Tsunamis in 1935

May 30, 1935 Tsunami: Quetta, Pakistan

May 30, 1935 · 60,000 deaths · $25 million · Questionable tsunami

A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.5 earthquake began at Quetta, Pakistan on May 30, 1935 at 21:32:46 UTC. It killed 60,000 people, counting the earthquake or eruption that caused it.

Where the waves reached

The source of the tsunami. No runup with a place is recorded for it.

  • Under 1 m
  • 1 to 3 m
  • 3 to 10 m
  • 10 to 30 m
  • 30 m and more
  • Height not recorded

Tsunami warnings in force

The tsunami

Date
May 30, 1935, 21:32:46 UTC
Source
Quetta, Pakistan
Cause
Earthquake
Earthquake
Magnitude 7.5
Runups recorded
0
Waters
A lake or river, not the ocean
How certain
Questionable tsunami
Source location
29.500° N, 66.800° E

The toll

Deaths
60,000 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
Damage
$25 million with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
Houses destroyed
Very many (over 1,000) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it

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.

May 31 [May 30], 1935, earthquake in Quetta caused 60000 deaths and some agitation in local rivers. (reference #96)

Reference #12345 lists as validity 3 (probable tsunami) (access 04 June 2024)

More

Every tsunami in 1935The 1900sTsunamis of PakistanThe earthquakeThis day in weather historyAlerts in force

Sources

Tsunami events and runups 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 tsunami event 1679.