The Worst Tornadoes in History

Drake Bird Power
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As tragic as it is to lose lives from natural disasters like tornadoes, these are the worst tornadoes in history, each claiming hundreds of lives in a matter of minutes. From the most recent, current cyclones to those of the past, sadly, this list has them all. With death tolls reaching tragic proportions, these are not only the worst cyclones environmentally, they're also the deadliest.

Though tornadoes and other natural disasters do not discriminate, the deadliest tornadoes have struck the most in the Asian country of Bangladesh. Each year, the country of around 120 million people generally sees strong, violent and often deadly tornadoes split between two seasons. The regional topography makes this area a hotbed for twisters and unfortunately puts the country atop the list of the deadliest tornadoes in world history.

In fact the two deadliest tornadoes on record, which killed over 2,000 people in total, occurred in Bangladesh. The deadliest, which hit Daultipur and Salturia, occurred in 1989 and claimed the lives of around 1,300 while the second deadliest was only as far back as in 1996, taking the lives of around 700 when it traveled from Madarganj to Mrizapur.

In addition to being the deadliest tornadoes in history, these twisters caused millions of dollars in damages and injured thousands of others. Sadly, this is common among natural disasters. The same can be said for other disasters such as the worst volcanic eruptions in history and the worst tsunamis in history, among others.

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6

The Valetta, Malta, Tornado

Easily the oldest tornado to cause massive damage and claim a high number of lives, the Valetta, Malta, Tornado killed over 600 when it struck the Grand Harbour of Malta. As the tornado took place so long ago, sources are conflicting regarding when the tornado actually hit with September 23, 1951, and 1956 both being reported.

One thing is clear, the tornado began as a waterspout, a vortex very similar to a tornado that starts over water, then moved to land where it killed hundreds. The waterspout made an unfortunate landing right on the Grand Harbour of Malta, completely destroying a shipping armada in the bay.
7

The Sicily Tornado

Similar to the Valetta, Malta, Tornado, the 1851 Sicily Tornado started as a waterspout before moving onshore. Also similar, the age of the incident, which took place in December 1851, leaves few details of what actually happened, though an estimated 500 people perished that day.

According to reports, two waterspouts combined as they reached the shore of Sicily, Italy, and morphed into two large and violent tornadoes. Another theory of the incident denied the presence of two tornadoes but rather reported the destruction from a multiple-vortex tornado. A multiple-vortex tornado, different from a family of tornadoes, includes several areas of rotation inside of a single tornado.

Regardless if this incident featured one tornado or two, it was at the time one of the deadliest and most destructive natural disasters in history. The estimated 500 deaths put the incident seventh among all tornadoes in world history and the deadliest tornado ever to hit Italy.
8

The Narail-Magura Tornado

Despite occurring only back on April 11, 1964, the Narail-Magura Tornado, share characteristics with ancient tornadoes in that the details of the natural disaster are quite unclear. What is known is that the twister killed an estimated 500 people, though the total death toll could be much more.

The Narail-Magura Tornado hit the cities in Bangladesh, destroying a total of seven villages. One village, Bhabanipur, was home to 400 citizens, all of which were either confirmed dead or never seen or heard from again after the disaster. Overall, as many as 1,400 were either killed or went missing from the incident.
9

The Comoro Tornado

As the deadliest tornado to hit the continent of Africa, the Comoro Tornado killed and estimated 500 people when it struck in 1951. Similar to the Sicily Tornado that same year, the Comoro Tornado started out as a waterspout, then struck land and continued to intensify on a deadly path.

Few details of the tragedy are known other than the year, approximate number of deaths and location. The Comoros, archipelago island nation in the Indian Ocean on the eastern coast of Africa, were under French rule at the time, but later gained independence in 1975.
10

The Madaripur-Shibchar Tornado

As yet another deadly tornado to strike in Bangladesh, the Madaripur-Shibchar Tornado claimed an estimated 500 lives when it hit on April 1, 1977. The path of destruction as the twister traveled from the one city to another, all south of the city of Dhaka, was vast with hundreds injured.

In addition to claiming lives, the Madaripur-Shibchar Tornado leveled the area in both of the villages. All buildings, homes, trees and other structures in both Madaripur and Shibchar were completely destroyed by the tornado.