April 22, 1863 Earthquake: Rhodes, Kos, Greece

April 22, 1863, Asia Minor, Rhodes island, 13 villages destroyed; Smyrna and Island of Cos, intensity III which corresponds to an earthquake which destroyed towns and devastated districts. (reference #1055)

April 22, 1863, 20h30m, 36.5N, 28E, Intensity = IX-XI, magnitude = 6.7. An earthquake catastrophe, thirteen villages in the Rodhos (Rhodes) were destroyed (Trianda, Bastida, Maritsa, Demetria, Salakos, Dimilia, Lardos, Katavia, Laerma, Pilona, Lachania, Istridos, Monotilos, Massari), casualties, other villages were partly destroyed, in total 2050 houses were thrown down, strongly felt at Izmir (Smyrna), felt at Aydin, Nazilli, Beirut (Beyrouth), Gelibolu (Gallipoli), Irdklion (Candia), Suez, Mersine, Cairo V, Jerusalem, Malta, Tripoli(?), several houses in the island Kos destroyed some others and the cathedral seriously injured, some houses destroyed in Mdkri, Marmara and Khiilki, no damage in the island Symi. (reference #1099)

April 22, 1863, 20:30, 36.5 N, 28 E, intensity XI, Rhodes (Dodecanese). (reference #1198)

April 22, 1863, 21:30, 36.4 N, 27.6 E, M=7.8 (X, Rhodos). The earthquake destroyed 13 villages in Rhodos among which the village Masari which was rebuih from the beginning 2 km further west. In the city of Rhodos there was destroyed, among others, the Arabic castle (Nailec), with its walls made of granite, up to the ground floor. A total of 2,050 houses collapsed in Rhodos. The cathedral church and some houses in Cos, Chalke and Syme were also destroyed. More than 300 people were killed among which 130 in Masari. Some people were also killed or injured in Syme and Chalke. Some houses in Makre and Marmaris, in the opposite Turkish coast, were destroyed too. Those buildings which were fissured and became dilapidated by the main shock were destroyed by the (rather few) aftershocks. No damage occurred in Smyrne but was violently felt with long duration. The earthquake was felt in Heraklio, Zante, Cos, Samos, Chios, Alexandroupole, Callipole, Dardanelles, Constantinople, Beirut, Alexandria, Cairo, Tripole, Mersina. (reference #4408)

April 22, 1863. The final damage report for Rhodes lists 14 out of a total of 44 villages in the island destroyed, namely Damatria, Dimylia, Istrios, Kattavia, Laerma, Lachania, Lardos, Maritsa, Masari, where of 246 people only 35 survived, and Monolithos, Pastida, Pylonas, Salakos and Trianda, where only ten houses were left standing. Another eight villages were half destroyed, including Archangelos, Genadi, Kalythies, Koskinou, Kremasti, Vati and Villanova. Of a total of 2700 houses in these villages, 2050 were destroyed, and 224 people were killed and 124 were wounded throughout the island [5]. The villages of Fandos, Lindos and Malona suffered less [7]. Losses in the island were considerable and the Ottoman governor had to request relief from Istanbul [1, 3]. (reference #9116)

On 22 April 1863 a large earthquake (Fig. 2) caused extensive destruction in Rhodes city as well as in many villages of the island; about 224 people killed. (reference #13796)

Note: Reference #2130 lists 22 March 1863