Tangshan Earthquake

Date: July 28, 1976 • Location: Tangshan Shi, China

An earthquake registering 7.6 Mw, one of the deadliest in history, devastated Tangshan, China, and killed at least 240,000 people.

The 1976 Tangshan earthquake occurred at 19:42:55 UTC on 27 July. The maximum intensity of the Mw 7.6 earthquake around Tangshan, Hebei, China, was XI (Extreme) on the Mercalli scale. In minutes, 85 percent of the buildings in Tangshan collapsed or were rendered unusable, all services failed, and most of the highway and railway bridges collapsed or were seriously damaged. The official count stated 242,469 deaths, while historians accepted at least 300,000 died, making it the deadliest earthquake in recorded history and one of the worst disasters in China by death toll.