September 10, 1953 Earthquake: Paphos, Cyprus

Name: September 10, 1953 Earthquake: Paphos, Cyprus
Start: 1953-09-10
Location: Paphos, Cyprus

September 10, 1953 · M6.3 · 40 deaths · 500 houses destroyed

A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck Paphos, Cyprus on September 10, 1953 at 04:06:04 UTC, 20 km below the surface. It killed 40 people.

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: September 10, 1953
Time: 04:06:04 UTC
Place: Paphos, Cyprus
Magnitude: 6.3 (Mw)
Focal depth: 20 km (12 mi)
Intensity: 10 on the Modified Mercalli scale
Tsunami: Yes: the tsunami it caused
Epicenter: 34.741° N, 32.335° E
Country: Cyprus

The toll

Deaths: 40
Injuries: 100
Damage: Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)
Houses destroyed: 500

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.

Reference #2130 lists 34.8 N, 32 E, magnitude 6.5, intensity X.

September 10, 1953, 04:06 UTC, 34.9 N, 32.2 E, magnitude 6.4 MS, 40 deaths. (reference #1138)

September 10, 1953, 04:05:58 UTC, Cyprus, 35 N, 32.5 E, magnitude 6.5 MS. 40 killed, 100 injured and 500 buildings destroyed in Paphos and vicinity. (reference #45)

September 10, 1953, 04:06:4.12 UTC, 34.741 N, 32.335 E, magnitude 6.32 Mw, depth 20 (reference #10476)

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

Significant earthquakes of 1953 The 1900s Every quake the USGS located in 1953 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 4031.