May 27, 2003 Earthquake: Algiers, Boumerdes, Reghaia, Algeria
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck Algiers, Boumerdes, Reghaia, Algeria on May 27, 2003 at 17:11:28 UTC, 8 km below the surface. It killed 9 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 27, 2003
- Time
- 17:11:28 UTC
- Place
- Algiers, Boumerdes, Reghaia, Algeria
- Magnitude
- 5.7 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 8 km (5 mi)
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 36.939° N, 3.578° E
- Country
- Algeria
The toll
- Deaths
- 9
- Injuries
- 200
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 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.
At least 9 people killed, 200 injured and several
buildings previously weakened by the earthquake of May
21 were destroyed in the Algiers-Boumerdes-Reghaia
area. Felt (II) in the Balearic Islands and Valencia,
Spain. A 15 cm tsunami was observed at Mahon and Palma
de Mallorca, Spain. (reference #1053)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- May 1716, Algiers, Algeria
- March 2, 1825, Blida, Algiers, Algeria
- May 21, 2003, Algiers, Boumerdes, Reghia, Thenia, Algeria
- September 9, 1954, Orleansville, Algeria
- February 12, 1946, Hodna Mountains, Algeria
- January 2, 1867, El Affroun, Algeria
- February 21, 1960, Melouza, Algeria
- January 15, 1891, Bourava, Gouraya, Algeria
- December 3, 1885, M'Sila, Algeria
- October 29, 1989, Algiers, Cherchell, Tipaza, Algeria
- June 24, 1910, Masqueray, Kabylia, Algeria
- August 22, 1856, Northern, Algeria
- August 1, 2014, Algiers, Algeria
- August 21, 1856, Northern, Algeria
- January 1, 1965, M'Sila, Algeria
More
Significant earthquakes of 2003The 2000sEvery quake the USGS located in 2003Recent 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 5697.