Algeria

On May 21, 2003, an earthquake of moment magnitude Mw=6.8 shook northern Algeria, about 50 km east of the capital city of Algiers. The consequences in terms of human loss and material damage were immense. The latest report states that 2.260 people died and 10.260 were injured. This earthquake, the most violent in Algeria in over twenty years, further intensified the trauma caused by internal acts of terrorism and a succession of natural catastrophes spanning a decade.