The aim is not to give an artistic description of the people who survived, which, I admit, is not within my power, but only to point out some names and facts of brilliantly displayed public and international solidarity, of conscientiously fulfilled duty, of self-sacrifice and heroism, which deserve praise and encouragement and should be known and set as an example for today’s youth and the generations coming after us.” This is what Nedko Kableshkov says about his book “The Terrible People’s Tragedy”, which is about one of the worst natural disasters that happened in Bulgaria .
It happened in 1928. Then, between April 14 and 18, several earthquakes occurred in Bulgaria. The one on April 18, with a magnitude of 7.0, is the worst of all. It is also called the Plovdiv earthquake.
The first earthquake was recorded at 11:20 a.m. on April 14, 1928, with an epicenter about 8 km northwest of Chirpan and a magnitude of 6.8 on the Richter scale. After him, almost all the buildings in Chirpan and Borisovgrad (today’s Parvomai) were destroyed.
On April 18 in question, at 9:20 p.m. in the evening, another strong earthquake followed with a similar magnitude (7.0 on the Richter scale) and an epicenter near Popovitsa. Then one third of Plovdiv was destroyed.
After the earthquakes, many people live and sleep outdoors – in tents made of rugs.
Earthquakes affect one seventh of the territory of Bulgaria with a population of over 400 thousand people. More than 240 villages were affected. The victims are 107 people and 500 are injured. The earthquakes cause a total of damages worth about BGN 3.3 billion. Over 72,000 buildings were affected, and about 26,000 of them were destroyed; 402 of the destroyed buildings were state and municipal schools, and 250 were churches.
On Saturday around noon when the first tremor struck, many people were out of their homes and children were generally on spring break. This fact saves hundreds of human lives.
The military club in Plovdiv was destroyed, then repaired, but the building did not reach its original pomp with the tall towers. The building in which the District Assembly of Eastern Rumelia was sitting was seriously damaged by the earthquake and was destroyed in 1930. The church “Sveta Nedelya” was badly damaged and was completely renovated in 1930.
The new three-story building of the International Catholic Hospital in Plovdiv, only completed in 1927, was also damaged. The ground floor and the outer wall of the eastern staircase are completely destroyed. The earthquake caused enormous damage to the museum at the French College in Plovdiv. Many of the exhibits were damaged. In 1934, the museum was again arranged and opened for visits.
The houses in the Old Town remain intact. Constructed of beams connected by braces, they sway and twist in an earthquake, but do not fall. The houses designed by Yosif Schnitter, who already used concrete, have also remained. The railway bridge in Plovdiv has been moved to the side by 28 cm.
The state reacted quickly and adequately to the situation, with even King Boris III personally visiting the destroyed settlements and staying in Plovdiv, engaging in organizing first aid for the victims. The National Assembly establishes the Directorate for Assistance and Recovery in the Earthquake Region, whose purpose is also the scientific survey of earthquakes. It finances the construction of public buildings and supports the affected population.
The state allocates BGN 100 million to repair the damage. Within three years, the directorate managed to almost completely repair the damage caused by the destruction. About BGN 880 million, which Bulgaria receives from the League of Nations, also helps with this.
Czech journalist Vladimir Sis initiated a campaign to collect aid for the victims of the earthquake and managed to collect an amount of 160 thousand crowns. International aid reaches over BGN 60 million from more than 30 countries.
According to experts, 97% of the country’s territory is threatened by seismic impacts. The most dangerous seismic zones in Bulgaria are Krupnishka, Sofia, Marishka, Shablenska and Gornooryakhovska.
