July 27, 1976 Earthquake: Tangshan, NE, China
A magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck Tangshan, NE, China on July 27, 1976 at 19:42:54 UTC, 23 km below the surface. It killed 242,769 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 27, 1976
- Time
- 19:42:54 UTC
- Place
- Tangshan, NE, China
- Magnitude
- 7.5 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 23 km (14 mi)
- Intensity
- 11 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 39.570° N, 117.980° E
- Country
- China
The toll
- Deaths
- 242,769
- Injuries
- 799,000
- Damage
- $5.6 billion
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.
1976, July 27, 19:42:54.6 UTC, Tangshan, China, 39.57 N, 117.98 E, magnitude 6.3 mb, 7.9 MS. 655,237 killed, 800,000 injured and extensive damage in the Tangshan area. Damage extended as far as Peking. (reference #1053)
1976, July 27. Official casualty figure is 242,769 deaths. Estimated death toll as high as 655,000. 799,000 injured and extensive damage in the Tangshan area. Damage extended as far as Beijing. (reference #10015)
1976, July 28, 03:42:54.2 Beijing time, Tangshan, China, 39.4 N, 118 E, magnitude 7.8 MS, intensity XI, depth 22 km, 242,000 killed and 164,000 injured, liquefaction area was 24,000 sq km, a lot of farm land was destroyed. (reference #3959)
1976, July 27. 242,000 killed; 164,000 injured; $5,600 million damage. (reference #1250)
1976, July 27. 290,000 killed, $5,600 million damage. (reference #1051)
1976, July 27. 8.0 MS and 7.5 Mw. (reference #1314)
Photo album of some of the damage. (reference #2728)
655,237 killed, $5,600 million damage. (reference #12864)
250 thousand people, out of the 1 million residents of the city, died due to the quake, which was felt in Beijing, 180 km away. Nearly 85% of the city’s buildings collapsed.The Beijing–Shanhaiguam Railway (built in 1887) was seriously damaged, affecting domestic travel [...] Economic loss is estimated to be ∼10 Billion Yuan. (reference #13072)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- 1057, Beijing, China
- September 2, 1679, Hebei Province, China
- August 1289, Beijing, China
- September 30, 1730, Beijing, China
- September 294, Beijing, China
- September 23, 1945, Hebei Province, China
- July 18, 1969, Bohai Sea, China
- July 28, 1976, Tangshan, NE, China
- April 25, 1568, Qianan, Laoting, Hebei Province, China
- March 1621, Hebei Province, China
- June 13, 1888, Bohai Gulf, China
- January 29, 1484, Beijing, China
- March 27, 1967, Hejian, Dacheng, Hebei Province, China
- February 3, 1658, Hebei Province, China
More
Significant earthquakes of 1976The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1976Recent 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 4735.