Kobe Earthquake: 6,434 Die in Japan's Worst Quake
The ground didn't just shake. It liquefied. When the 7.3 magnitude quake ripped through Kobe, entire neighborhoods collapsed like paper, transforming modern Japanese infrastructure into a nightmare of twisted steel and concrete. Fires erupted across the city, burning what the tremors hadn't already destroyed. And the most brutal detail? The earthquake struck at 5:46 AM, when most residents were still asleep, trapped in crumbling homes with no warning. Japan's most destructive earthquake since World War II would reshape urban planning, emergency response, and the national understanding of geological vulnerability.
January 17, 1995
31 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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