May 30, 1990 Earthquake: Bucharest, Braila, Brasov, Romania

Name: May 30, 1990 Earthquake: Bucharest, Braila, Brasov, Romania
Start: 1990-05-30
Location: Bucharest, Braila, Brasov, Romania

May 30, 1990 · M6.7 · 14 deaths · $23.7 million

A magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck Bucharest, Braila, Brasov, Romania on May 30, 1990 at 10:40:06 UTC, 89 km below the surface. It killed 14 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: May 30, 1990
Time: 10:40:06 UTC
Place: Bucharest, Braila, Brasov, Romania
Magnitude: 6.7 (mb)
Focal depth: 89 km (55 mi)
Intensity: 6 on the Modified Mercalli scale
Tsunami: None recorded
Epicenter: 45.841° N, 26.668° E
Country: Romania

The toll

Deaths: 14
Injuries: 700
Damage: $23.7 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.

1990, May 30. Nine people killed, more than 700 injured and severe damage in the Bucharest-Braifa-Brasav area. Four people

killed, some injured and many buildings damaged in Maldovia, USSR. One person died of a heart attack and extensive damage in northern Buglaria. Felt (VI) at Silistro and (V) at Sofia, Bulgaria. Felt (VI) at Kishinev; (IV) at Kiev, Lvov, Moscow, Rostov, Sachi and Uzhgorod; (III) ot Stavropol and Leningrad, USSR. Also felt in Hungary, Greece, Poland, Turkey and Yugoslavia. (reference #1053)

1990, May 29. 9 killed in Romania, 4 killed in Russia, 8 killed in Yugoslavia, $23.7 million damage. (reference #1250)

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

Significant earthquakes of 1990 The 1900s Every quake the USGS located in 1990 Recent earthquakes near here This 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 5241.