The day Banja Luka was devastated: 47 years since the most destructive earthquake

47 years ago, the most destructive earthquake occurred on October 27, 1969, in Banja Luka. It began with an unusually strong "foreshock" on the night of October 26 at 2:55 AM. Tremors continued until 8:53 AM when time stood still for Banja Luka. The people of Banja Luka will always remember 8°MCS / 6° Richter, writes the Patria News Agency.

The earthquake devastated the city in 1969. It claimed 15 lives, and a thousand people were seriously or lightly injured. The material damage was enormous. 86,000 apartments were completely destroyed, and significant damage was inflicted on schools (266), cultural (146), health (133), social, and public administration buildings (152).

The economy suffered significant losses at the time. All companies operated with significantly reduced capacity in the following period, and some completely ceased production.

The city of youth was left without it for the first time. Buses took primary and secondary school students from Banja Luka to finish their school year in various parts of the former Yugoslavia.