According to author Stephen Spignesi , a " couple of days " after the quake Dr. Pararas-Carayannis gave United Press International ( UPI ) an estimate of to deaths , based on a similar sized earthquake in Shaanxi province in 1556 that caused 830,000 deaths . Pararas-Carayannis ' current web page says only that " it was fairly accurately estimated that there were at least people dead , " without mentioning by whom or on what basis this estimate was made
earthquake in Shaanxi province in 1556
1556 Shaanxi earthquake
1976 Tangshan earthquake