DistantNews
Support us
Skopje Earthquake: 6.1 Magnitude Quake Killed 1,070 and Wiped Out 80 Percent of City in 1963
๐Ÿ‡ญ๐Ÿ‡ท Croatia /Disasters & Emergencies

Skopje Earthquake: 6.1 Magnitude Quake Killed 1,070 and Wiped Out 80 Percent of City in 1963

From Veฤernji List · () Croatian

Translated from Croatian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

In-depth Sources not specified Context piece
  • A devastating earthquake struck Skopje on July 26, 1963, at 5:17 AM, measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale and causing widespread destruction.
  • The earthquake killed 1,070 people, injured 3,000-4,000, and left over 200,000 homeless, destroying 80% of the city.
  • International aid poured in, with notable contributions from figures like Pablo Picasso, helping Skopje rebuild as a symbol of solidarity.

Skopje, North Macedonia, commemorates the devastating earthquake that struck on July 26, 1963, at precisely 5:17 AM. The powerful tremor, registering 6.1 on the Richter scale, lasted only twenty seconds but reduced 80 percent of the city to rubble, claiming 1,070 lives and leaving between 3,000 and 4,000 people injured.

Skopje no longer exists!

โ€” Radio announcerThe first words heard from the destroyed city after the 1963 earthquake.

The earthquake's epicenter lay directly beneath the city, sending shockwaves across a vast area. In the immediate aftermath, Skopje was cut off from the outside world. The scale of the disaster was immense: 15,800 apartments were destroyed and another 28,000 damaged, rendering over 200,000 residents, nearly three-quarters of the population at the time, homeless. Iconic structures like the National and University Library, the main post office, and the old railway station, where a clock remains frozen at 5:17 AM as a silent testament, were reduced to ruins.

In the days following the catastrophe, rescue efforts began, with citizens, the Yugoslav People's Army, and civil services working tirelessly. Hospitals were overwhelmed, and aid began arriving from across the former Yugoslavia. Then-President Josip Broz Tito visited the devastated city the next day, vowing that all nations of the country would unite to alleviate the suffering.

I have seen wars, hunger, terror, executions, concentration camps, prisons, death โ€“ every suffering, but the earthquake is more terrible than all of that. It is a force that comes from all sides, destroys, rumbles, drives people mad and takes away the last hope for salvation.

โ€” Jovan PopovskiA journalist's description of the earthquake's horror in his first report from the ruined city.

What followed was an unprecedented wave of international solidarity. Aid and support came from around the globe, including a significant contribution from the artist Pablo Picasso. This global outpouring of assistance enabled Skopje to rise from the ashes, becoming a powerful symbol of resilience and international cooperation. Journalists like Jovan Popovski, who survived the disaster, described the earthquake as more terrifying than war, highlighting its indiscriminate destructive power.

The nations of the then-state will, with joint forces, strive to alleviate the misfortune that has befallen you.

โ€” Josip Broz TitoThe Yugoslav President's promise of support to the citizens of Skopje after the earthquake.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Veฤernji List in Croatian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog