10 Worst Disasters in Recent World History

10 Worst Disasters in Recent World History

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today were counting down our picks for the worst humanitarian, environmental and natural disasters that have resulted in massive long-term suffering and global impact.

2019 Amazon Rainforest Fires (2019)

The Amazon is the largest rainforest in the world, serving as the lungs of the Earth. It helps regulate global warming by acting as a carbon sink. However, in 2019, the rainforest and its millions of inhabitants, plant and animal, battled fires that eradicated an area of nearly 9,000 square kilometers. Wildfires are a natural occurrence during dry seasons, but 2019s fires were among the worst in recent history. More than 72,000 fires raged ferociously. It was a roughly 85% surge compared to the previous year. Deforestation and a slash-and-burn approach for agriculture and development were identified as significant causes of the fires. Global outrage followed, and continues to this day, but so does deforestation.

Rohingya Refugee Crisis (2017)

In August 2017, senior Burmese military commanders set plans for an area clearance against Myanmars minority Rohingya Muslim population. Weeks later, the world witnessed what the UN described as a textbook example of ethnic cleansing. A brutal crackdown by Myanmars military saw entire villages being burned, mass killings, and sexual violence against the Rohingya. Official documents would later show how the military demonized the Rohingya. They enlisted spies who would take part in the operations and coordinate the violence with ultranationalist Buddhist monks. Nearly 700,000 fled to Bangladesh, where they joined 300,000 who had arrived from previous waves of displacement. Today, the Rohingya remain stateless in overcrowded camps, with little hope of returning to their ancestral homes.

2010 Russian Heat Wave (2010)

The summer of 2010 was not so pleasant for Western Russia. A record-breaking heat wave caused temperatures to soar past 40°C, or 104°F, with wildfires enveloping cities in a noxious mix of haze and smoke. Scientists looking for causes found none to blame. The phenomenon was largely natural and caused by atmospheric processes with little human influence, but this did not make it less deadly. More than 55,000 people died from either respiratory illness or heat stroke. The fires released millions of tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and devastated wheat crops. Moscow would be clouded in smoke for weeks as hospitals overflowed with victims of natures onslaught.

Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill (2010)

Oil and water never mix well. So, when the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20, 2010, scientists knew they had a massive environmental crisis at hand. Eleven out of the 126 workers on the rig were killed. Eighty-seven days later, nearly 3.19 million barrels of oil, amounting to 134 million gallons, spilled into the Gulf of Mexico. This was the largest marine oil spill in history. It devastated marine life. Coastal economies were wrecked, and the British Petroleum Company faced billions in damages. More than 10 years after the disaster, governing bodies have failed to implement recommendations for the greater restoration of the environment. Marine life in the Gulf continues to show evidence of contamination.

2011 East Africa Drought (2011)

Climate shocks do not settle easily. Between July 2011 and mid-2012, Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia suffered a drought considered the worst in 60 years. Crops failed, livestock died, and water grew scarce. The ensuing famine claimed more than 260,000 lives, according to a UN report. Most of them were young children. Consecutive failed rainfall seasons left several million in need of humanitarian aid. Things were only made worse by the regions political instability, which restricted access to those essential services. Adding economic fragility and regional conflicts to an already volatile situation transformed the East African drought into a mass tragedy. To this day, drought trends in the Horn of Africa continue to get worse, with no rain in sight.

Cyclone Nargis (2008)

In the South Pacific, hurricanes are referred to as cyclones. Different words, same impact. In May of 2008, one such cyclone, dubbed Nargis, struck Myanmar. With peak winds of 165 km/h, Nargis laid waste to whatever was in its path. The storm was so powerful that it caused around 140,000 fatalities. Freshwater ponds were destroyed, more than 50 townships were affected, and nearly 2.4 million people were affected. Making matters worse, Myanmars military regime purposely blocked and refused international aid and relief efforts. This left survivors to fend for themselves. The cyclone may have destroyed livelihoods, but the governments failure to assist its citizens ensured the storms aftermath cut deeper.

2010 Haiti Earthquake (2010)

Considered one of the three deadliest quakes of all time, the 7.0-magnitude Haiti earthquake struck near Port-au-Prince on January 12, 2010. With its exceptionally high rates of poverty, Haiti was left vulnerable to massive damage and loss of life. By the time the tremors ceased, countless had died, with hundreds of thousands injured, and millions left homeless. Rescue efforts were hampered by the government and a crumbling infrastructure. Not long after the earthquake, the country was also struck by the first modern large-scale outbreak of cholera, which killed thousands more. The nations path to recovery has been slow and arduous, with institutional capacity and political stability being a work in progress.

2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami (2004)

Earthquakes on land are cause enough to worry. Underwater earthquakes come with the added complication of a potential tsunami. In 2004, a 9.1-magnitude undersea earthquake off the coast of Sumatra triggered a massive tsunami. The wall of water struck without warning. Traveling at 804 km/h, it made landfall within 15 to 20 minutes after the quake, leaving no time to flee to higher ground. The tsunami proceeded to swallow various coastal towns from Indonesia to Sri Lanka. The third-largest earthquake in the world since 1900 ultimately killed more than 230,000 people and displaced nearly 2 million in 14 South Asian and East African countries. The scale of devastation the tsunami wrought was a sobering reminder of natures power and fury.

COVID-19 Pandemic (2020-)

According to the worlds largest disaster response network, the COVID-19 pandemic has claimed more lives than any earthquake, drought, or hurricane in recorded history. Declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization in March of 2020, coronavirus has since killed more than 6.5 million people worldwide and infected hundreds of millions more. The onset in 2020 silenced the world. The virus collapsed economies, disrupted education, reshaped work culture, and changed everyday life. The pandemic was a moment when the world witnessed humanity at its best and its worst. The development of a vaccine helped blunt the subsequent waves, but the pandemic left a lasting impact that is felt by many to this day.

War in Darfur (2003-)

Dubbed the first genocide of the 21st century and the worlds worst humanitarian crisis, the conflict in Darfur has raged since its inception in 2003. It began when rebel groups from Darfur revolted against the national government in 2003 over a lack of representation. The Sudanese government responded by bombing the rebel headquarters, before turning on its people. Villages were torched, civilians massacred, and women sexually assaulted en masse. The conflict continues to this day, even after the 2011 split that created the Republic of South Sudan. With hundreds of thousands believed to be dead and millions displaced, systematic violence against the people of Darfur persists in what is a living tragedy in motion.

These disasters are a constant reminder of the fragility of our world. Which of these events had the greatest impact on you? Did we miss any that deserve global attention? Let us know in the comments below, and dont forget to like, share, and subscribe for more powerful stories from historys darkest hours.