June 15, 1995 Tsunami: Aiyion, Gulf of Corinth, Greece
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 6.5 earthquake and a landslide began at Aiyion, Gulf of Corinth, Greece on June 15, 1995 at 00:15:48 UTC. The water rose as high as 1 meters. Its effects were recorded at 2 places. It killed 26 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
- June 15, 1995, 00:15:48 UTC
- Source
- Aiyion, Gulf of Corinth, Greece
- Cause
- Earthquake and landslide
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 6.5, 14 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 1 m (3.3 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 2
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 3
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- -1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 38.401° N, 22.283° E
The toll
- Deaths
- 26 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Injuries
- 60 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Damage
- $660 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.
June 15, 1995. Gulf of Corinth, central Greece. A strong earthquake occurring at 00.6h GMT caused destruction in Aiyion. A local strong sea-wave with the amplitude of 0.5 - 1 m was observed in Aiyion and Eratini. (reference #2130)
June 15, 1995, 00:15:51 UTC, 38.37 N, 22.15 E, W. Corinth Gulf, Sea-wave in Eratini, height 1 m. (reference #2427)
June 15, 1995. A magnitude 6.3 Ms (USGS) earthquake occurred at 00:15 UT in Greece near the Gulf of Corinth. It generated a tsunami that arrived at Eratini immediately after the earthquake. It had a runup height of 0.4-0.5 meters after a withdrawal of one meter a few minutes after the earthquake for a wave height (range) of 1.5 meters. (reference #1315)
On 15 June 1995, 00:16 GMT, a strong (Ms=6.0) earthquake ruptured the western side of the Corinthos Gulf. The earthquake caused extensive damage in several towns and villages along both coastlines of the Gulf, the northern and the southern ones. The maximum intensity (VII+) was felt in the city of Aegion, southern coastline, where the collapse of two multi-storied buildings caused a death toll of 26. Extensive coastal ground breaks and subsequent ground submergence were reported in both coastlines. In the northern coastline, a local tsunami wave was officially reported from the town of Eratini (peak-to-trough 1.5 m) being located in the epicentral area. The wave was observed immediately after the earthquake occurrence. Its maximum vertical run-up was of about 004-0.5 m, while a water withdrawal of about 1 m occurred a few minutes after the earthquake. The water disturbance lasted for about 12 hours. Damage was not reported. Judging from that no tsunami was reported from other coastal places of the epicentral or more remote areas it is tentatively concluded that the wave could be attributed to the reported massive sliding in the sea of unconsolidated sediments accumulated at the local river mouth. A similar mechanism of tsunamigenesis at the same place was considered in association with the earthquake (Ms=6.3) of 6 July 1965. Tsunami generation from either seismic or aseismic sliding of coastal or submarine sediment masses is rather frequent in the Greek Archipelago, including the Gulf of Corinthos. (reference #2278)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eratini | Greece | 6 | 1 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| Aiyion | Greece | 24 | 1 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1995The 1900sTsunamis of GreeceThe 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 2248.