1970 Bhola Cyclone

On 12 November 1970, the Bhola Cyclone made landfall on the densely populated Ganges Delta of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), generating a storm surge over 20 feet high that swept over low-lying islands and swept away entire communities. An estimated 500,000 people were killed — the highest death toll ever recorded for a tropical cyclone, though this is 40% lower than the 830,000 fatalities from the 1556 Shaanxi Earthquake (ranked #3). The Pakistani government's delayed and inadequate relief response fuelled public outrage that directly contributed to the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971 and the creation of an independent Bangladesh. Average surge height of 5.5 meters exceeded typical cyclone surges in the Bay of Bengal by 35%.