Deadly toll of nature over two decades

Here are some of the world's deadliest earthquakes since 2000:

— June 22, 2022: In Afghanistan, more than 1,100 people die in a magnitude-6.1 earthquake.

— Aug 14, 2021: In Haiti, a magnitude-7.2 earthquake kills more than 2,200 people.

— Sept 28, 2018: A magnitude-7.5 earthquake hits Indonesia, triggering a tsunami and killing more than 4,300 people.

— April 25, 2015: In Nepal, more than 8,800 people are killed by a magnitude-7.8 earthquake.

— March 11, 2011: A magnitude-9.0 quake off the northeastern coast of Japan triggers a tsunami, killing nearly 20,000 people.

— Jan 12, 2010: In Haiti, more than 100,000 people are killed by a magnitude-7.0 quake. Government estimates put the number at 316,000 dead.

— May 12, 2008: A magnitude-8.0 quake strikes Sichuan in China, resulting in more than 69,200 deaths, with over 17,900 others reported missing.

— May 27, 2006: More than 5,700 people die when a magnitude-6.3 quake hits the island of Java, Indonesia.

— Oct 8, 2005: A magnitude-7.6 earthquake kills over 80,000 people in the Pakistan-controlled Kashmir region.

— March 28, 2005: A magnitude-8.6 quake in northern Sumatra, Indonesia, kills about 1,300 people.

— Dec 26, 2004: A magnitude-9.1 quake in Indonesia triggers an Indian Ocean tsunami, killing about 230,000 people in a dozen countries.

— Dec 26, 2003: A magnitude-6.6 earthquake hits southeastern Iran, resulting in more than 20,000 deaths.

— Jan 26, 2001: A magnitude-7.6 quake strikes Gujarat in India, killing as many as 20,000 people.

Sources: US Geological Survey, Xinhua

Agencies via Xinhua