Earthquakes and Volcanic Eruptions
- April 20, China: A strong earthquake strikes southwestern China. At least 186 people are killed and around 8,200 people are injured. The earthquake causes mountainsides to collapse. Available drinking water becomes a problem following the earthquake. Reports conflict on the magnitude of the earthquake. China’s Earthquake Networks Center reports that the earthquake was a 7.0 magnitude, while the U.S. Geological Survey puts it at 6.6.
- Sept. 23, Pakistan: A 7.7 magnitude earthquake hits Baluchistan, an area of deserts and mountains in Pakistan. The earthquake causes hundreds of mud houses to collapse on residents. At least 327 people are killed. The earthquake is the worst in the country since 2005 and is felt throughout South Asia. Hundreds of soldiers from Pakistan’s army are airlifted to help in the rescue effort. The earthquake hits Pakistan while the country is still in mourning over the deaths of more than 80 Christians in the suicide bombing of the All Saints Church in Peshawar.
- Oct. 15, Philippines: A powerful earthquake hits the Philippines and kills at least 144 people. Nearly 300 more are injured. The quake also destroys one of the country’s oldest churches and causes widespread damage. According to Renato Solidum, director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, the center of the earthquake hits near Carmen, a small town on Bohol Island. Solidum also explains the intensity of the earthquake in a statement, “A magnitude 7 earthquake has an energy equivalent to around 32 Hiroshima atomic bombs. This one had a magnitude of 7.2.” Tremors from the earthquake reach all of the islands in the central Philippines, destroying several buildings, roads and bridges.
- Aug. 3, China: A 6.1 magnitude earthquake hits Ludian County, Yunnan, China. At least 617 people are killed and 2,400 others are injured. More than 12,000 houses are destroyed, while another 30,000 are damaged.
- Feb. 20, western Aceh province, Indonesia: Earthquake with 7.5 magnitude kills three people and injures at least 25 more in near the western Aceh province of Indonesia.
- May 12, China: over 67,000 people die and hundreds of thousands more are injured when a 7.9 magnitude earthquake strikes Sichuan, Gansu, and Yunnan Provinces in western China. Nearly 900 students were trapped when Juyuan Middle School in the Sichuan Province collapsed from the quake.
- July 24, Japan: at least 90 people are injured and thousands of homes lose power when a 6.8 magnitude earthquake strikes 67 miles below the earth’s surface in the region of Iwate.
- Oct. 6, Kyrgyzstan: at least 70 people die, hundreds more are injured, and hundreds of homes are leveled when a 6.6 magnitude earthquake strikes the Osh region.
- Oct. 29, Pakistan: a 6.4 magnitude earthquake hits southwestern Pakistan, killing at least 170 people and destroying over 15,000 homes.
- Nov. 17, Indonesia: a 7.5 magnitude earthquake hits several miles off the coast of Indonesia, killing four people, injuring at least 60 more, and destroying thousands of homes.
- April 25, Nepal: A magnitude-7.8 earthquake strikes central Nepal, near the capital, Katmandu, killing nearly 4,000 people, injuring tens of thousands, and damaging or destroying thousands of structures, including the treasured Dharahara Tower and the temple complex Bhaktapur Durbar Square. It causes avalanches on Mt. Everest, which kills at least 17 people. The earthquake is felt throughout the country and affects others in Asia. Continuous aftershocks complicate rescue efforts and further traumatize a nation stunned by catastrophic loss. Nepal’s rugged, mountainous terrain makes the search for survivors and attempts to deliver food and medical supplies to affected areas perilous endeavors. Seismologists have predicted an earthquake would hit Nepal, but the country was ill-prepared for a disaster of this scale.
- May 12, Nepal: Another magnitude-7.8 earthquake hits Nepal just three weeks after the first one. At least 40 people are killed and well over 1,000 injured in the magnitude-7.8 earthquake, whose epicenter is about 50 miles east of Kathmandu.
For more earthquakes and volcanic eruptions see, 2007 Disasters , Major Earthquakes Around the World, and Recent Volcanic Activity. See also, Tsunami Factfile.
