10 of the Deadliest Natural Disasters in 2023.
Earthquakes took tens of thousands of lives in 2023.
A Year of Disaster
As the sun sets on the hottest year on record, climate change and its disastrous effects figure prominently in discussions among global leaders. In December, the U.N. Climate Change Conference, known as COP28, saw the official launch of a “loss and damage” fund to provide financial assistance to developing countries facing severe impacts of climate change.
Indeed, 2023 was host to a variety of disasters, some of them the worst their respective countries have seen in years – if not decades. Though the year saw many of such catastrophes, earthquakes dominated the top 10, in some cases taking thousands of lives at once
Here are 10 of the deadliest natural disasters of 2023:
Wildfire Kills at Least 100 in Hawaii
Drought and wind gusts coalesced on the Hawaiian island of Maui on Aug. 8 to create the conditions for a series of fires that raged for three days before being mostly contained. The blaze eventually took the lives of at least 100 people, staking its claim as one of the deadliest wildfires in U.S. history. Early estimates by the University of Hawaii's Pacific Disaster Center and the Federal Emergency Management Agency placed the cost of rebuilding at $5.52billion.
Heavy Rain and Flooding Kill at Least 129 in Rwanda.
During the night of May 2, heavy rain pummeled northern and western Rwanda, destroying 5,000 homes and killing at least 129.
Cyclone Mocha Kills at Least 145 in Myanmar.
Flash floods and winds of up to 130 mph from Cyclone Mocha ripped through Myanmar on May 14, causing the deaths of at least 145 people, many of whom belonged to the heavily persecuted Rohingya minority group, according to the Associated Press. The storm was one of the worst experienced by the Southeast Asian nation in years.
Earthquake Claims at Least 157 Lives in Nepal.
On Nov. 3, a 5.6-magnitude earthquake struck western Nepal and killed at least 157 people. Sitting at the meeting point of the Indian and Asian tectonic plates, the mountainous nation is no stranger to seismic activity. One of its most destructive earthquakes took almost 9,000 lives in 2015.
Floods in the DRC Take More Than 438 Lives.
Early May saw torrential rain fall on the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, causing flash flooding and mudslides. The flood water killed at least 438 people and left thousands more missing or homeless. Heavy rain and extreme flooding have become increasingly common in Africa in recent years due to climate change, according to the U.N.
Tropical Cyclone Freddy Kills at least 679 in Malawi.
For six days in early March, heavy rains from Tropical Cyclone Freddy fell upon Malawi and took the lives of at least 679 people, though Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera said the actual toll likely exceeds 1,000. While Malawi bore the brunt of the destruction, other countries in southern Africa were not spared. At least 17 people died in Madagascar, and at least 183 died in Mozambique, where 184,000 people were displaced.
Earthquake in Afghanistan Kills At Least 1,480.
A 6.3-magnitude quake shook western Afghanistan on Oct. 7, killing at least 1,480 people and injuring thousands more. The disaster compounded already precarious conditions of food insecurity and further imperiled women in the country, who – along with children – accounted for more than 90% of the fatalities, per the United Nations. Due to its position at the intersection of multiple tectonic plates, Afghanistan is the site of frequent seismic activity. A 5.9-magnitude event wrought similar devastation in the eastern end of the nation last year.
Earthquake Kills 2,946 in Morocco.
A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck 45 miles southwest of Marrakech, Morocco, on Sept. 8, taking 2,946 lives and injuring 5,674, according to the National Centers for Environmental Information. An official at the country’s National Institute of Geophysics described the quake as the strongest ever recorded in the region.
Storm Daniel Kills at Least 4,352 in Libya.
On Sept. 10, Storm Daniel smashed into the Mediterranean coastal city of Derna in Libya, bringing with it torrential rain and considerable flooding and bursting two of the city’s dams. As of Oct. 31, the official toll sits at 4,352 lives lost, with an estimated 8,000 still missing and feared dead. In the wake of the disaster, Libya’s chief prosecutor has levied charges against local officials for negligence and mismanagement that he says worsened the catastrophe.
Earthquake Takes Upwards of 55,000 Lives in Turkey and Syria.
On Feb. 6, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck southeast Turkey near the Syria border, followed by a 7.5-magnitude aftershock mere hours later and multiple other temblors. As a result, the humanitarian situation in Syria, already afflicted by a host of crises, deteriorated further.
The disaster took the lives of more than 55,000 people, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Most of the dead were Turkish. Turkey’s last 7.8-magnitude quake in 1939 caused more than 32,000 deaths, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
These are 10 of 2023’s deadliest natural disasters:
- Earthquake Takes More Than 55,000 Lives in Turkey and Syria .
- February 2023
Storm Daniel Kills at Least 4,352 People in Libya September 2023.
- Earthquake Kills 2,946 in Morocco September 2023.
- Earthquake in Afghanistan Kills at Least 1,480 October 2023.
- Tropical Cyclone Freddy Kills at Least 679 in Malawi March 2023
- Flooding in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Kills at Least 438 May 2023
- Earthquake Claims at Least 157 Lives in Nepal November 2023
- Cyclone Mocha Kills at Least 145 in Myanmar May 2023
- Heavy Rain and Flooding Kill at Least 129 in Rwanda May 2023
- Wildfire Kills at Least 100 in Hawaii May 2023.
