3. Bhola- The Typhoon That Started a War
The 1970 Bhola Cyclone that struck the Bay of Bengal on November 12th takes the cake as the deadliest tropical cyclone in history. This category 4 typhoon struck East Pakistan (now modern-day Bangladesh) and the West Bengal region of India on November 12th, claiming hundreds of thousands of lives, and ultimately setting off a war.
It’s estimated that at least a half million people died because of the storm, making it one of the deadliest natural disasters in history. In fact, nearly 50 percent of the population in the Tazumuddin region of Bangladesh was killed. The mean mortality rate throughout severely affected regions is believed to have been around 16.5%, with more than half of the deaths coming from children under 10.
At the time, modern-day Bangladesh was part of Pakistan. So-called East Pakistan was separated from West Pakistan by about 1,200 miles of Indian territory. Relations between Indian and Pakistan, meanwhile, had been poor since independence in 1947. At the same time, much of Pakistan’s resources and the seat of government were concentrated in West Pakistan. Many in East Pakistan felt like their region was treated as second class.
When the Bhola Cyclone struck East Pakistan was practically cut off from aid and resources. The Pakistani government tried to respond to the disaster, but the response was slow, clumsy, and frequently mishandled. Many people were left without aid, medical care, supplies, and other vital resources. International aid, meanwhile, was tied up and poorly distributed.
The dissatisfaction caused by the government’s response exacerbated the growing tensions between East and West Pakistan. In March of 1971 East and West Pakistan went to war. As the Bangladeshi Liberation war unfolded, West Pakistan decided to launch preemptive strikes on India, attacking 11 air force bases. This pulled India into the war. Then, India’s overwhelming counter-strike crippled West Pakistan and contributed to Bangladesh’s independence.
The Bhola Cyclone was thus responsible for not only killing hundreds of thousands of people, but also partially responsible for sparking a war and creating a new nation.