Key facts
- Recent earthquakes in Venezuela have caused casualties.
- The deadliest earthquake in Latin America in the last century was the 2010 Haiti earthquake, which killed 316,000 people.
- The 1868 Ecuador-Colombia earthquakes resulted in 70,000 deaths.
- The 1970 Peru earthquake caused 66,794 fatalities.
- The 1797 Ecuador earthquake, magnitude 8.3, led to 40,000 deaths.
Recent back-to-back earthquakes in Venezuela have claimed at least 188 lives, prompting a review of the region's deadliest seismic events over the past century. The 2010 Haiti earthquake stands out as the deadliest, with a magnitude of 7.0 causing 316,000 fatalities, largely due to its impact on the densely populated capital, Port-au-Prince, which had weak infrastructure and poor building practices.
The 1868 Ecuador-Colombia earthquakes, registering a magnitude of 7.7, resulted in an estimated 70,000 deaths, destroying numerous towns. In Peru, a magnitude 7.9 earthquake in 1970 triggered the deadliest landslide in history, burying towns and causing 66,794 fatalities.
Other significant deadly earthquakes in Latin America include the 1797 Ecuador earthquake (magnitude 8.3, 40,000 deaths), the 1939 Chile earthquake (magnitude 8.3, 30,000 deaths), the 1812 Venezuela earthquake (magnitude 7.7, 26,000 deaths), and the 1868 Arica earthquake (magnitude 8.5, 25,000 deaths).
The 1976 Guatemala earthquake, a magnitude 7.5 event, caused 23,000 deaths and widespread damage. Earlier events include the 1797 Venezuela earthquake, which destroyed Cumana and surrounding areas, and the 1861 Argentina earthquake, estimated at magnitude 7.2, which destroyed Mendoza and led to widespread fires.