1970 Ancash Earthquake

On 31st May 1970, there was an earthquake in Peru. It had a magnitude of 7.9 on the Richter scale. Thousands of houses were destroyed; there were many landslides. Estimates are that about 800,000 people lost their homes, and about 70,000 people died. It was probably the biggest earthquake in the modern history of Peru. The city of  Yungay was almost completely destroyed.

Category:Earthquakes in South America
Category:Disasters in the 1970s
Category:1970
Category:20th century in Peru
Category:May events