death.observer

Disaster PREVIEW · PHASE 2

Natural disasters, epidemics and industrial accidents, with the counting basis stated for every figure.

  1. 1346 – 1353 ESTIMATED · Epidemic

    Black Death

    A plague pandemic, caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, that spread from the Black Sea region across Europe, Western Asia and North Africa between 1346 and 1353.

    Deaths
    25,000,000–50,000,000 ESTIMATED
    Counted
    Deaths in Europe only; no comprehensive estimate exists for Western Asia and North Africa. Low end: Britannica (about 25 million, 1347–1351); high end: Benedictow's synthesis of about 60% of an estimated 80 million Europeans (about 50 million), as summarised by Our World in Data.
    Where
    Europe, Western Asia and North Africa VERIFIED
  2. 14 Apr 1912 – 15 Apr 1912 VERIFIED · Accident

    Sinking of the Titanic

    The British liner Titanic struck an iceberg late on 14 April 1912 on its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York and sank at 2:20 a.m. on 15 April in the North Atlantic.

    Deaths
    1,490–1,517 ESTIMATED
    Counted
    Passengers and crew lost. The U.S. Senate inquiry found 1,517 and the British Board of Trade inquiry 1,503; their official reports revised these to 1,500 and 1,490. NOAA states more than 1,500 of about 2,240 aboard died.
    Where
    North Atlantic Ocean, about 740 km (400 nautical miles) off Newfoundland VERIFIED
  3. 1918 – 1920 VERIFIED / ESTIMATED · Epidemic

    1918 influenza pandemic

    An influenza A(H1N1) pandemic that spread worldwide in waves from 1918, infecting an estimated 500 million people, about one third of the world's population at the time.

    Deaths
    17,000,000–100,000,000 ESTIMATED
    Counted
    Pandemic influenza deaths worldwide. CDC gives 'at least 50 million' and a CDC journal article 20–100 million; Our World in Data reports Johnson and Mueller (50 million, possibly up to 100 million) and Spreeuwenberg et al. 2018 (about 17 million, likely an underestimate).
    Where
    Worldwide VERIFIED
  4. 12 Nov 1970 – 13 Nov 1970 VERIFIED · Natural disaster

    1970 Bhola cyclone

    A tropical cyclone from the Bay of Bengal struck the coast of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) on 12–13 November 1970, its storm surge flooding low-lying islands and tidal flats.

    Deaths
    300,000–500,000 ESTIMATED
    Counted
    Direct deaths, mostly drowning in the storm surge. WMO and NOAA give 300,000–500,000; WMO's extremes archive adopts about 300,000 as the assessed figure.
    Where
    Coastal East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), Bay of Bengal VERIFIED
  5. 28 Jul 1976 VERIFIED · Natural disaster

    1976 Tangshan earthquake

    A magnitude 7.8 earthquake (China's official magnitude; moment magnitude 7.5) struck the Tangshan–Fengnan area of Hebei at 3:42 a.m. on 28 July 1976, levelling the industrial city of Tangshan; 242,769 people died and 164,851 were seriously injured.

    Deaths
    242,769 VERIFIED
    Counted
    Official PRC toll: 242,769 dead and 164,851 seriously injured, as published by the China Earthquake Administration system (Liaoning Earthquake Agency) and China National Emergency Broadcasting. Date is local time; in UTC the main shock was 27 July, 19:42.
    Where
    Tangshan, Hebei, China VERIFIED