One of the world's most destructive earthquakes, the magnitude 7.4 - 7.7 Manjil-Rudbar Earthquake with hundreds of aftershocks, hits Northern Iran, on June 21, 990, near the Caspian Sea, killing an estimated 50,000 people and injuring another 135,000.
Manjil–Rudbar Earthquake in Brief
The Manjil–Rudbar Earthquake struck northern Iran on June 21, 1990, with an estimated magnitude of 7.4 to 7.7. Centered near the cities of Manjil and Rudbar in Gilan Province, the earthquake occurred shortly after midnight and caused widespread devastation across a large region of northwestern Iran.
Entire towns and villages were destroyed, roads and bridges collapsed, and thousands of homes were reduced to rubble. The earthquake and its aftershocks claimed the lives of an estimated 35,000 to 50,000 people, injured tens of thousands more, and left hundreds of thousands homeless. It remains one of the deadliest natural disasters in modern Iranian history.
The disaster exposed the vulnerability of many buildings to seismic activity and prompted renewed efforts to improve earthquake-resistant construction standards in Iran. International aid and rescue teams assisted in relief operations, while the tragedy drew global attention to the challenges of disaster preparedness in earthquake-prone regions.
Today, the Manjil–Rudbar Earthquake is remembered not only for its immense human toll but also for its lasting influence on seismic research, emergency response planning, and building safety practices throughout the region.
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