The Varto earthquake of 1966 was an earthquake

Earthquake

An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...

 that occurred on August 19, 1966 in Varto

Varto

Varto is a town in eastern Turkey occupied primarily by Kurdish people.Varto was the site of a major fighting during the Sheikh Said rebellion in 1924, and the 1966 earthquake that killed nearly 3,000 people....

 town of Muş Province

Mus Province

Muş Province is a province in eastern Turkey. It is 8,196 km² in area, and has a population of 406,886 . The population was 453,654 in 2000. The provincial capital is the city of Muş...

 in eastern Turkey

Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...

. The magnitude of the earthquake was 6.9 on the surface wave magnitude

Surface wave magnitude

The surface wave magnitude scale is one of the magnitude scales used in seismology to describe the size of an earthquake. It is based on measurements in Rayleigh surface waves that travel primarily along the uppermost layers of the earth...

 scale and had a maximum felt intensity of IX (Violent) on the Mercalli intensity scale

Mercalli intensity scale

The Mercalli intensity scale is a seismic scale used for measuring the intensity of an earthquake. It measures the effects of an earthquake, and is distinct from the moment magnitude M_w usually reported for an earthquake , which is a measure of the energy released...

. The fatalities reached 2,394 and 1,489 people were wounded. The earthquake devastated all the structures in Varto.

This disaster was preceded by an earthquake of magnitude 5.6 that hit Varto on March 7, 1966 killing 14 and wounding 75 people.