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The Japan tsunami was relatively small in size and deadliness compared to those on record. The following five are among the worst in recorded history.
4. 1908 Messina tsunami
In 1908, an earthquake off the coast of Messina, Italy, triggered a large tsunami that claimed more than 75,000 lives, according to the US National Geophysical Data Center. A PBS report says the tsunami reduced the city's population to the mere hundreds and the death toll may have been as high as 200,000 people.
“Signs of the jolt even appeared in Washington, D.C., where the day's crude technology picked up signals of the disaster," according to PBS.
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