̽»¨¾«Ñ¡

b>INSURANCE INFORMATION INSTITUTE
Contact: Press Offices
New York: 212-346-5500; media@iii.org
Washington, D.C.: 202-833-1580

NEW YORK, May 13, 2008 - The devastating earthquake that hit southwestern China yesterday registered a 7.9 on the Richter magnitude scale, stronger than the 7.5 magnitude quake which struck the country in July 1976, killing tens of thousands of people. In the chart below the ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ Information Institute has compiled the 10 deadliest world catastrophes between 1970 and 2007, according to Swiss Re.

The May 12 earthquake and its after-shocks, along with the May 2-3 Myanmar cyclone, are the deadliest natural disasters since December 2004, when a tsunami swept across South Asia.

The Richter magnitude scale assigns a single number to quantify the amount of seismic energy released by an earthquake. A tropical cyclone that has matured to a severe intensity is called a hurricane when it occurs in the Atlantic Ocean or adjacent seas, a typhoon when it develops in the Pacific Ocean or neighboring seas, and a cyclone if it materializes in the Indian Ocean region. Myanmar borders the Indian Ocean.

For more information on global catastrophes, go to /media/facts/statsbyissue/catastrophesglobal .

For more information on insurance, go to the I.I.I. Web site .

The I.I.I. is a nonprofit, communications organization supported by the insurance industry.