Which earthquake is generally considered the deadliest in recorded history?

The 1556 Shaanxi earthquake is generally considered the deadliest earthquake in recorded history.

It struck China on 23 January 1556, with the greatest destruction occurring in what are now Shaanxi and neighboring provinces. Historical accounts describe widespread collapse of cave dwellings carved into loess cliffs, as well as severe damage to buildings and city walls.

The exact magnitude cannot be calculated reliably because modern instruments did not exist. Estimates commonly place it around magnitude 8, but the death toll is uncertain. The figure most often quoted is about 830,000 people, although historians note that historical population records and casualty reports were incomplete.

The 1976 Tangshan earthquake is often confused with the Shaanxi event because it also caused enormous loss of life in China. Tangshan was one of the deadliest modern earthquakes, while Shaanxi remains the usual answer for the highest historical death toll.