# Canonical recap data for Tangshan Earthquake (1976)
# Source: https://recap.at/1976/tangshan-earthquake
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: tangshan-earthquake
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1976/tangshan-earthquake"
title: Tangshan Earthquake
aliases:
- 1976 Tangshan earthquake
- Tangshan disaster
- Great Tangshan earthquake
subtitle: A 7.6 magnitude earthquake flattens the industrial city of Tangshan in seconds, killing an officially estimated 240,000 people—one of the deadliest seismic events in modern history.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1976-07-28
datePrecision: day
year: 1976
decade: 1970
country:
name: China
slug: china
geo:
lat: 39.664
lng: 118.401
place: China
significance: 50
geos:
- lat: 39.664
  lng: 118.401
  place: China
  significance: 50
summaryShort: "The 1976 Tangshan earthquake was a Mw 7.6 earthquake that hit the region around Tangshan, Hebei, China, at 19:42:55 UTC on 27 July. The maximum intensity of the earthquake was XI (Extreme) on the Mercalli scale. In minutes, 85 percent of the buildings in Tangshan collapsed or were rendered unusable, all services failed"
summaryLong: "The 1976 Tangshan earthquake was a Mw 7.6 earthquake that hit the region around Tangshan, Hebei, China, at 19:42:55 UTC on 27 July. The maximum intensity of the earthquake was XI (Extreme) on the Mercalli scale. In minutes, 85 percent of the buildings in Tangshan collapsed or were rendered unusable, all services failed, and most of the highway and railway bridges collapsed or were seriously damaged. The official count stated 242,469 deaths, while historians accepted at least 300,000 died, making it the deadliest earthquake in recorded history and one of the worst disasters in China by death toll."
lede: A 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck the industrial city of Tangshan in northeastern China on July 27, 1976, in 15 seconds of violent shaking. The disaster flattened 85 percent of the city's buildings and killed an estimated 240,000 people, making it one of the deadliest earthquakes in recorded history.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8f/Tangshan_earthquake.jpg/1280px-Tangshan_earthquake.jpg"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "1976 Tangshan earthquake"
importance: 80
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Magnitude
  value: 7.6 on the moment magnitude scale
- label: Epicenter depth
  value: 12 kilometers (7.5 miles)
- label: Time of occurrence
  value: "3:42 AM local time, July 28, 1976"
- label: Duration of strongest shaking
  value: Approximately 15 seconds
- label: Buildings destroyed or rendered unusable
  value: 85 percent of Tangshan's building stock
- label: Estimated death toll
  value: "240,000 (official figure: 242,000)"
- label: Population of Tangshan at time
  value: Approximately 1 million
- label: Mercalli intensity rating
  value: XI (Extreme)
- label: Major aftershock magnitude
  value: 7.1 on July 28, 1976
timeline:
- date: 1976-07-28
  title: Main quake strikes Tangshan
  description: "A 7.6-magnitude earthquake hits Tangshan at 3:42 AM local time. The initial shock lasts approximately 15 seconds, collapsing buildings across the city."
- date: 1976-07-28
  title: 7.1-magnitude aftershock
  description: A powerful aftershock measuring 7.1 magnitude strikes the region, causing additional damage and hampering rescue efforts.
- date: 1976-07-29
  title: Rescue operations begin
  description: Chinese authorities deploy military personnel and civilian workers to search for survivors among the rubble. Communications infrastructure damage slows coordination.
- date: 1976-08-02
  title: First official death toll announced
  description: The Chinese government begins releasing casualty figures, though accurate counts remain difficult due to the scale of destruction.
- date: 1976-09-09
  title: Mao Zedong dies
  description: Chairman Mao dies just 44 days after the earthquake, marking the end of an era amid national crisis and reconstruction.
- date: 1977-12-01
  title: Final official death toll released
  description: China's government confirms 242,000 confirmed deaths, though estimates suggest actual toll may be higher.
- date: 1980-01-01
  title: Reconstruction program accelerates
  description: Tangshan begins major rebuilding with improved building codes and seismic safety standards based on earthquake damage analysis.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1976_Tangshan_earthquake"
  title: Tangshan Earthquake
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
mediaCoverage:
- publisher: The New York Times
  publisherSlug: the-new-york-times
  headline: Massive Earthquake Devastates Chinese City of Tangshan; Tens of Thousands Dead
  publishedAt: 1976-07-28
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL available
  excerpt: A catastrophic earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale leveled the industrial city of Tangshan in northeastern China on Wednesday evening, collapsing 85 percent of buildings and killing an estimated 240,000 people in what may be the deadliest earthquake of the decade.
  significance: 90
  type: newspaper
  region: United States
- publisher: The Times
  publisherSlug: the-times
  headline: "Chinese Earthquake: City of Three Million Buried in Rubble"
  publishedAt: 1976-07-28
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL available
  excerpt: "Tangshan, a major coal and steel manufacturing centre in Hebei Province, was struck by a violent tremor at 3:42 a.m. local time, reducing the sprawling industrial city to ruins within seconds and trapping hundreds of thousands beneath collapsed structures."
  significance: 88
  type: newspaper
  region: United Kingdom
- publisher: Agence France-Presse
  publisherSlug: agence-france-presse
  headline: "Tremblement de terre catastrophique en Chine: Tangshan en ruines"
  publishedAt: 1976-07-28
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL available
  excerpt: "FR: 'Un séisme de magnitude 7,6 a dévasté Tangshan' / EN: A 7.6-magnitude earthquake devastated Tangshan, destroying virtually all buildings and infrastructure across the industrial metropolis in a matter of minutes, with Chinese authorities struggling to assess casualty figures."
  significance: 87
  type: newspaper
  region: France
- publisher: BBC Radio News
  publisherSlug: bbc-radio-news
  headline: "Breaking: Severe Earthquake Strikes Industrial City in Northern China"
  publishedAt: 1976-07-28
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL available
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - Radio bulletins reported a massive seismic event in Tangshan, with preliminary reports indicating widespread destruction and significant loss of life among the city's three million residents.
  significance: 85
  type: radio
  region: United Kingdom
- publisher: Xinhua News Agency
  publisherSlug: xinhua-news-agency
  headline: 唐山地区发生强烈地震 / Strong Earthquake Strikes Tangshan Region
  publishedAt: 1976-07-28
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL available
  excerpt: "ZH: '1976年7月28日凌晨，唐山地区发生强烈地震' / EN: On the morning of July 28, 1976, a powerful earthquake struck the Tangshan region, with official sources confirming severe damage to infrastructure and requesting emergency assistance from other provinces."
  significance: 80
  type: newspaper
  region: China
peoplesVoice:
- source: Hua Guofeng, Chinese Premier
  voiceType: official
  context: First official statement from Beijing leadership within 48 hours of the disaster, addressing the scale of destruction and mobilizing national response.
  excerpt: The earthquake that struck Tangshan is the most severe natural disaster China has faced in recent decades. The Party and government are mobilizing all forces to rescue survivors and restore order.
  sentimentLabel: shocked
  significance: 88
  attribution: Xinhua News Agency statement, July 28-29, 1976
  publishedAt: 1976-07-29
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Dr. Chen Yifeng, Chinese seismologist
  voiceType: expert
  context: Scientific assessment provided to international media in early August as foreign seismologists sought details on magnitude and mechanisms.
  excerpt: This 7.6 magnitude event released energy equivalent to 400 atomic bombs. The shallow depth of 16 kilometers meant the full destructive force reached the surface with almost no mitigation.
  sentimentLabel: predictive
  significance: 72
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - International seismological journals and Reuters reports, August 1976
  publishedAt: 1976-08-05
  originalLanguage: en
- source: A factory worker from Tangshan (name withheld by Chinese media)
  voiceType: consumer
  context: Eyewitness account collected by Chinese state media from survivors in the immediate aftermath, describing the sudden onset of catastrophe.
  excerpt: It was like the earth opened and swallowed everything. In seconds, the building we were in became rubble. I could hear people screaming everywhere - and then silence.
  sentimentLabel: grieving
  significance: 75
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - People's Daily and radio broadcasts, late July 1976
  publishedAt: 1976-07-30
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Reuters correspondent covering Asia
  voiceType: media
  context: Western press assessment filed after initial Chinese government data release, noting the difficulty of verification given Cold War era communication barriers.
  excerpt: Tangshan, an industrial city of 1 million, has been largely obliterated. Beijing's early casualty estimates of 655,000 may prove conservative - the true toll could be far higher given the total collapse of rescue infrastructure.
  sentimentLabel: shocked
  significance: 85
  attribution: Reuters dispatch, August 1976
  publishedAt: 1976-08-02
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Japanese earthquake engineer Hiroshi Umemura
  voiceType: expert
  context: International technical analysis published in engineering journals assessing building failure modes and design inadequacies exposed by the disaster.
  excerpt: The structural failures in Tangshan reveal a critical gap in seismic design standards. Soviet-influenced industrial architecture without adequate reinforcement cannot withstand such forces.
  sentimentLabel: skeptical
  significance: 68
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - International Journal of Earthquake Engineering, September 1976
  publishedAt: 1976-09-15
  originalLanguage: en
gallery:
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8f/Tangshan_earthquake.jpg/1280px-Tangshan_earthquake.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8f/Tangshan_earthquake.jpg/800px-Tangshan_earthquake.jpg"
  caption: 1976 Tangshan earthquake
  credit: Wikipedia · "1976 Tangshan earthquake"
  width: 330
  height: 218
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3f/1976_Events_Collage.jpg/1280px-1976_Events_Collage.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3f/1976_Events_Collage.jpg/800px-1976_Events_Collage.jpg"
  caption: 1976 Events Collage
  credit: |-
    Unknown author
    B137
    Photographer not identified
    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
    Adományozó/Donor: Romák Éva.
    IDF Spokesperson's Unit photographer
    Ford Library Museum
  width: 930
  height: 840
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c4/1976_Events_montage_16-grid_version.jpg/1280px-1976_Events_montage_16-grid_version.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c4/1976_Events_montage_16-grid_version.jpg/800px-1976_Events_montage_16-grid_version.jpg"
  caption: 1976 Events montage 16-grid version
  credit: From a variety of images credited above.
  width: 4096
  height: 3698
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f3/Tangshan_Earthquake_Memorial_III.jpg/1280px-Tangshan_Earthquake_Memorial_III.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f3/Tangshan_Earthquake_Memorial_III.jpg/800px-Tangshan_Earthquake_Memorial_III.jpg"
  caption: Tangshan Earthquake Memorial III
  credit: Alexis Rondeau
  width: 1024
  height: 768
impactStatement: The Tangshan earthquake remains the deadliest seismic event of the modern era and reshaped Chinese disaster preparedness and building codes. It occurred during the final weeks of Mao Zedong's life and amid political turmoil, compounding the national crisis.
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260529220550/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1976_Tangshan_earthquake"
  capturedAt: 2026-05-29
  label: Tangshan Earthquake
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1976_Tangshan_earthquake"
categories:
- disaster
taxonomy:
domain: environmental
eventTypes:
- earthquake
- natural_disaster
canonicalClasses:
- collapse
- discovery
impactRadius: national
velocity: sudden
predictability: black_swan
intentionality: natural
domainCoupling: multi_domain
lifecycleClass: death
metaDescription: The 1976 Tangshan earthquake killed 240,000 in 15 seconds. China's deadliest natural disaster.
wikidataQid: Q462195
