Fri, 6 Jun 02:52:20 GMT17

 

FACTBOX-Asia's worst recent natural disasters
30 May 2008 14:17:24 GMT
Source: Reuters
May 30 (Reuters) - China said that the official death toll from its May 12 quake is now 68,858 and is sure to rise.

There is widespread worry that more than 30 landslide-blocked rivers could burst through and bring more havoc by flooding downstream towns and reservoirs.

Here are some of the region's worst recent natural disasters:-

Dec. 26, 2004 - ASIA - The number of dead and missing from an earthquake off the coast of Indonesia and subsequent tsunami is at least 232,000. The quake measured 9.15 in magnitude.

March 28, 2005 - INDONESIA - Nearly 1,000 people are killed after a quake of magnitude 8.7 strikes the coast off the Indonesian island of Sumatra.

July/Aug - INDIA - More than 1,000 people are killed -- mostly drowned and buried by landslides -- after the heaviest rainfall ever recorded falls in the western state of Maharashtra on July 26.

Oct 8 - PAKISTAN - At least 73,320 people are killed by a 7.6 magnitude quake that strikes about 95 km (60 miles) northeast of Islamabad. The quake also rocks Indian Kashmir, killing 1,244 people.

Feb. 17, 2006 - PHILIPPINES - Mudslide triggered by heavy rain buries nearly 1,000 people in the Philippines. About 140 bodies are recovered.

May 27 - INDONESIA - More than 5,700 people are killed when an earthquake centred just off the Indian Ocean coast hits the island of Java near Yogyakarta.

June-July, 2007 - INDIAN SUBCONTINENT - Monsoon storms kill about 1,750 people in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, India, and Pakistan. India is hardest hit with at least 750 people killed.

Nov 15 - BANGLADESH - Cyclone Sidr strikes Bangladesh, killing about 3,500 people.

May 2/3, 2008 - MYANMAR - As of May 26 the official toll of dead and missing is above 134,000 after Cyclone Nargis ripped through Myanmar's Irrawaddy Delta. An estimated 2.4 million people have been left destitute.

-- UNICEF says that more than 4,000 basic schools were either damaged or destroyed, affecting 1.1 million students, according to government figures.

May 12 - CHINA - The most devastating earthquake to hit China in three decades strikes southwest Sichuan. The quake, which measured magnitude 7.9, killed 68,858 as of May 30 with 18,618 missing. More than 360,000 people were injured.

-- An estimated 5 million people are displaced by the quake.

-- The government has received 35.28 billion yuan ($5.09 billion) in donations of cash and relief goods from home and abroad to date.

For story on the Chinese earthquake, click on [nPEK242619]

For latest story on Myanmar cyclone, click on [nBKK224056] (Writing by David Cutler, London Editorial Reference Unit)
AlertNet news is provided by

Related articles

Breaking stories
Asia "Spiderman" sparks copycat with NY skyscraper climb

Asia World Environment Day calls for end to CO2 addiction

AlertNet insight
Asia Donors to thrash out climate change funding row

Aid agency news feed
Asia Myanmar: disease in the stricken delta

Blogs
Asia Myanmar cyclone deaths could have been prevented

Maps
Asia MAP: Sri Lanka WFP emergency assistance in flood affected areas


Country information


Del.icio.us Del.icio.us  |   Digg Digg  |   NewsVine NewsVine  |   Reddit Reddit   
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-06-04T152925Z_01_NIR04_RTRIDSP_2_QUAKE_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/NIR04.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-06-04T152803Z_01_NIR03_RTRIDSP_2_QUAKE_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/NIR03.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-06-04T135916Z_01_STG01_RTRIDSP_2_CHILE-VOLCANO_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/STG01.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-06-04T134909Z_01_HKG09_RTRIDSP_2_HONGKONG_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/HKG09.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-06-04T134627Z_01_HKG08_RTRIDSP_2_HONGKONG_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/HKG08.htm

Police and soldiers guard the entrance to the earthquake-destroyed Juyuan Middle school in Juyuan, Sichuan province June 4, 2008. At least two of the main reported schools that were open and ...



URL: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L30652675.htm

For our full disclaimer and copyright information please visit http://www.alertnet.org