December 28, 1974 Earthquake: Balakot, Patan, Pakistan
A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck Balakot, Patan, Pakistan on December 28, 1974 at 12:11:43 UTC, 22 km below the surface. It killed 5,300 people, counting the tsunami it caused.
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
- December 28, 1974
- Time
- 12:11:43 UTC
- Place
- Balakot, Patan, Pakistan
- Magnitude
- 6.2 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 22 km (14 mi)
- Intensity
- 7 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 35.100° N, 72.900° E
- Country
- Pakistan
The toll
- Deaths
- 5,300
- Injuries
- 17,000
- Damage
- $3.3 million
- Houses destroyed
- Many (101 to 1,000)
- Houses damaged
- Many (101 to 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.
December 28, 1974, 12:11:43.7 UTC, 35.1 N, 72.9 E, depth 22 km, magnitude 6.0 mb, 6.2 MS. 5,300 reported killed, 17,000 injured and a total of 97,000 people reported affected. The village of of Pattan and nearby hamlets were completely destroyed, also an undetermined amount of damage occurred in other areas of the Indus Valley region. Felt (V) in Kabaul. (reference #1053)
Reference #1167 lists 900 deaths, intensity VII.
Reference #1101 lists 700 deaths.
Reference #1250 lists 4,700 deaths, $3.255 million dollars damage.
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- October 8, 2005, Muzaffarabad, Uri, Anantnag, Baramula, Pakistan
- May 30, 1885, Srinagar, Kashmir, India
- August 31, 2025, Kunar, Nangarhar, Afghanistan
- June 26, 1828, Kashmir, India
- September 12, 1981, Gilgit, Pakistan
- September 3, 1972, Tangir, Gupis, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Pakistan
- February 14, 2004, Balakot, Batgram, Mansehra, Pakistan
- November 20, 2002, Dashkin, Doian, Mushkin, Pakistan
- March 19, 1997, Bajaur, Chitral, Pakistan
- November 1, 2002, Gilgit, Pakistan
- July 8, 1909, Pakistan
- July 24, 2015, Abbottabad, Pakistan
- October 1, 2016, Mansehra, Naran, Pakistan
- October 10, 2010, Khanpur, Haripur, Pakistan
- August 20, 2024, Kupwara, Kashmir, India
More
Significant earthquakes of 1974The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1974Recent 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 4671.