History of deadly earthquakes Earthquakes have claimed hundreds of thousands of lives in the last 100 years and improvements in technology have only slightly reduced the death toll. 27 February 2010 A magnitude 8.8 earthquake hits central Chile north-east of the second city, Concepcion. Within 48 hours more than 700 people were confirmed killed. 12 January 2010 About 230,000 die in and around the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince, as a 7.0 magnitude earthquake strikes the city. 6 April 2009 An earthquake hits the historic Italian city of L'Aquila, killing about 300 people. 29 October 2008 Up to 300 people are killed in the Pakistani province of Balochistan after an earthquake of 6.4 magnitude struck 70km (45 miles) north of Quetta. 12 May 2008: Up to 87,000 people are killed or missing and as many as 370,000 injured by an earthquake in just one county in China's south-western Sichuan province. The tremor, measuring 7.8, struck 92km (57 miles) from the provi...