May 7, 1989 Earthquake: Gengma, Lancang, Menglian, Yunnan Province, China
A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck Gengma, Lancang, Menglian, Yunnan Province, China on May 7, 1989 at 00:38:18 UTC, 33 km below the surface. It killed 1 person.
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
- May 7, 1989
- Time
- 00:38:18 UTC
- Place
- Gengma, Lancang, Menglian, Yunnan Province, China
- Magnitude
- 5.6 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 33 km (21 mi)
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 23.553° N, 99.526° E
- Country
- China
The toll
- Deaths
- 1
- Injuries
- 91
- Damage
- $54 million
- Houses destroyed
- 5,300
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.
At least one person killed, 91 injured and 5,300 houses destroyed in the Gengma area, China. Felt strongly in Lancang and Menglian counties. direct economic losses of more than 54 million dollars were sustained. (reference #1053)
$54 million damage. (reference #1250)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- November 6, 1988, Yunnan Province, China
- March 13, 1577, Tengchong, Yunnan, China
- February 1, 1942, Simao, Yunnan Province, China
- November 14, 1884, Yunnan Province, China
- July 11, 1995, Lancang, Menglian, Thailand, Yunnan Province, China, Myanmar
- December 21, 1579, Baoshan, Yunnan Province, China
- June 2, 2007, Ning'Er, Yunnan Province, China
- October 7, 2014, Yongping, Yunnan Province, China
- December 6, 2014, Yongping, Yunnan Province, China
- May 1906, Yunnan Province, China
- May 16, 1941, Yunnan Province, China
- November 6, 1988, Yunnan Province, China
- March 1, 2015, Cangyuan, Gengma, Yunnan Province, China
- December 8, 1952, Yunnan Province, China
- May 14, 1938, Yunnan Province, China
More
Significant earthquakes of 1989The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1989Recent 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 5197.