HONG KONG, Oct 8: The following are the 12 deadliest earthquakes worldwide over the last 100 years, with estimates of surface magnitude. The Richter scale of magnitude did not come into being until 1935:

Dec 26, 2004: BANDA ACEH (Indonesia); more than 220,000 people were killed after an undersea earthquake off the Indonesian island of Sumatra sparked a tsunami wave that struck countries around the Indian Ocean. Magnitude more than 9.0

Dec 26, 2003: BAM, Iran; at least 31,884 people die and 18,000 are injured. Magnitude 6.7

June 20, 1990: Northwestern Iran; more than 40,000 killed and 100,000 injured. Magnitude 7.7

July 28, 1976: Tangshan city in Hebei province, China; 242,000 dead and 164,000 injured. Magnitude 7.8

May 31, 1970: Mount Huascaran, Peru; earthquake and subsequent avalanche killed 66,800. Magnitude 7.5

Dec 26, 1939: Erzincan, Turkey; 35-40,000 killed. Magnitude 8.0

May 30, 1935: Quetta; more than 50,000 killed. Magnitude 7.6

May 23, 1927: Gansu province, China, up to 80,000 thought to have died. Magnitude 8.0

May 22, 1927: Nanshan province, China; up to 200,000 people may have been killed. Magnitude 8.0

Sept 1, 1923: Yokohama, Japan; more than 140,000 people died in earthquake and subsequent fire. Magnitude 8.2

Dec 16, 1920: Ningxia, China; about 235,000 reported killed. Magnitude 8.5

Dec 28, 1908: Messina,

Italy; earthquake and tidal wave killed at least 83,000. Some reports put the figure much higher. Magnitude 7.5.

—AFP