List of disasters in China by death toll
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is a list of disasters in China by death toll.
Earthquake
A full list in chronological order is detailed in the list of earthquakes in China. Among which, the most fatal ones were:
| Date | Article | Province | Deaths | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 September 1303 | Hongdong earthquake | Shanxi | 270,000 | [1] |
| 23 January 1556 | Huaxian earthquake | Shaanxi | 100,000+ | [2] |
| 16 December 1920 | Haiyuan earthquake | Ningxia | 265,000 | [3] |
| 27 July 1976 | Tangshan earthquake | Hebei | 300,000+ | [4][5] |
Famine
A full list in chronological order is detailed in the list of famines in China. The most fatal ones were:
| Name; area | Deaths | Causes |
|---|---|---|
| Great Chinese Famine of 1958–62[6] | 15–55 million | Great Leap Forward economic failure. The starved could not move out because all out-of-town traffic was guarded by militia to contain the news of starvation.[7] |
Chinese famine of 1906–1907
|
20-25 million | Flood |
Chinese famine of 1876–79
|
9–13 million | Drought |
Chinese famine of 1928–30
|
6 million | Drought |
Fire
A full list in chronological order is detailed in the list of fires in China. The most fatal ones were:
| Date, location | Article | Deaths, injuries | Causes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 January 1878, Tianjin | Tianjin soup kitchen fire | 2,000, ?[10] | The gate of the soup kitchen was always locked to prevent hunger from causing social unrest, which prevented evacuation in case of fire. |
| 18 February 1977, Khorgas, Xinjiang | 61st Regiment Farm fire | 694, 161[11] | Most deaths were the troops' children. At Chinese New Year, a child set off a firecracker and ignited the wreaths for the funeral of Mao Zedong, which for many months no one dared to dispose of for fear of being accused of disrespecting. |
| 12 August 2015, Tianjin | 2015 Tianjin explosions | 173 | A series of explosions at the Port of Tianjin in Tianjin, northern China, killed 173 people. |
Flood
A full list in chronological order is detailed in the list of floods in China. The most fatal ones were:
| Article | Province | Deaths | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1887 Yellow River flood | Henan, Anhui, Jiangsu | 930,000 | [12] |
| 1975 Banqiao dam failure | Henan, Anhui | 230,000 | This dam failure was a landmark technological failure in the 20th century.[13] |
| 1931 China floods | Jiangsu | 422,499–4,000,000 | More deaths caused by the flood-led famine.[14] |