The city was completely destroyed by a major earthquake on December 27, 1939.
The sequence of seven violent shocks, the biggest measuring 7.8 on the moment magnitude scale, was the most powerful one to strike Turkey in recent history.
The first stage of the earthquake killed about 8,000 people.
The next day, it was reported that the death toll had risen to 20,000.
An emergency relief operation began.
By the end of the year, 32,962 had died due to more earthquakes and several floods.
So extensive was the damage to Erzincan city that its old site was entirely abandoned and a new town was founded a little further to the north.
The city was completely destroyed by a major earthquake on December 27, 1939. The sequence of seven violent shocks, the biggest measuring 7.8 on the moment magnitude scale, was the most powerful one to strike Turkey in recent history. The first stage of the earthquake killed about 8,000 people. The next day, it was reported that the death toll had risen to 20,000. An emergency relief operation began. By the end of the year, 32,962 had died due to more earthquakes and several floods. So extensive was the damage to Erzincan city that its old site was entirely abandoned and a new town was founded a little further to the north.
Erzincan