Striking central Romania on August 30 at 21:28 UTC, the 1986 Vrancea earthquake killed more than 150 people, injured over 500, and damaged over 50,000 homes.

The death toll makes it the second deadliest earthquake to occur in 1986 worldwide, after major seism of San Salvador that took the lives of almost 1,500 people.

[4] The worst affected area was in the Focșani–Bârlad region, where intensity VIII (Severe) damage was recorded, causing a church to collapse.

In Bucharest, 50 laborers who worked in the basement of a building died when they were crushed by piles of rubble; this report was also unacknowledged by officials.

In addition, intensities of V (Moderate) were recorded in Skopje (now the capital of North Macedonia), suggesting the earthquake was widespread.