Historic Earthquakes

Khait, Tajikistan (Tadzhikistan, USSR)
1940 July 10 03:53 UTC
Magnitude 7.5

Approximately 12,000 people killed. Nearly all buildings destroyed by the earthquake and landslides in a zone 60-65 km (37-41 mi) long and 6-8 km (4-5 mi) wide. A huge slide, about 20 km (12 mi) long and 1 km (0.5 mi) wide buried the town of Khait to a depth of about 30 m (100 ft), moving over it at a velocity of about 100 m/sec (225 mi/hr). This and other slides in the Yasman River Valley also buried 20 villages. The death toll is estimated.

See: The Tragedy of Khait: A Natural Disaster in Tajikistan