Erzincan Earthquake (27 December 1939)

The Erzincan Earthquake occurred on 27 December 1939 at approximately 02:00 local time with its epicenter in Erzincan and a magnitude of 7.9. ^【1】 This devastating shock occurred along the North Anatolian Fault Zone and affected not only Erzincan but also the provinces of Sivas, Samsun, Ordu, Tokat and Gümüşhane, resulting in tens of thousands of casualties and extensive property damage. 

Turkey’s Condition and International Context Before the Earthquake

The year 1939 coincided with a period of significant economic and political turbulence for the Republic of Türkiye. Although Türkiye did not formally enter World War II, it was compelled to confront the hardships imposed by a wartime economy. The conscription of a large portion of the young population severely reduced agricultural and industrial output. Inflation rose, shortages of basic consumer goods emerged, and rationing systems were introduced. These difficult socio-economic conditions intensified the destructive impact of the 1939 earthquake. The needs of the earthquake victims for food and shelter placed additional pressure on already limited state resources and infrastructure.^【2】 

Visual material related to the Erzincan Earthquake (Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Türkiye)

The North Anatolian Fault Zone and the Rupture Chain

The 1939 Erzincan Earthquake occurred in the eastern segment of the North Anatolian Fault Zone (NAFZ), one of Türkiye’s most active geological fault systems. The earthquake generated a surface rupture approximately 330 km long, triggering a westward propagation of fault rupture along the fault line. This rupture chain led to a series of major earthquakes in subsequent years moving westward: the 1942 Niksar-Erbaa (M=7.0), 1943 Tosya-Ladik (M=7.2), 1944 Bolu-Gerede (M=7.2), 1957 Abant (M=7.1), and 1967 Mudurnu (M=6.8) earthquakes form key links in this sequence. This series of earthquakes is critically important for understanding the behavior and seismic activity of the North Anatolian Fault Zone. ^【3】 

International Relief Efforts

The earthquake served as a catalyst for strengthening Türkiye’s network of international solidarity and assistance. Many countries including the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, France, Syria, Iraq and Italy provided both in-kind and financial aid to the victims. As noted particularly in the article by Cengiz Atlı, British assistance held significant importance in the context of Turkish-British relations at the time.^【4】 These international aid efforts helped mitigate the scale of the disaster and reinforced Türkiye’s position in the international community.

Visual material related to the Erzincan Earthquake (Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Türkiye)

Impact and Destruction

The earthquake caused extensive damage in Erzincan and also in Sivas, Amasya, Ordu, Giresun, Tokat, Gümüşhane and Tunceli. According to official figures, 32,968 people lost their lives and over 100,000 were injured. The earthquake completely destroyed or severely damaged 116,720 buildings.^【5】 Almost no structures remained standing in the center of Erzincan city. Additionally, railways, bridges and roads were heavily damaged, rendering access for relief teams nearly impossible.

Rescue and Relief Operations: Military and Civil Solidarity

Immediately after the earthquake, the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye (TBMM) convened an emergency session to enact necessary legal measures to assist the victims.^【6】 The government and the Turkish Red Crescent decided to dispatch emergency aid to the affected region.^【7】 However, the harsh winter conditions of the period—temperatures dropping to −30°C and intense snowstorms—severely hampered rescue operations.

Rescue efforts were primarily carried out by surviving civilians, miners and military units. Due to the destruction of roads and bridges, aid convoys and trains struggled to reach the region. According to newspaper reports, delays in delivering assistance led to increased fatalities in some villages. Injured survivors were transported days after the earthquake to hospitals in neighboring provinces such as Sivas, Elazığ, Malatya and Diyarbakır once roads were cleared. Tens of thousands of homeless people were temporarily housed in railway wagons and later accommodated in tents sent by the Turkish Red Crescent from surrounding provinces.^【8】 

Social Impact and Reconstruction

The earthquake left hundreds of thousands of people homeless in Erzincan and its surroundings and triggered large-scale population movements. Survivors were forced to cope with the trauma of losing loved ones and struggled to survive under harsh winter conditions. The disaster also led to the fragmentation of families and the placement of orphaned and abandoned children under state care. Many individuals decided to migrate to safer and more habitable regions, altering the existing sociological structure.

After the earthquake, the reconstruction of Erzincan began. Experts of the period decided to develop a new urban plan because the old settlement lay directly on the fault line. The new Erzincan was built north of the railway line, on a geologically more stable foundation. Temporary and permanent housing was constructed using prefabricated structures imported from Austria. This reconstruction process raised Türkiye’s awareness regarding urban planning in relation to earthquake risk and laid the groundwork for future legal regulations.