When the earth moves: 6 major earthquakes of 2026
Colombia, Venezuela, Mindanao: Thousands have died in powerful earthquakes this year. Six such events show that the magnitude of the quake is not the only factor determining the scale of the disaster.
2026 has seen its share of significant earthquakes, but the annual average of about 15 earthquakes registering above magnitude 7 on the Richter scale indicates this is not an unusually bad year. On June 24, Venezuela experienced a devastating double earthquake with magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5, killing over 6,300 people and severely damaging infrastructure.
The Philippines suffered the strongest earthquake of the year so far with a magnitude of 7.8 off Mindanao, though fatalities were fewer compared to Venezuela. Western Colombia was hit by a magnitude 7.4 quake on August 10, claiming more than 250 lives. The undersea quake off northeastern Japan's Sanriku Coast on April 20, though not as powerful, still resulted in at least 12 deaths and highlighted the country's vulnerability on the Pacific Ring of Fire.
The most consequential quake of the year for Latin America was the magnitude 7.4 event in Colombia. Even with the significant tremors off Japan's coast in April, the fatalities were fewer, underscoring the impact of socio-economic factors on earthquake consequences.
Written by urgent.news from DW News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
