Landslides are one of the most deadliest natural disaster that can occur. If you are ever in one, you may be lucky to get away with your life.
Some of the world’s deadliest landslide occurs from earthquakes. You may not feel it but the Earth is always in constant motion. The Earth’s tectonic plates move in a slow motion.
When an earthquake occur, they can break down huge chunks of dirt and land and cause them to cascade down to lower levels. This is known as landslides.
Multiple landslides has occurred through out history, with some being more deadly from others. Lets take a look at 5 of the most deadliest landslide in human history.
1. 1920 Haiyuan Landslides
Picture: Jingning County Archives
In 1920, a massive 8.5-magnitude earthquake hit Haiyuan. This caused numerous landslides to occur. The earthquake was known as the worst earthquake to occur in the 20th century.
It generated a total of 675 major landslides, causing many lives lost and properties damaged. One of the landslides even buried an entire village of Sujiahe in Xiji County.
The total death toll of the landslide and the earthquake combined is roughly 200,00 people.
2. 1999 Vargas Tragedy
Picture: United States Geological Survey/ Wikimedia Commons
The Vargas Tragedy is a landslide tragedy that occurred in Vargas State, Venezuela. As a result of heavy rainfall, one of the worst landslides occurred in history.
Rain hammered the Sierra de Avila, triggering hundreds of landslides that devastated the villages in their path. Around 30,000 people perished as a result of the rainfall-caused flash floods and debris flows.
Additionally, 10% of Vargas’s population died in the tragedy.
3. 1985 Armero Tragedy
Picture: United States Geological Survey/ Wikimedia Commons
On November 13, 1985, a dormant volcano in Tolima, Colombia, called the Nevado del Ruiz, erupted with devastating force, destroying adjacent villages and towns and killing as many as 23,000.
Furthermore, the volcano melted glaciers in the mountain, releasing catastrophic lahars filled with mud, ice, snow, and volcanic debris that rushed down the mountain at lethal speeds toward the homes right below it. Thousands of people in the town of Armero were killed.
4. 1970 Yungay Landslide
Picture: BBC
The Ancash earthquake triggered the Yungay landslide. Accordingly, the earthquake shattered a glacier on Mount Huascarán, which is above Yungay.
The tragedy is categorized as a landslide and an avalanche. This is due to the rocks and ice that came tumbling down the mountain before burying Yungay. Only 350 people survived the tragedy.
Above all, the death toll from the landslide is around 20,000.
5. 2013 North India Landslides
Picture: Mukerjee/Wikimedia Commons
The heavy rains caused landslides and floods in Northern India. The landslide killed nearly 5,000 people.
Moreover, activists have blamed the lax enforcement of construction codes for allowing individuals to construct houses on unstable ground, which contributed to the high death toll.
Sources: WorldAtlas, Ranker
