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The Tangshan earthquake, also known as the Great Tangshan earthquake or GTE[1], was a natural disaster that occurred on July 28, 1976. It is believed to be the largest earthquake of the 20th century by death toll.[2] The epicentre of the earthquake was near Tangshan in Hebei, People's Republic of China, an industrial city with approximately one million inhabitants. The number of deaths initially reported by the Chinese government was 655,000, but has since stated the number to be around 240,000 to 255,000.[2] A further 164,000 people were recorded as being severely injured.[3] The earthquake came in between a series of political events involving the Communist Party of China. It shook China both literally and figuratively in 1976, which was later labeled a "Year of curse". The earthquake hit in the early morning, at 03:42:53.8 local time (1976 July 27 19:42:53.8 UTC), and lasted for around 10 seconds.[4] Chinese Government's official sources state 7.8 on the Richter magnitude scale[3], though some sources listed it as high as 8.2. It was followed by a major 7.8 magnitude aftershock some 16 hours later, increasing the death toll.
