August 20, 1988 Tsunami: Bangladesh
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 6.6 earthquake began at Bangladesh on August 20, 1988 at 23:09:09 UTC. Its effects were recorded at 1 place. It killed 998 people, counting the earthquake or eruption that caused it.
Where the waves reached
The source (white) and every runup with a place, colored by the water height recorded there. A ring is a runup NCEI marks doubtful.
- Under 1 m
- 1 to 3 m
- 3 to 10 m
- 10 to 30 m
- 30 m and more
- Height not recorded
The tsunami
- Date
- August 20, 1988, 23:09:09 UTC
- Source
- Bangladesh
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 6.6, 57 km deep
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Waters
- A lake or river, not the ocean
- How certain
- An event that only caused a seiche
- Source location
- 26.755° N, 86.616° E
The toll
- Deaths
- 2; 998 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Missing
- Few (about 1 to 50)
- Damage
- $131.5 million 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.
Seismic seiches observed in many rivers including capsizing boats in the Jamuna River killing 2 people and missing almost 30 people. (reference #11454)
Reference #1053 lists impacts listed above to 06 Aug 1988 event.
Note: reference #12345 lists as probable tsunami (accessed July 2024)
Every runup
Nearest the source first. Heights are above sea level at the time; a tide gauge reads half the wave’s full height.
| Where | Country | Km from source | Water height, m | Inland, m | Measured by | First wave, UTC | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jamuna River | Bangladesh | Other | 2 |
More
Every tsunami in 1988The 1900sTsunamis of BangladeshThe 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 5735.