One of the most devastating earthquakes in recorded history was the 1556 Shaanxi earthquake , which occurred on 23 January 1556 in Shaanxi province , China . More than 830,000 people died . Most houses in the area were yaodongs — dwellings carved out of loess hillsides — and many victims were killed when these structures collapsed . The 1976 Tangshan earthquake , which killed between 240,000 and 655,000 people , was the deadliest of the 20th century
1976 Tangshan earthquake
1976 Tangshan earthquake
Earthquake