A death toll is the number of dead as a result of war, violence, accident, natural disaster, extreme weather, or disease.

Below is a list of death tolls for various infamous natural disasters. Most numbers are estimates and are often in dispute. The incidents are ranked by the highest estimate given.

Some events overlap categories.

Earthquake

• 830,000 - Shaanxi earthquake (China, 1556)
• 287,000 - Indian Ocean earthquake & tsunamis (outside Indonesia, 2004)
• 255,000 - Tangshan earthquake (China, 1976)
• 230,000 - Aleppo earthquake (Syria, 1138)
• 200,000 - Gansu earthquake (China, 1920)
• 200,000 - Xining earthquake (China, 1927)
• 200,000 - Damghan earthquake (Iran, 856)
• 150,000 - Ardabil earthquake (Iran, 893)
• 140,000 - Great Kantō earthquake (Japan, 1923)
• 110,000 - Ashgabat earthquake (Turkmenistan, 1948)
• 100,000 - Messina earthquake (Italy, 1908)
• 100,000 - 1755 Lisbon earthquake (Portugal, 1755)
• 100,000 - Chihli earthquake, (China, 1290)
• 87,000+ - (still rising) 2005 Kashmir earthquake, (Pakistan, India, 2005)
• 80,000 - Shemakha earthquake (Caucasus, 1667)
• 77,000 - Tabriz earthquake (Iran, 1727)
• 70,000 - Gansu earthquake (China, 1932)
• 66,000 - Ancash earthquake (Peru, 1970)
• 60,000 - Sicily earthquake (1693)
• 60,000 - Quetta earthquake (British India, 1935)
• 50,000 - Calabria earthquake (Italy, 1783)
• 50,000 - Iran earthquake (1990)
• 31,000–41,000 - Bam earthquake (Iran, 2003)
• 32,700 - Erzincan earthquake (Turkey, 1939)
• 25,000 - Spitak Earthquake (Armenia, 1988)
• 23,000 - Guatemala earthquake (1976)
• 20,000 - Gujarat earthquake (India, 2001)
• 20,000 - Valparaíso earthquake (Chile, 1960)
• 17,118 - Izmit earthquake (Turkey, 1999)
• 15,621 - Tonghai earthquake (China, 1970)
• 11,000 - Naples earthquake, (Italy, 1857)
• 10,700 - Bihar earthquake (India, 1934)
• 10,000 - Agadir earthquake (Morocco, 1960)
• 9,748 - India earthquake (India, 1993)
• 9,500 - Michoacán earthquake (Mexico, 1985)
• 6,433 - Great Hanshin earthquake, (Kobe, Japan, 1995)
• 6,234 - Java earthquake (Yogyakarta, Indonesia, 2006)
• 3,000 - 1906 San Francisco earthquake (California, 1906)
• 2,400 - Chi-Chi earthquake (Taiwan, 1999)
• 1,570 - Romania earthquake (Romania, 1977)
• 1,100 - Skopje earthquake (Yugoslavia, 1963)
• 1,084 - Luzon earthquake (Philippines, 1990)
• 571 - Morocco earthquake (Al Hoceima Province, 2004)
• 564 - Zarand (Iran, 2005)
• 258 - Napier earthquake (New Zealand, 1931)
• 131 - Good Friday Earthquake (Alaska, 1964)
• 115 - Long Beach earthquake of 1933 (California, 1933)
• 66 - Loma Prieta earthquake (California, 1989)
• 65+ - Sylmar earthquake (California, 1971)
• 57 - Northridge earthquake (California, 1994)
• 27 - 1872 Lone Pine earthquake (California, 1872)
• 13 - Newcastle earthquake (Australia, 1989)

A severe earthquake occurred on 5 July 1201 in the area of the eastern Mediterranean - (Upper Egypt, Syria). Every major city in the Near East was disrupted, and contemporary estimates put the total number killed at 1,100,000.

Volcanic eruption

• 92,000 - Mount Tambora, (Indonesia, 1815) (see also Year Without a Summer)
• 40,000 - Mount Pelée, (Martinique, 1902)
• 36,000 - Krakatoa, (Indonesia, 1883)
• 23,000 - Nevado del Ruiz, (Colombia, 1985)
• 18,000 - Mount Vesuvius, (Italy, 1631)
• 15,000 - Mount Unzen, (Japan, 1792)
• 10,000 - Kelut, (Indonesia, 1586)
• 9,350 - Laki, (Iceland, 1783)
• 3,600 - Mount Vesuvius, (Roman Empire, 79)
• 3,500 - El Chichón, (Mexico, 1982)
• 1,680 - Soufrière, (St. Vincent, West Indies, 1902)
• 1,000 - Cotopaxi, (Ecuador, 1887)
• 700 - Mount Pinatubo (Philippines, 1991)
• 245 - Nyiragongo, (Congo, 2002)
• 57 - Mount St. Helens (Washington, 1980)

A supervolcano that erupted at Lake Toba 74,000 years ago is thought to have reduced the global modern human population to less than 10 thousand individuals; see Toba catastrophe theory.

Tsunami

• 228,000–310,000 - Indian Ocean earthquake with tsunami, (Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Somalia, Myanmar, and other countries) 2004
• 100,000 - 1755 Lisbon earthquake, tsunami, earthquake and fire, 1755, Portugal and Morocco
• 70,000 - Messina, Italy, earthquake and tsunami, 1908
• 40,000 - South China Sea, 1782, including deaths in Taiwan
• 36,000 - Krakatoa volcano explosion, 1883
• 30,000 - Tokaido-Nankaido, Japan, 1707
• 27,000 - Japan, 1826
• 25,674 - Chile, 1868
• 22,070 - Sanriku, Japan, 1896
• 15,030 - caused by Mount Unzen, Southwest Kyushu, Japan, 1792
• 13,486 - Ryukyu Trench, 1771
• 5,233 - Tokaido-Kashima, Japan, 1703
• 5,000 - Nankaido, Japan, 1605
• 5,000 - Moro Gulf, Philippines, 1976
• 4,000 - Borneo, Indonesia, 1952
• 3,000 - Papua New Guinea, 1998
• 3,008 - Sanriku, Japan, 1933
• 2,000 - Great Chilean Earthquake, deaths in Chile, U.S. (Hawaii), Philippines and Japan, 1960
• 2,000 - Bristol Channel floods, 1607, possible tsunami, United Kingdom
• 165 - Aleutian Island earthquake, deaths in Hawaii and Alaska, U.S., 1946
• 122 - Good Friday Earthquake, Alaska and Hawaii, U.S., 1964
• 27 or 51 - Placentia Bay, Newfoundland, Canada, 1929
• 23 - Nice, France, 1979

Limnic eruption

• 1,800 - Lake Nyos, Cameroon, 1986
• 37 - Lake Monoun, Cameroon, 1984

Extreme weather

• 35,000 - European Heat Wave of 2003 (Europe, 2003)
• 15,000 - torrential rains and mudslides in Venezuela (1999)
• 12,000 - Great Smog of 1952, (United Kingdom, 1952)
• 4,000 - heat waves in Texas, Middle East and India (1998)
• 739 - Chicago Heat Wave of 1995 (Chicago, 1995)
• 669 - heavy storms ("Winnie") (and 695 missing), (Philippines, 2004)
• 271 - heat waves in Midwest and Northeast (1999)
• 250+ - Great Lakes Storm of 1913 (Great Lakes basin region, 1913)
• 246 - hail, Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh India (1888)
• 81 - lightning struck Boeing 707 airliner, near Elkton, Maryland (1963)

Tornadoes

• 1,300 - The Saturia-Manikganj Sadar Tornado, Manikganj, Bangladesh (1989)
• 695 - The Tri-State Tornado, MO-IL-IN, USA (1925)
• 500 - The Narail-Magura Tornadoes, Jessore, Bangladesh (1964)
• 317 - The Great Natchez Tornado, LA-MS, USA (1840)
• 255 - The St. Louis-East St. Louis Tornado, MO-IL, USA (1896)
• 233 - The Tupelo Tornado, MS, USA (1936)
• 203 - The Gainesville Tornado, GA, USA (1936)
• 181 - The Glazier-Higgins-Woodward Tornadoes, TX-OK-KS, USA (1947)
• 160 - The Chakislampur-Goborghata Tornado, West Bengal-Orissa, India (1998)
• 150 - The Purunabandha and Keonjhargarh Tornadoes, Orissa, India (1978)
• 143 - The Amite-Pine-Purvis Tornadoes, LA-MS, USA (1908)
• 139 - The Assam Tornado, Assam, India (1963)
• 118 - The Dhaka Tornado, Dhaka, Bangladesh (1888)
• 117 - The New Richmond Tornado, WI, USA (1899)
• 115 - The Flint Tornado, MI, USA (1953)
• 114 - The Waco Tornado, TX, USA (1953)
• 114 - The Goliad Tornado, TX, USA (1902)
• 94 - The Worcester Tornado, MA, USA (1953)
• 54 - The San Justo Tornado, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina (1973)

Tropical cyclone, hurricane and typhoon

• 500,000 - Bhola cyclone (Bangladesh, 1970)
• 300,000 - India cyclone, 1839
• 229,000 - Super Typhoon Nina, China, 1975 - contributed to Banqiao Dam failure
• 138,000 - 1991 Bangladesh cyclone, (Chittagong Bangladesh, 1991)
• 60,000 - typhoon, (China, 1922)
• 60,000 - 1864 Calcutta cyclone, (India, 1864)
• 50,000 - typhoon, (China, 1912)
• 40,000 - cyclone, (India, 1942)
• 30,000 - cyclone (Bangladesh, June 1, 1965)
• 22,000 - Great Hurricane of 1780, (Barbados, Martinique, St. Eustatius 1780)
• 22,000 - cyclone (Pakistan, 1963)
• 20,000 - cyclone (India, 1977)
• 18,277 - Hurricane Mitch (Central America 1998)
• 17,000 - cyclone (Bangladesh, May 11, 1965)
• 10,000 - cyclone (Karachi, Pakistan, 1965)
• 10,000 - cyclone in Orissa, India (1999)
• 10,000 - typhoon (Hong Kong, 1906)
• 9,574 - cyclone (India, 1999)
• 8,000 - Galveston Hurricane of 1900 (Texas, United States September 8, 1900)
• 8,000 - hurricane (Dominican Republic, 1930)
• 8,000 - Hurricane Fifi (Honduras, 1974)
• 7,200 - Hurricane Flora (Haiti, Cuba, 1963)
• 6,000 - Typhoon Thelma (Philippines, 1991)
• 6,000 - cyclone, (Pakistan, 1960)
• 5,000 - Typhoon Vera (Japan, 1958)
• 4,170 - Hurricane of Independence, (U.S., Canada, 1776)
• 4,075+ - Lake Okeechobee Hurricane, (U.S., 1928)
• 4,000 - hurricane, (Canada, 1775)
• 3,433 - hurricane, (Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, 1899)
• 3,107 - hurricane, (Cuba, 1932)
• 3,037 - Hurricane Jeanne, (Haiti, 2004)
• 3,000 - hurricane, (Atlantic Ocean, 1782)
• 3,000 - hurricane, (Cuba, 1791)
• 3,000 - 1737 Calcutta cyclone (India)
• 2,500 - Andhra Pradesh cyclone, 1996
• 2,334 - Typhoon Iris (China, 1959)
• 2,150 - hurricane, (Caribbean, 1935)
• 2,060 - Hurricane David, (Dominican Republic, U.S., 1979)
• 2,000-3,000 - hurricane, (Central America, 1934)
• 2,000 - hurricane, (Gulf of Mexico, 1780)
• 2,000 - hurricane, (Florida, 1781)
• 2,000 - hurricane, (Cuba, Florida, 1870)
• 2,000 - Chenier Caminada Hurricane, (Louisiana, 1893)
• 1,836 - Hurricane Katrina, (United States, 2005) not including 2,500 missing^*
• 1,620 - Hurricane Stan, (Mexico, Central America, 2005)
• 1,600 - Typhoon Mary, (China, 1960)
• 1,500-2,500 - hurricane, (Windward Islands, 1831)
• 1,500-2,500 - hurricane, (Central America, 1931)
• 1,500 - hurricane, (Greater Antilles, Mexico, 1909)
• 1,300 - Typhoon Ike, (Philippines, 1984)
• 1,200 - Hurricane Hazel (Grenada, Bahamas, Haiti, U.S., Canada, 1954
• 1,145 - Hurricane Gordon (Haiti, U.S., 1994)
• 1,115 - hurricane, (Jamaica, Cuba, 1780)
• 1,000-2,000 - Sea Islands Hurricane, (Georgia, South Carolina, 1893)
• 1,000 - Hurricane Inez, (Greater Antilles, Mexico, 1966)
• 1,000 - cyclone (India, 1998)
• 921 - hurricane, (Greater Antilles, Mexico, 1888)
• 709 - hurricane, (Cuba, 1926)
• 700 - hurricane, (Georgia, 1881)
• 700 - hurricane, (Greater Antilles, 1891)
• 600-700 - hurricane, (U.S., 1788)
• 650 - New England Hurricane of 1938, (U.S., 1938)
• 602 - Hurricane Georges, (Greater Antilles, 1998)
• 600 - hurricane (Florida, Gulf of Mexico, Texas, 1919)
• 600 - Hurricane Fox, (Cuba, 1952)
• 540-680 - Hurricane Janet, (Honduras, Mexico, 1955)
• 424 - hurricane, (North Carolina, 1857)
• 408 - Labor Day Hurricane (Florida, 1935)
• 400 - Last Island Hurricane, (Louisiana, 1856)
• 400 - Cyclone Mahina (Australia, 1899)
• 400 - Hurricane Hattie, (Belize, 1961)
• 400 - hurricane, (Texas, 1915)
• 399-550 - Hurricane Audrey, (Louisiana, 1957)
• 390 - hurricane, (U.S., 1944)
• 387 - hurricane, (U.S., 1866)
• 383 - hurricane, (Windward Islands, 1898)
• 364 - Hurricane Donna, (every U.S. state on east coast, 1960)
• 350 - hurricane, (Louisiana, 1909)
• 318 - Hurricane Gilbert, (Jamaica and Mexico, 1988)
• 265-350 - Great Miami Hurricane, (Florida, Louisiana, 1926)
• 256 - Hurricane Camille, (U.S., 1969)
• 228 - Hurricane Allen (Caribbean, U.S. 1980)
• 217 - Hurricane Cleo, (Caribbean and Florida, 1964)
• 216 - Hurricane Joan, (Colombia, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador , 1988)
• 200 - Hurricane Hilda (Mexico, 1955)
• 200 - Hurricane Diane (North Carolina, 1955)
• 122 - Hurricane Agnes (Eastern United States, 1972)
• 120 - Hurricane Ivan, (Caribbean, Alabama, Florida,2004)
• 113 - Hurricane Rita, (Florida, Mississippi, Texas, 2005
• 96 - Hurricane Diana, (Mexico, 1990)
• 86 - Hurricane Hugo (Leeward Islands, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, 1989)
• 80 - Hurricane Eloise, (Hispaniola and Eastern United States, 1975)
• 76 - Hurricane Betsy, (Louisiana , 1965)
• 65 - Cyclone Tracy (Australia, 1974)
• 62 - Hurricane Andrew (Bahamas, Florida, Louisiana, 1992)
• 60 - Hurricane Carol (New England, 1954)
• 59 - Hurricane Beulah (Texas, 1967)
• 59 - Hurricane Opal, (Guatemala, Mexico, Florida, 1995)
• 57 - Hurricane Floyd, (Bahamas, North Carolina, 1999)
• 51 - Hurricane Cesar, (Nicaragua, Central America, Colombia ,Venezuela, 1996
• 45 - 1939 Long Beach Tropical Storm (California, 1939
• 42 - Hurricane Hortense (Leeward Islands, 1996)
• 41 - Tropical Storm Allison (Texas. 2001)
• 40 - Hurricane Isabel (North Carolina, 2003)
• 38 - Hurricane Hilda, (Louisiana, 1964)
• 35 - Hurricane Charley (Jamaica, Cuba, Florida, 2004)
• 34 - Hurricane Fran (North Carolina, 1996)

Floods and Landslides

• 1,000,000–3,700,000 - 1931 Huang He flood (China, 1931)
• 900,000–2,000,000 - 1887 Huang He flood (China, 1887)
• 500,000-900,000 - 1938 Huang He flood (China, 1938)
• 229,000 - Banqiao Dam failure, China, 1975. Approximately 86,000 people died from flooding and another 145,000 died during subsequent epidemics.
• 145,000 - 1935 Yangtze river flood

• 100,000 - flood (North Vietnam, 1971)
• 100,000 - 1911 Yangtze river flood
• 30,000 - 1954 Yangtze river flood
• 25,000–? - Grote Mandrenke, storm tide, (Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, 1362)
• 10,000 - Great Iran Flood, (Iran, 1954)
• 2,200 - Johnstown Flood (Pennsylvania, 1889)
• 2,142 - North Sea flood of 1953 storm surge, (Netherlands, United Kingdom, 1953)
• 2,000–5,000 - Manchhu River dam burst, (Morvi, Gujarat, India, 1979) some reports list as many as 12,000 dead.
• 1,909 - Vajont Dam landslide and flood, (Italy, 1963)
• 1,800 - 2006 Southern Leyte mudslide, Philippines, (2006)
• 1,605–3,363 - spring flooding in Haiti and Dominican Republic (2004)
• 1,000 - Mumbai (Bombay) and the surrounding state Maharashtra, India, 26th July 2005
• 400 - St. Francis Dam failure, (California, 1928)
• 315 - North Sea flood of 1962 storm tide, (Germany, 1962)
• 270 - Great Sheffield flood dam disaster, (England, 1864)
• 94 - Mameyes Disaster lanslide (Ponce, Puerto Rico, 1985)
• 81 - Holmfirth Flood - Bilberry Reservoir dam failure, West Yorkshire, England, 1852
• 78 - Austin Dam failure, (Pennsylvania, 1911)
• 70 - New Orleans dike failure (Louisiana, 2005)
• 47 - McDonald Dam failure, (Austin, Texas, 1900)
• 16 - Brisbane flood (Australia, 1974)

Blizzards

• 4,000 - Iran, 1972
• 400 - Great Blizzard of '88, (Northeastern United States, 1888)
• 318 - 1993 North American Storm Complex, (Northeastern United States, 1993)
• 235 - Schoolhouse Blizzard, (Great Plains, USA, 1888)
• 144 - Armistice Day Blizzard, (Midwest, USA, 1940)
• 29 - Blizzard of 1977 (Buffalo, New York, USA, 1977)

Contractible disease

• 300,000,000+ - Smallpox (20th Century alone)
• 300,000,000+ - Bubonic Plague: Black Death - 1300's-1720's; Plague of Justinian - 540-590; Third Pandemic - 1850's-1950's (same disease)
• 20,000,000 - 100,000,000 - Spanish Flu (worldwide, 1918 - 1919)
• 10,000,000 - 100,000,000 - deaths from diseases in Europe (millions) and the Americas (tens of millions) from diseases exchanged between continents after 1492
• 25,250,000 - AIDS (deaths worldwide, 1981 - present)
• 10,000,000 - Bubonic Plague (China, 1892 - 1896)
• 5,000,000 - Antonine Plague (Roman Empire 165 - 180)
• 4,000,000 - Asian Flu pandemic (worldwide, 1957)
• 1,000,000 - Hong Kong Flu pandemic (worldwide, 1968)
• 130,000 - North American smallpox epidemic (1775 - 1782)
• 60,000 - Great Plague of London (1666)
• 775 - Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) (Mostly East Asia, few cases in Europe, Canada and United States, 2002-2003)
• 677 - West Nile Virus outbreak (North America, 1999 - 2004)
• 107 - H5N1 strain of Bird Flu (started in Asia) (late 1997-present)

Famine

• 1,000,000–43,000,000 - Period of Three Difficult Years (China, 1958 - 1961) (most estimates are between 20 and 30 million)
• 24,000,000 Chinese Famine of 1907
• 5,000,000 Chinese Famine of 1936
• 5,000,000 Holodomor (USSR 1932-1934)
• 5,000,000 Ukraine and Volga Famine (USSR 1921-1922)
• 3,000,000 Chinese Drought 1941
• 3,000,000 Chinese Famine of 1928-1930
• 3,000,000 Indian Drought of 1900
• 1,500,000 - 3,000,000 Bengal Famine of 1943 (India, 1943)
• 1,500,000 Indian Drought of 1965-1967
• 1,200,000 - North Korean famine (North Korea, 1995 - 1998)
• 1,100,000 - Irish potato famine (1846-1849)
• 1,000,000 - Ethiopian famine (1984)
• 150,000 - Finnish_famine_of_1866-1868
• 30,000 - Dutch famine of 1944

See also

• List of wars and disasters by death toll

External links

• Death Toll from Disasters, War, Terrorists
• The international disaster database

Disaster lists | Lists by death toll | Death-related lists