El Salvador Earthquake, 2001

Introduction

A major earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale occurred off the coast of El Salvador on Saturday, 13 January 2001 at 11:33 am local time. The epicentre of the earthquake was some 105 km south-south east of the capital, San Salvador. The earthquake caused major damage in the departments of San Miguel, Santa Ana, La Libertad, La Paz and San Salvador. The most heavily affected area was the neighbourhood of ""Las Colinas"" in the suburbs of Santa Tecla/Nueva San Salvador, where the earthquake triggered a landslide covering an estimated 400 houses entirely in mud. However, later assessments subsequently revealed a far broader impact as rural areas across the country were severely damaged, resulting in the displacement of whole communities.