Nepal is still reeling under the aftereffects of the terrifying earthquake that shook the people inside out last Saturday.
Let’s see which were the deadliest earthquakes that quivered and shattered the Indian subcontinent:
1) KOYNANAGAR, MAHARASHTRA
Date – 11th Dec, 1967
Time – 04:21
Place – Koynanagar, Maharashtra
Magnitude – 6.5
Epicentre – Koyna (17.4°N 73.76°E)
Koynanagar carries a long history of earthquakes and till date nearly 20 known earthquakes have taken place at Koynanagar. The latest one happened to be on 14th April, 2014. But the one that had the most powerful impact took place in 1967 wherein nearly 180 peple died and 1500 got injured.
2) Uttarkashi
Date – 20th Oct, 1991
Time –
Place – Uttarkashi
Magnitude – 6.8
Epicentre – Garhwal, Uttrakhand (30.780°N 78.774°E)
42,000 homes and buidings turned to dust and lakhs of people became homeless. Nearly 1300+ villages were destroyed leading to approx 768 official death toll, which was certainly not the actual figure.
3) Assam 1987
Date – 12th June, 1897
Time – 17:11
Place – Assam
Magnitude – 8.3
Epicentre – (26°N 91°E)
Assam stands on the 5th hazard zone in the seismic bifurcation. In 1897, the size of the earthquake was pretty huge which led to 1,500 casualties and very heavy property damage. Numerous buildings in the neighbouring country of Bhutan were also heavily damaged. Many aftershocks were felt afterwards.
4) Assam, 1950
Date – 15th Aug, 1950
Time – 19:39
Place – Assam
Magnitude – 8.7
Epicentre – Rima, Tibet (28.5°N 96.5°E)
This day, when India celebrated its 3rd year of independence, Assam and Tibet were jolted by a deadly earthquake. It was very destructive and killed 1,500 to 3,300 people. Though the epicentre was near Rima, China, but its major damage was seen in Assam in terms of property loss. The rivers rose high after the earthquake, bringing down mud, trees, sand and all kinds of debris.
5) Latur, Maharashtra
Date – 30th Sept, 1993
Time – 22:25
Place – Latur
Magnitude – 6.4
Epicentre – Killari, Latur (18.1°N 76.5°E)
This happened to be one of the most fatal disasters faced by Maharashtra ever. Though the magnitude was 6.5, the level of damage it caused was extreme. Latur and Osmanabad were the most-affected areas. The villages wore a look of total disaster as 52 villages were totally razed to the ground. Nearly 8,000 people died and 16,000 were injured.
6) Kangra, Himachal Pradesh
Date – 4th April, 1905
Time – 06:10
Place – Kangra
Magnitude – 7.8
Epicentre – Himalayas (33.0 ° N 76.0°E)
This was the second worst earthquake affecting Indian region before independence, which killed more than 20,000 people. Most of the buildings in the towns of Kangra, McLeodganj and Dharamsala were destroyed. The total cost of recovering from the effects of the earthquake was nearly 2.9 million rupees in 1905.
7) Kutch, Gujarat
Date – 26th Jan, 2001
Time – 08:50
Place – Gujarat
Magnitude – 7.7
Epicentre – Kutch (23.419 °N 70.232°E)
26th January, 2001 saw the most devastating disasters that left nearly a million families homeless. The earthquake that lasted for over 2 minutes, killed more than 19,727 people and left 1,66,000 injured. Following the massive 7.9 magnitude quake, more than 500 aftershocks continued to strike different parts of Gujarat till March.
8) Bihar, 1934
Date – 15th Jan, 1934
Time – 14:13
Place – Bihar
Magnitude – 8.7
Epicentre – South of Mt.Everest (27.55° N 87.09°E)
This disaster was the worst one to have struck India in history. Some 30,000 people were said to have died. Munger, Kathmandu and Muzaffarpur were completely destroyed. It is said that Mahatma Gandhi visited the place to provide comfort to the injured and stated that the Bihar earthquake was providential retribution for India’s failure to eradicate untouchability.
9) Kashmir
Date – 8th Oct, 2005
Time – 08:50
Place – Kashmir
Magnitude – 7.6
Epicentre – Muzaffarabad, Pakistan administered Kashmir (34.45° N 73.65°E)
On 8th Oct, 2005, a devastating earthquake shook the western Himalayas killing 75,000 people and leaving 3.5 million homeless. Aftershocks caused countless landslides, blocking roads and hampering relief work, particularly in the mountainous areas of Kashmir.
10) Indonesia
Date – 26th Dec, 2004
Time – 8:50
Place – Indian Ocean
Magnitude – 9.1- 9.3
Epicentre – West coast of Sumatra, Indonesia (3.316°N 95.854°E)
The greatest earthquake in 40 years that killed 3,00,000 people. A large tsunami triggered by the earthquake spread outward from off the Sumatran coast. The worst part of it washed away the complete city base of Indonesia and all the countries on the shore of the Indian Ocean were affected.
