A strong 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck Morocco on Friday killing over 600 people and damaging buildings and red walls that surround the old city in historic Marrakech. It is said to be the most powerful earthquake to hit the country to date.
Let us look at the worst earthquakes that have caused great damage in the past.
The Great Chilean Earthquake (1960)
According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the 1960 Valdivia Earthquake, also known as the Great Chilean Earthquake, is the strongest earthquake ever recorded. It hit the Valdivia town in southern Chile on May 22, 1960, and its magnitude was measured at 9.5.
The earthquake also spawned a deadly tsunami which took the combined death count to an estimated 5,700 in Chile alone. The calamity left around two million homeless and caused damage worth about $550 million. The tsunami killed 61 people in Hawaii, two on the US West Coast, and 139 in Japan, as per the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI).
Great Alaska Earthquake (1964)
The 9.2-magnitude Great Alaska Earthquake is believed to be the second most powerful earthquake to hit a region. It is also known as the Prince William Sound Earthquake and the Good Friday Earthquake. It struck southern Alaska in the US on March 27 1964 and lasted for about four minutes causing widespread damages, especially in the Alaskan capital of Anchorage.
According to reports, some 115 people died due to the earthquake.
Sumatra-Andaman Islands Earthquake (2004)
The Sumatra-Andaman Islands Earthquake or the Indian Ocean Earthquake struck off the west coast of Northern Sumatra and is said to be the deadliest earthquake in recorded history. Its magnitude was measured to be 9.1. The tremors triggered a tsunami that killed more than 2,40,000 people in 14 countries in South in Southeast Asia, reported DW.
Tohoku Earthquake (2011)
Japan was rocked by a powerful undersea earthquake on March 11, 2011, that hit below the North Pacific some 130 kms east of Sendai city in the Tohoku region. The quake caused a tsunami creating huge waves up to 40 metres. More than 15,500 were killed and over 4,50,000 became homeless as a result of the disaster, according to National Geographic.
Kamchatka Earthquake, Russia (1952)
This 9.0-magnitude earthquake resulted in the Kamchatka tsunami on November 4, 1952, in East Russia. The waves created by it measured as high as 50 feet and caused extensive damage in the Kamchatka peninsula and Kuril Islands. It claimed the lives of about 15,000 people.
