On this day: 18 May

The deadliest recorded disaster on 18 May was the 1695 magnitude 8.0 earthquake near Shanxi Province: Linfen, which killed 20,000 people.

Historic disasters

Recorded deaths

21,194

Eruptions began

Major events since 1900

Disasters on 18 May in history

Damaging earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions from the NOAA Natural Hazards database, deadliest first.

M8.0 earthquake, Shanxi Province: Linfen
18 May 1695China20,000 killed
M7.5 earthquake, Cucuta,San Cayetano,Villa del Rosario
18 May 1875Colombia1,001 killed
M6.5 earthquake, Susehri
18 May 1929Turkey64 killed
St. Helens eruption (VEI 5)
18 May 1980United States61 killed$2,000m damage
M5.2 earthquake, Mt St Helens
18 May 1980USATriggered a tsunami61 killed$2,000m damage
M5.1 earthquake, Yunnan Province: Qiaojia
18 May 2020China4 killed24 injured$17m damage
M5.5 earthquake, Bunda
18 May 2002Tanzania2 killed690 homes destroyed
M6.9 earthquake, Manabi Province
18 May 2016Ecuador1 killed162 injured
M5.8 earthquake, Serbia
18 May 1980Serbia50 injured$5m damage
M5.3 earthquake, S Coast
18 May 1980Guatemala
M6.0 earthquake, Bali
18 May 1963Indonesia
Earthquake, Lifuka Island
18 May 1928TongaTriggered a tsunami
M7.5 earthquake, Bismarck Sea
18 May 1905Papua New Guinea
Earthquake, Florence, S. Martino, Bossi
18 May 1895Italy
Tsunami, Sydney Harbor
18 May 1871Australia
Tsunami, Ligurian Sea - Nice
18 May 1855France
Earthquake, S
18 May 1853Italy

Big earthquakes and major disasters on 18 May in recent decades.

From the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program eruption record.