1977 Bucharest Earthquake

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The 1977 Bucharest Earthquake occurred on Friday, 4 March 1977, 21:20 local time and was felt throughout the Balkans. It had a magnitude of 7.4 and its epicenter in Vrancea (in the Eastern Carpathians) at a depth of 94 kilometers.

It killed about 1,570 people and wounded more than 11,000. Among the victims was the Romanian actor Toma Caragiu.

About 35,000 buildings were damaged, and the total damage was estimated at more than two billion dollars. Most of the damage was concentrated in Romania's capital, Bucharest, where about 33 large buildings collapsed (most of which were built before World War II and not reinforced). After the earthquake, the Romanian government imposed tougher standards for the construction of buildings.

In Bulgaria, the earthquake is known as the Vrancea Earthquake or Svishtov Earthquake. Thrее blocks of flats in the Bulgarian town of Svishtov collapsed, killing more than 100 people. Many other buildings were damaged, including the Church of the Holy Trinity.