Origin time 21:05:0Z Areas affected Turkey | Magnitude 7.2 Mw | |
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Date 28 March 1970 (1970-03-28) Casualties 1,086 dead, 1,260 injured | ||
The 1970 Gediz earthquake (also known as the 1970 Kütahya-Gediz earthquake) struck western Turkey on 28 March at about 23:05 local time. The shock had a moment magnitude of 7.2.
The event killed 1,086 people and left 1,260 people wounded and many thousands homeless in Gediz. a district of Kütahya Province situated 98 km (61 mi) southeast of Kütahya. Many people were burned alive as fires broke out from overturned stoves, and 9,452 buildings in the region were severely damaged or destroyed.
The town of Gediz, home to repeated natural disasters like earthquakes and floods, was relocated following a government resolution soon after the destruction to a new place 7 km (4.3 mi) away on the road to Uşak under the name "Yeni Gediz" (literally: New Gediz). The residents moved in their newly built, earthquake-resistant homes. Neighboring towns and villages were also rebuilt at places with relative minimum earthquake risk.
Other major earthquakes occurred in Gediz in 1866 and 1896, and on June 25, 1944, at 07:20 local time, a magnitude 6.0 earthquake occurred in Gediz, killing 20 people and damaging around 3,500 buildings.