July 16, 1956 Earthquake: Myanmar
A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck Myanmar on July 16, 1956 at 15:07:12 UTC, 34 km below the surface. It killed 38 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 16, 1956
- Time
- 15:07:12 UTC
- Place
- Myanmar
- Magnitude
- 6.8 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 34 km (21 mi)
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 22.178° N, 95.781° E
- Country
- Myanmar
The toll
- Deaths
- 38
- Injuries
- 50
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)
- 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.
Destructive earthquake in upper Burma; damage at Mandalay; 38 dead and 50 injured at Sagaing, 22 km from Mandalay, 80 per cent of houses damaged (Press report). (reference #1040)
[…] the Sagaing earthquake (Richter magnitude 6.9) of 16 July 1956 which ruined several pagodas and several masonry buildings in the area, and killed about 40 people (reference #13976)
1956-07-16 15:07:12.32 UTC, 22.178 N 95.781 E, magnitude 6.82 Mw (reference #10476, v.11)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- March 28, 2025, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand
- March 23, 1839, Ava, Amarapura, Myanmar
- November 11, 2012, Shwebo, Myanmar
- August 24, 2016, Chauk, Myanmar
- April 13, 2016, Assam, Bangladesh, India, Myanmar
- July 8, 1975, Pagan (Bagan), Myanmar
- August 4, 1714, Ava (Innwa), Mynamar (Burma), Myanmar
- 1467, Ava (Innwa), Myanmar
- 1501, Ava (Innwa), Myanmar
- September 15, 1696, Ava (Innwa), Myanmar
- 1838, Ava (Innwa), Myanmar
- July 24, 1485, Sagaing, Myanmar
- January 5, 1991, Thabeikkyin, Mandalay, Myanmar
- May 23, 1912, Mandalay, Mogok, Maymyo, Myanmar
- September 12, 1946, Myanmar
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 4101.