Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm Nargis was an extremely deadly and catastrophic tropical cyclone that caused the worst natural disaster in the recorded history of Myanmar during early May 2008. The cyclone made landfall in Myanmar on 2 May 2008, sending a storm surge 40 kilometres up the densely populated Irrawaddy delta, causing catastrophic destruction and at least 138,373 fatalities. The Labutta Township alone was reported to have 80,000 dead, with about 10,000 more deaths in Bogale. There were around 55,000 people missing and many other deaths were found in other towns and areas, although the Myanmar government's official death toll may have been under-reported, and there have been allegations that government officials stopped updating the death toll after 138,000 to minimise political fallout. The feared 'second wave' of fatalities from disease and lack of relief efforts never materialised. Damage was at 13 trillion kyat (US$15.3 billion), making Nargis the costliest tropical cyclone on record in the North Indian Ocean at the time, before that record was broken by Amphan in 2020.
Cyclone Nargis makes landfall in Burma killing over 138,000 people and leaving millions of people homeless.
On May 2, in the year 2008, Cyclone Nargis makes landfall in Burma killing over 138,000 people and leaving millions of people homeless. This event is recorded as a Historical Events event in the history of May 2, one of 377 recorded events on this date across all of history.
Key Facts
- This event took place on May 2, 2008 (AD era).
- It is categorised as a Historical Events event in recorded history.
- Referenced in 2 Wikipedia articles.
- Wikipedia source last updated on 29 April 2026.
On This Date in History 377
This article draws on content from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
More on May 2
Two mudslides in Badakhshan, Afghanistan, leave up to 2,500 people missing
On 2 May 2014, a pair of mudslides occurred in Argo District, Badakhshan Province, Afghanistan. The death toll is uncertain, the number of deaths is believed to be at least 350 an…
Two mudslides in Badakhshan, Afghanistan, leave up to 2,500 people missing
A pastel version of The Scream, by Norwegian painter Edvard Munch, sells for $120 million in a New York City auction, se
A pastel is an art medium that consists of powdered pigment and a binder. It can exist in a variety of forms, including a stick, a square, a pebble, and a pan of color, among othe…
A pastel version of The Scream, by Norwegian painter Edvard Munch, sells for $120 million in a New York City auction, se
Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the September 11 attacks and the FBI's most wanted fugitive, is killed by the Uni
Osama bin Muhammad bin 'Awad bin Laden was the founder and first general emir of al-Qaeda from 1988 until his death in 2011. A Salafi jihadist, bin Laden worked towards a pan-Isla…
Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the September 11 attacks and the FBI's most wanted fugitive, is killed by the Uni
An E
A novel strain of Escherichia coli O104:H4 bacteria caused a serious outbreak of foodborne illness focused in northern Germany in May through June 2011. The illness was characteri…
An E
Chaitén Volcano begins erupting in Chile, forcing the evacuation of more than 4,500 people
Chaitén is a volcanic caldera 3 kilometres (2 mi) in diameter, 17 kilometres (11 mi) west of the elongated ice-capped Michinmahuida volcano and 10 kilometres (6 mi) northeast of t…
Chaitén Volcano begins erupting in Chile, forcing the evacuation of more than 4,500 people
The Yelwa massacre concludes
The Yelwa massacre was a series of related incidents of religious violence between Muslims and Christians which took place in Yelwa, Nigeria between February and May 2004. These i…
The Yelwa massacre concludes
Comments 0
Sign in to join the discussion.