Drowned Cities, Lost Lives: The Deadliest Floods Ever
China’s 1931 floods, considered one of the deadliest natural disasters in history, claimed an estimated 1 to 4 million lives
India’s 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami-flood was a devastating natural disaster that claimed over 230,000 lives across multiple countries, with India among the hardest hit
The 2010 Pakistan floods were one of the worst in the country’s history, killing around 2,000 people and affecting over 20 million through widespread displacement and destruction
The 1998 Bangladesh floods were catastrophic, resulting in over 1,100 deaths and affecting nearly 30 million people, submerging two-thirds of the country for weeks
The 2018 Kerala floods in India were the worst in nearly a century, claiming over 480 lives and causing massive displacement and damage across the state
The 2021 Western Europe floods were among the region’s deadliest in decades, resulting in over 200 deaths, with Germany and Belgium being the most severely affected
China’s Henan floods in 2021 were devastating, leading to the deaths of 398 people and causing widespread damage across cities, including the heavily affected Zhengzhou
The 2023 Libya floods were one of the deadliest natural disasters in recent history, with over 11,300 lives lost and extensive devastation across affected regions