Totally destroyed houses in the Venezuelan capital Caracas.Image: keystone
Over 900 major earthquakes have occurred in the 21st century. With magnitudes of 7.5 and 7.2 and over 10,000 possible deaths, the earthquakes in Venezuela could be among the worst natural disasters in the last 26 years. The overview.
June 25, 2026, 6:43 p.mJune 25, 2026, 6:43 p.m
Earthquakes are common on our planet. Smaller tremors occur again and again and larger earthquakes are not uncommon. In the 21st century, there have already been 922 earthquakes with a magnitude of 7.0 or greater or with at least one fatality. The risk of large earthquakes is particularly high at the boundaries of the continental plates, as the map of the most severe earthquakes in the 21st century clearly shows.
The two earthquakes with a magnitude of 7.5 and 7.2 in Venezuela occurred within around 39 seconds of each other along a tectonic fault where several earth’s plates abut each other. In particular, the Caribbean plate and the South American plate move against each other on the northern edge of the South American continent, which repeatedly leads to smaller earthquakes. However, according to experts, the most recent earthquakes were the strongest in the region in around 100 years.
The situation is still confusing. The authorities speak of 165 deaths and over 1,000 injuries so far. According to search lists on social media, around 14,000 people were still missing the day after the disaster. However, the data is difficult to verify. Nevertheless, the earthquakes in Venezuela are likely to be among the most devastating in the 21st century.
The Deadliest Earthquakes
1. 2010 Haiti earthquake
316,000 dead
On January 12, 2010, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake shook the Caribbean state of Haiti, one of the poorest countries in the world. According to the Haitian government, 316,000 people died in the disaster. 1.5 million lose their roof over their heads. The capital Port-au-Prince, near which the epicenter is located, is almost completely destroyed.
Image: AP United Nations
2. 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
227,898 dead
A seaquake with a magnitude of 9.1 and an epicenter 85 kilometers off the Indonesian island of Sumatra triggered a series of tsunamis on December 26, 2004, killing almost 230,000 people. In the coastal areas, locals and tourists are defenseless against the monster waves.
Image: AP
3. 2008 Sichuan earthquake
87,589 dead
On May 12, 2008, the earth shook in the central Chinese province of Sichuan. The epicenter of the quake with a magnitude of 7.9 is only about 75 kilometers northwest of the megacity of Chengdu and at a shallow depth, causing extensive damage. 5.8 million people become homeless and 87,589 die.
Image: EPA
4. 2005 Kashmir earthquake
87,351 dead
On October 8, 2005, a magnitude 7.6 earthquake opened up a 100 km long rupture in the Pakistan-administered region of Asad Kashmir, along which almost all buildings were destroyed. Numerous villages are literally razed to the ground. 87,351 people died and 780,000 buildings were destroyed.
Image: AP
5. Earthquake in Turkey and Syria 2023
62,013 dead
A magnitude 7.8 earthquake shook the Turkish-Syrian border area on February 6, 2023, followed a few hours later by another magnitude 7.5 earthquake. Over 62,000 dead are recovered and more than 78,100 injured are recorded. Thousands of buildings are also being destroyed, including two hospitals in Turkey. Heavy rainfall and cold also make the rescue work, which lasts several days, more difficult.
Image: keystone
6. 2003 Bam earthquake
26,271 dead
In the early morning of December 26, 2003, a magnitude 6.6 earthquake devastated the region around the historic city of Bam in the southern Iranian province of Kerman. In the city of 100,000 inhabitants on the Silk Road, most of the mud-brick buildings are collapsing, burying over 25,000 people.
Image: EPA
7. 2011 Tohoku earthquake
20,852 dead
The earthquake off the Tohoku region of Japan on March 11, 2011 will go down in history as the largest nuclear disaster since Chernobyl. With a magnitude of 9.1, the earthquake initially triggered several tsunami waves that flooded the Japanese Pacific coast over an area of more than 500 km². Almost 21,000 people lose their lives and around 400,000 buildings are completely destroyed. After the Fukushima nuclear power plant was hit by a 14 meter high wave, there were several accidents and the release of radioactivity.
Image: EPA/AFLO / EPA FILE
8. 2001 Gujarat earthquake
20,085 dead
On January 26, 2001, on the morning of India’s Republic Day, a magnitude 7.7 earthquake shook the Indian state of Gujarat. Due to the loose sedimentary soil, the seismic vibrations can have a particularly destructive effect: more than 20,000 people die and 166,836 are injured.
Image: AP
9. 2015 Nepal earthquake
9018 dead
In the spring of 2015, several large earthquakes occurred in Nepal. The first and strongest, with a magnitude of 7.8, shook the country on April 25th. The worst affected areas are the Kathmandu Valley and nearby valleys, where many people are buried under the rubble of collapsing houses or under avalanches of rubble. 9,018 lose their lives and 22,300 are injured.
Image: AP
10. 2006 Yogyakarta earthquake
5782 dead
On May 27, 2006, an earthquake in the Sultanate of Yogyakarta on the Indonesian island of Java brought back bad memories of the devastating tsunami of 2004. Since it is a land earthquake and the magnitude is significantly lower at 6.3, no monster waves are formed. Nevertheless, 5,782 people died in the disaster and 350,000 buildings were destroyed or damaged.
Image: EPA
The strongest earthquakes
The strongest earthquakes are not always the most devastating. Despite the high magnitude of the earthquake, the three earthquakes off Sumatra in 2005, 2007 and 2012 produced tsunamis with a maximum wave height of around one meter, which caused only minor damage.
In general, the number of victims depends on the one hand on physical factors (magnitude, duration, distance from the epicenter) and on the other hand on human factors (settlement density, prevailing construction methods, protective measures).
- 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
Magnitude 9.1 – 227,898 dead - 2011 Tohoku earthquake
Magnitude 9.0 – 20,852 dead - 2010 Chile earthquake
Magnitude 8.8 – 550 dead - Earthquake off Kamchatka 2025
Magnitude 8.8 – 1 dead - Earthquake off Sumatra in 2005
Magnitude 8.6 – 1313 dead - Earthquake off Sumatra in 2012
Magnitude 8.6 – 10 dead - Earthquake off Sumatra in 2007
Magnitude 8.5 – 25 dead - Earthquake off Peru in 2001
Magnitude 8.4 – 145 dead - 2015 Coquimbo earthquake
Magnitude 8.3 – 20 dead - 2003 Tokachi earthquake
Magnitude 8.3 – 2 dead
The costliest earthquakes
It is still difficult to estimate how high the costs will be that the two earthquakes have caused to Venezuela. Images from the affected areas show that several houses have completely collapsed. Since the turn of the millennium, it has been mainly earthquakes in richer countries (Japan, China, USA, New Zealand, Italy) that have caused extremely high costs.
- 2011 Tohoku earthquake (JPN)
$360 billion - Earthquakes in Syria and Turkey (TUR/SYR)
$163.3 billion - 2008 Sichuan earthquake (CHN)
$130 billion - 1994 Northridge earthquake (USA)
40 billion US dollars - 2004 Chuetsu earthquake (JPN)
$40 billion - 1995 Kobe earthquake (JPN)
30 to 200 million US dollars - Christchurch earthquake of 2011 (NZL)
$27.9 billion - 2016 Kumamoto earthquake (JPN)
$24 billion to $46 billion - 2011 Sikkim earthquake (IND)
$22.3 billion - 1980 Irpina earthquake (ITA)
$20 billion - 1988 Spitak earthquake (ARM)
$16.2 billion - 2009 L’Aquila earthquake (ITA)
$16 billion - 2012 Northern Italy earthquake (ITA)
$15.8 billion - 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake (IND)
15 billion US dollars - 2010 Chile earthquake (CHL)
$15 billion