Earthquakes
Articles on earthquakes.
Midwest Quake Shocks Residents, but not Scientists
While a rare 5.2 earthquake hit Illinois this week, area seismologists say they weren’t shocked.
What Causes Earthquakes?
If you want to know more about the causes of earthquakes, read this article.
7.7 Earthquake in Chile Leaves 15,000 Homeless
A major earthquake, followed by several large aftershocks, hit northern Chile Wednesday.
Earthquake Facts: 4 Facts on Earthquakes
Earthquake history can be traced back to 1177 B.C. There are several Earthquake facts that run a chill down the spine. The Earthquake damage varies as per the conditions. Earthquake prediction is not very reliable.
8.2 Earthquake Hits Indonesia, Triggers Tsunami Warnings
A powerful 8.2 magnitude earthquake struck western Indonesia Wednesday morning (EDT), causing several tsunami warnings.
Japan Develops Improved Earthquake Warning System
A new system in Japan will give residents up to 30 seconds warning in the event of a major earthquake.
8.0 Earthquake Rocks Peru: 450 Dead, 1500 Injured
A magnitude 8.0 earthquake hit 90 miles southeast of Lima, Peru, on Wednesday evening, devastating the small towns near the capital.
Utah Coal Miners Trapped After Earthquake
Six Utah miners were trapped after an earthquake caused a mine collapse on Monday.
Earthquake Facts
Earthquakes are possibly the most dangerous of the natural calamities. Apart from the earthquakes themselves, they cause other calamities like tsunamis. Here are some more facts about earthquakes.
Indonesia Hit by Another Tsunami; Dozens Dead and Missing
A powerful earthquake beneath the sea has resulted in yet another massive tsunami hitting the Indonesian island of Java.
Pakistan Ceases Looking for Survivors, Braces for Winter
Rescue workers in Pakistan have abandoned the search for survivors of last week’s earthquake who may be trapped in the rubble, as heavy rains make further searching difficult and hopeless.
Powerful Earthquake Hits India’s Nicobar Islands
Another huge earthquake rocked the southern Indian Ocean Sunday, causing panic and horrific memories, but no casualties or serious damages were reported.
Fourth Major Earthquake Jolts California
Two more major earthquakes rattled California on Thursday, bringing the week’s total now to four.
Series of Massive Earthquakes Rattle Indonesia
Just a few months after a 9.3 magnitude earthquake in Indonesia triggered tsunamis and killed nearly 175,000 people, the region has again been shaken and shattered by another series of earthquakes.
What is a Tsunami?
Tsunami is a sea wave of local or distant origin that is an outcome from large-scale seafloor displacements related with large earthquakes, major submarine slides, or exploding volcanic islands. The definition of tsunami and its geographical meaning is also discussed here. The causes of occurrences of Tsunami and their after effects are mentioned in the passage.
Vesuvius
Vesuvius, the famous Neapolitan Volcano, has been the subject of scientific study since earliest times. The Greek and Roman Historians and Scientists noticed the frequent occurrence of earthquakes and other disturbances in the region, but never attributed it to volcanic activity.
China Earthquake Kills Thousands
The death toll from the most deadly earthquake to hit China in more than three decades today reached nearly 10,000 in Sichuan province alone, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported
Massive Collision's Deadly Results
At 7.8 on the Richter scale - earthquake as powerful as the most destructive quake recorded last century
One Dead As Earthquake Rocks the Caribbean
A strong earthquake struck the eastern Caribbean yesterday, damaging buildings on several islands and killing at least one person
Earthquake Rocks Northern Chile
A large earthquake struck northern Chile today, causing strong shock waves in the capital, Santiago, 780 miles to the south.
Third Quake Hits Indonesia
A third powerful earthquake in as many days jolted south-east Asia today, creating panic along Indonesia's west coast.
Second Quake Hits Indonesia
A second powerful earthquake in as many days jolted south-east Asia today, triggering a regional tsunami warning, damaging hundreds of houses and creating panic along Indonesia's west coast.
Melting Ice Cap Triggering Earthquakes
· Estimates of sea-level rise out of date, say scientists · Religious leaders pray for planet at Greenland glacier
Venezuela Disowns 'provocative' Earthquake Aid
Peru's earthquake relief effort was shaken by a political row yesterday over food aid with labels bearing an image of Venezuela's President Hugo Chávez and criticism of Peru's government.
Peru Sends Soldiers to Quell Quake Looting
Desperate survivors of an earthquake in Peru fought over scant supplies of food and water yesterday as rescue teams continued to pull bodies from the rubble three days after the magnitude-eight quake killed at least 510 people.
450 Killed in Peru Quake
At least 1,500 injured after powerful earthquake strikes coast near Lima.
330 Killed in Peru Quake
Hundreds injured after powerful earthquake strikes coast near Lima.
Strong Earthquake Kills Dozens in Peru
A powerful 7.9 earthquake has hit the coast of Peru, killing at least 71 people and leaving hundreds injured.
IAEA Inspectors Visit Japanese Plant Hit By Earthquake
International nuclear inspectors today began assessing the damage caused to a power station by last month's earthquake on Japan's north-west coast in a move that local officials hope will quell fears over the safety of the country's nuclear power industry.
Payday Loans after a Natural Disaster
Natural disasters happen anytime and most without warnings. After a tornado, storm, earthquake or flood, your house or car could be damaged and need repairs as well as some members of the family may need medical care. Beyond these damages, your work maybe temporarily interrupted as well. How do you face all these?
Powerful Earthquake Hits Eastern Indonesia
A powerful earthquake rocked eastern Indonesia today, sending residents fleeing from swaying homes and hospitals, authorities and witnesses said.
IAEA to Visit Japan's Damaged Nuclear Plant
Japan has decided to allow international inspectors to visit the nuclear power plant damaged in last week's earthquake, as fears grow for the safety of the country's nuclear power industry.
New Leak Identified at Damaged Japanese Nuclear Plant
Japanese nuclear inspectors have identified a new radioactive leak at a power plant that was badly damaged in this week's earthquake, compounding concerns about the safety of the country's nuclear reactors.
Damaged Japanese Nuclear Plant 'may Sit on Fault Line'
The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant - the world's biggest in the world in terms of output capacity - has been shut down indefinitely after it shook violently in the 6.8 magnitude earthquake that struck northern Japan this week.
Nuclear Waste Leak Fear After Japan Quake
Nuclear power officials in Japan yesterday admitted that the world's largest nuclear power plant had suffered at least 50 malfunctions, including burst pipes, water leaks and radioactive waste spillage, when it was hit by Monday's earthquake.
Seven Dead and 400 Hurt in Japan Quake
An earthquake struck the north-west coast of Japan yesterday morning, sparking a blaze at the world's biggest nuclear power station and flattening dozens of buildings
Japan Hit By Powerful Earthquake
At least five people died and more than 400 others were injured when a powerful earthquake struck the north-west coast of Japan this morning, sparking a blaze at the world's biggest nuclear power station and flattening dozens of buildings.
Dozens Feared Dead in Solomon Islands Tsunami
Dozens of people were feared dead today in the Solomon Islands after an undersea earthquake caused a powerful tsunami to sweep across the low-lying South Pacific nation.
Indonesia Struck By Quake and Plane Crash
Indonesian rescue workers were dealing with an air crash that killed eight people this morning, hours after a powerful earthquake in which at least 70 people died struck the island of Sumatra.
A Disaster Waiting to Happen - Why a Huge Earthquake Near Istanbul Seems Inevitable
Nervous residents of one of Europe's largest cities face devastation within 30 years.
Will Global Warming Unleash More Seismic Activity?
Recent climate change research predicts that we will see more earthquakes, volcanoes and tsunamis as global warming unfolds. What's the connection between global warming and seismic activity? This report reviews the latest evidence.
Hawaii Earthquake, News From the Big Island
The 6.6 Hawaii earthquake October 15, just a tad after seven am in the morning was on Kona side of the Big Island of Hawaii, we live on Hilo side.
The dreams that I dream- Earthquakes
In 2004-05, when several earthquakes were occuring all over the world and in India, I was awakened one night by the Lord by showing me a dream of a massive earthquake.
Nation Unites to Remember Earthquake Victims
On the first anniversary yesterday of the earthquake that killed more than 73,000 people, Pakistanis united in a spirit of remembrance, aching grief and impatience at the slow pace of reconstruction.
Officials Failed to Pass on Tsunami Warning
Officials in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, failed to issue a tsunami warning despite receiving data about yesterday's earthquake 20 minutes before the first wave struck the island of Java.
37 Dead in Java Tsunami
A powerful earthquake off the south coast of Indonesia's Java island today sent a tsunami several metres high crashing down on the resort village of Pangandaran, killing at least 37 people and leaving scores missing.
Scores Killed After Earthquake Sends Tsunami on to Javanese Beaches
An earthquake yesterday sent a tsunami several metres high crashing on to the beaches of southern Java, killing at least 82 people and leaving scores missing.
Earthquake Victims Still Struggle As Aid Pours in
Aid for victims of the earthquake on Java yesterday poured into the stricken region, but the scale of the task and inflexible bureaucrats meant many survivors were forced to struggle with little or no assistance.
Quake Rescue 'a Race Against Clock'
The UN today said Java's hospitals and medical infrastructure were "overwhelmed" as the death toll from Saturday's earthquake passed 5,000.
Fears for Travel Industry After Damage to Famous Temple Likely to Keep Visitors Away
One of Indonesia's most famous tourism attractions, the world-renowned Prambanan Hindu temple complex, is likely to be closed for months after being badly damaged in the earthquake, a conservation expert predicted.
'People Were Just Screaming'
Kandung Hermanto is a doctor for the health department in Bantul district, now working at the earthquake coordination centre.
Aid Pours in to Java As Quake Toll Passes 4,300
Relief supplies and aid workers yesterday poured into the earthquake-devastated areas of Java, Indonesia, as the death toll soared to more than 4,300 people.
Death Toll in Indonesia Rises Above 4,300
A desperate search for survivors is continuing today after a massive earthquake hit the Indonesian island of Java, killing more than 4,300 people.
Death Toll in Indonesia Earthquake Tops 3,000 Amid Fears Over Volcano
Full scale of disaster unclear as over 200,000 spend first night without homes. Meanwhile, nearby, Mt Merapi continues to spew ash and lava.
Thousands Dead in Java Quake
Powerful earthquake in Indonesia kills 2,500 and leaves thousands injured
After the Earthquake, Bam Battles With Heroin and Aids
Survivors seek solace in drugs and prostitution as reconstruction work goes neglected.
Bam's Hotel of Hope
A guesthouse owner is rebuilding from the rubble of Iran's 2003 earthquake disaster in which 40,000 died. Robert Tait reports.
Mark Oliver on the 100th Anniversary of the San Francisco Quake
Today is the 100th anniversary of San Francisco's great earthquake and fire. Mark Oliver looks back at the disaster and at how fears of the next 'Big One' have been sharpened by Hurricane Katrina.
Asian Earthquake Victims 'missing Out on School'
Nearly 300,000 children are still unable to return to school six months after the south Asian earthquake, according to a children's charity.
Quake Survivors Beat the Winter
The race to save hundreds of thousands of Pakistani earthquake survivors from the harsh Himalayan winter has been won, the United Nations said yesterday.
The Children Struggling to Survive
More than three months after first visiting Pakistan's earthquakestricken zone, our Photographer of the Year, Dan Chung, has returned to the area to record the trials and fortitude of thousands of victims.
Number of People Killed in Disasters Falling
The number of people killed in disasters fell by 70% last year, despite the death of more than 70,000 Pakistanis in an earthquake, the UN said yesterday.
Benn to Attack Un Over Disaster Response
The international development secretary, Hilary Benn, will today criticise the United Nations for failing in its responsibilities to the victims of humanitarian crises such as the tsunami in south-east Asia and the earthquake in Pakistan.
UN Can't Cope With Major Crises - Benn
The development secretary, Hilary Benn, will fly to New York tomorrow to deliver a sharp rebuke to the United Nations for failing the victims of humanitarian crises such as the Pakistan earthquake and the Boxing Day tsunami.
Slowly, Painfully, Expensively, Ruined Communities Are Put Back Together
The 9.2-magnitude earthquake which triggered the tsunami in the Indian Ocean on boxing day last year occurred at 7.58am, 95 miles off the west coast of Aceh, the province on the northern tip of Sumatra in Indonesia. Eighteen minutes later, 10-metre (30ft) high waves crashed ashore along a...
Shaken Confidence
Tokyo dispatch: In a country where earthquakes are an everyday event, the discovery that a corrupt architect approved hazardous designs for dozens of buildings is major news, writes Justin McCurry.
Earthquake Hits Afghanistan and Sparks Panic in Kashmir
A strong earthquake struck the Hindu Kush region of north-eastern Afghanistan late last night, rattling through northern Pakistan and Kashmir, both of which were devastated by another quake two months ago. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries following the earthquake, which happened just before 3am local time.
African Earthquake Buries Children in Homes
Children were buried in their homes after a powerful earthquake hit central Africa yesterday, with reports suggesting there had been a number of deaths in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Umpires and Earthquakes Make Me Fail Tebbit's Test
Cricket: Forget patriotism: in view of its recent and ongoing problems, Pakistan deserves the euphoria that a win over England would spark, says Frank Keating.
Half a Million Flee Homes After Chinese Earthquake
At least 14 people died and nearly half a million fled their homes after an earthquake struck central China yesterday morning. The tremor, the biggest in the region in half a century, measured 5.7 on the Richter scale and was felt in cities hundreds of miles away. It struck at around 9am...
World Pledges Extra £2bn in Pakistan Earthquake Aid
· Musharraf vows to launch sleaze-free reconstruction · Promises of assistance exceed original request
Pakistan Granted British Trade Concessions to Help Quake Effort
Britain has granted trade concessions to Pakistan to aid recovery from the earthquake that has inflicted some £2.9bn of damage, the country's high commission revealed yesterday.
Winter Won't Clock Off
We have only weeks to save the survivors of Pakistan's earthquake from our indifference.
Rioters Try to Cash in on Kashmir Aid Exchange
Pakistani police fired teargas and warning shots to disperse Kashmiri villagers yesterday when some tried to cross into Indian territory during an unprecedented frontier ceremony conducted by the two countries to exchange aid for victims of the devastating South Asian earthquake.
Pakistan Puts Off Warplane Purchase to Aid Quake Relief
Pakistan will postpone the purchase of a fleet of F-16 warplanes to prioritise emergency aid for earthquake survivors the president, Pervez Musharraf, said yesterday.
We Need More, Says Musharraf
Pervez Musharraf, the president of Pakistan, today accused the international community of double standards in not doing more to help the survivors of the Kashmir earthquake.
Pakistan Quake Toll Tops 73,000
The official death toll from Pakistan's massive earthquake soared to more than 73,000 yesterday as a top government official warned it could rise further.
Thousands of Child Victims Bear Physical and Mental Scars of a Lost Generation
Pakistan earthquake survivors need not just surgery but help to talk about the trauma of October 8.
Earthquake Insurance
We never know what the providence has in store for us. The best thing we humans can do is to remain prepared against any natural disasters or untoward incidents.
Annan urges post-tsunami style generosity for Pakistan
We saw this generosity at the time of the tsunami. We need it here too," Annan told journalists. "I know it's been a difficult year in terms of natural disasters, beginning with the tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, the disaster in Central America, and now we have the earthquake. There must be a bit of fatigue, but we need your help to save lives."
Earthquake Worse Than Tsunami, Says Un
· Emergency appeal gets fraction of $312m pledged · Poor access and freezing conditions hamper relief
Strong aftershocks hit South Asian quake region
Two strong aftershocks from the South Asian earthquake that killed at least 55,000 people shook the devastated region on Wednesday, unleashing landslides and setting off another wave of panic among survivors who lost loved ones and homes in the October 8 disaster.
Pakistan Earthquake Toll Reaches 79,000
· Rescuers race to deliver aid before winter sets in. · Signs of detente with India over Kashmir give hope.
What Happened Next?
How does a country recover from natural disaster? Seventeen years ago, Armenia suffered an earthquake similar in scale to that which struck Pakistan this month. The world rallied round and aid flew in but, as Jonathan Steele reports, the legacy of the tragedy still remains.
Earthquake Orphans Under Guard to Stop Child Trafficking
· Agencies warn of hospital kidnap threat in Pakistan · Criminal gangs and childless couples blamed
Transport Disrupted As Tokyo Hit By Earthquake
An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.1 struck just north of the Japanese capital, Tokyo, yesterday, injuring two people and causing high-rise buildings to sway.
Girl, Three, Pulled From Rubble in Kashmir
A three-year-old girl was last night pulled from the rubble of her parents' house, eight days after the earthquake that devastated northern Pakistan.
Millions at Risk From Hunger and Cold As Winter Sets in
As many as two million people have been left homeless by the Asian earthquake and face the twin threats of hunger and disease as the Himalayan winter looms, the UN warned yesterday.
Report Dashes Hopes for Early Warning System
Despite decades of intense research, predicting when earthquakes are likely to strike is a lost cause, according to a report published today by some of the world's top earthquake scientists.
Terrorists Making Most Of The Earthquake
Even as lakhs of earthquake-hit people in Jammu & Kashmir are trying to get back to normal life, the terrorists are taking advantage of the situation to infiltrate into the Valley.
Rain Hampers Quake Relief Efforts
The relief efforts for survivors of the south Asia earthquake were being hampered today by heavy rainfall.
Pakistan Tour to Go Ahead As Plunkett Gets Call-up
Cricket: England's winter tour of Pakistan will go ahead despite the earthquake that killed 30,000 people in the country last Saturday.
Anger Grows Over Quake Response
The Indian prime minister, Manmohan Singh, today pledged another £63m in earthquake relief funds as anger grew over the pace of the response to the south Asia disaster.
Woman and Child Saved After 62 Hours Buried in Rubble
Two days after the earthquake, amid the shock, mourning and recriminations, the first tales of miraculous survival began to emerge. A 20-year-old man who had spent 54 hours trapped under rubble was pulled alive yesterday from the ruins of a twostorey house by British rescuers in Muzaffarabad, in...
Eyewitness: South Asia Earthquake
Eyes glassy with grief, Muhammad Afar dropped on to one knee and peered into a small mountain of debris along Muzaffarabad's main commercial street. He gestured angrily towards a hole covered with swarming flies.
South Asia Earthquake: One Village, 17 Relatives: All Gone
Azim Khan, who has lived in Britain for 40 years and runs a corner shop in Swindon, said yesterday that he had lost 17 members of his family in their village of Battal.
South Asia Earthquake: Rescue Effort
The rescue effort is being hindered by geography, a shortage of specialists trained in dealing with widespread destruction, and the lack of means to deliver manpower, relief and heavy equipment into the Himalayan disaster zone.
South Asia Earthquake: Aid Arrives As Death Toll Nears 40,000
Remote areas still cut off as search for city survivors goes on.
Aid Effort: South Asian Earthquake
Governments, charities, and the UN rushed emergency aid to south Asia yesterday to help hundreds of thousands of homeless people and join in trying to dig out any survivors from the ruins of the worst earthquake ever to hit Pakistan.
Government Struggle As Quake Victims Reach 800
Latest happenings from the India quake- situations. Struggling to cope with the devastation wrought by the quake, Jammu and Kashmir government today intensified its relief operations by...
Lost Everything!
Story of earthquake in India. Now he doesn't dare come near it. Last evening, a group of village rescuers, sifted a part of the rubble only to find...
Earthquake Death Toll Rises to 30,000
More than 30,000 people were killed by this weekend's powerful earthquake centred below the Hindu Kush mountain range in Pakistan, sending shockwaves across south Asia and reducing cities and villages to rubble.
Rescuers in Scramble to Save Quake Survivors
Tens of thousands of rescuers continued a desperate effort last night to save thousands of people buried in rubble after a huge earthquake flattened towns and villages across Pakistan and northern India.
Chuck and Cover
When the earthquake Los Angeles dreads finally strikes, even Charlton Heston will be unable to save the city, warns Dan Glaister.
Earthquake Hits Japan's North-east
An earthquake measuring 7.2 on the Richter scale struck northern Japan yesterday, injuring at least 59 people and damaging hundreds of buildings.
Earthquake Hits Northern Japan
An earthquake struck the north east coast of Japan today, injuring at least 45 people and shaking skyscrapers 186 miles away in Tokyo.
Powerful Earthquake Strikes Nicobar Islands
A powerful earthquake has struck the Nicobar islands, the US Geological Survey reported today, triggering tsunami warnings in the Indian Ocean.
Another Day, Another Earthquake in Sunny California
The first account of an earthquake in Los Angeles noted that the shaking of the ground lasted "as long as half an Ave Maria". Fra Juan Crespi's earthquake measuring scale, which he coined as chronicler of the 1769 Portolá expedition, might have come in useful last week.
Indonesia Faces New Mega-tsunami
Another catastrophic giant earthquake similar to the one that caused carnage across the Indian Ocean on Boxing Day last year is lurking off Indonesia, say scientists.
Earth 'still Ringing' From Tsunami Quake
The Indian Ocean earthquake that triggered the great Boxing Day tsunami literally shook the world and triggered a swarm of minor earthquakes 11,000 kilometres away in Alaska.
How to insure your business
Even if you're sure you don't have to worry about earthquakes, you should still find out how to insure your business.
Man Pulled Alive From Rubble Five Days After Quake
Rescuers yesterday saved a man who survived almost five days trapped under rubble after Monday's massive earthquake off the western Indonesian island of Nias.
Hope Fades for Further Quake Survivors
Search teams combing the rubble on Indonesia's Nias Island for survivors of Monday night's earthquake yesterday accepted that it was unlikely they would find any more people alive.
The Readers' Editor on Why the Guardian Invests in International Coverage
The earthquake that has caused further death and destruction in Indonesia this week received immediate and fairly extensive coverage in the Guardian because the paper's resident correspondent in south-east Asia was there when it happened.
Rescuers End Search for Quake City Survivors
International rescuers today called off their search for survivors in Gunung Sitoli, the Indonesian city that bore the brunt of Monday's 8.7 magnitude earthquake.
No Food, No Water, No Homes and No Help in Sight for Town Hit By Quake
Despair and isolation for 36,000 Indonesians facing disaster in the town closest to the earthquake's epicentre.
Quake Aid Teams Struggle to Find Water and Food
There were still wildly fluctuating estimates of the numbers of dead and missing in this week's Indonesian earthquake as the search for survivors continued yesterday.
Frantic Search for Survivors in Indonesian Earthquake
The desperate search for survivors of the latest natural disaster to strike Indonesia was under way last night as the death toll rose to 430 confirmed dead, with more than 20,000 displaced on the island of Nias.
2,000 Feared Dead After Quake
· Collapsed buildings hide death toll on Nias
· Tsunami survivors hit by 8.7 magnitude tremor
· Evacuations and terror as alerts issued across Asia
Tsunami Panic After Huge Quake
· Hundreds feared dead on Indonesian island
· Evacuations and terror as alerts issued across Asia
· Earthquake measures 8.7 magnitude
New Tsunami Fear As Scientists Find Dangerous Stresses on Ocean Floor
Second major earthquake could strike Indian Ocean within a year.
Earthquake in Iran Kills Hundreds
A powerful earthquake hit south-eastern Iran early yesterday, killing hundreds of people and destroying mountain villages.
Images From Ocean Floor Give Clues to Tsunami
Royal Navy survey ship reveals seabed fractures and landslides caused by earthquake, now reclassified as second largest ever recorded.
Aid Workers Fear Troop Escorts May Provoke Rebels
There were fears today that the relief effort in the Indonesian province of Aceh, which bore the brunt of the Boxing Day earthquake and tsunami, might be hampered by a demand that aid workers be accompanied by military escorts.
Bid to Protect Tsunami Survivors From Child Traffickers
Scotland Yard has set up a child protection unit as part of international efforts to combat the possible trafficking of children in the wake of the Indian Ocean earthquake, it emerged today.
The Tsunami Relief Effort
John Vidal on whether mistakes made after the 2001 Indian earthquake are being repeated in the current relief effort.
Briton Leads Salvation Mission for Those Still Living in Flattened Town
Dawn Sewell heads a 14-member Salvation Army medical team in Meulaboh, the town on the west coast of Indonesia's Aceh province that was nearest to the epicentre of the earthquake.
Earthquakes and Tsunamis
An earthquake in the fjord-like Lituya Bay, Alaska, on July 9, 1958, generated a tsunami wave 524 meters (1719 feet) high, moving at a speed of 160 kilometers per hour.
How Can Religious People Explain Something Like This?
Martin Kettle: Earthquakes led 18th-century thinkers to ask questions we shy away from. The modern era flatters itself that human beings can now know and shape almost everything about the world.
Tsunami Death Toll Rises to 23,700
The death toll from the southern Asia earthquake rose dramatically today, with some reports estimating that 23,700 people died in Sunday's disastrous tidal wave.
Tsunami Death Toll Rises to 23,500
The death toll from the southern Asia earthquake rose dramatically today, with some reports estimating that 23,500 people died in Sunday's disastrous tidal wave.
Thousands Killed in Asian Tsunami
The most powerful earthquake in 40 years triggered massive tidal waves that hit coastlines across Asia today, killing more than 11,000 people in Sri Lanka, Indonesia, India, Malaysia and Thailand. More than 11,000 people in six countries were killed today when the most powerful earthquake in 40 years triggered huge tidal waves that hit coastlines across Asia. The death toll is almost certain to rise further as the full extent of the devastation emerges.
Tremors That May Signal Political Earthquake in North Korea
European policymakers have been advised to prepare for 'sudden change' in North Korea amid growing speculation among diplomats and observers that Kim Jong-il is losing his grip on power.
Justin Mccurry in Tokyo
A disaster waiting to happen ... but the question is when. On the 20th floor office in Toyko that Japan's foreign correspondents call home, veterans of previous big earthquakes exchanged worried glances.
Child Rescued Four Days After Quake
A two-year-old boy was yesterday rescued from underneath rubble four days after he, his sister and mother were buried in their car by a landslide set off by an earthquake in north-west Japan. Firefighters pulled Yuta Minagawa to safety but were unable to save his mother, Takako Minagawa,...
Toddler Rescued Four Days After Earthquake
A Japanese toddler was today pulled alive from his family car that had been buried in a landslide for four days after a deadly earthquake. Firefighters pulled two-year-old Yuta Minagawa to safety but were unable to save his mother Takako Minagawa, 39, who had called out to rescuers from...
Japan in Shock After Earthquake Devastation
21 dead, thousands homeless as threat of second tremor looms.
The Lib Dems - Nice People, No Hope
It would take a political earthquake - or proportional representation - to put the Lib Dems into government.
EU Halts Aid to Armenia Over Quake-zone Nuclear Plant
The European Union has frozen €100m (£67m) in grant aid to Armenia because the government has gone back on a deal to close the country's only nuclear power station, which is in a highly active earthquake zone. The Armenian government restarted the Metsamor reactor in 1995 after...
Tehran Expels Guardian Reporter
The Iranian government is expelling the Guardian correspondent in Tehran, Dan De Luce, for making an unauthorised reporting visit to Bam after the earthquake there. De Luce, who is due to fly to London today, said yesterday: "I am disappointed to be leaving. I was just trying to do my job...
Homeless Moroccans Build Shelters As Tremors Continue
Two aftershocks from Tuesday's Moroccan earthquake brought down more buildings in northern towns and villages yesterday, leaving thousands of homeless people trying to erect makeshift shelters in the rain and cold. "People are very angry, hardly any help has arrived," Nabil Haduyi said in...
Searchers Scour Rubble for Quake Survivors
Rescuers continued their search for survivors of the Morocco earthquake today, using pickaxes and their bare hands to break through the rubble of flattened mud-and-stone houses and concrete apartment blocks. In the badly hit village of Im-Zouren, teams with sniffer dogs scaled mounds of...
Quake Kills 229 in Morocco
A powerful earthquake struck northern Morocco today, destroying buildings and killing at least 229 people. The quake shook rural areas near the mediterranean port city of Al Hoceima, and the Red Cross said up to 500,000 people in six outlying villages may have been affected...
29 Killed As Earthquakes Rock Indonesian Island
A series of earthquakes hit Papua, Indonesia's easternmost province, yesterday morning, killing at least 29 people and injuring up to 200, local authorities said. Most of the casualties were in and around the town of Nabire on the north coast of the province, which comprises the western...
Quake Survivor Found After 13 Days
Half starved and barely breathing, a 56-year-old man has been rescued from the rubble of his home in Bam, 13 days after the Iranian town was levelled by an earthquake. He was discovered by an Iranian rescue team late on Wednesday, lying in a small puddle and trapped beneath a wardrobe. He...
Iran Considers Moving Capital From Quake Zone
Startled by the obliteration of its eastern city of Bam by an earthquake, Iran is considering moving its capital from seismically active Tehran to a safer part of the country. Iranian scientists warned more than 10 years ago that a powerful earthquake under the teeming city of 12 million...
Woman of 97 Rescued Alive After Eight Days in Ruins
A woman aged 97 was rescued from the earthquake rubble of her home in the Iranian city of Bam yesterday, having survived for eight days without water or food. The woman, seen by The Observer dozing comfortably in a makeshift hospital bed, was in remarkably good shape, according to Red...
UK Rescue Team in Iran Finds Former Colleague Among Dead
A British traveller and former fireman who was killed in the Iran earthquake was given a solemn send-off in Bam yesterday by former colleagues who, in an extraordinary coincidence, were part of the international rescue team combing the devastated city. Gavin Sexton was returning to...
Earthquake Search Teams Face Up to the Cruel Truth
James Astill reports from Bam on the hunt for survivors nearing its end. After 48 hours of unremitting horror, trawling through the debris of what used to be Bam, and coping with the stench of death that now hangs over it, Rolf Zipf-Marks felt a sudden tingle of hope.
15,000 Feared Dead in Iran Earthquake
· 15,000 feared dead in Iran
· Ancient town hit by earthquake
· Rescuers scramble to remote area
Three Die in California Earthquake
An earthquake rocked southern California last night, killing three people and sending tremors from Los Angeles to San Francisco. With a magnitude of 6.5 on the Richter scale, according to the US Geological Survey, its epicentre was the northern coastal town of Cambria, 185 miles...
Hundreds hurt in Japanese quakes
More than 400 people were injured, at least 18 seriously, when two powerful earthquakes struck the island of Hokkaido in northern Japan early yesterday.
Quake Hits Lord of the Rings Land
A world heritage site used as a location for the Lord of the Rings films has been badly damaged by more than 200 landslides after a massive earthquake in southern New Zealand. The Fiordland national park was hit early last Friday by a quake as powerful as the one that hit San Francisco in...
Miracle of Quake Girl Brings a Little Solace to Grieving Algeria
Confused and covered in dust but still alive, a two-and-a-half-year-old girl became a symbol of hope for Algeria yesterday after she was pulled from the rubble of a building flattened in an earthquake which devastated the country's densely-populated north. As the death toll rose to almost...
Fear Grips Algeria As Quake Kills 1,000 Algerians
Rescue workers dug through the rubble of dozens of collapsed buildings in northern Algeria yesterday after an earthquake killed more than 1,000 people. Impromptu street mortuaries were set up as hospitals in the capital, Algiers, and the neighbouring town of Boumerdes, 30 miles to the...
Quake Victims Pursue Building 'mafia'
Death toll from Turkish disaster tops 150. The contractor who built the dormitory building which disintegrated into dust during the Bingol earthquake, killing at least 66 children, was in hiding yesterday as grieving and angry relatives stepped up demands for him to be prosecuted.
Rioting Breaks Out in Earthquake-hit City
The police chief in the Turkish city of Bingol was today sacked after rioting broke out in the aftermath of yesterday's earthquake which killed more than 100 people. The Turkish prime minister, Tayyip Erdogan, confirmed reports that the police chief, Osman Nuri Ozdemir, had been suspended...
Deadly shocks a fact of life for the poorest
Thirteen earthquakes in Turkey in the past 1,700 years have each claimed more than 10,000 lives. The relatively mild tremor that buried children under the rubble of a village 430 miles (690 km) east of Ankara yesterday was a reminder that earthquakes in Turkey are a fact of life and, all too often, bring death.
Children Trapped in Turkish Quake
Turkish rescue workers battled last night to find 84 children buried under the rubble of a school boarding house that collapsed during an earthquake which killed more than 100 people. Rescue workers toiling under floodlights pulled out at least one child still alive and three corpses...
Chinese quake survivors sleep among ruined homes
As funerals were held yesterday for the victims of Monday's earthquake in the far west of China, officials said they were still struggling to get tents and medical supplies to the area.
Hundreds Die in Chinese Earthquake
Soldiers from the People's Liberation Army dug through the rubble for survivors last night after one of China's worst earthquakes in decades devastated a remote region along the Silk Road, killing at least 257 people and leaving tens of thousands homeless. Authorities said the quake,...
Earthquake Kills 243 in China
A powerful earthquake struck China's remote western region of Xinjiang today, killing at least 243 people and collapsing more than 1,000 houses and school buildings, a disaster official and state media said. The quake struck Bachu county on the western edge of Xinjiang, near China's...
Mexico Shaken By Earthquake
A powerful earthquake has hit west-central Mexico, sending panicked residents spilling into the streets of major cities and reportedly killing 21 people.
Quake village buries its lost children
As aftershocks continued to shift the earth beneath their feet, the people of the devastated farming village of San Giuliano di Puglia buried 26 of their children, an entire class of six-year-olds killed when an earthquake reduced their primary school to rubble.
'I told quake children, look for light, light means hope'
A primary school teacher who lost nine of her pupils in Thursday's earthquake told yesterday how she tried to encourage them as she lay trapped for four hours under the rubble of the three-storey school building.
Frantic Search for Trapped Pupils After Quake
Emergency crews in southern Italy this morning rescued a young boy from the wreckage of a primary school nearly 24 hours after an earthquake collapsed the classrooms onto students and teachers. At least 24 people - 21 children, one teacher, and two women in nearby homes - died in the...
Six killed in Italian earthquake
Rescuers working close to the epicentre of a strong earthquake that today rocked central and southern Italy said five children and an elderly woman are feared dead.
Earthquakes
Did the earth move? Mark Oliver looks at the recent British earthquakes, and discovers that giant turtles were once blamed for tremors as well as the best quake links online.
Tremors felt right down to Yankees' home plate
There was a small earthquake in California at the weekend when the princes of American baseball, the New York Yankees, were done down, when it mattered most, by a team from the one major league city hard to find on a half-decent map. The aftershocks may reverberate for years.
Westwood: a player reborn
The Midlands have witnessed a couple of earthquakes recently: the geological shudder of last week and Alan Green pounding around The Belfry the past couple of days for the BBC (small joke there, Alan). But the audacity of Lee Westwood and Sergio Garcia in driving the 10th to edge ahead of Tiger Woods and Davis Love III yesterday afternoon counts as at least a decent tremor.
When in Rome, Watch Out
Italy's image as a tourist wonderland has been jolted by a British government warning to beware of earthquakes, disease and Rome's No 64 bus.
Iran U-turns on Us Earthquake Aid
Iran's president, Mohammad Khatami, today said he would accept government US aid for his earthquake-damaged country despite his previous refusals. The Reuters news agency reported President Khatami as saying: "Yes, help is help." An estimated 245 people were killed and more than...
Iran Hit By Second Quake
A fresh earthquake and aftershocks hit northern Iran overnight just days after 245 people were killed and more than 25,000 made homeless by a powerful tremor in the region. In towns and villages in and around Qazvin, the hardest hit province, terrified residents slept in the open out of...
Iranian villages razed as quake kills 400
At least 400 people have been killed and 1,000 injured after an earthquake devastated dozens of villages in a remote mountain area of Iran early yesterday.
French Far Right Has High Electoral Hopes of Flowerpot Mayor
One month after the Le Pen earthquake shook the country's political landscape, the National Front has set its sights on seats in parliament.
World in brief
Skiers lost in Alps avalanche | Earthquake shakes US | General to surrender for war crimes charges | Russians ban bishop | Refugees riot
Blocked roads hamper aid effort
A major operation was under way last night to get aid to the shattered town of Nahrin following Monday's devastating earthquake.
Aftershocks Increase Afghan Death Toll
The projected death toll in a series of devastating earthquakes in northern Afghanistan rose sharply from 2,000 today as fresh aftershocks hit the area and the scale of the disaster became clearer. The aftershocks from the initial quakes, which struck on Monday night and yesterday morning...
1,800 Afghans Killed in Series of Earthquakes
Afghanistan was in the grip of a fresh humanitarian crisis last night after a series of earthquakes ripped across a remote part of the Hindu Kush mountains.
1,500 Feared Killed in Afghan Earthquake
At least 100 people were killed, and more than 1,500 are feared killed, in an earthquake that shook a wide area of Afghanistan and north-western Pakistan, the United Nations said today. UN spokesman Yusuf Hassan said many more were feared dead in the quake, which began yesterday at about...
Quake Rocks Kabul
At least five people died and 20 were injured when a powerful earthquake shook northern Afghanistan yesterday. The 90-second tremor destroyed buildings and caused residents to flee their homes. All the casualties were residents in the capital, Kabul. Measuring 7.2 on the Richter...
The death toll from the most deadly earthquake to hit China in more than three decades today reached nearly 10,000 in Sichuan province alone, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported
Massive Collision's Deadly Results
At 7.8 on the Richter scale - earthquake as powerful as the most destructive quake recorded last century
One Dead As Earthquake Rocks the Caribbean
A strong earthquake struck the eastern Caribbean yesterday, damaging buildings on several islands and killing at least one person
Earthquake Rocks Northern Chile
A large earthquake struck northern Chile today, causing strong shock waves in the capital, Santiago, 780 miles to the south.
Third Quake Hits Indonesia
A third powerful earthquake in as many days jolted south-east Asia today, creating panic along Indonesia's west coast.
Second Quake Hits Indonesia
A second powerful earthquake in as many days jolted south-east Asia today, triggering a regional tsunami warning, damaging hundreds of houses and creating panic along Indonesia's west coast.
Melting Ice Cap Triggering Earthquakes
· Estimates of sea-level rise out of date, say scientists · Religious leaders pray for planet at Greenland glacier
Venezuela Disowns 'provocative' Earthquake Aid
Peru's earthquake relief effort was shaken by a political row yesterday over food aid with labels bearing an image of Venezuela's President Hugo Chávez and criticism of Peru's government.
Peru Sends Soldiers to Quell Quake Looting
Desperate survivors of an earthquake in Peru fought over scant supplies of food and water yesterday as rescue teams continued to pull bodies from the rubble three days after the magnitude-eight quake killed at least 510 people.
450 Killed in Peru Quake
At least 1,500 injured after powerful earthquake strikes coast near Lima.
330 Killed in Peru Quake
Hundreds injured after powerful earthquake strikes coast near Lima.
Strong Earthquake Kills Dozens in Peru
A powerful 7.9 earthquake has hit the coast of Peru, killing at least 71 people and leaving hundreds injured.
IAEA Inspectors Visit Japanese Plant Hit By Earthquake
International nuclear inspectors today began assessing the damage caused to a power station by last month's earthquake on Japan's north-west coast in a move that local officials hope will quell fears over the safety of the country's nuclear power industry.
Payday Loans after a Natural Disaster
Natural disasters happen anytime and most without warnings. After a tornado, storm, earthquake or flood, your house or car could be damaged and need repairs as well as some members of the family may need medical care. Beyond these damages, your work maybe temporarily interrupted as well. How do you face all these?
Powerful Earthquake Hits Eastern Indonesia
A powerful earthquake rocked eastern Indonesia today, sending residents fleeing from swaying homes and hospitals, authorities and witnesses said.
IAEA to Visit Japan's Damaged Nuclear Plant
Japan has decided to allow international inspectors to visit the nuclear power plant damaged in last week's earthquake, as fears grow for the safety of the country's nuclear power industry.
New Leak Identified at Damaged Japanese Nuclear Plant
Japanese nuclear inspectors have identified a new radioactive leak at a power plant that was badly damaged in this week's earthquake, compounding concerns about the safety of the country's nuclear reactors.
Damaged Japanese Nuclear Plant 'may Sit on Fault Line'
The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant - the world's biggest in the world in terms of output capacity - has been shut down indefinitely after it shook violently in the 6.8 magnitude earthquake that struck northern Japan this week.
Nuclear Waste Leak Fear After Japan Quake
Nuclear power officials in Japan yesterday admitted that the world's largest nuclear power plant had suffered at least 50 malfunctions, including burst pipes, water leaks and radioactive waste spillage, when it was hit by Monday's earthquake.
Seven Dead and 400 Hurt in Japan Quake
An earthquake struck the north-west coast of Japan yesterday morning, sparking a blaze at the world's biggest nuclear power station and flattening dozens of buildings
Japan Hit By Powerful Earthquake
At least five people died and more than 400 others were injured when a powerful earthquake struck the north-west coast of Japan this morning, sparking a blaze at the world's biggest nuclear power station and flattening dozens of buildings.
Dozens Feared Dead in Solomon Islands Tsunami
Dozens of people were feared dead today in the Solomon Islands after an undersea earthquake caused a powerful tsunami to sweep across the low-lying South Pacific nation.
Indonesia Struck By Quake and Plane Crash
Indonesian rescue workers were dealing with an air crash that killed eight people this morning, hours after a powerful earthquake in which at least 70 people died struck the island of Sumatra.
A Disaster Waiting to Happen - Why a Huge Earthquake Near Istanbul Seems Inevitable
Nervous residents of one of Europe's largest cities face devastation within 30 years.
Will Global Warming Unleash More Seismic Activity?
Recent climate change research predicts that we will see more earthquakes, volcanoes and tsunamis as global warming unfolds. What's the connection between global warming and seismic activity? This report reviews the latest evidence.
Hawaii Earthquake, News From the Big Island
The 6.6 Hawaii earthquake October 15, just a tad after seven am in the morning was on Kona side of the Big Island of Hawaii, we live on Hilo side.
The dreams that I dream- Earthquakes
In 2004-05, when several earthquakes were occuring all over the world and in India, I was awakened one night by the Lord by showing me a dream of a massive earthquake.
Nation Unites to Remember Earthquake Victims
On the first anniversary yesterday of the earthquake that killed more than 73,000 people, Pakistanis united in a spirit of remembrance, aching grief and impatience at the slow pace of reconstruction.
Officials Failed to Pass on Tsunami Warning
Officials in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, failed to issue a tsunami warning despite receiving data about yesterday's earthquake 20 minutes before the first wave struck the island of Java.
37 Dead in Java Tsunami
A powerful earthquake off the south coast of Indonesia's Java island today sent a tsunami several metres high crashing down on the resort village of Pangandaran, killing at least 37 people and leaving scores missing.
Scores Killed After Earthquake Sends Tsunami on to Javanese Beaches
An earthquake yesterday sent a tsunami several metres high crashing on to the beaches of southern Java, killing at least 82 people and leaving scores missing.
Earthquake Victims Still Struggle As Aid Pours in
Aid for victims of the earthquake on Java yesterday poured into the stricken region, but the scale of the task and inflexible bureaucrats meant many survivors were forced to struggle with little or no assistance.
Quake Rescue 'a Race Against Clock'
The UN today said Java's hospitals and medical infrastructure were "overwhelmed" as the death toll from Saturday's earthquake passed 5,000.
Fears for Travel Industry After Damage to Famous Temple Likely to Keep Visitors Away
One of Indonesia's most famous tourism attractions, the world-renowned Prambanan Hindu temple complex, is likely to be closed for months after being badly damaged in the earthquake, a conservation expert predicted.
'People Were Just Screaming'
Kandung Hermanto is a doctor for the health department in Bantul district, now working at the earthquake coordination centre.
Aid Pours in to Java As Quake Toll Passes 4,300
Relief supplies and aid workers yesterday poured into the earthquake-devastated areas of Java, Indonesia, as the death toll soared to more than 4,300 people.
Death Toll in Indonesia Rises Above 4,300
A desperate search for survivors is continuing today after a massive earthquake hit the Indonesian island of Java, killing more than 4,300 people.
Death Toll in Indonesia Earthquake Tops 3,000 Amid Fears Over Volcano
Full scale of disaster unclear as over 200,000 spend first night without homes. Meanwhile, nearby, Mt Merapi continues to spew ash and lava.
Thousands Dead in Java Quake
Powerful earthquake in Indonesia kills 2,500 and leaves thousands injured
After the Earthquake, Bam Battles With Heroin and Aids
Survivors seek solace in drugs and prostitution as reconstruction work goes neglected.
Bam's Hotel of Hope
A guesthouse owner is rebuilding from the rubble of Iran's 2003 earthquake disaster in which 40,000 died. Robert Tait reports.
Mark Oliver on the 100th Anniversary of the San Francisco Quake
Today is the 100th anniversary of San Francisco's great earthquake and fire. Mark Oliver looks back at the disaster and at how fears of the next 'Big One' have been sharpened by Hurricane Katrina.
Asian Earthquake Victims 'missing Out on School'
Nearly 300,000 children are still unable to return to school six months after the south Asian earthquake, according to a children's charity.
Quake Survivors Beat the Winter
The race to save hundreds of thousands of Pakistani earthquake survivors from the harsh Himalayan winter has been won, the United Nations said yesterday.
The Children Struggling to Survive
More than three months after first visiting Pakistan's earthquakestricken zone, our Photographer of the Year, Dan Chung, has returned to the area to record the trials and fortitude of thousands of victims.
Number of People Killed in Disasters Falling
The number of people killed in disasters fell by 70% last year, despite the death of more than 70,000 Pakistanis in an earthquake, the UN said yesterday.
Benn to Attack Un Over Disaster Response
The international development secretary, Hilary Benn, will today criticise the United Nations for failing in its responsibilities to the victims of humanitarian crises such as the tsunami in south-east Asia and the earthquake in Pakistan.
UN Can't Cope With Major Crises - Benn
The development secretary, Hilary Benn, will fly to New York tomorrow to deliver a sharp rebuke to the United Nations for failing the victims of humanitarian crises such as the Pakistan earthquake and the Boxing Day tsunami.
Slowly, Painfully, Expensively, Ruined Communities Are Put Back Together
The 9.2-magnitude earthquake which triggered the tsunami in the Indian Ocean on boxing day last year occurred at 7.58am, 95 miles off the west coast of Aceh, the province on the northern tip of Sumatra in Indonesia. Eighteen minutes later, 10-metre (30ft) high waves crashed ashore along a...
Shaken Confidence
Tokyo dispatch: In a country where earthquakes are an everyday event, the discovery that a corrupt architect approved hazardous designs for dozens of buildings is major news, writes Justin McCurry.
Earthquake Hits Afghanistan and Sparks Panic in Kashmir
A strong earthquake struck the Hindu Kush region of north-eastern Afghanistan late last night, rattling through northern Pakistan and Kashmir, both of which were devastated by another quake two months ago. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries following the earthquake, which happened just before 3am local time.
African Earthquake Buries Children in Homes
Children were buried in their homes after a powerful earthquake hit central Africa yesterday, with reports suggesting there had been a number of deaths in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Umpires and Earthquakes Make Me Fail Tebbit's Test
Cricket: Forget patriotism: in view of its recent and ongoing problems, Pakistan deserves the euphoria that a win over England would spark, says Frank Keating.
Half a Million Flee Homes After Chinese Earthquake
At least 14 people died and nearly half a million fled their homes after an earthquake struck central China yesterday morning. The tremor, the biggest in the region in half a century, measured 5.7 on the Richter scale and was felt in cities hundreds of miles away. It struck at around 9am...
World Pledges Extra £2bn in Pakistan Earthquake Aid
· Musharraf vows to launch sleaze-free reconstruction · Promises of assistance exceed original request
Pakistan Granted British Trade Concessions to Help Quake Effort
Britain has granted trade concessions to Pakistan to aid recovery from the earthquake that has inflicted some £2.9bn of damage, the country's high commission revealed yesterday.
Winter Won't Clock Off
We have only weeks to save the survivors of Pakistan's earthquake from our indifference.
Rioters Try to Cash in on Kashmir Aid Exchange
Pakistani police fired teargas and warning shots to disperse Kashmiri villagers yesterday when some tried to cross into Indian territory during an unprecedented frontier ceremony conducted by the two countries to exchange aid for victims of the devastating South Asian earthquake.
Pakistan Puts Off Warplane Purchase to Aid Quake Relief
Pakistan will postpone the purchase of a fleet of F-16 warplanes to prioritise emergency aid for earthquake survivors the president, Pervez Musharraf, said yesterday.
We Need More, Says Musharraf
Pervez Musharraf, the president of Pakistan, today accused the international community of double standards in not doing more to help the survivors of the Kashmir earthquake.
Pakistan Quake Toll Tops 73,000
The official death toll from Pakistan's massive earthquake soared to more than 73,000 yesterday as a top government official warned it could rise further.
Thousands of Child Victims Bear Physical and Mental Scars of a Lost Generation
Pakistan earthquake survivors need not just surgery but help to talk about the trauma of October 8.
Earthquake Insurance
We never know what the providence has in store for us. The best thing we humans can do is to remain prepared against any natural disasters or untoward incidents.
Annan urges post-tsunami style generosity for Pakistan
We saw this generosity at the time of the tsunami. We need it here too," Annan told journalists. "I know it's been a difficult year in terms of natural disasters, beginning with the tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, the disaster in Central America, and now we have the earthquake. There must be a bit of fatigue, but we need your help to save lives."
Earthquake Worse Than Tsunami, Says Un
· Emergency appeal gets fraction of $312m pledged · Poor access and freezing conditions hamper relief
Strong aftershocks hit South Asian quake region
Two strong aftershocks from the South Asian earthquake that killed at least 55,000 people shook the devastated region on Wednesday, unleashing landslides and setting off another wave of panic among survivors who lost loved ones and homes in the October 8 disaster.
Pakistan Earthquake Toll Reaches 79,000
· Rescuers race to deliver aid before winter sets in. · Signs of detente with India over Kashmir give hope.
What Happened Next?
How does a country recover from natural disaster? Seventeen years ago, Armenia suffered an earthquake similar in scale to that which struck Pakistan this month. The world rallied round and aid flew in but, as Jonathan Steele reports, the legacy of the tragedy still remains.
Earthquake Orphans Under Guard to Stop Child Trafficking
· Agencies warn of hospital kidnap threat in Pakistan · Criminal gangs and childless couples blamed
Transport Disrupted As Tokyo Hit By Earthquake
An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.1 struck just north of the Japanese capital, Tokyo, yesterday, injuring two people and causing high-rise buildings to sway.
Girl, Three, Pulled From Rubble in Kashmir
A three-year-old girl was last night pulled from the rubble of her parents' house, eight days after the earthquake that devastated northern Pakistan.
Millions at Risk From Hunger and Cold As Winter Sets in
As many as two million people have been left homeless by the Asian earthquake and face the twin threats of hunger and disease as the Himalayan winter looms, the UN warned yesterday.
Report Dashes Hopes for Early Warning System
Despite decades of intense research, predicting when earthquakes are likely to strike is a lost cause, according to a report published today by some of the world's top earthquake scientists.
Terrorists Making Most Of The Earthquake
Even as lakhs of earthquake-hit people in Jammu & Kashmir are trying to get back to normal life, the terrorists are taking advantage of the situation to infiltrate into the Valley.
Rain Hampers Quake Relief Efforts
The relief efforts for survivors of the south Asia earthquake were being hampered today by heavy rainfall.
Pakistan Tour to Go Ahead As Plunkett Gets Call-up
Cricket: England's winter tour of Pakistan will go ahead despite the earthquake that killed 30,000 people in the country last Saturday.
Anger Grows Over Quake Response
The Indian prime minister, Manmohan Singh, today pledged another £63m in earthquake relief funds as anger grew over the pace of the response to the south Asia disaster.
Woman and Child Saved After 62 Hours Buried in Rubble
Two days after the earthquake, amid the shock, mourning and recriminations, the first tales of miraculous survival began to emerge. A 20-year-old man who had spent 54 hours trapped under rubble was pulled alive yesterday from the ruins of a twostorey house by British rescuers in Muzaffarabad, in...
Eyewitness: South Asia Earthquake
Eyes glassy with grief, Muhammad Afar dropped on to one knee and peered into a small mountain of debris along Muzaffarabad's main commercial street. He gestured angrily towards a hole covered with swarming flies.
South Asia Earthquake: One Village, 17 Relatives: All Gone
Azim Khan, who has lived in Britain for 40 years and runs a corner shop in Swindon, said yesterday that he had lost 17 members of his family in their village of Battal.
South Asia Earthquake: Rescue Effort
The rescue effort is being hindered by geography, a shortage of specialists trained in dealing with widespread destruction, and the lack of means to deliver manpower, relief and heavy equipment into the Himalayan disaster zone.
South Asia Earthquake: Aid Arrives As Death Toll Nears 40,000
Remote areas still cut off as search for city survivors goes on.
Aid Effort: South Asian Earthquake
Governments, charities, and the UN rushed emergency aid to south Asia yesterday to help hundreds of thousands of homeless people and join in trying to dig out any survivors from the ruins of the worst earthquake ever to hit Pakistan.
Government Struggle As Quake Victims Reach 800
Latest happenings from the India quake- situations. Struggling to cope with the devastation wrought by the quake, Jammu and Kashmir government today intensified its relief operations by...
Lost Everything!
Story of earthquake in India. Now he doesn't dare come near it. Last evening, a group of village rescuers, sifted a part of the rubble only to find...
Earthquake Death Toll Rises to 30,000
More than 30,000 people were killed by this weekend's powerful earthquake centred below the Hindu Kush mountain range in Pakistan, sending shockwaves across south Asia and reducing cities and villages to rubble.
Rescuers in Scramble to Save Quake Survivors
Tens of thousands of rescuers continued a desperate effort last night to save thousands of people buried in rubble after a huge earthquake flattened towns and villages across Pakistan and northern India.
Chuck and Cover
When the earthquake Los Angeles dreads finally strikes, even Charlton Heston will be unable to save the city, warns Dan Glaister.
Earthquake Hits Japan's North-east
An earthquake measuring 7.2 on the Richter scale struck northern Japan yesterday, injuring at least 59 people and damaging hundreds of buildings.
Earthquake Hits Northern Japan
An earthquake struck the north east coast of Japan today, injuring at least 45 people and shaking skyscrapers 186 miles away in Tokyo.
Powerful Earthquake Strikes Nicobar Islands
A powerful earthquake has struck the Nicobar islands, the US Geological Survey reported today, triggering tsunami warnings in the Indian Ocean.
Another Day, Another Earthquake in Sunny California
The first account of an earthquake in Los Angeles noted that the shaking of the ground lasted "as long as half an Ave Maria". Fra Juan Crespi's earthquake measuring scale, which he coined as chronicler of the 1769 Portolá expedition, might have come in useful last week.
Indonesia Faces New Mega-tsunami
Another catastrophic giant earthquake similar to the one that caused carnage across the Indian Ocean on Boxing Day last year is lurking off Indonesia, say scientists.
Earth 'still Ringing' From Tsunami Quake
The Indian Ocean earthquake that triggered the great Boxing Day tsunami literally shook the world and triggered a swarm of minor earthquakes 11,000 kilometres away in Alaska.
How to insure your business
Even if you're sure you don't have to worry about earthquakes, you should still find out how to insure your business.
Man Pulled Alive From Rubble Five Days After Quake
Rescuers yesterday saved a man who survived almost five days trapped under rubble after Monday's massive earthquake off the western Indonesian island of Nias.
Hope Fades for Further Quake Survivors
Search teams combing the rubble on Indonesia's Nias Island for survivors of Monday night's earthquake yesterday accepted that it was unlikely they would find any more people alive.
The Readers' Editor on Why the Guardian Invests in International Coverage
The earthquake that has caused further death and destruction in Indonesia this week received immediate and fairly extensive coverage in the Guardian because the paper's resident correspondent in south-east Asia was there when it happened.
Rescuers End Search for Quake City Survivors
International rescuers today called off their search for survivors in Gunung Sitoli, the Indonesian city that bore the brunt of Monday's 8.7 magnitude earthquake.
No Food, No Water, No Homes and No Help in Sight for Town Hit By Quake
Despair and isolation for 36,000 Indonesians facing disaster in the town closest to the earthquake's epicentre.
Quake Aid Teams Struggle to Find Water and Food
There were still wildly fluctuating estimates of the numbers of dead and missing in this week's Indonesian earthquake as the search for survivors continued yesterday.
Frantic Search for Survivors in Indonesian Earthquake
The desperate search for survivors of the latest natural disaster to strike Indonesia was under way last night as the death toll rose to 430 confirmed dead, with more than 20,000 displaced on the island of Nias.
2,000 Feared Dead After Quake
· Collapsed buildings hide death toll on Nias
· Tsunami survivors hit by 8.7 magnitude tremor
· Evacuations and terror as alerts issued across Asia
Tsunami Panic After Huge Quake
· Hundreds feared dead on Indonesian island
· Evacuations and terror as alerts issued across Asia
· Earthquake measures 8.7 magnitude
New Tsunami Fear As Scientists Find Dangerous Stresses on Ocean Floor
Second major earthquake could strike Indian Ocean within a year.
Earthquake in Iran Kills Hundreds
A powerful earthquake hit south-eastern Iran early yesterday, killing hundreds of people and destroying mountain villages.
Images From Ocean Floor Give Clues to Tsunami
Royal Navy survey ship reveals seabed fractures and landslides caused by earthquake, now reclassified as second largest ever recorded.
Aid Workers Fear Troop Escorts May Provoke Rebels
There were fears today that the relief effort in the Indonesian province of Aceh, which bore the brunt of the Boxing Day earthquake and tsunami, might be hampered by a demand that aid workers be accompanied by military escorts.
Bid to Protect Tsunami Survivors From Child Traffickers
Scotland Yard has set up a child protection unit as part of international efforts to combat the possible trafficking of children in the wake of the Indian Ocean earthquake, it emerged today.
The Tsunami Relief Effort
John Vidal on whether mistakes made after the 2001 Indian earthquake are being repeated in the current relief effort.
Briton Leads Salvation Mission for Those Still Living in Flattened Town
Dawn Sewell heads a 14-member Salvation Army medical team in Meulaboh, the town on the west coast of Indonesia's Aceh province that was nearest to the epicentre of the earthquake.
Earthquakes and Tsunamis
An earthquake in the fjord-like Lituya Bay, Alaska, on July 9, 1958, generated a tsunami wave 524 meters (1719 feet) high, moving at a speed of 160 kilometers per hour.
How Can Religious People Explain Something Like This?
Martin Kettle: Earthquakes led 18th-century thinkers to ask questions we shy away from. The modern era flatters itself that human beings can now know and shape almost everything about the world.
Tsunami Death Toll Rises to 23,700
The death toll from the southern Asia earthquake rose dramatically today, with some reports estimating that 23,700 people died in Sunday's disastrous tidal wave.
Tsunami Death Toll Rises to 23,500
The death toll from the southern Asia earthquake rose dramatically today, with some reports estimating that 23,500 people died in Sunday's disastrous tidal wave.
Thousands Killed in Asian Tsunami
The most powerful earthquake in 40 years triggered massive tidal waves that hit coastlines across Asia today, killing more than 11,000 people in Sri Lanka, Indonesia, India, Malaysia and Thailand. More than 11,000 people in six countries were killed today when the most powerful earthquake in 40 years triggered huge tidal waves that hit coastlines across Asia. The death toll is almost certain to rise further as the full extent of the devastation emerges.
Tremors That May Signal Political Earthquake in North Korea
European policymakers have been advised to prepare for 'sudden change' in North Korea amid growing speculation among diplomats and observers that Kim Jong-il is losing his grip on power.
Justin Mccurry in Tokyo
A disaster waiting to happen ... but the question is when. On the 20th floor office in Toyko that Japan's foreign correspondents call home, veterans of previous big earthquakes exchanged worried glances.
Child Rescued Four Days After Quake
A two-year-old boy was yesterday rescued from underneath rubble four days after he, his sister and mother were buried in their car by a landslide set off by an earthquake in north-west Japan. Firefighters pulled Yuta Minagawa to safety but were unable to save his mother, Takako Minagawa,...
Toddler Rescued Four Days After Earthquake
A Japanese toddler was today pulled alive from his family car that had been buried in a landslide for four days after a deadly earthquake. Firefighters pulled two-year-old Yuta Minagawa to safety but were unable to save his mother Takako Minagawa, 39, who had called out to rescuers from...
Japan in Shock After Earthquake Devastation
21 dead, thousands homeless as threat of second tremor looms.
The Lib Dems - Nice People, No Hope
It would take a political earthquake - or proportional representation - to put the Lib Dems into government.
EU Halts Aid to Armenia Over Quake-zone Nuclear Plant
The European Union has frozen €100m (£67m) in grant aid to Armenia because the government has gone back on a deal to close the country's only nuclear power station, which is in a highly active earthquake zone. The Armenian government restarted the Metsamor reactor in 1995 after...
Tehran Expels Guardian Reporter
The Iranian government is expelling the Guardian correspondent in Tehran, Dan De Luce, for making an unauthorised reporting visit to Bam after the earthquake there. De Luce, who is due to fly to London today, said yesterday: "I am disappointed to be leaving. I was just trying to do my job...
Homeless Moroccans Build Shelters As Tremors Continue
Two aftershocks from Tuesday's Moroccan earthquake brought down more buildings in northern towns and villages yesterday, leaving thousands of homeless people trying to erect makeshift shelters in the rain and cold. "People are very angry, hardly any help has arrived," Nabil Haduyi said in...
Searchers Scour Rubble for Quake Survivors
Rescuers continued their search for survivors of the Morocco earthquake today, using pickaxes and their bare hands to break through the rubble of flattened mud-and-stone houses and concrete apartment blocks. In the badly hit village of Im-Zouren, teams with sniffer dogs scaled mounds of...
Quake Kills 229 in Morocco
A powerful earthquake struck northern Morocco today, destroying buildings and killing at least 229 people. The quake shook rural areas near the mediterranean port city of Al Hoceima, and the Red Cross said up to 500,000 people in six outlying villages may have been affected...
29 Killed As Earthquakes Rock Indonesian Island
A series of earthquakes hit Papua, Indonesia's easternmost province, yesterday morning, killing at least 29 people and injuring up to 200, local authorities said. Most of the casualties were in and around the town of Nabire on the north coast of the province, which comprises the western...
Quake Survivor Found After 13 Days
Half starved and barely breathing, a 56-year-old man has been rescued from the rubble of his home in Bam, 13 days after the Iranian town was levelled by an earthquake. He was discovered by an Iranian rescue team late on Wednesday, lying in a small puddle and trapped beneath a wardrobe. He...
Iran Considers Moving Capital From Quake Zone
Startled by the obliteration of its eastern city of Bam by an earthquake, Iran is considering moving its capital from seismically active Tehran to a safer part of the country. Iranian scientists warned more than 10 years ago that a powerful earthquake under the teeming city of 12 million...
Woman of 97 Rescued Alive After Eight Days in Ruins
A woman aged 97 was rescued from the earthquake rubble of her home in the Iranian city of Bam yesterday, having survived for eight days without water or food. The woman, seen by The Observer dozing comfortably in a makeshift hospital bed, was in remarkably good shape, according to Red...
UK Rescue Team in Iran Finds Former Colleague Among Dead
A British traveller and former fireman who was killed in the Iran earthquake was given a solemn send-off in Bam yesterday by former colleagues who, in an extraordinary coincidence, were part of the international rescue team combing the devastated city. Gavin Sexton was returning to...
Earthquake Search Teams Face Up to the Cruel Truth
James Astill reports from Bam on the hunt for survivors nearing its end. After 48 hours of unremitting horror, trawling through the debris of what used to be Bam, and coping with the stench of death that now hangs over it, Rolf Zipf-Marks felt a sudden tingle of hope.
15,000 Feared Dead in Iran Earthquake
· 15,000 feared dead in Iran
· Ancient town hit by earthquake
· Rescuers scramble to remote area
Three Die in California Earthquake
An earthquake rocked southern California last night, killing three people and sending tremors from Los Angeles to San Francisco. With a magnitude of 6.5 on the Richter scale, according to the US Geological Survey, its epicentre was the northern coastal town of Cambria, 185 miles...
Hundreds hurt in Japanese quakes
More than 400 people were injured, at least 18 seriously, when two powerful earthquakes struck the island of Hokkaido in northern Japan early yesterday.
Quake Hits Lord of the Rings Land
A world heritage site used as a location for the Lord of the Rings films has been badly damaged by more than 200 landslides after a massive earthquake in southern New Zealand. The Fiordland national park was hit early last Friday by a quake as powerful as the one that hit San Francisco in...
Miracle of Quake Girl Brings a Little Solace to Grieving Algeria
Confused and covered in dust but still alive, a two-and-a-half-year-old girl became a symbol of hope for Algeria yesterday after she was pulled from the rubble of a building flattened in an earthquake which devastated the country's densely-populated north. As the death toll rose to almost...
Fear Grips Algeria As Quake Kills 1,000 Algerians
Rescue workers dug through the rubble of dozens of collapsed buildings in northern Algeria yesterday after an earthquake killed more than 1,000 people. Impromptu street mortuaries were set up as hospitals in the capital, Algiers, and the neighbouring town of Boumerdes, 30 miles to the...
Quake Victims Pursue Building 'mafia'
Death toll from Turkish disaster tops 150. The contractor who built the dormitory building which disintegrated into dust during the Bingol earthquake, killing at least 66 children, was in hiding yesterday as grieving and angry relatives stepped up demands for him to be prosecuted.
Rioting Breaks Out in Earthquake-hit City
The police chief in the Turkish city of Bingol was today sacked after rioting broke out in the aftermath of yesterday's earthquake which killed more than 100 people. The Turkish prime minister, Tayyip Erdogan, confirmed reports that the police chief, Osman Nuri Ozdemir, had been suspended...
Deadly shocks a fact of life for the poorest
Thirteen earthquakes in Turkey in the past 1,700 years have each claimed more than 10,000 lives. The relatively mild tremor that buried children under the rubble of a village 430 miles (690 km) east of Ankara yesterday was a reminder that earthquakes in Turkey are a fact of life and, all too often, bring death.
Children Trapped in Turkish Quake
Turkish rescue workers battled last night to find 84 children buried under the rubble of a school boarding house that collapsed during an earthquake which killed more than 100 people. Rescue workers toiling under floodlights pulled out at least one child still alive and three corpses...
Chinese quake survivors sleep among ruined homes
As funerals were held yesterday for the victims of Monday's earthquake in the far west of China, officials said they were still struggling to get tents and medical supplies to the area.
Hundreds Die in Chinese Earthquake
Soldiers from the People's Liberation Army dug through the rubble for survivors last night after one of China's worst earthquakes in decades devastated a remote region along the Silk Road, killing at least 257 people and leaving tens of thousands homeless. Authorities said the quake,...
Earthquake Kills 243 in China
A powerful earthquake struck China's remote western region of Xinjiang today, killing at least 243 people and collapsing more than 1,000 houses and school buildings, a disaster official and state media said. The quake struck Bachu county on the western edge of Xinjiang, near China's...
Mexico Shaken By Earthquake
A powerful earthquake has hit west-central Mexico, sending panicked residents spilling into the streets of major cities and reportedly killing 21 people.
Quake village buries its lost children
As aftershocks continued to shift the earth beneath their feet, the people of the devastated farming village of San Giuliano di Puglia buried 26 of their children, an entire class of six-year-olds killed when an earthquake reduced their primary school to rubble.
'I told quake children, look for light, light means hope'
A primary school teacher who lost nine of her pupils in Thursday's earthquake told yesterday how she tried to encourage them as she lay trapped for four hours under the rubble of the three-storey school building.
Frantic Search for Trapped Pupils After Quake
Emergency crews in southern Italy this morning rescued a young boy from the wreckage of a primary school nearly 24 hours after an earthquake collapsed the classrooms onto students and teachers. At least 24 people - 21 children, one teacher, and two women in nearby homes - died in the...
Six killed in Italian earthquake
Rescuers working close to the epicentre of a strong earthquake that today rocked central and southern Italy said five children and an elderly woman are feared dead.
Earthquakes
Did the earth move? Mark Oliver looks at the recent British earthquakes, and discovers that giant turtles were once blamed for tremors as well as the best quake links online.
Tremors felt right down to Yankees' home plate
There was a small earthquake in California at the weekend when the princes of American baseball, the New York Yankees, were done down, when it mattered most, by a team from the one major league city hard to find on a half-decent map. The aftershocks may reverberate for years.
Westwood: a player reborn
The Midlands have witnessed a couple of earthquakes recently: the geological shudder of last week and Alan Green pounding around The Belfry the past couple of days for the BBC (small joke there, Alan). But the audacity of Lee Westwood and Sergio Garcia in driving the 10th to edge ahead of Tiger Woods and Davis Love III yesterday afternoon counts as at least a decent tremor.
When in Rome, Watch Out
Italy's image as a tourist wonderland has been jolted by a British government warning to beware of earthquakes, disease and Rome's No 64 bus.
Iran U-turns on Us Earthquake Aid
Iran's president, Mohammad Khatami, today said he would accept government US aid for his earthquake-damaged country despite his previous refusals. The Reuters news agency reported President Khatami as saying: "Yes, help is help." An estimated 245 people were killed and more than...
Iran Hit By Second Quake
A fresh earthquake and aftershocks hit northern Iran overnight just days after 245 people were killed and more than 25,000 made homeless by a powerful tremor in the region. In towns and villages in and around Qazvin, the hardest hit province, terrified residents slept in the open out of...
Iranian villages razed as quake kills 400
At least 400 people have been killed and 1,000 injured after an earthquake devastated dozens of villages in a remote mountain area of Iran early yesterday.
French Far Right Has High Electoral Hopes of Flowerpot Mayor
One month after the Le Pen earthquake shook the country's political landscape, the National Front has set its sights on seats in parliament.
World in brief
Skiers lost in Alps avalanche | Earthquake shakes US | General to surrender for war crimes charges | Russians ban bishop | Refugees riot
Blocked roads hamper aid effort
A major operation was under way last night to get aid to the shattered town of Nahrin following Monday's devastating earthquake.
Aftershocks Increase Afghan Death Toll
The projected death toll in a series of devastating earthquakes in northern Afghanistan rose sharply from 2,000 today as fresh aftershocks hit the area and the scale of the disaster became clearer. The aftershocks from the initial quakes, which struck on Monday night and yesterday morning...
1,800 Afghans Killed in Series of Earthquakes
Afghanistan was in the grip of a fresh humanitarian crisis last night after a series of earthquakes ripped across a remote part of the Hindu Kush mountains.
1,500 Feared Killed in Afghan Earthquake
At least 100 people were killed, and more than 1,500 are feared killed, in an earthquake that shook a wide area of Afghanistan and north-western Pakistan, the United Nations said today. UN spokesman Yusuf Hassan said many more were feared dead in the quake, which began yesterday at about...
Quake Rocks Kabul
At least five people died and 20 were injured when a powerful earthquake shook northern Afghanistan yesterday. The 90-second tremor destroyed buildings and caused residents to flee their homes. All the casualties were residents in the capital, Kabul. Measuring 7.2 on the Richter...