TOP 5 LARGEST TSUNAMI'S IN THE HISTORY OF ALL TIMES
The ocean can be a beautiful and calm space. However, it can be one of the most deadliest natural calamity. Yes, we are talking about tsunamis. In this blog, we will be reading about tsunami's which destroyed cities and lives of hundreds of thousands of people in just a matter of minutes.
1. Indian Ocean Tsunami
This tsunami occurred on 26th of December 2004. A giant earthquake with a magnitude of 9.1, released tsunami's on all coasts of the Indian ocean. The waves reached a height of 100 ft. affecting 14 different countries. It was so strong that High tide alert was given all over the world. This tsunami has the highest death count estimating 230,000 people dead. This disaster caused 19.9 billion dollars. In Thailand, it was estimated 8000 tourists and locals lost their lives. The identification of Thailand's tsunami victims became the largest forensic operation the world has seen. The Australian Disaster Victim Identification team was the first to arrive in Thailand. According to official estimates in India, 10,136 people were killed and hundreds of thousands made homeless when this tsunami near the Indonesian island of Sumatra struck the southern coast of India. It was followed by strong aftershocks on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
This tsunami occurred on 15th June 1896 on the Sanriku coast during the celebration of the victory of the Sino - Japanese war celebration. It took lives of about 22,000 people and more than 11,000 homes were destroyed by waves which were 98 ft. long. Legends also say that this tsunami affected China's coast causing more than 4,000 lives. The 1896 Sanriku Earthquake was one of the most destructive seismic events in Japanese history. The 8.5 magnitude earthquake occurred at 19:32 (local time) on June 15, 1896, approximately 166 kilometers (103 miles) off the coast of lwate Prefecture, Honshu. It resulted in two tsunamis. This earthquake is now regarded as being part of a distinct class of seismic events, the tsunami earthquake.
3. Tohoko Tsunami
This tsunami occurred on 11th March 2011. Its magnitude was 9 and its epicenter was the Tohoko region. These waves were about 33 ft. tall which destroyed everything in it's path. It killed 15,000 people. The magnitude was found to be 9.1 on the magnitude scale. This amount of magnitude force was not expected by Japan. The damaged caused cost about 350 billion dollars. The residents of Tokyo received a one minute warning. 58% of the population then reported to higher grounds as soon as possible due to the possibility of this happening again. This tsunami hit shores 17,000 kms away, showing its force.
4. Yaeyama tsunami
The disaster happened on 24th April 1771 in the land of the rising sun Japan. This tsunami originated in okinawa whose magnitude affected the Ishigaki and Miyako Jima islands. Almost 12,000 people died and more than 3000 were left homeless. Because of the event being this old, it isn't completely accurate. Some legends say an island disappeared under the ocean due to this disaster. However it hasn't been confirmed yet. After this tragic incident the population reduced to a third. Agriculture was severely damaged in these areas due to the ivnvasion of huge amounts of sea water
5. Chile Tsunami
On February 27th 2010, a four minute earthquake - tsunami scaling at 8.8 destroyed about 500 lives of the people living there. 9% of the population was left homeless. The president of that time declared it state emergency. This damage cost about 4 - 7 million dollars. It was the most powerful tsunami to hit after 50 years. According to the observations the height of the waves were 45 ft and they wiped out the whole coast. The tsunami warning was given in 53 different countries
