Torud Earthquake of 12 February 1953, Mw 6.4
63 years ago, on February 12, 1953, a devastating earthquake with a magnitude of Mw = 6.4 occurred in the Torud village in the central desert of Iran. Based on available evidences and an earthquake iso-intensity map prepared in 1955, it seems that the Torud fault which is located next to the uplift of Torud had caused the 1953 event. The shallow depth of the 1953 Torud earthquake and its occurrence in the only residential area in the desert region, as well as rustic unstable texture of the houses caused complete destruction of the Torud village, however the earthquake occurred at 11:44 midday which means that people were awakened and many of them went for agriculture outside of their home. Thus, the number of deaths was nearly 800 people (about a quarter of the population of Torud at that time). According to eyewitnesses, almost all the houses and buildings in the village collapsed except a dwelling house which is still intact after 63 years. After the earthquake, the government built 90 new buildings for the survivors. According to a survey, the population of survivors after the Torud earthquake (those who survived and did not leave Torud) were about 600 to 700 people. The earthquake caused more than 800 fatalities and about 600 people were injured.
