AKIPRESS.COM - Turkmenistan paid homage to the victims of the powerful earthquake of 1948 on October 6, the Day of Remembrance of victims of 1948 Ashgabat earthquake.

Deadly earthquake that rattled Ashgabat on the night of 5 to 6 October 1948 took lives of more than 176,000 people, almost 10% of the Turkmen SSR's population at the time.

A surface wave magnitude was 7.3 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (Extreme).

October 6 was declared Day of Remembrance of the victims of the Ashgabat earthquake. Since 1995, October 6 is a national mourning day.