Turkey Syria earthquake: World’s worst deadliest quakes in past 25 years

Smoke rises from burning containers at the port in the earthquake-stricken town of Iskenderun, southern Turkey. Photo / AP

A magnitude 7.8 earthquake has shaken Turkey and Syria, killing thousands of people in the two countries.

The death toll is expected to rise as rescuers working in cold and snow look for trapped people in the rubble of toppled buildings.

Here are some of the world’s deadliest earthquakes in the past 25 years:

• June 22, 2022: In Afghanistan, more than 1100 people die in a magnitude 6.1 earthquake.
• Aug. 14, 2021: In Haiti, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake kills more than 2200 people.
• Sept. 28, 2018: A magnitude 7.5 earthquake hits Indonesia, triggering a tsunami and killing more than 4300 people.
• April 25, 2015: In Nepal, more than 8800 people are killed by a magnitude 7.8 earthquake.
• March 11, 2011: A magnitude 9.0 quake off the northeast coast of Japan triggers a tsunami, killing nearly 20,000 people.
• Jan. 12, 2010: In Haiti, over 100,000 people are killed by a magnitude 7.0 quake. Government estimates put the number at a staggering 316,000 dead.
• May 12, 2008: A magnitude 7.9 quake strikes eastern Sichuan in China, resulting in over 87,500 deaths.
• May 27, 2006: More than 5700 people die when a magnitude 6.3 quake hits the island of Java, Indonesia.
• Oct. 8, 2005: A magnitude 7.6 earthquake kills over 80,000 people in Pakistan’s Kashmir region.
• March 28, 2005: A magnitude 8.6 quake in northern Sumatra in Indonesia kills about 1300 people.
• Dec. 26, 2004: A magnitude 9.1 quake in Indonesia triggers an Indian Ocean tsunami, killing about 230,000 people in a dozen countries.
• Dec. 26, 2003: A magnitude 6.6 earthquake hits southeastern Iran, resulting in more than 20,000 deaths.
• May 21, 2003: More than 2200 people are killed in a magnitude 6.8 earthquake in Algeria.
• Jan. 26, 2001: A magnitude 7.6 quake strikes Gujarat in India, killing as many as 20,000 people.
• Aug. 17, 1999: A magnitude 7.6 earthquake hits Izmit, Turkey, killing about 18,000 people.
• May 30, 1998: Over 4000 people are killed after a 6.6 magnitude temblor hits Afghanistan’s Badakhshan province.

Source: US Geological Survey