May 30, 1935 Earthquake: Quetta, Pakistan

Name: May 30, 1935 Earthquake: Quetta, Pakistan
Start: 1935-05-30
Location: Quetta, Pakistan

May 30, 1935 · M7.5 · 60,000 deaths · $25 million

A magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck Quetta, Pakistan on May 30, 1935 at 21:32:46 UTC, 33 km below the surface. It killed 60,000 people, counting the tsunami it caused.

Map

Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.

The earthquake

Date: May 30, 1935
Time: 21:32:46 UTC
Place: Quetta, Pakistan
Magnitude: 7.5 (Ms)
Focal depth: 33 km (21 mi)
Intensity: 10 on the Modified Mercalli scale
Tsunami: Yes: the tsunami it caused
Epicenter: 29.500° N, 66.800° E
Country: Pakistan

The toll

Deaths: 60,000
Damage: $25 million
Houses destroyed: Very many (over 1,000)
Houses damaged: Very many (over 1,000)

Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.

What the record says

NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.

1935, May 31 [May 30]. Magnitude 7.5 earthquake near Quetta caused 60,000 deaths and some agitation in local rivers. (reference #96)

1935, May 30, 21:32:46 UTC. 29.5 N, 66.8 E, shallow depth, magnitude 7.5. (reference #88)

1935, May 30. 21:32:46 UTC, 29.5 N, 66.75 E, shallow depth, magnitude 7.5. (reference #130)

1935, May 30. Quetta, Pakistan, magnitude 7.5, 30,000 deaths. (reference #1173)

1935, May 30. Quetta, Pakistan, 29.5 N, 66.8 E, magnitude 7.5, intensity X. (reference #1212)

1935, May 30, 21:32.8 UTC. 29.1 N, 66.6 E, destructive in Baluchistan, India [now Pakistan]; 30,000 to 40,000 killed, depth normal. (reference #45)

1935, May 31 [30]. 60,000 deaths. (reference #1250)

1935, May 30. $25 million damage. (reference #1248)

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

Significant earthquakes of 1935 The 1900s Every quake the USGS located in 1935 Recent earthquakes near here This day in weather history

Sources

Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 3550.