A look back at local, national and global events through the Deseret News archives.
On December 28, 1908, a major earthquake followed by a tsunami devastated the Italian cities of Messina and Reggio Calabria, killing at least 70,000 people.
According to reports, the earthquake registered a magnitude of 7.1 in the Strait of Messina, which separates Sicily from the Italian mainland. It is still considered the deadliest earthquake in the history of Europe.
Even in 1908, news of the disaster spread around the world, with the Deseret News and other newspapers reporting on the world event.
Earthquakes followed by tsunami waves have always been a challenge for coastal communities. If you visit during the holidays, the devastation will only increase.
Twenty years ago, on December 26, 2004, a magnitude 9.1 earthquake under the Indian Ocean caused a tsunami with waves up to 30 meters high, killing an estimated 230,000 people.
On March 11, 2011, a powerful tsunami with a speed of almost 800 kilometers per hour and waves of 10 meters high swept over the east coast of Japan, killing more than 18,000 people.
Here are some stories from the Deseret News archives about the earthquakes and tsunamis and how people are coping with them:
“Twenty years ago there was a big tsunami. Here’s How the World Came Together to Help the Victims
A cemetery in the commercial area of Banda Aceh, Indonesia, about three kilometers inland, is still covered by seawater brought ashore by the December 26, 2004 tsunami. | Russ Hill, KSL Newsradio 1160
‘Baby in iconic tsunami photo vault with parents’
“Warning systems often do not help tsunami victims”
“Tsunami-hit towns forgot ancestors’ warnings”
“How a Japanese village braved the tsunami”
“From the ashes”
“Storyteller works to cheer up tsunami victims in Japan”
The front page of the Deseret News on December 28, 1908, when the first reports came in of an earthquake off the coast of Italy and Sicily.
“The lake could cause a tsunami – this may have happened before”
“Earth is an energetic, violent planet”
