Major Earthquakes To Have Struck Nepal in Last 90 Years

By: Prajvi Mathur (All Images credit: AFP)

Massive 7.1 Earthquake Strikes Nepal

A massive earthquake of magnitude 7.1 hit Lobuche near the Nepal-China border on Tuesday (Jan 7). Tremors were also felt in several parts of India, including Bihar and Assam. With its long history of earthquakes, here are the major earthquakes that occurred in Nepal.

January, 1934

On January 15, 1934, one of the worst earthquakes in history hit parts of Nepal and India. The earthquake measured a magnitude of 8.2 on the Richter scale. Over 10,000 lost their lives due to the quake.

July, 1980

On July 29, 1980, an earthquake struck the northwest of Khaptad National Park in western Nepal and India’s Uttarakhand. Recording a magnitude of 6.5, the deadly quake resulted in more than 200 deaths, while 5,600 others were injured.

August, 1988

On August 20, 1988, a 6.0 magnitude earthquake occurred near the Nepal-India border. With the epicentre located in the Udayapur District in eastern Nepal, the quake was the largest in the country since 1934. Over 1,000 deaths were recorded with significant damage to infrastructure.

April, 2015

An earthquake with magnitude 7.8 jolted Nepal on April 25, 2015, killing about 9,000 people. The quake was the worst in the history of the country, with damages including about 1 million structures. Apart from Nepal, the earthquake also struck India, China and Bangladesh.

May, 2015

An aftershock of the April earthquake occurred in Nepal on May 12, 2015, stirring panic in the country. The quake was recorded with a magnitude of 7.3 and resulted in over 200 deaths and injured 2,000 others.

November, 2022

On November 10, 2022, an earthquake rocked the mountains of west Nepal with a magnitude of 5.7. The quake resulted in at least 6 deaths and was felt by over 42 million people across Nepal, China and India.

November, 2023

On November 3, 2023, a 5.7-magnitude earthquake struck the Jajarkot District in Karnali Province of Nepal. The quake was widely felt in western Nepal and India and caused more than 150 deaths and dozens of injuries.