January 12, 1956 Earthquake: Hungary

Name: January 12, 1956 Earthquake: Hungary
Start: 1956-01-12
Location: Hungary

January 12, 1956 · M5.8 · 2 deaths

A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck Hungary on January 12, 1956 at 05:46:00 UTC. It killed 2 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: January 12, 1956
Time: 05:46:00 UTC
Place: Hungary
Magnitude: 5.8
Tsunami: None recorded
Epicenter: 47.500° N, 19.300° E
Country: Hungary

The toll

Deaths: 2
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.

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

Significant earthquakes of 1956 The 1900s Every quake the USGS located in 1956 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 4088.