Thailand floods pale beside five worst floods in history

The damage from this year's floods in Thailand pales beside the destruction wrought by the five deadliest floods in history. Where and when did they happen, and just how deadly were they?

4. Yellow River, 1642

The Yellow River again, but with a twist: in 1642, the flood was not a natural disaster, but rather was deliberately caused. In 1642 the Ming army flooded Kaifeng, once China’s capital, to prevent a rebel peasant army from capturing the city. Some 300,000 people died.

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