Explained | Major earthquakes of the 21st century and their impact

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.