It has been 47 years since the 1977 earthquake, which killed around 1,500 people and injured another 11,000. Romania is still one of the countries most exposed to earthquakes, these being among the top risks that Romanians fear.
The 1977 earthquake was felt in almost all of Southeast Europe, but also in Moscow and Saint Petersburg. The earthquake occurred at 21:21 on a Friday and lasted 56 seconds.
The earthquake of March 4, 1977 caused the greatest damage produced by a natural phenomenon in the history of Romania: at the national level, 1,578 people lost their lives (1,424 in Bucharest) and 11,321 people were injured (7,598 in Bucharest). A number of 32 buildings of high or medium height collapsed in the Capital, 32,900 homes were seriously damaged nationally, approximately 200,000 people were directly affected.
The earthquake occurred at 21:21 on a Friday and lasted 56 seconds.
The strong earthquake caused the collapse or serious damage of hundreds of buildings, under the ruins of which thousands of victims were trapped, as well as the damage of thousands of other residential buildings, hospital units, schools and higher education institutions, kindergartens, nurseries, boarding houses, cultural settlements, historical monuments.
The most seriously affected were the city of Bucharest, the southern and eastern regions of the country. The earthquake in Vrancea also caused damage in Bulgaria. In the town of Svishtov, three blocks of flats were destroyed and more than 100 people died.
Thus, according to a research carried out by IRES at the request of UNSAR, more than half of Romanians are worried that an earthquake or a fire could affect their home. Unfortunately, at the national level, only one in five homes is insured: basically, only 20% of Romanians would benefit from the protection offered by a home insurance policy, compared to a European average of around 65%.
The authorities calculated how much the loss of human life would cost, namely 2.07 billion euros. As for the material losses, they would amount to 6.72 billion euros, and the intervention costs would be 2.96 billion euros. The indirect impact also concerns loss of revenues to the budget, which are estimated at 2.64 billion euros, which is considered very small.
The strongest quake in Romania was in 1802
Romania is a country with high seismic potential, and an earthquake with a magnitude of 7 degrees is possible at any time. The Vrancea seismic zone is the most active in Romania, but strong earthquakes have occurred in the past, including in the Black Sea.
The strongest earthquake in the history of Romania occurred in 1802, in the Vrancea area, at a depth of 160 kilometers. The earthquake of 1802 was called “The Great Earthquake”. Produced on the day of Saint Parascheva, the tectonic movement affected a large area of the eastern part of Europe, being felt from Moscow and St. Petersburg to Constantinople (Istanbul) and the Island of Ithaca.