows ...

Children of these people are still born with developmental anomalies. The atmosphere, land and water around the nuclear power plant are contaminated with radioactive substances.

The level of radiation in this region is still thousands of times higher than normal. No one knows how long it will take for people to settle in these places. The scale of this disaster is still not fully known.

Chernobyl accident 1986: Chernobyl, Pripyat - liquidation (VIDEO)

Disaster over the Black Sea: Tu-154 of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation crashed

The crash of the Tu-154 of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation

Not so long ago, there was a crash of a Tu-154 aircraft of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, heading to Syria. It claimed the lives of 64 talented artists of the Alexandrov Ensemble, nine well-known leading TV channels, the head of a charitable organization - the famous Doctor Liza, eight military men, two civil servants, and all crew members. In total, 92 people died in this terrible plane crash.

On this tragic morning in December 2016, the plane refueled at Adler, but crashed unexpectedly shortly after takeoff. The investigation was conducted for a long time, because it was necessary to know what was the cause of the Tu-154 crash.

The commission investigating the causes of the accident, among the circumstances that led to the disaster, called the overload of the aircraft, crew fatigue and the low professional level of training and organization of the flight.

The results of the investigation of the Tu-154 crash of the Ministry of Defense of Russia (VIDEO)

Submarine "Kursk"

Submarine "Kursk"

The crash of the Russian nuclear submarine Kursk, which killed 118 people on board, occurred in 2000 in the Barents Sea. This is the second largest accident in the history of the Russian submarine fleet after the B-37 disaster.

On August 12, as planned, preparations began for mock attacks. The last recorded actions on the boat were recorded at 11.15.

A few hours before the tragedy, the crew commander was informed about the cotton, which he did not pay attention to. Then the boat shook violently, which was associated with the inclusion of the antenna of the radar station. After that, the captain of the boat did not get in touch anymore. At 23.00 the situation on the submarine was declared as emergency, which was reported to the leadership of the fleet and the country. On the morning of the next day, as a result of search work, the Kursk was found at the bottom of the sea at a depth of 108 m.

The official version of the cause of the tragedy is the explosion of a training torpedo, which occurred as a result of a fuel leak.

Submarine Kursk: what really happened? (VIDEO)

The crash of the ship "Admiral Nakhimov"

The crash of the passenger ship "Admiral Nakhimov" occurred in August 1981 near Novorossiysk. There were 1234 people on board the ship, 423 of whom lost their lives on that ill-fated day. It is known that Vladimir Vinokur and Lev Leshchenko were late for this flight.

At 23:12, the ship collided with the dry cargo ship Pyotr Vasev, as a result of which the electric generator was flooded and the light went out on the Nakhimov. The ship became uncontrollable and continued to move forward by inertia. As a result of the collision, a hole of up to eighty square meters was formed in the starboard side. Panic began among the passengers, many climbed onto the port side and thus went down to the water.

Almost a thousand people ended up in the water, who, moreover, got dirty with fuel oil and paint. Eight minutes after the collision, the ship sank.

Steamboat Admiral Nakhimov: the wreck of the ship - Russian Titanic (VIDEO)

Oil platform that exploded in the Gulf of Mexico

The worst environmental disasters in the world in 2010 were supplemented by another one that happened in the Gulf of Mexico, eighty kilometers from Louisiana. This is one of the most dangerous man-made accidents for the environment. It happened on April 20 at the Deepwater Horizon oil platform.

As a result of pipe rupture, about five million barrels of oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico.

A 75,000 sq. km, which is 5% of its total area. The disaster took the lives of 11 people, 17 were injured.

Catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico (VIDEO)

The crash of the Concordia

On January 14, 2012, the list of the most terrible incidents in the world was replenished with one more. Near the Italian Tuscany, the cruise ship "Costa Concordia" ran into a rock ledge, as a result of which a seventy-meter hole was formed in it. At this time, most of the passengers were in the restaurant.

The right side of the liner began to sink into the water, then it was thrown onto the shallows 1 km from the crash site. There were more than 4,000 people on the ship who were evacuated all night, but not everyone was saved: 32 people still died and a hundred were injured.

Costa Concordia - the crash through the eyes of eyewitnesses (VIDEO)

Krakatoa eruption in 1883

Natural disasters show how insignificant and helpless we are before the phenomena of nature. But all the most terrible disasters in the world are nothing compared to the eruption of the Krakatoa volcano, which occurred in 1883.

On May 20, a large smoke column could be seen over the Krakatoa volcano. At that moment, even at a distance of 160 kilometers from him, the windows of houses trembled. All nearby islands were covered with a thick layer of dust and pumice.

The eruptions continued until 27 August. The last explosion was the climax, as a result of which sound waves passed, several times rounded the entire planet. On the ships sailing in the Sunda Strait at that moment, the compasses stopped showing correctly.

These explosions submerged the entire northern part of the island. The seabed has been uplifted by the eruptions. A lot of ash from the volcano remained in the atmosphere for another two to three years.

The tsunami, whose height was thirty meters, washed away about three hundred settlements, claimed the lives of 36,000 people.

The most powerful eruption of Krakatau Volcano (VIDEO)

Earthquake in Spitak in 1988

On December 7, 1988, the list of "The best disasters in the world" was replenished with another one that occurred in the Armenian Spitak. On this tragic day, tremors literally wiped out this city from the face of the earth in half a minute, destroyed Leninakan, Stepanavan and Kirovakan beyond recognition. In total, twenty-one cities and three hundred and fifty villages were affected.

In Spitak itself, the earthquake had a force of ten, Leninakan was hit by a force of nine, and Kirovakan by an force of eight, and almost the rest of Armenia was hit by a force of six. Seismologists calculated that during this earthquake, energy was released, corresponding to the strength of ten exploding atomic bombs. The wave that this tragedy caused was recorded by scientific laboratories almost all over the world.

This natural disaster took away 25,000 lives, 140,000 health, and 514,000 roofs over their heads. Forty percent of the industry of the republic has failed, schools, hospitals, theaters, museums, cultural centers, roads and railways have been destroyed.

The military, doctors, public figures of the whole country and abroad, both near and far, were called to help. Humanitarian aid was actively collected all over the world. Tents, field kitchens and first-aid posts were deployed throughout the area affected by the tragedy.

The saddest and most instructive thing in this situation is that the scale and victims of this terrible disaster could be many times less if the seismic activity of this region were taken into account and all buildings were built taking into account these features. The unpreparedness of rescue services also contributed.

Tragic days: earthquake in Spitak (VIDEO)

2004 tsunami Indian Ocean - Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka

In December 2004, a devastating tsunami caused by an underwater earthquake hit the coasts of Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India and other countries. Huge waves devastated the area and brought death to 200,000 people. The most annoying thing is that most of the dead are children, since in this region there is a high proportion of children per population, in addition, children are physically weaker and less able to resist water than an adult.

Aceh in Indonesia suffered the most losses. Almost all the buildings there were destroyed, 168,000 people died.

Geographically, this earthquake was simply huge. Moved up to 1200 kilometers of rock. The shift occurred in two phases with an interval of two to three minutes.

The number of victims turned out to be so high because there was no general warning system along the entire coast of the Indian Ocean.

There is nothing worse than disasters and tragedies that deprive people of life, shelter, health, destroy industry and everything that a person has worked for many years. But it often turns out that the number of victims and destruction in such situations could be much less if everyone were conscientious about their professional duties, in some cases it was necessary to foresee an evacuation plan and a warning system for local residents. Let's hope that in the future humanity will find a way to avoid such terrible tragedies or reduce the damage from them.

Tsunami in Indonesia 2004 (VIDEO)

recommended for you

Sometimes it is rather difficult to assess the scale of a particular global catastrophe, because the consequences of some of them can manifest themselves many years after the incident itself.

In this article, we will present the 13 worst disasters in the world. Among them are incidents that occurred on the water, in the air, and on the ground, through the fault of man and for reasons beyond his control, widely known and those that are not known to a very large circle of people.

The wreck of the superliner Titanic

Date Time: 14.04.1912 - 15.04.1912

Primary Victims: at least 1.5 thousand people

Secondary victims: unknown

The British superliner "Titanic", which was called the "most luxurious ship" of its time and "unsinkable", has gained worldwide fame. Unfortunately, sad. On the night of April 14-15, during its first flight, the superliner collided with an iceberg and sank after more than two hours. The accident was accompanied by numerous casualties among passengers and crew.

On April 10, 1912, the liner went on its last voyage from the port of Southampton to American New York, with almost 2.5 thousand people on board - passengers and crew members. One of the reasons for the disaster was that there was a tense ice situation along the route of the liner, but for some reason the captain of the Titanic, Edward Smith, did not attach any importance to this even after receiving numerous warnings about floating icebergs from other ships. The liner was moving almost at its maximum speed (21-22 knots); there is a version that Smith fulfilled the unofficial requirement of the White Star Line, which owned the Titanic, to receive the Blue Ribbon of the Atlantic, the prize for the fastest crossing of the ocean, on the first voyage.

Late at night on April 14, the superliner collided with an iceberg. An ice block, which the lookout did not notice in time, pierced the five bow compartments of the ship on the starboard side, which began to fill with water. The problem turned out to be that the designers did not count on the occurrence of a 90-meter hole in the ship, and here the entire survivability system turned out to be powerless. In addition, there were not enough lifeboats on the "ultra-safe" and "unsinkable" ship, and those that were, for the most part, were irrationally used (12-20 people sailed on the first boats, 65 on the last -80 with a capacity of 60 people). The result of the disaster was the death, according to various sources, from 1496 to 1522 passengers and crew members.

Today, the remains of the Titanic lie at a depth of about 3.5 km in the Atlantic. The ship's hull is gradually being destroyed and will finally disappear at the turn of the 21st and 22nd centuries.

Explosion of the 4th power unit of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant

Date Time: 26.04.1986

Primary Victims: 31 people from the Chernobyl-4 duty shift and fire brigades who arrived to extinguish the fire

Secondary victims: 124 people suffered acute radiation sickness but survived; up to 4 thousand liquidators died within 10 years after the liquidation; from 600,000 to a million suffered from the elimination of the consequences of radioactive contamination and stay in contaminated territories or in the direction of the radioactive cloud

The accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant is a man-made disaster on the territory of Ukraine, between the cities of Pripyat and Chernobyl. As a result of the explosion of the 4th power unit of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, a large amount of radioactive substances was released into the atmosphere, which led to the contamination of the surrounding territories and the formation of a radioactive cloud that swept across the territory of the USSR, Europe and reached the United States.

The accident occurred due to several factors - haste on the part of the Chernobyl management, insufficient competence of the Chernobyl-4 duty shift, errors in the design and construction of the RBMK-1000 reactor and the nuclear power unit itself. On the morning of April 26, tests of the reactor were planned at Chernobyl-4, which were supposed to demonstrate the possibility of operating the reactor cooling system in the interval between shutting down the reactor and starting emergency diesel generators. However, due to some factors, the test was postponed to the night of April 26-27, due to which it was carried out by an unprepared and unannounced shift, and xenon gas accumulated in the reactor during 10 hours of idle operation.

All this in total led to the fact that when the reactor was artificially shut down, its power first fell below a critical level, and then began to grow like an avalanche. Attempts to activate AZ-5 (emergency protection) instead of eliminating the emergency worked as an additional catalyst for increasing the temperature of the reactor, and as a result, a powerful explosion occurred. Only one person died directly in the explosion, another died a few hours later from his injuries. The rest of the victims received shock doses of radiation during the firefighting and primary clean-up process, which caused another 29 deaths during the following months of 1986.

The population of the first 10-kilometer, and then the 30-kilometer zone around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant was resettled. The resettled people were told that they would return in three days. However, no one actually came back. The elimination of the consequences of the explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant took more than a year, costing billions of rubles, 240 thousand people passed through the ChEZ in 1986-1987. The city of Pripyat was completely abandoned, hundreds of villages and villages were torn down, Chernobyl-4 is now a partially populated city - the military, police and employees of the remaining three units of the Chernobyl NPP live there.

Terrorist act 9/11

Date Time: 11.09.2001

Primary Victims: 19 terrorists, 2977 police, military, firefighters, medics and civilians

Secondary victims: 24 missing, exact number of injured unknown

The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 (better known as 9/11) are the largest terrorist attack in American history. A series of four coordinated terrorist attacks claimed about three thousand lives and caused tremendous destruction of the attacked buildings.

According to the official version of events, on the morning of September 11, four groups of a total of 19 terrorists, armed only with plastic knives, hijacked four passenger airliners, directing them at targets - the towers of the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon and the White House (or Capitol) in Washington. The first three planes hit objects, what happened on board the fourth is not known for certain - according to the official version, the passengers fought with the terrorists, which caused the plane to crash in Pennsylvania before reaching its target.

Of the more than 16,000 people who were in both towers of the WTC, at least 1966 people died - mainly those who were in the places of attack by aircraft and on the floors above, and also at the time of the collapse of the towers provided assistance to the victims and carried out the evacuation. 125 people died in the Pentagon building. All 246 passengers and crew members of the hijacked planes were also killed, along with 19 terrorists. During the liquidation of the consequences of the terrorist attack, 341 firefighters, 2 paramedics, 60 police officers and 8 ambulance officers died. The total death toll in New York alone was 2,606.

The 9/11 terrorist attack was a real tragedy in the United States, and citizens of another 91 states were also killed. The attack provoked the US invasion of Afghanistan, Iraq, and later - in Syria under the flag of the fight against terrorism. Disputes about the true causes of the terrorist attack and the course of events on this tragic day have not subsided so far.

Accident at Fukushima-1

Date Time: 11.03.2011

Primary Victims: 1 person died from the consequences of radiation contamination, about 50 people died during the evacuation

Secondary victims: up to 150,000 people evacuated from the radioactive contamination zone, more than 1,000 of them died within a year after the disaster

The catastrophe that occurred on March 11, 2011, simultaneously combines the features of man-made and natural disasters. A massive magnitude 9 earthquake followed by a tsunami caused the Daiichi nuclear plant's power supply to fail, shutting down the cooling process for the nuclear fuel reactors.

In addition to the monstrous destruction caused by the earthquake and tsunami, this incident led to serious radioactive contamination of the territory and water area. In addition, the Japanese authorities had to evacuate up to one hundred and fifty thousand people due to the high likelihood of serious illness due to exposure to severe radioactive exposure. The combination of all these consequences gives the Fukushima accident the right to be called one of the worst disasters in the world in the twenty-first century.

The total damage from the accident is estimated at $100 billion. This amount includes the cost of eliminating the consequences and paying compensation. But at the same time, we must not forget that work to eliminate the consequences of the disaster is still ongoing, which accordingly increases this amount.

In 2013, the Fukushima nuclear power plant was officially closed, and only works to eliminate the consequences of the accident are being carried out on its territory. Experts believe that it will take at least forty years to put the building and the contaminated area in order.

The consequences of the Fukushima accident are a reassessment of safety measures in nuclear energy, a fall in the cost of natural uranium, and, accordingly, a decrease in share prices of uranium mining companies.

Collision at Los Rodeos Airport

Date Time: 27.03.1977

Primary Victims: 583 people - passengers and crew of both airliners

Secondary victims: unknown

Possibly the biggest plane crash in the world was the collision of two planes in the Canary Islands (Tenerife) in 1977. At Los Rodeos Airport, two Boeing 747 airliners owned by KLM and Pan American collided on the runway. As a result, 583 out of 644 people died, including both passengers and crew of airliners.

One of the main reasons for this situation was the terrorist attack at Las Palmas airport, which was staged by terrorists from the MPAIAC organization (Movimiento por la Autodeterminación e Independencia del Archipiélago Canario). The attack itself did not cause any casualties, but the airport authorities closed the airport and stopped accepting planes, fearing repeated incidents.

Because of this, Los Rodeos was overloaded, as aircraft were sent to Las Palmas, in particular two Boeing 747 flights PA1736 and KL4805. At the same time, one cannot fail to note the fact that the plane owned by Pan American had enough fuel to land at another airport, but the pilots obeyed the dispatcher's order.

The collision itself was caused by fog, which severely limited visibility, as well as communication difficulties between controllers and pilots, which were caused by the heavy accent of the controllers, and the fact that the pilots constantly interrupted each other.

clash « Doña Paz" with a tanker « Vector"

Date Time: 20.12.1987

Primary Victims: up to 4386 people, of which 11 are members of the crew of the tanker "Vector"

Secondary victims: unknown

On December 20, 1987, the Philippine-registered passenger ferry Doña Paz collided with the oil tanker Vector, resulting in the world's worst peacetime water disaster.

At the time of the collision, the ferry was following its standard Manila-Catbalogan route, which it operated twice a week. On December 20, 1987, around 06:30, the Doña Paz left Tacloban and headed for Manila. At about 10:30 p.m., the ferry passed through the Strait of Tablas near Marinduque, according to surviving eyewitnesses, the weather was clear, but with rough seas.

The collision occurred after the passengers fell asleep, the ferry collided with the tanker "Vector", which was transporting gasoline and oil products. Immediately after the collision, a strong fire broke out due to the fact that oil products spilled into the sea. A strong blow and a fire almost instantly caused panic among passengers, in addition, according to the survivors, the ferry did not have the required number of life jackets.

Only 26 people survived, of which 24 were passengers from Doña Paz and two people from the Vector tanker.

Mass poisoning in Iraq, 1971

Date Time: autumn 1971 - end of March 1972

Primary Victims: officially - from 459 to 6000 deaths, unofficially - up to 100,000 deaths

Secondary victims: according to various sources, up to 3 million people who could somehow suffer from poisoning

At the end of 1971, a consignment of grain treated with methylmercury was imported to Iraq from Mexico. Of course, the grain was not intended for processing into food, and was to be used only for planting. Unfortunately, the local population did not know Spanish, and, accordingly, all the warning signs that said "Do not eat" turned out to be incomprehensible.

It should also be noted that the grain was delivered to Iraq late, as the planting season had already passed. All this led to the fact that in some villages the grain treated with methylmercury began to be eaten.

After eating this grain, symptoms such as numbness of the limbs, loss of vision, and impaired coordination were observed. As a result of criminal negligence, according to official data, about one hundred thousand people received mercury poisoning, of which 459 to 6 thousand died (unofficial data show other pictures - up to 3 million victims, up to 100 thousand deaths).

This incident has led the World Health Organization to take a closer look at the circulation of grain, and began to take the labeling of potentially dangerous products more seriously.

Mass destruction of sparrows in China

Date Time: 1958-1961

Primary Victims: at least 1.96 billion sparrows, no human casualties known

Secondary victims: 10 to 30 million Chinese starved to death in 1960-1961

As part of the economic policy of the "Great Leap Forward", in China, under the leadership of the Communist Party and Mao Zedong, a large-scale fight against agricultural pests was carried out, among which the Chinese authorities singled out the four most terrible - mosquitoes, rats, flies and sparrows.

Employees of the Chinese Research Institute of Zoology calculated that due to sparrows during the year, the volume of grain was lost, with which it would be possible to feed about thirty-five million people. Based on this, a plan was developed to exterminate these birds, which was approved by Mao Zedong on March 18, 1958.

All peasants actively began to hunt birds. The most effective method was to keep them from sinking to the ground. To do this, adults and children shouted, beat in basins, waved poles, rags, etc. This made it possible to frighten the sparrows and prevent them from landing on the ground for fifteen minutes. As a result, the birds just dropped dead.

After a year of sparrow hunting, the harvest really increased. However, later caterpillars, locusts, and other pests that ate the shoots began to actively breed. This led to the fact that a year later, crops fell sharply, and famine set in, which led to the deaths of 10 to 30 million people.

Piper Alpha oil rig disaster

Date Time: 06.07.1988

Primary Victims: 167 platform personnel

Secondary victims: unknown

The Piper Alpha platform was built in 1975, and oil production on it started in 1976. Over time, it was converted for gas production. However, on July 6, 1988, there was a gas leak that caused an explosion.

Due to the indecisive and ill-considered actions of the personnel, 167 people died out of 226 who were on the platform.

Of course, after this event, oil and gas production on this platform was completely stopped. Insured losses amounted to about US$3.4 billion. This is one of the most famous disasters in the world associated with the oil industry.

The death of the Aral Sea

Date Time: 1960 - present day

Primary Victims: unknown

Secondary victims: unknown

This incident is the biggest environmental disaster in the territory of the former Soviet Union. Once the Aral Sea was the fourth largest lake, after the Caspian Sea, Lake Superior in North America, Lake Victoria in Africa. Now in its place is the Aralkum desert.

The reason for the disappearance of the Aral Sea is the creation of new irrigation channels for agricultural enterprises in Turkmenistan, which took water from the Syr Darya and Amu Darya rivers. Because of this, the lake has strongly receded from the shore, which led to the exposure of the bottom covered with sea salt, pesticides and chemicals.

Due to the natural evaporation of the Aral Sea during the period from 1960 to 2007, the sea lost about a thousand cubic kilometers of water. In 1989, the reservoir split into two parts, and in 2003, the volume of water was about 10% of the original.

The result of this incident was serious changes in climate and landscape. In addition, out of 178 species of vertebrates that lived in the Aral Sea, only 38 remained.

Deepwater Horizon oil platform explosion

Date Time: 20.04.2010

Primary Victims: 11 people from the platform personnel, 2 accident liquidators

Secondary victims: 17 platform personnel

The explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil platform on April 20, 2010 is considered one of the largest man-made disasters in terms of negative impact on the environment. Directly from the explosion, 11 people died and 17 were injured. Two more people died during the liquidation of the consequences of the disaster.

Due to the fact that pipes were damaged from the explosion at a depth of 1500 meters, in 152 days approximately five million barrels of oil spilled into the sea, which created a slick with an area of ​​​​75 thousand kilometers, in addition, 1770 kilometers of the coast were polluted.

The oil spill endangered 400 animal species and also led to a ban on fishing.

Eruption of Mont Pelee volcano

Date Time: 8.05.1902

Primary Victims: from 28 to 40 thousand people

Secondary victims: not established for certain

On May 8, 1902, one of the most destructive volcanic eruptions in human history occurred. This incident led to the emergence of a new classification of volcanic eruptions, and changed the attitude of many scientists to volcanology.

The volcano woke up in April 1902, and within a month hot vapors and gases, as well as lava, accumulated inside. A month later, a huge grayish cloud erupted at the foot of the volcano. A feature of this eruption is that the lava came out not from the top, but from side craters that were located on the slopes. As a result of a powerful explosion, one of the main ports of the island of Martinique, the city of Saint-Pierre, was completely destroyed. The disaster claimed the lives of at least 28 thousand people.

Tropical Cyclone Nargis

Date Time: 02.05.2008

Primary Victims: up to 90 thousand people

Secondary victims: at least 1.5 million injured, 56 thousand missing

This disaster unfolded as follows:

• Cyclone Nargis formed on April 27, 2008, in the Bay of Bengal, and initially moved towards the coast of India, in a northwesterly direction;
• On April 28, it stops moving, but the speed of the wind in spiral eddies began to increase significantly. Because of this, the cyclone began to be classified as a hurricane;
• On April 29, the wind speed reached 160 kilometers per hour, and the cyclone resumed movement, but already in a northeasterly direction;
• On May 1, the direction of the wind movement changed to the east, and at the same time the wind was constantly increasing;
• On May 2, the wind speed reached 215 kilometers per hour, and at noon it reaches the coast of the Myanmar province of Ayeyarwaddy.

According to the UN, as a result of the violence of the elements, 1.5 million people were affected, of which 90,000 died and 56,000 went missing. In addition, the large city of Yangon was seriously damaged, and many settlements were completely destroyed. Part of the country was left without telephone, Internet and electricity. The streets were littered with debris, debris from buildings and trees.

To eliminate the consequences of this catastrophe, the combined forces of many countries of the world and such international organizations as the UN, EU, UNESCO were needed.