Two massive earthquakes measuring 7+ on the Richter scale have hit Turkey and parts of Syria over the span of the last 24 hours.
Photo: Getty Images
The official death toll from the first quake in Turkey and Syria had already risen to over 1,400.
Video: Twitter/sentdefender
The largest recorded earthquake in the world measured 9.5 on the Richter scale in 1960 Chile, causing about 5,700 deaths.
Photo: Getty Images
The deadliest ever earthquake occurred in 1556 AD in central China, killing about 8,30,000 people.
Photo: Getty Images
A reminder of the destructive power of nature, here are the deadliest earthquakes of the 21st century.
Photo: Getty Images
On May 21, 2003, a 6.8 magnitude earthquake tore through the Algerian province of Boumerdès that resulted in the deaths of over 2,200 people.
Photo: Getty Images
On April 14, 2010, a 6.9 magnitude earthquake hit the Qinghai province in China and resulted in the loss of 2,698 lives.
Photo: Getty Images
On May 27, 2006, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck the Indonesian island of Java, killing over 6,000 people and injuring tens of thousands more.
Photo: Getty Images
On April 25, 2015, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Nepal, causing widespread destruction and killing over 9,000 people.
Photo: Getty Images
On March 11, 2011, a magnitude 9 earthquake struck Japan, triggering a massive tsunami that killed over 15,000 people and caused the Fukushima nuclear disaster.
Photo: Getty Images
On January 26, 2001, a 7.7 magnitude earthquake ripped apart Gujarat, India, and resulted in the loss of of over 20,000 lives.
Photo: Getty Images
On October 8, 2005, a magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck Pakistan and India, killing over 75,000 people and injuring hundreds of thousands more.
Photo: Getty Images
On May 12, 2008, a magnitude 8 earthquake struck the Sichuan province of China, causing widespread destruction and killing over 87,000 people.
Photo: Getty Images
On December 26, 2004, a 9.1 magnitude earthquake struck the Indian Ocean, triggering a devastating tsunami that killed over 2,30,000 people in 14 countries.
Photo: Getty Images
On January 12, 2010, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti, causing widespread destruction and killing an estimated 2,30,000 people.
Photo: Getty Images