May 1874 Earthquake: Bhola, Bangladesh
An earthquake struck Bhola, Bangladesh in May 1874. It killed 2,000 people, counting the tsunami it caused.
Map
Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Date
- May 1874
- Place
- Bhola, Bangladesh
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 22.000° N, 89.000° E
- Country
- Bangladesh
The toll
- Deaths
- 2,000 with its tsunami and other effects
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
Mihir Guha (http://www.freejournal.net), former Director General of the India Meteorological Department, informed that a tsunami struck Sunderbans (Bangladesh) in May 1874, killing several hundred thousand people. It was result of an earthquake in Bhola district. Earthquake and tsunami both played havoc in vast areas of Sunderbans, 24-Prganas, Midnapore, Barishal, Khulna and Bhola. Even Kolkata felt its impact. It was the same year that the meteorological center in Alipore was set up. However, no written record of such an earthquake or tsunami is available. (reference #2771)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
More
Significant earthquakes of 1874The 1800sRecent earthquakes near here
Sources
Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 9692.