1948 Ashgabat earthquake

1948 Ashgabat earthquake

Earthquake
title = 1948 Ashgabat earthquake
date = October 5, 1948


magnitude = 7.3 Mw
depth =
location = near Ashgabat (today's Turkmenistan)
countries affected = Flag|Soviet Union (Turkmen SSR)
tsunami = None
aftershocks =
casualties = 110,000 dead, 9th deadliest earthquakeThe 1948 Ashgabat earthquake, at a magnitude 7.3 Mw, occurred at on 5 October 1948 near Ashgabat, Turkmenistan (then Soviet Union).

Details

The earthquake caused extreme damage in Ashgabat and nearby villages, where almost all brick buildings collapsed, concrete structures were heavily damaged and freight trains were derailed. Damage and casualties also occurred in the Darreh Gaz area, Iran. Surface rupture was observed both northwest and southeast of Ashgabat. Many sources list the casualty total at 10,000, but a news release on 9 December 1988 advised that the correct death toll was 110,000. [ [http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/world/most_destructive.php Most Destructive Known Earthquakes on Record in the World ] ] A 2007 report by the State News Agency of Turkmenistan gives a total number of up to 176,000. [ [http://turkmenistan.gov.tm/_eng/2007/10/06/today_the_people_of_turkmenistan_mourn_for_those_perished_in_the_1948_ashgabat_earthquake.html Today, the people of Turkmenistan mourn for those perished in the 1948 Ashgabat earthquake » «Turkmenistan: the golden age» ] ]

It was this earthquake that killed future Turkmen dictator Saparmurat Niyazov's mother (his father having died during World War II) and the rest of his family, leaving him an orphan. [Cummings, Sally N. "Power and Change in Central Asia", p.118. Routledge (2002), ISBN 0415255856.]

References


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