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LONDON, DECEMBER 27: Rescuers raced to recover bodies amid fears of disease as Asia counted the cost on Monday of a tsunami that killed at least 21,559 people along coasts from India to Indonesia.
Smaller tremors followed Sunday's earthquake which measured 9.0, the world's biggest quake since 1964 and the fourth-largest since 1900.
Here is a factbox showing the 10 strongest earthquakes in the last century by magnitude.
May 22, 1960:Chile - An earthquake measuring 9.5 struck Santiago and Concepcion, triggering tidal waves and volcanic eruptions. Some 5,000 people were killed and 2 million made homeless.
March 28, 1964:Alaska - An earthquake and ensuing tsunami claimed 125 lives and caused about $311 million in property loss. The quake, measuring 9.2, was felt over a large area of Alaska and in parts of western Yukon Territory and British Columbia, Canada.
March 9, 1957:Alaska - An earthquake measuring 9.1 hit the Andreanof Islands. On Umnak Island, Mount Vsevidof erupted after being dormant for 200 years, generating a 15-metre high tsunami that continued to Hawaii.
Dec 26, 2004:Indonesia - A quake measuring 9.0 struck the coast of Aceh province on the northern Indonesian island of Sumatra and triggered a tsunami that killed over 16,400 in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Indonesia and India. Nov 4, 1952 - Russia - An earthquake with a magnitude of 9.0 generated a tsunami which struck the Hawaiian islands. No lives were lost.
Jan 31, 1906:Ecuador - An earthquake with a magnitude of 8.8 struck near the coast of Ecuador and Colombia, generating a strong tsunami that killed up to 1,000. It was felt all along the coast of Central America and as far north as San Francisco and west to Japan.
Feb 4, 1965:Alaska - Measuring 8.7, the quake generated a tsunami reported to be about 10.7 metres high on Shemya Island.
Aug 15, 1950:Tibet/India - Two thousand homes, temples and mosques were destroyed in a quake measuring 8.6. Hardest hit was the Brahmaputra Basin in northeast India. At least 1,500 people were killed.
Feb 3, 1923:Russia - Kamchatka was struck by a quake with a magnitude of 8.5.
Feb 1, 1938:Indonesia - An 8.5 magnitude earthquake in the Banda Sea generated tsunamis causing great damage on Banda and Kai, volcanic islands in eastern Indonesia. |