May 21, 2003 Earthquake: Algiers, Boumerdes, Reghia, Thenia, Algeria

At least 2,266 people killed, 10,261 injured, about 180,000 homeless and more than 43,500 buildings damaged or destroyed (X) in the Algiers-Boumerdes-Dellys-Thenia area. Underwater telecommunication cables were cut and landslides, sandblows, liquefaction and ground cracks were observed. Maximum ground acceleration of 0.58g was recorded at Keddara. Damage estimated at between 600 million and 5 billion U.S. dollars. Felt from Mostaganem to Guelma and as far south as Biskra. Felt (III) on Mallorca and (II) on Ibiza and Menorca, Spain. Also felt (II) at Albacete, Alcantarilla, Alicante, Barcelona, Cartagena, Castellon de la Plana, Elda, Molina de Segura, Murcia, Sagunto and Villafranca del Panades, Spain. Felt in Monaco and southern France and on Sardinia, Italy. About 40 to 80 cm of uplift of the sea floor was measured along the coast of Algeria between Reghaia and Zemmouri el Bahri. A tsunami with a maximum estimated wave height of 2 m caused damage to boats in the Balearic Islands, Spain, especially in Puerto de Mahon, where 10 boats sank. (reference #1053)

At 18:44 UTC (19:44 local time) on May 21, 2003 a strong, shallow earthquake of moment magnitude Mw=6.8 shook northern Algeria and caused damage in five provinces in the north-central section of the country [...] Damage was reported in an area about 100 km long and 50 km wide, centered on the city of Boumerdes. The hardest hit regions were in the coastal province of Boumerdes (the province immediately east of Algiers) and mainly in the cities of Boumerdes, Zemmouri and Thenia, as well as the eastern districts of the province of Algiers. Most of the construction in the damaged areas was built in the last 30 years; however, several large buildings dating from the colonial era (early 20th century) were heavily damaged in the central districts of Belcourt, Bab-El-Oued and El-Casbah in Algiers. The affected area is heavily developed and urban. The earthquake affected about 2.3 million people. As of June 14, 2003, there were 2,287 people dead, more than 11,000 injured, and about 800 people were still listed as missing. Total economic loss was estimated at US$5 billion. About 182,000 housing units (apartments and private houses) were damaged, of which more than 19,000 collapsed or were rendered uninhabitable. The earthquake left upwards of 120,000 people homeless. (reference #13026)