9.0 Quake in BC Would Kill Thousands and Cost $128 Billion, Report Foresees

Director of Taiwan Seismology department at the Central Weather Bureau, Ku Kai-wen, points to Richter scale graphs after a strong earthquake hit southern Taiwan, on March 4, 2010, in Taipei, Taiwan. The Canadian Press/AP Photo

A British Columbia government report foresees more than 3,400 fatalities and more than 10,000 injuries if an earthquake with a magnitude of 9.0 strikes off Vancouver Island.

The scenario of such a “megathrust” quake also describes costs of $128 billion, the destruction of 18,000 buildings and extensive damage to 10,000.