People search through the rubble of a collapsed building, in the aftermath of a deadly earthquake, in Kahramanmaras, Turkey, March 9, 2023.
Credit: Reuters File Photo
Panic gripped large swathes of the world on Wednesday after a monster quake, measuring 8.8 in magnitude, hit Russia's far eastern Kamchatka region, sparking a tsunami that sent countries on the Pacific into high alert.
While Russia evacuated those in the line of fire almost immediately, evacuation alerts were also issued in Japan and Hawaii, with the former also vacating workers from its Fukushima nuclear plant, which had suffered a catastrophic meltdown in the wake of a 2011 tsunami triggered by an earthquake.
Wednesday's quake in Kamchatka is said to the biggest in the region since 1952, and is the sixth-largest earthquake on record.
Here, we take a look at the biggest earthquakes of the 21st century.
2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake & Tsunami
Date: December 26, 2004
Magnitude: 9.1–9.3
Location: Off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia
Death Toll: ~230,000
Impact: One of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history, it triggered a massive tsunami affecting 14 countries including Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, and Thailand.
2011 Tōhoku Earthquake & Tsunami, Japan
Date: March 11, 2011
Magnitude: 9.0
Location: Near the east coast of Honshu, Japan
Death Toll: ~20,000
Impact: Caused a nuclear meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl. Damages exceeded $235 billion—the costliest natural disaster ever.
2005 Kashmir Earthquake, Pakistan
Date: October 8, 2005
Magnitude: 7.6
Location: Muzaffarabad, Pakistan-administered Kashmir
Death Toll: ~86,000
Impact: Left over 3 million people homeless. Relief efforts were hampered by difficult terrain and freezing weather.
2010 Haiti Earthquake
Date: January 12, 2010
Magnitude: 7.0
Location: Near Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Death Toll: ~160,000 (official estimate disputed)
Impact: Devastated the capital, collapsed key government buildings, and left over 1.5 million homeless.
2008 Sichuan Earthquake, China
Date: May 12, 2008
Magnitude: 7.9
Location: Sichuan Province, China
Death Toll: ~87,000
Impact: Thousands of schools collapsed, sparking public outrage. It was one of the most destructive quakes in China’s modern history.
2003 Bam Earthquake, Iran
Date: December 26, 2003
Magnitude: 6.6
Location: Bam, southeastern Iran
Death Toll: ~26,000
Impact: Flattened the historic city of Bam and killed over a quarter of its population. Led to widespread international humanitarian aid.
2015 Nepal Earthquake
Date: April 25, 2015
Magnitude: 7.8
Location: Gorkha District, Nepal
Death Toll: ~9,000
Impact: Triggered avalanches on Mount Everest, destroyed centuries-old heritage sites in Kathmandu, and left millions in need of aid.
2017 Puebla Earthquake, Mexico
Date: September 19, 2017
Magnitude: 7.1
Location: Puebla State, Mexico
Death Toll: ~370
Impact: Struck on the anniversary of the deadly 1985 Mexico City quake. Many schools and buildings collapsed, with extensive damage to infrastructure.
2023 Turkey–Syria Earthquake
Date: February 6, 2023
Magnitude: 7.8 (followed by a 7.5 aftershock)
Location: Southern Turkey and northern Syria
Death Toll: ~59,000
Impact: One of the deadliest in modern Turkish history, collapsing thousands of buildings and worsening Syria’s humanitarian crisis.
2018 Sulawesi Earthquake & Tsunami, Indonesia
Date: September 28, 2018
Magnitude: 7.5
Location: Palu, Sulawesi Island, Indonesia
Death Toll: ~4,300
Impact: The earthquake caused a tsunami and massive soil liquefaction, swallowing entire neighborhoods.