ERZURUM — 1983 · Major Tragedy

1983 Erzurum–Kars Earthquake

ClosedSources: ALast updated: 14 October 2026

At 07:12 on the morning of 30 October 1983, a magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck the area between Erzurum and Kars. It hit villages in the Horasan, Pasinler and Narman districts of Erzurum hardest, while villages in the Sarıkamış district of Kars were also damaged. According to Kandilli Observatory records, 1,155 people died and 3,241 buildings were destroyed; international agency reports put the death toll at around 1,340. Some 50 settlements were affected. Arriving early on a Sunday morning, the shock caused heavy losses in mountain villages where stone and mud-brick houses collapsed. With winter approaching, tent camps were set up for survivors and relief work was carried out over difficult terrain. The quake is recorded as Eastern Anatolia's worst disaster of the 1980s.

Date: 1983
Place: Horasan, Erzurum
Category: Major Tragedy
Case Status: Closed
Coordinates: 40.0400, 42.1700 ↗

Timeline of Events

30 October 1983A magnitude 6.6 earthquake strikes at 07:12
31 October 1983Rescue work begins in villages of Horasan, Pasinler and Narman

November 1983Tent camps are set up for survivors
End of 1983Kandilli records list 1,155 dead and 3,241 buildings destroyed

Sources

Wikipedia — 1983 Erzurum earthquake en.wikipedia.org ↗
Kandilli Rasathanesi — Türkiye'de hasar yapan büyük depremler koeri.boun.edu.tr ↗
Wikipedia (EN)
Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute

Source grade A: several independent sources, at least one an official record or reference work. If you spot a mistake or something missing, report it with "Suggest a correction" in the app.