Natural disasters have been quite a curse to mankind. Many natural disasters from earthquakes, tsunamis to storms and even rainfall have killed thousands across the world. It's that one time when man feels helpless since no technology can stop nature's outburst. Lately, there have been quite a few earthquakes that have shocked the world.

Here are a few of the most disastrous earthquakes in the history of the world.

1. Chile, 1960

An earthquake with a magnitude of 9.5 hit southern Chile. This was one of the worst earthquakes in history, which took place in the year 1960. Nearly 1,650 people died. The earthquake left the entire place in ruins. In fact, the earthquake was quite bad that it affected Philippines and the U.S. as well.

2. Indonesia, 2004

December 26 in the year 2004 witnessed a deadly earthquake that killed nearly 230,000 people. The earthquake hit Indonesia and even caused a tsunami in the Indian Ocean. This earthquake is the third-largest earthquake that has been recorded on a seismograph. The duration was quite long and was for around 8.3 and 10 minutes.

3. Shaanaxi, 1556

With a magnitude of 8, an earthquake hit Shaanaxi in the year 1556. Nearly 830,000 people were killed. Most houses collapsed and there were ground fissures across the land with water gushing out at many places.

4. Ecuador, 1906

In the year 1906, an earthquake hit the coast of Ecuador. This caused a tsunami at the coast of Colombia. Around 1500 people died during this natural disaster.

5. Kanto, 1923

September 1, 1923 saw an earthquake at kanto, Japan. This earthquake went for a time span of four to ten minutes. There were fire storms that followed which burnt nearly 381,000 houses. This earthquake is often referred to as the Great Tokyo earthquake.

6. Ardabil, 893

37 years after the Damghan earthquake hit Iran, another massive earthquake killed nearly 150,000 lives around the same place of Ardabil. This earthquake hit zone - Ardabil, is an earthquake prone area.