Srinagar, Feb 6: Unimaginable death, destruction and trauma are unfolding in Southern Turkiye and northern parts of Syria, after two major earthquakes hit the region early Monday morning. Internet is full of unbearable videos and photos, depicting the pain and suffering of the people who are trapped in the rubble of buildings or whose loves ones are buried under debris and cannot reach them.
But how big is this earth quake conpared to the earthquake that hit Kashmir in 2005? Ziraat Times explains:Â
2005: Kashmir earthquake
In October 2005, a magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck the western part of the Kashmir region administered by Pakistan, as well as some areas of Kashmir on this side of the LoC. The disaster claimed the lives of 86,000 people and left just as many injured, while millions were displaced.
The areas most affected on this side of the LoC included Uri, Karnah, Rafiabad and parts of upper Kupwara and Baramulla.
The catastrophe is considered the deadliest in South Asia.Â
In comparison, the magnitude of the Turkiye earthquake is 7.8, which hit in the darkness of a winter morning, and was followed by a second, 7.7 quake in the middle of the day on Monday. The twin quakes left many buildings badly damaged.Â
Here are the other major earthquakes witnessed in Asia during this century so far:
2004: Indian Ocean horror
The early 2000s saw a spate of devastating earthquakes. In December 2004, a quake with a magnitude of 9.3, the third most powerful one ever recorded, struck with an epicenter just off the western coast of Indonesia.
The jolt provoked a giant 30-meter-high tsunami that devastated communities along the coasts of the Indian Ocean, killing a total of 227,898 people in 14 countries, thus making it the deadliest natural disaster recorded in history. In addition to the massive death toll, infrastructure was destroyed and economic activity was disrupted throughout coastal regions such as Indonesia’s Aceh and India’s Tamil Nadu provinces. The earthquake was so powerful that it even triggered smaller seismic events as far away as Alaska.
2008: ‘Great Sichuan earthquake’
In May 2008, a powerful earthquake struck the province of Sichuan in southwestern China. Having a magnitude of 8.0, the quake caused the largest number of geohazards ever recorded, including some 200,000 landslides. It was felt as far away as Beijing and Shanghai, as well as in Thailand and Vietnam.
The disaster claimed over 80,000 lives and left almost 5 million people homeless, making it the deadliest earthquake in China since 1976.
