The 10 Most Destructive Earthquakes in Human History

3) Quetta, Pakistan: 1935

Under British rule at the time as part of India, the city of Quetta was hit by a 7.7 quake in the small hours of the morning on May 31st, 1935, taking down much of the city. Imagine being in the midst of the Great Depression, which was felt worldwide, and then losing your home or business or family to this monstrous catastrophe.

Some sources speculate that as many 50,000 people lost their livesin the Quetta Earthquake, which was more than 80% of Quetta’s population at the time. The homeless were housed in tents after the disaster, kept away from the main part of the city in order to avoid the spread of cholera.

2) Kobe, Japan: 1995

The massive earthquake in Kobe, Japan, that occurred on January 17th, 1995, was a terrible way to start the new year. The disaster is also known as the Hanshin Earthquake, and the city of Kobe was unprepared for such a massive 7.2 Richter scale quake. 150,000 buildings and 6,000 lives were lost as a result of the earthquake and the resulting fires (which burned up an equivalent to 70 square U.S. blocks). This disaster left an estimated 300,000 people homeless.

The Kobe Earthquake lasted only for 20 seconds yet did $100 billion worth of damage.

1) Kashmir, Pakistan: 2005

This 7.6 earthquake triggered a series of landslides across Pakistan, caused by movement along the Balakot-Bagh Fault near Kashmir. The landslides were unfortunately worsened by heavy rainfall just after the earthquake. The October 8th earthquake caused at least 79,000 deaths and almost as many injured. The poor construction of roads and homes in poverty-stricken areas of the region accounted for an increased impact.

The region was rocked by hundreds of aftershocks over the course of months, making this nightmare earthquake’s impact drag on.