Top 10 deadliest natural disasters of the world

New Delhi: As India is battling hard to save the pilgrims and tourists struck by flash flood in Uttarakhand, let's have a look at major natural disasters that have happened in the past. Normally, a natural disaster could be a volcanic eruption, an earthquake, a landslide, a tsunami, a supercyclone, a major flood, massive drought, tornado, etc. etc. Here we bring a list of the top 10 natural disasters from around the World:1. 1931 China floodsThe 1931 Central China floods were a series of floods that occurred during the Nanjing decade in the Republic of China era. It is generally considered the deadliest natural disaster ever recorded, and almost certainly the deadliest of the 20th century and in China. The human deaths are estimated to be between 145,000 and 4 million.2. 1976 Tangshan earthquake The Tangshan Earthquake also known as the Great Tangshan Earthquake, was a natural disaster that occurred on July 28, 1976. It is believed to be the largest earthquake of the 20th century by death toll. The epicenter of the earthquake was near Tangshan in Hebei, People's Republic of China, an industrial city with approximately one million inhabitants. The number of deaths initially reported by the Chinese government was 655,000, but this number has since been revised to be around 255,000.3. 1931 Yellow River flood The 1931 Yellow River flood was a devastating disaster during which a land mass area of 88,000 sq km was completely wiped out by the flood plus an additional area of 21,000 sq km of partial flooding resulting in the numbers of between (approx.) 1-4 million human deaths in that region.4. 1970 Bhola cyclone Bangladesh The 1970 Bhola cyclone was a devastating tropical cyclone that struck East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) and India's West Bengal on November 12, 1970. It was the deadliest tropical cyclone ever recorded, and one of the deadliest natural disasters in modern times. Up to 500,000 people lost their lives in the storm, primarily as a result of the storm surge that flooded much of the low-lying islands of the Ganges Delta. This cyclone was the sixth cyclonic storm of the 1970 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, and also the season's strongest, reaching a strength equivalent to a Category 5 hurricane.5. 2010 Haiti earthquake The 2010 Haiti earthquake was a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake. The earthquake on 12 January 2010. By 24 January, at least 52 aftershocks measuring 4.5 or greater had been recorded. An estimated three million people were affected by the quake. The Haitian government reported that an estimated 316,000 people had died, 300,000 had been injured and 1,000,000 made homeless. The government of Haiti also estimated that 250,000 residences and 30,000 commercial buildings had collapsed or were severely damaged.6. 1920 Haiyuan earthquake This devastatingly powerful earthquake hit China at 8.5 magnitude (Richter scale) killing 273,400 people in the Haiyuan County (an Autonomous Region) but it also rocked neighbouring provinces namely Gansu and Shaanxi. This was one of the most intense and highest magnitude earthquakes recorded in the 20th century to hit China. The damage was severe and the death toll was not established until 1921. 7. 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea megathrust earthquake that occurred on December 26, 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The resulting tsunami is given various names, including the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, Asian Tsunami, Indonesian Tsunami, and Boxing Day Tsunami. The earthquake was caused by subduction and triggered a series of devastating tsunamis along the coasts of most landmasses bordering the Indian Ocean, killing over 230,000 people in fourteen countries, and inundating coastal communities with waves up to 30 meters (100 feet) high. Indonesia was the hardest hit, followed by Sri Lanka, India, and Thailand. With a magnitude of between 9.1 and 9.3, it is the third largest earthquake ever recorded on a seismograph. This earthquake had the longest duration of about 10 minutes. It caused the entire planet to vibrate as much as 1 cm (0.4 inches)and triggered other earthquakes as far away as Alaska.8. 1975 Typhoon Nina Super Typhoon Nina, formed on July 30, 1975 and dissipated on August 6, was a short-lived but intense super typhoon in the Pacific Ocean. It caused catastrophic damages and cost numerous Chinese lives after causing the Banqiao Dam in Henan Province to collapse. With its strongest winds of 50 km/h, Nina took at least 26,000 lives, making it the second-deadliest Pacific typhoon in history-only after the 1881 Haiphong Typhoon in Vietnam.9. 1935 Yangtze river flood The 1938 Yellow River flood was a flood created by the Nationalist Government in central China during the early stage of the Second Sino-Japanese War in an attempt to halt the rapid advance of the Japanese forces. It has been called the "largest act of environmental warfare in history. An official Nationalist post-war commission estimated that 800,000 were drowned, which may be an underestimate. 10. 1923 Great Kanto earthquake The 1923 Great Kanto earthquake struck the Kanto plain on the Japanese main island of Honshū on September 1, 1923. Varied accounts hold that the duration of the earthquake was between 10 minutes. The Kanto quake killed between 100,000 and 140,000 people.