1976 Tangshan earthquake

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The 1976 Tangshan earthquake (Chinese: 唐山大地震; pinyin: Tángshān dà dìzhèn; lit. 'Great Tangshan earthquake') occurred at 19:42:55 UTC on 27 July (03:42:55, 28 July local time). The maximum intensity of the Mw 7.6 earthquake around Tangshan, Hebei, China, 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 (excluding the famine deaths from the 1556 Shaanxi earthquake) and one of the worst disasters in China by death toll.

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