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1980 Irpinia earthquake

The 1980 Irpinia earthquake (Italian: Terremoto dell'Irpinia) took place in Italy on 23 November 1980, with a moment magnitude of 6.9 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (Extreme). It left at least 2,483 people dead, at least 7,700 injured, and 250,000 homeless.

For other earthquakes that have occurred in Irpinia, see List of earthquakes in Irpinia.

UTC time

1980-11-23 18:34:52

23 November 1980 (1980-11-23)

19:34:52 CET[1]

6.9 Mw[1]

US$20 billion ($73.9 billion in 2024, adjusted for inflation)[3]

2,483–4,900 dead[2]
7,700–8,934 injured[2]
250,000 displaced[2]

Impact[edit]

Towns in the province of Avellino were hit the hardest. In Sant'Angelo dei Lombardi, 300 were killed, including 27 children in an orphanage, and 80 percent of the town was destroyed and many historical buildings were left in ruins as the town never fully recovered as of 2021. One hundred were killed in Balvano when a medieval church collapsed during Sunday services. The towns of Lioni, Conza della Campania (near the epicenter), and Teora were destroyed, and dozens of structures in Naples were levelled, including a 10-story apartment building. Damage was spread over more than 26,000 km2 (10,000 sq mi), including Naples and Salerno.[5]

Rebuilding[edit]

The Italian government spent 59 trillion lire on reconstruction, while other nations sent contributions. West Germany contributed 32 million United States dollars (USD) and the United States US$70 million.[8]


However, in the early 1990s a major corruption scandal emerged. Of the billions of lire that were earmarked for aid to the victims and rebuilding, the largest part disappeared from the earthquake reconstruction funds in the 1980s. Of the $40 billion spent on earthquake reconstruction, an estimated $20 billion went to create an entirely new social class of millionaires in the region, $6.4 billion went to the criminal Camorra, whereas another $4 billion went to politicians in bribes. Only the remaining $9.6 billion, a quarter of the total amount, was actually spent on people's needs.[9]


The Camorra entered the construction industry after the quake.[10]

List of earthquakes in 1980

List of earthquakes in Italy

1930 Irpinia earthquake

List of earthquakes in Irpinia

Porfido, Sabina; Alessio, Giuliana; Gaudiosi, Germana; Nappi, Rosa; Michetti, Alessandro Maria; Spiga, Efisio (2021). . Geosciences. 11 (1): 6. doi:10.3390/geosciences11010006.

"Photographic Reportage on the Rebuilding after the Irpinia–Basilicata 1980 Earthquake (Southern Italy)"

(in Italian)

INGV - sismica Map

(in Italian)

Memory and Images Earthquake 1980

Archived 2007-03-12 at the Wayback Machine (in Italian)

Earthquake 1980 Gesualdo

(in Italian)

INGV page on the earthquake

(in German), Hamburger Abendblatt, 1980-12-04

Dank für die deutsche Hilfe

The has a bibliography and/or authoritative data for this event.

International Seismological Centre