YUNGAY — 1970 · Major Tragedy
The Huascarán Avalanche That Buried Yungay
On the afternoon of 31 May 1970 a magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck off the coast of Peru. The shaking destabilised the north face of Huascarán, Peru's highest mountain, tearing loose a mass of ice and rock some 900 metres wide. The debris flow travelled about 18 kilometres at speeds of 280 to 335 km/h, burying the town of Yungay and the village of Ranrahirca within minutes. The Ancash earthquake killed between 66,000 and 70,000 people in total, one of the deadliest natural disasters in the Western Hemisphere. The government banned excavation of the old town and declared it a national cemetery; the site, known as the Campo Santo, is now a memorial. Survivors built a new Yungay nearby.
- Date
- 1970
- Place
- Yungay, Peru, Yungay, PE
- Category
- Major Tragedy
- Case Status
- Closed
- Coordinates
- -9.1440, -77.7480 ↗
Timeline of Events
- 31 May 1970, 15:23The magnitude 7.9 Ancash earthquake struck.
- 31 May 1970An avalanche from Huascarán buried Yungay and Ranrahirca.
- 1970sSurvivors founded the new settlement of Yungay to the north.
- 200031 May was declared Peru's Day of Disaster Education and Reflection.
Sources
- Wikipedia — 1970 Huascarán debris avalanche en.wikipedia.org ↗
- CNN Travel — This Peruvian town was buried under the world's deadliest landslide cnn.com ↗
- Wikipedia
- CNN Travel
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.
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🕯️ This record was prepared with respect, in memory of those who lost their lives.