Bhola Cyclone (1970)

The Bhola cyclone of 12 November 1970 struck East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) and killed approximately 500,000 people — the deadliest tropical cyclone ever recorded. The Pakistani central government's inadequate response to the disaster enraged East Pakistanis and contributed directly to the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971, which created Bangladesh as an independent nation. A natural disaster thus directly produced a new country.