October 12, 1769 Earthquake: Greece

Earthquake on 1/12 October 1769. The destructive effects of this very strong earthquake are known from Venetian documents and local archives reviewed by several authors. It has been reported that in Amaxiki town, 497 out of 826 houses collapsed, while the rest, 329 were damaged. All the churches were destroyed. However, the death toll was limited to only seven. Some building damage was also reported in Alykes, southeast of Amaxiki, while salt pans were displaced. Part of the eastern side of the Ayia Mavra fortress collapsed, but the damage was not so important in the villages of the island. The earthquake was felt in other islands of the Ionian Sea and on the Greek mainland. Aftershocks continued up to the end of November. (reference 14265)

AD 1769 Oct 12 Lefkas. The earthquake occurred at c. 1 pm (perhaps preceded by a foreshock at 2 am the previous day), causing serious damage to the town of Amaxiki, the nearby settlement of Perivolaki, the fortress of Santa Maura and the area of Alikes, in the northeastern part of the island, whilst the villages of the island suffered minor damage […] In the villages of Lefkas and some villages of Cephalonia the earthquake was felt strongly. The earthquake was also felt in Ithaca (Ithaki), Zante (Zakynthos), Corfu, Rio, Antirio and Nafpaktos. The earthquake was followed by at least three aftershocks on 13 and 14 October, which killed seven people and injured many. Smaller aftershocks continued until the end of November. (reference #9116)