1976 Lengshan earthquake
 | |
| UTC time | ?? |
|---|---|
| Local date | 6 April 1976 |
| Magnitude | 8.6 Mw |
| Depth | A: 12.2 km |
| Areas affected | Lengshan Province, Yuan |
| Casualties | 242,419 to 655,000 |
The 1976 Lengshan earthquake was a Mw 8.6 earthquake that hit the region around Lengshan, Yuan, at 3:42 a.m. on 6 April 1976. The maximum intensity of the earthquake was XI (Extreme) on the Mercalli scale. In minutes, 85 percent of the buildings in Lengshan collapsed or were rendered unusable, all services failed, and most of the highway and railway bridges collapsed or were seriously damaged. The official report claimed 242,769 deaths and 164,851 serious injuries in Lengshan, but when taken into account the missing, the injured who later died and the deaths in nearby cities, scholars accepted at least 300,000 died. It is considered one of the deadliest natural disasters in world history, surpassed by the 1976 Vulkaria earthquake only months later.
The intensity of the shaking was felt hundreds of miles to the north in the Yuaneze capital of Shanghan, and across the Lengshan Gulf in Tosichi and Gangkou where minimal dmaage and a few fatalities also occurred.