Quakes Kill More Than 21,000 in 2001
This AP article provides a summary of quake activity in 2001. It notes that 2001 was a particularly deadly year for earthquakes, with 65 significant quakes worldwide blamed for killing more than 21,000 people. Most of the fatalities occurred in the magnitude 7.7 quake that struck northwestern India on Jan. 26. In all, 21,436 people died in earthquakes last year according to the USGS. The toll was significantly higher than in 2000, when 225 earthquake deaths were reported worldwide. On average, 10,000 people die in earthquakes annually, the USGS said. The deadliest earthquake in the past 100 years occurred in 1976 in Tangshan, China, where at least 240,000 died in a magnitude 7.8 event. The largest earthquake in 2001 was a magnitude 8.4 off the coast of Peru on June 23. It caused more than 100 deaths, but the impact was reduced because of its offshore location. Submitted for your quake files.