Earthquake in Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula described as ‘most powerful quake since 1952’
An 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck off Russia's far eastern Kamchatka Peninsula on Wednesday, ranking among the 10 strongest quakes ever recorded.
The powerful quake, which triggered a state of emergency in the region and tsunami warnings in surrounding countries such as the US and Japan, was described as "the most powerful quake since 1952."
Below is a list of history's strongest earthquakes compiled by Anadolu, including dates and estimated death tolls.
The strongest earthquake ever recorded occurred in Valdivia, Chile, in 1960. The 9.5 magnitude quake triggered massive tsunami waves, killing more than 1,600 people and injuring thousands more.
In 1964, a 9.2 magnitude earthquake struck Alaska, which lasted nearly five minutes, triggering a tsunami that claimed around 130 lives.
A 9.1 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia’s Sumatra Island in 2004, killing around 230,000 people in southern and southeastern Asia and East Africa.
In 2011, a 9.1 magnitude earthquake struck Japan’s northeastern Tohoku region, triggering a tsunami that caused a leak at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant and resulted in more than 18,000 deaths.
Russia’s far eastern Kamchatka Peninsula, which experienced the latest tremor, was also the epicenter of a major 9 magnitude earthquake in 1952 that caused no casualties but triggered a tsunami with waves up to 9 meters (29 feet) high that reached the US island state of Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean.
In 2010, an 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck near Biobio along Chile’s coast, lasting 1.5 minutes and triggering a tsunami that claimed more than 500 lives and affected several Latin American countries, including Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Costa Rica, and Panama.
Another 8.8 magnitude quake occurred off the coast of Ecuador in 1906, followed by a tsunami that killed around 1,500 people.
In 1965, Alaska experienced an 8.7 magnitude earthquake that generated 11 m (36 ft) high tsunami waves, though no casualties were reported.
In 1950, an 8.6 magnitude earthquake struck Tibet, killing an estimated 750-1,500 people and destroying dozens of villages.
More recently, in 2012, an 8.6 magnitude earthquake struck near Indonesia’s Sumatra Island but caused no significant loss of life despite its strength.
