February 20, 1957 Earthquake: Sidi Abid,sidi Touil (La Medja),cailloux, Tunisia
A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck Sidi Abid,sidi Touil (La Medja),cailloux, Tunisia on February 20, 1957 at 04:41:01 UTC. It killed 13 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
- February 20, 1957
- Time
- 04:41:01 UTC
- Place
- Sidi Abid,sidi Touil (La Medja),cailloux, Tunisia
- Magnitude
- 5.6 (Ms)
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 36.200° N, 8.900° E
- Country
- Tunisia
The toll
- Deaths
- 13
- Injuries
- 96
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 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.
February 20, 1957, 04:41:01 UTC, 36.2 N, 8.9 E, magnitude 5.6. Focus some kilometres south of the small town of Souk-El-Khemis; many "gourbis" (huts) and concrete buildings were destroyed at Riabna, La Meya, Berdai, Ghardimaou. There were 13 killed, 96 injured, several hundred homeless. As in the catastrophe at El Asnam (Orlhnsville) the victims were buried under the debris of gourbis, the weight of the roofs adding to the danger (press reports). The shock was felt in Algeria at La Calle, Annaba (Bsne), Yusuf, Guelma, Skikda (Philippeville), and elsewhere.(reference #1040)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- December 3, 856, Tunis, Tunisia
- January 1758, Tunis, Constantine, Tunisia
- October 27, 1985, Annaba-Setif-Souk, Algeria
- August 6, 1947, Algeria
- February 18, 1962, Gafour,oum-Zid,el Akhouat, Tunisia
- August 7, 1941, Bou-Saadiah,zaghouan, Tunisia
- 1040, Al-Kairawan, Tunisia
- June 2, 854, Kairouan, Tunis, Tunisia
- February 10, 1937, Guelma, Lapaine, Algeria
- 412, Utique, Tunisia
- 1905, Bizerte, Tunisia
More
Significant earthquakes of 1957The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1957Recent 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 4111.