July 21, 1956 Earthquake: Anjar, Bhuj, Gandhidham, Kandla, India
A magnitude 6 earthquake struck Anjar, Bhuj, Gandhidham, Kandla, India on July 21, 1956 at 15:32:30 UTC, 15 km below the surface. It killed 156 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
- July 21, 1956
- Time
- 15:32:30 UTC
- Place
- Anjar, Bhuj, Gandhidham, Kandla, India
- Magnitude
- 6 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 15 km (9 mi)
- Intensity
- 9 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 23.278° N, 70.107° E
- Country
- India
The toll
- Deaths
- 156
- Damage
- Severe (about $5 to $25 million)
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.
21 July 1956, 15:32:30.09, 23.278 N 70.107 E, depth 15, magnitude 6 Mw (reference #10476)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
More
Significant earthquakes of 1956The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1956Recent earthquakes near hereThis 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 4103.