Tsunamis in the past 10 years

Last updated: 11 March, 2011

Beijing, March 11, (IANS): 15:23 IST

A massive earthquake measuring 8.9 magnitude on the Richter scale hit Japan Friday, triggering a 10-metre-high tsunami that washed away houses and buildings and inundated large areas.

The following is a chronology of major tsunamis triggered by earthquakes around the world in the past 10 years:

In June, 2001, at least 78 people were killed by a tsunami caused by a magnitude-8.4 earthquake in southern Peru. The direct economic loss totalled about $300 million.

On Dec 26, 2004, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake struck off the Indonesian island of Sumatra, triggering a tsunami that killed tens of thousands of people in several countries.

On July 17, 2006, a magnitude-6.8 earthquake occurred off the coast of Indonesia's West Java, triggering a tsunami that killed 668 people, injured at least 1,438 and left about 74,000 people homeless.

On April 2, 2007, more than 50 people died and thousands of people were evacuated in the Solomon Islands when the area was hit by a tsunami caused by a magnitude-8.0 earthquake.

On Sep 29, 2009, a strong earthquake measuring 8.0 on the Richter scale struck the Pacific island nation of Samoa, causing a tsunami that killed at least 184 people.

On Jan 4, 2010, two powerful earthquakes measuring 6.5 and 7.2 on the Richter scale hit the western part of the Solomon Islands, followed by a number of smaller quakes. It triggered a tsunami that left about 1,000 homeless.

On Feb 27, 2010, an 8.8-magnitude earthquake hit Chile, triggering tsunami warnings along the coasts of the Pacific Ocean.

On Oct 25, 2010, at least 509 people were killed and 21 went missing after a tsunami unleashed by a 7.2 magnitude quake jolted the island of Sumatra, Indonesia.