Editor's note: A 6.6-magnitude quake jolted Jinggu County in southwest China's Yunan Province on Tuesday night, leaving at least one person dead and over 300 others injured. Why do earthquakes always cause casualties and damages? Why are they considered as one of the most dangerous natural disasters ever faced by mankind? It's because their occurrence cannot be predicted well in advance and hence no warnings can be given to the residents living in those areas to move to safer places. China has experienced many destructive earthquakes and here we have shortlisted the top 5 deadliest earthquakes in Chinese history.

 

 Gulang earthquake

The Gulang earthquake occurred at 6:32 a.m. on May 23, 1927. It was felt up to 700 km away. In the area of greatest intensity, all cave dwellings and 90 percent of houses were destroyed. In Gulang, almost the only thing left standing was a 20-meter-long section of the city walls and some decorated archways.

Date: May 23, 1927

Province: Gansu

Magnitude: 7.6 M

Epicenter: 37.39°N  102.31°E

Casualties: 40,900 dead