Lenin Peak disaster
A memorial plaque near Lenin Peak commemorating the victims of the disaster | |
| UTC time | 1990-07-13 14:20:43 |
|---|---|
| ISC event | 362596 |
| USGS-ANSS | ComCat |
| Local date | July 13, 1990 |
| Local time | 18:50:43 AFT |
| Magnitude | Mw 6.4 |
| Depth | 216.8 km |
| Epicenter | 36°22′19″N 70°44′17″E / 36.372°N 70.738°E |
| Max. intensity | MMI IV (Light) |
| Casualties | 43 dead, 2 injured |
The Lenin Peak disaster occurred on 13 July 1990 when 43 climbers were killed during an avalanche on the 7,134-meter-high mountain peak in northeast Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan (then part of the USSR). The deadly avalanche was triggered by a moment magnitude scale 6.4 earthquake which struck at a depth of 216.8 km beneath the Hindu Kush mountains in neighbouring Afghanistan. The incident is believed to be the deadliest mountaineering disaster in history.