March 23, 1970 Earthquake: Broach, India
A magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck Broach, India on March 23, 1970 at 01:52:59 UTC, 3 km below the surface. It killed 26 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
- March 23, 1970
- Time
- 01:52:59 UTC
- Place
- Broach, India
- Magnitude
- 5.4 (mb)
- Focal depth
- 3 km (2 mi)
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 21.700° N, 73.000° E
- Country
- India
The toll
- Deaths
- 26
- Injuries
- 200
- 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.
26 killed, 200 injured and heavy property damage at Broach. Felt widely in southern Gujarat and at Bombay, depth 3 km, magnitude 5.4 mb. (reference #45)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
More
Significant earthquakes of 1970The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1970Recent 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 4522.