September 7, 1999 Earthquake: Athens, Greece
A magnitude 6 earthquake struck Athens, Greece on September 7, 1999 at 11:56:49 UTC, 10 km below the surface. It killed 143 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
- September 7, 1999
- Time
- 11:56:49 UTC
- Place
- Athens, Greece
- Magnitude
- 6 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 10 km (6 mi)
- Intensity
- 9 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 38.119° N, 23.605° E
- Country
- Greece
The toll
- Deaths
- 143
- Injuries
- 1,600
- Damage
- $4.2 billion
- Houses destroyed
- 53,000
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.
One hundred forty-three people killed, 1,600 injured, 50,000 homeless and at least 53,000 buildings damaged or destroyed (IX) in the Athens area. Preliminary estimate of damage at 655 million U.S. dollars. Felt in much of central Greece and as far as Izmir, Turkey. (reference #1053)
143 killed, 115,139 affected, $4200 million damage. (reference #1250)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- December 856, Korinthos,patrai (Patras), Greece
- July 7, 551, Schisma, Boetia, Greece
- June 426 BC, Euboea, Greece
- April 20, 1894, Locride, Malesina-Martinon (Lokris), Greece
- August 23, 1817, Aeghion, Achaia, Greece
- August 1, 1870, Itea Delphi (Phokis), Greece
- September 30, 1870, Greece
- March 9, 1965, Alonisos, Skopelos, Greece
- January 30, 1785, Patrai (Patras), Zakynthos (Zante), Greece
- April 5, 1965, Southern, Greece
- April 30, 1954, Sophades (Karditsa), Greece
- April 27, 1894, St Konstantinos-Arkitsa (Lokris), Greece
- June 10, 1846, Messini-Micromani (Messinia), Greece
- June 15, 1995, Aiyion, Eratini, Greece
- February 24, 1981, Athens-Eastern Gulf of Corinth, Greece
More
Significant earthquakes of 1999The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1999Recent 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 5531.