31. The Twentieth Century’s Deadliest Earthquake
At 3:42 AM, July 28th, 1976, a massive earthquake of between 7.8 to 8.2 on the Richter Scale hit Tangshan. It lasted for less than half a minute – 23 seconds, to be exact. During that short span of time, 90% of Tangshan’s buildings were leveled. Because almost everybody was asleep in their beds – in homes that were decidedly not earthquake-resistant – the death toll was horrific.
Stunned survivors crawled out of their homes, many of them naked, covered only in blood and dust. The seismic upheaval started fires, set off explosives in Tangshan’s factories, spilled toxic chemicals, and released poisonous gasses. Water and electricity were cut off, while road and rail links were severed. Between the initial earthquake and subsequent aftershocks, an estimated 655,000 people were killed, and another 700,000 were seriously injured.