Earthquake hits Macedonian Capital Skopje in 1963

The 1963 Skopje earthquake (Macedonian: Скопски земјотрес 1963) was an earthquake which occurred in Skopje, SR Macedonia (present-day Republic of Macedonia) then part of the SFR Yugoslavia, on July 26, 1963.

The earthquake, which measured 6.1 on the moment magnitude scale (equivalent to 6.9 on the richter scale), occurred at 4:17 am UTC (5:17 am local time).

The tremor lasted for 20 seconds and was felt mostly along the Vardar River Valley.

Within days after the earthquake took place, 35 nations requested that the United Nations General Assembly place relief for Skopje on their list of agendas. Relief, in the form of money, medical, engineering and building teams and supplies was offered from 78 countries. The famous artist Pablo Picasso donated his painting Head of a Woman (1963), which was exhibited in the new post-earthquake Museum of Contemporary Art in Skopje.

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