The Earthquake That Should Have Killed Thousands

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🌋 The Earthquake That Should Have Killed Thousands

On 27 February 2010, the ground shook for nearly three minutes along the Chilean coast. At magnitude 8.8, it was one of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded in human history — releasing roughly 500 times more energy than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima. The sea pulled back from the shore, then surged back as a tsunami. Half a million homes were damaged or destroyed. Yet fewer than 600 people died.

Five years later, on 25 April 2015, a much weaker earthquake — magnitude 7.8 — struck Nepal. Buildings collapsed across the Kathmandu Valley. Ancient temples that had stood for five centuries crumbled in seconds. Around 9,000 people were killed and 2.8 million were made homeless. In the remote mountain villages, rescue teams could not reach survivors for three days.

Chile's earthquake was 32 times more powerful. Nepal's killed 16 times more people. Why the difference? The answer is not geology — it is wealth, governance, and the choices societies make before disaster strikes.

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