Top 10 deadliest tsunamis in the last 500 years
Massive Kamchatka quake sparks Pacific tsunami alerts, evacuations
In the early hours of Wednesday (July 30, 2025), a colossal 8.8-magnitude earthquake, the 6th-strongest recorded tremor, struck off Russia’s far eastern Kamchatka Peninsula.
It unleashed powerful tsunami waves that threatened communities across the Pacific.
Tsunami warnings and mass evacuations swept through eastern Russia and Japan, where waves up to 3 metres surged toward the coast.
It also disrupted travel and flights were diverted as alarms sounded across Alaska, Hawaii, and North America’s Pacific rim, underscoring the immense, transoceanic reach of tsunami hazards.
It’s a stark reminder: natural cataclysms have repeatedly rewritten coastal histories.
The full extent of the damage of the Kamchatka earthquake and tsunami is yet unknown.
Historically, the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami remains the deadliest in modern recorded history with around 230,000 deaths and multibillion-dollar damages, caused by a massive 9.1 magnitude undersea earthquake near Sumatra.
Japan’s 2011 Tōhoku disaster also led to unimaginable loss and a nuclear crisis, these seismic sea waves remain among nature’s most lethal threats.
Top 10 tsunamis of the last 500 years
Here are 10 of the biggest tsunamis in the last 500 years, ranked by combined impact on life (deaths) and property (economic damage):
| # | Tsunami / Date | Location | Casualties | Damage to Property |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami (2004) | Sumatra, Indonesia & Indian Ocean countries | ~230,000+ deaths across 13 countries | ~$10-$13 billion USD (massive infrastructure & homes destroyed) |
| 2 | Japan Tōhoku Earthquake and Tsunami (2011) | North Pacific Coast, Japan | ~18,500 deaths | ~$235 billion USD (including Fukushima nuclear disaster damage) |
| 3 | Krakatoa Volcanic Tsunami (1883) | Sunda Strait, Indonesia | ~36,000 deaths | Extensive destruction of coastal towns and villages |
| 4 | Peru-Chile Tsunami (1868) | Coast of Peru and Chile | ~25,000 deaths | $300 million USD estimated damages (1868 USD) |
| 5 | 1792 Unzen Earthquake and Tsunami | Japan (Shimabara Peninsula) | ~15,000 deaths | Significant coastal village destruction due to landslide-generated tsunami |
| 6 | 1946 Aleutian Islands Earthquake & Tsunami | Near Alaska coast | ~165 deaths | Extensive damage in Hawaii and Alaska; property losses not fully quantified |
| 7 | 1700 Cascadia Earthquake & Tsunami | Pacific Northwest, USA/Canada coast | ~Unknown (estimated 1,000s) | Estimated significant damage along coasts, but exact data lacking |
| 8 | 1960 Great Chilean Earthquake & Tsunami | Chile | ~1,600 deaths | ~$550 million USD damages (1960 USD) |
| 9 | 2006 Pangandaran Tsunami | Java, Indonesia | ~700 deaths | Extensive coastal village destruction |
| 10 | 1958 Lituya Bay Megatsunami | Alaska, USA | 2 deaths | Massive local destruction; $7 million USD damage (1958 USD) |
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