May 22, 1998 Earthquake: Aiquile, Totora, Central, Bolivia
A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck Aiquile, Totora, Central, Bolivia on May 22, 1998 at 04:48:50 UTC, 24 km below the surface. It killed 105 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 22, 1998
- Time
- 04:48:50 UTC
- Place
- Aiquile, Totora, Central, Bolivia
- Magnitude
- 6.6 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 24 km (15 mi)
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 17.731° S, 65.431° W
- Country
- Bolivia
The toll
- Deaths
- 105
- Injuries
- 150
- Damage
- Severe (about $5 to $25 million)
- Houses destroyed
- 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.
1998, May 22. At least 105 people killed and 150 injured in the Aiquile-Totora area. Eighty percent of the buildings at Aiquile and seventy percent at Totora were destroyed. Felt as far as La Paz. (reference #1053)
95 deaths, 50 injured (reference #1250)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
More
Significant earthquakes of 1998The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1998Recent 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 5493.