Characteristics of the Boumerdes earthquake

Boumerdes earthquake

It is an earthquake that occurred in the northern part of the state of Algeria, specifically in the town of Thenia in the state of Boumerdes, 60 kilometers east of the capital of Algeria, on May 21, 2003 AD. Its most prominent feature is that it struck Algeria for more than twenty years, since 1980 AD, with a force that reached It reached 7.1 degrees, and it resulted in the death of at least 2633 people.

Tectonics

The earthquake occurred on the border between the African plate and the Eurasian plate, which created a pressure zone, and thus the presence of momentum and faults, which contributed to the occurrence of earthquakes in the region. On May 21, a fault resulted in the northeastern direction, known as the Zemmouri fault, where the African plate began. It moves towards the northwest, that is, in the opposite direction from the Eurasian plate, with a speed of up to 6 mm per year.

losses

Similar to the death toll, the earthquake caused 10261 people to be injured, and more than 200 people were left homeless, as 1243 buildings were completely and partially destroyed.

aid

Rescue teams were sent to help from several countries, in order to search for refugees following the earthquake incident. International teams of relief workers also went to rescue people who were trapped under the rubble. Dogs with the ability to know the whereabouts of the trapped people were also used in the search process. The aid was According to the following:

• Canada: Pledge nearly $150 to search and rescue work to find survivors.
• Egypt: sent a team of doctors and medicines.
• Germany: sent 25 rescue workers to the affected area.
• Iceland: ICE-SAR rescue team sent.
• Morocco: sent a medical team and medicines.
• Pakistan: Relief materials were sent to earthquake victims, containing 2500 blankets, 200 tents, and 31 cartons of medicine.
• People's Republic of China: sent a team of rescue workers.
• Russia: Doctors and rescue workers.
• Saudi Arabia: sent a plane carrying 102 tons of food and tents.
• South Africa: Recovery teams sent.
• Sweden: Sweden sent police dogs.
• Switzerland: Sent police dogs and a 90-member recovery team.
• United Kingdom: The United Kingdom sent nearly 100 rescue workers.

Popular anger

There was a state of anger among the survivors because the local authorities did not provide them with temporary shelters. Government officials did not participate in the relief efforts, although Islamic charities were quick to provide rapid assistance. They explained that the main reasons behind this earthquake were that Algeria did not apply strict safety standards in engineering earthquake-resistant buildings.