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Deadliest earthquakes of 2023: Seven quakes that hit Asian, West Asian countries
- The deadliest natural disasters of 2023 included earthquakes in Turkey, China, Nepal, Afghanistan, and the Philippines, resulting in significant loss of life and widespread damage.
The year 2023 witnessed some devastating earthquakes in several Asian and West Asian countries in which thousands of people lost their lives. The year 2023's biggest catastrophe began in Turkey when a series of earthquakes jolted the country, leading to one of the biggest humanitarian crises in the country. Of the seven severe earthquakes in 2023, four occurred in Asian countries-China, Nepal, Afghanistan, and the Philippines. On Sunday, last day of 2023, 6.3 magnitude of earthquake jolted Indonesia. No reports of casualties or material damage have surfaced yet.
Here is the list of the deadliest natural disasters of 2023:
TURKEY and SYRIA (6 February)
A series of massive earthquakes struck south-eastern Türkiye near the border with the Syrian Arab Republic on 6 February 2023. a magnitude 7.8 earthquake occurred in southern Turkey near the northern border of Syria. This quake was followed approximately nine hours later by a magnitude 7.5 earthquake located around 59 miles (95 kilometers) to the southwest. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared a three-month state of emergency in 10 of the country’s provinces.
ECUADOR (18 March)
An earthquake of magnitude 6.7 killed at least 15 people, and damaged houses and buildings in the coastal Guayas region.
MOROCCO (8 September)
A strong earthquake struck Morocco in September 2023. The Al Haouz earthquake, named after the Moroccan province most impacted by the shaking, occurred on September 8 with violent tremors near its epicentre and very strong ones in the city of Marrakesh. Nearly 3,000 people were killed and over 5,500 reportedly injured, and there was widespread damage to structures, according to the researchers.
AFGHANISTAN (8 October)
Powerful earthquakes jolted Afghanistan and killed more than 2,000 people in October 2023.
NEPAL (4 November)
At least 128 people were killed and dozens injured in Nepal when a strong earthquake struck the western area of Jajarkot, Nepal. The earthquake was the deadliest since 2015 when about 9,000 people were killed in two earthquakes in Nepal.
PHILIPPINES (17 November)
A magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck the southern Philippines on Friday, killing one person, injuring dozens, and damaging buildings.
CHINA (18 December)
A 6.2-magnitude quake struck a remote mountainous area between Gansu and Qinghai provinces on 18 December. In this deadly earthquake, more than 150 people died and thousands got injured. Most of China’s earthquakes strike in the western part of the country, including Gansu, Qinghai, Sichuan, and Yunnan provinces, as well as the Xinjiang region and Tibet.
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Business NewsNewsIndiaDeadliest earthquakes of 2023: Seven quakes that hit Asian, West Asian countries
First Published:31 Dec 2023, 11:17 AM IST
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