Lisbon+Tsunami+1755

Lisbon, Portugal Sunday 1st November 1755. 10:24 am Aprox. The very large earthquake 200km WSW near Cape Vincent occured. Must have been 8.6 or larger on the Richter scale There were two large quakes ( the second being the largest) in a period of 6 minutes, tremours lasted 3 minutes 30 seconds, which damaged 85% of the buildings in Lisbon. A third smaller quake followed. A 15ft wide fissure opened up through the centre of Lisbon

The quake was along the Azores-Gilbratar Fracture Zone (AGFZ)

The day was a Sunday and the religious holiday of 'All SAINTS' therefore all the 230,000 residents were in 4 large cathedrals.

The quake was felt in Spain, France, Germany, Italy and even up into Sweden. The same day the ongoing eruption of Mt Vesuvius abruptly stopped

The Tsunami. 20,000 people fled from the cathedrals in the centre of the city to the open grounds of the quayside where they stayed or got into boats fearing more earthquakes. 40 minutes after the quakes the whole sea receeded right down the seabed. Then a priest who witnessed it from inland said a wall of water over 20ft high rushed inland killing all at the docks and sunk all the ships. It washed inland for four miles completing the destruction of 85% of Lisbon. A total of 3 Tsunami waves hit Lisbon and rushed up the river Tagus The tsunami hit the Cornwall, UK 4 hours 30 minutes later with 3 meter (almost 10ft) high waves.

Whatever in Lisbon was spared from the Earthquake and the Tsunami was destroyed afterwards by a fire which reaped the city for 3 days. The Hospital Real turned into a slaughterhouse as hundreds of patients burned to death The only survivors were those who ran to the hills surrounding the capital.

Total Death toll Lisbon with a total of 230,00 resdients lost 90,000. 10,000 more died in Morocco Aproximately 100,000 deaths making it one of the most deadly Earthquakes and Tsunami's ever.

Source: [|www.drgeorgepc.com/Tsunami1755Lisbon.html]