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TheOneNeartheTop t1_jaywylv wrote

No way a structural collapse caused 200k deaths unless it was a dam. In which case it would be a flood.

Edit: Its also disingenuous to say 4 million people died from a flood when it’s the total potential deaths from starvation, cholera, etc for years after.

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databeautifier OP t1_jayxv1u wrote

Per the source, it actually was the failure of Banqiao Dam in 1975 and includes deaths due to subsequent diseases and hunger in addition to the initial flood. I can see the perspective that it should be categorized as a flood since it did include one, but the cause was a structural collapse and I put it in the visualization as one because the source (Wikipedia) categorized it that way.

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Lente_ui t1_jb029j0 wrote

Still no where near the 4 million in the graph. The largest estimate, made by the Discovery channel, was 240,000. Including subsequent deaths by famine and disease. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1975_Banqiao_Dam_failure#Casualties
I don't think the Discovery channel's the ultimate 10 show is the most credible of sources.

I think this is the flood OP's chart is referring to: The 1931 Yangtze-Huang river floods. With an official death toll of 422,420 people. It has nothing to do with the 1975 Banqiao dam break.

>Some Western sources allege that the death toll was between 3.7 and 4 million people based on their own claims of famine and disease.[15][6]

Source [15] is a website with a tiny article. In that article it says:

>in 1931 the death toll was almost four million,

With absolutely nothing to back it up. No sources, nothing. They're just spouting out a number. I don't find this credible at all.

Source [6] refers to a book. This book is about climate. I can't find out which number it claims without buying it. I doubt a 2003 book about climate contains first hand research into a 1931 disaster. It likely quotes another source.

I'm inclined to believe the official death toll over the 70+ year after the fact 'estimates' without any substantial research behind their claims.

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johrnjohrn t1_jb16tas wrote

Thanks for commenting on the flood. I was googling like crazy to figure out how tf 4 million people died in one flood. Your context helped.

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