When you are reliably protected by the walls of your home, it is hard to believe that the wind can kill a person. But this is exactly what happens when it comes to tornadoes. The most devastating tornadoes in history, which we will tell you about now, claimed hundreds of human lives in minutes.
10. The Great Tornado in Natchez, USA
Number of deaths: 317 people.
It is considered the only tornado in the United States that killed more people than it did. The tornado arose in May 1840, he walked right along the Mississippi River, tearing trees from both banks. It is not surprising that most of the victims of the disaster were in flat-bottomed boats. The number of wounded reached 109 people.
However, the actual number of people killed by the Great Tornado can be much larger, because the death of slaves did not enter into the general sad account.
9. Tornado Narail Magura, Bangladesh
Number of deaths: about 500 people.
The first, but not the last tornado "hailing" from Bangladesh in the ranking of the most terrible tornadoes of all time. In 1964, the rage of the elements devastated two cities and seven settlements, and 400 people from the village of Bhabanipur were never found and are considered dead.
8. Tornado in Comoros, Africa
Number of deaths: over 500 people.
One of the poorest countries in the world and the former French colony in the middle of the 20th century (in 1951) survived the blow of a giant tornado. It originated above the surface of the water, and then, gaining strength and intensity, reached land, scattered light constructions, like wood chips, and killed about 500 people, both Aboriginal and visiting French.
Other details of this incident are unknown, since at that time the island state was still under foreign control.
7. Sicilian tornado, Italy
Number of deaths: approximately 600 people.
Over the past years no one will say how many human lives this terrible tornado took. Like the tornado from the Comoros, Sicilian originated above the surface of the water, and only then “came” to the land.
Perhaps it was not one, but two tornadoes at once, which merged into a megatornado. This is one of the hypotheses why such a large number of local residents died from a tornado in Sicily.
6. Tornado La Valletta, Malta
Number of deaths: about 600 people.
The island of Malta is usually associated with a pleasant vacation, the sun, the sea, but not with horror and destruction. But it turns out that hellish days happen on earthly paradise. One of them appeared on September 23, 1551 or 1556 (different sources indicate different years).
Arising above the Mediterranean Sea, the tornado moved towards Grand Harbor Bay. During the tornado riot, at least four ships of the Order of Malta were turned over, and many others were badly damaged. But even more than the courts went to the inhabitants of Malta, many of whom died, and the exact number of wounded is unknown.
Despite the name of the tornado, the capital of Malta - Valletta - did not exist at that time, since the Grand Master of the Knights of Malta personally laid the first stone in its foundation on March 28, 1566, ten to fifteen years after the disaster.
5. Tornado in Dhaka, Bangladesh (at the time of the incident - Pakistan)
Number of deaths: 660 people.
In 1969, when the city of Dhaka was still under the jurisdiction of Pakistan, and not Bangladesh, a terrible tornado swept through its northeastern, densely populated suburbs.
He killed about 660 people, and the number of injured reached 4,000 people. But no matter how terrible this tragedy was, it was only one of two deadly tornadoes that hit Bangladesh on April 14, 1969.
A second tornado appeared in the Comilla area of Chittagong, Bangladesh, on the same day. Both tornadoes were part of the same storm system, but separated from each other.
If we consider the total number of deaths (883 people) from two tornadoes, then this day is one of the deadliest in world history.
4. Tornado Manikgange-Singair- Navabganj, Bangladesh
Number of deaths: 681 people.
One of the most devastating tornadoes was named after the three main areas that it destroyed on April 17, 1973. In general, a tornado destroyed most of the nine cities.
In some unofficial lists, the death toll reaches 1,000. According to reports from the time, the two tornadoes merged into one super-tornado that swept through most of Bangladesh.
3. Tornado of three states, USA
Number of deaths: 695 people.
Given the large number of victims, this tornado is considered the most deadly in US history. And its 352-kilometer route through Missouri, Indiana and Illinois is the longest tornado path in world history.
The death toll on March 18, 1925 amounted to 695 people, more than two thousand were injured, and 15 thousand houses were destroyed. Several small towns (such as De Soto and Parrish) were completely devastated. Most deaths are recorded in southern Illinois.
There was no effective natural disaster warning system at that time, and people were taken by surprise. In addition, a very fast moving tornado at times had an unusual appearance. Witnesses often described tornadoes of the three states as amorphous rolling fog or boiling clouds on the ground, and many people did not feel the danger until it was too late to escape. It was also reported that a cloud of dust and debris sometimes hid the funnel of this tornado, making it obscure and less recognizable.
2. Tornado Madargange-Mrizapur, Bangladesh
Number of deaths: about 700 people.
Dangerous tornadoes are not uncommon in the small state of Bangladesh. But the one that hit the country on May 13, 1996, became one of the most catastrophic for the entire existence of the country. The exact number of wounded is unknown, and by the number of deaths this tornado became the second most deadly in history.
As the tornado went farther south from Madarganja to Mirzapur, it also destroyed about 30,000 houses.
1. Tornado Daulatpur Saturia, Bangladesh
Number of deaths: about 1300 people.
April 26, 1989 in the area of Manikganj, in the central part of Bangladesh, the most terrible tornado in the history of mankind appeared. Within 6 km², countless trees were uprooted on his way, and all the dwellings within this area were completely destroyed.
The strength of the resulting wind ranged from 180 to 350 km / h. According to experts, the width of the tornado reached an incredible size of 1.5 km, and it passed through poor areas of the country, leaving a path of death and chaos 80 km long. In addition to the huge number of dead, 12 thousand people were injured, and 80 thousand were left homeless.
“I saw black clouds gathering in the sky,” said Saida Begum, a 30-year-old resident of Saturia. “After a few minutes, I found myself flying with my house.”
The tornado season in Bangladesh is not very long, but it is extremely deadly. This is due to the lack of a complex warning system, as well as the lack of shelters from tornadoes and the small number of buildings that can withstand destructive winds. The fact that the Daulatpur-Saturia tornado hit in the month of April was not a surprise. Just at this time in the country there was a peak in the appearance of a tornado, all the more so in the Manikganj district a severe drought raged for six months, which could accelerate the formation of a tornado.
