August 20, 1988 Earthquake: Kathmandu, Bihar, Nepal-India
A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck Kathmandu, Bihar, Nepal-India on August 20, 1988 at 23:09:09 UTC, 57 km below the surface. It killed 998 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
- August 20, 1988
- Time
- 23:09:09 UTC
- Place
- Kathmandu, Bihar, Nepal-India
- Magnitude
- 6.6 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 57 km (35 mi)
- Intensity
- 8 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 26.755° N, 86.616° E
- Country
- Nepal
The toll
- Deaths
- 998
- Missing
- Few (about 1 to 50) with its tsunami and other effects
- Damage
- $131.5 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.
1091 deaths and $131.5 million damage. (reference #1250)
998 deaths (reference #12584)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- January 15, 1934, Bihar, Nepal, India
- September 18, 2011, Sikkim, Nepal, China, Bhutan, India
- May 12, 2015, Dolakha, Nepal
- February 14, 2006, Sikkim, India
- November 27, 2016, Mount Ama Dablam, Charikharka, Nepal
- June 21, 2017, Dhading, Nepal
- June 7, 1255, Kathmandu, Nepal
- May 23, 1866, Kathmandu, Nepal
- July 7, 1869, Kathmandu, Nepal
More
Significant earthquakes of 1988The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1988Recent 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 5167.