Earthquakes in (Muş) Varto During The Republican Period (1946-1966)

In this study, five earthquakes that occurred between 1946 and 1966 in Varto district of Muş province have been investigated. Historical records show that earthquakes occurred in the region between 1575, 1678, 1709 and 1784. 200 people died in the earthquake in Varto in 1866. 2,803 people died in the Muş / Malazgirt earthquake in 1903. Earthquakes occurred in 1946, 1950, 1956, 1957, 1959 and 1966. The most devastating earthquakes occurred on 31 May 1946 and 19 August 1966. In the 1946 earthquake, 839 people died, 349 people were injured and 3,000 buildings were seriously damaged. In 1966, there were three earthquakes with loss of life. Six people died on March 7 and 12 on July 11. Due to the earthquake on August 19, 2,101 people died and 1,246 people were injured in Varto. 5,306 buildings were either destroyed or severely damaged. The socio-economic life turned upside down in Varto. The damage caused by earthquakes has been felt in the region for years. Earthquakes caused tens of thousands of people to die, get injured and hundreds of thousands became homeless in Turkey. It is difficult to say that earthquakes causing incredible material and nonmaterial destruction have been sufficiently studied. It is necessary to analyze the losses caused by earthquakes in many ways. By examining the earthquakes that occurred in the past, it can be revealed how individuals, society and the state struggled in disaster time. It is certain that historical studies that demonstrate the practice of the past will guide geo-sciences. Varto and surroundings, damaged many times in the past by the earthquakes, are worth examining in that they exemplify the reality of earthquakes in Turkey in a painful way. Earthquakes in Varto and its surroundings were examined by referring to the press of the period.

Keywords

History of the Republic of Turkey, Varto, Hınıs, Karlıova, Earthquake, Red Crescent.