10 of the Deadliest Natural Disasters in History

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5The 1887 Yellow River Flood

The Yellow River (Huang He) in China has long been known as “China’s Sorrow” due to its frequent and devastating floods. In 1887, one of the most catastrophic floods occurred when the river breached its dikes in Henan Province, inundating an area of about 50,000 square miles.

The floodwaters claimed the lives of an estimated 900,000 to 2 million people, making it one of the deadliest floods in history. The disaster displaced millions of people and destroyed crops, leading to widespread famine and social unrest.