Earthquake and Tsunami Were Deadliest Since 1556

The magnitude 9.0 that hit Banda Aceh, Indonesia and resulting Indian Ocean tsunami on December 26, 2004 was the deadliest earthquake since Jan. 23, 1556 when a magnitude 8 earthquake killed an estimated 830,000 people in Shansi, China. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that the tally from the 2004 disaster as more than 275,950. More from the USGS.