Russia is the largest country in the world, which, due to the diversity of geographic, geological, climatic conditions, is exposed to various natural phenomena.
Russia - the territory of earthquakes
Their total number includes destructive earthquakes, which represent tremors in the earth's crust due to unstable tectonic processes. About 40% of the country is in the zone of seismic risk (places with earthquake frequency - about once every 500 years). According to scientists, the most dangerous city for life is Petropavlovsk in Kamchatka.
The alarming zones, which recorded fluctuations in the earth's crust with a strength of 8–9 points, are Altai, the North Caucasus, Baikal and Transbaikalia, the Kuril Islands, the Kamchatka Peninsula, the Sayan Range and the island of Sakhalin.
Sakhalin: 1995 earthquake
It was on Sakhalin that an earthquake of 7.6 points claimed the lives of 2040 people in 1995. Over the past 100 years, it has been the most destructive, ruthlessly wiping the city of Neftegorsk from the face of the Earth. Founded in 1964, it was conceived as a village for oil workers. It was located on the border of two tectonic plates in a seismically inactive zone (at least that was thought before 1995).
Shocks of different power (from 5 to 7 points) on the night of May 27 to 28 were felt throughout the region, but Neftegorsk got the most, because the epicenter of the earthquake was located 25-30 kilometers from it. Fluctuations of 7.6 on the Richter scale within a minute wiped out Neftegorsk, which had been under construction for 30 years, from the face of the Earth. Later, after clarifying the causes of the tragedy, it was found that the houses were built using the cheapest technology and the maximum that they could survive was a 6-point earthquake. The tremendous savings on human lives loudly reminded of itself on this tragic day.
The city that is gone
17 five-story houses, medical facilities, shops, a school, kindergartens, broadcasting and communication facilities, the municipality, and the Palace of Culture, in which a disco was held on the occasion of the end of the school year, were destroyed. Of the 26 graduates, only 9 survived; out of 3197 inhabitants of the city - 1140 people.
The 1995 Sakhalin earthquake buried two-thirds of residents under the rubble, including medical workers. Therefore, there was simply no one to provide first aid.
The oil pipeline and several oil rigs were damaged, resulting in a significant amount of oil spreading over the earth's surface. Significant damage was inflicted on the environment, about which not a word was said in the media.
More fortunate enough, located 60 kilometers north of the city of Okha, whose population is 45, 000. On that terrible night, minor violations were observed in it, there were no human victims.
Rescue operations in Neftegorsk
In the morning, after an earthquake occurred on Sakhalin, there was heavy fog on the island, which prevented the rescue teams from reaching the place of the tragedy. The nearest airport, where planes could land, was 65 kilometers, which, in combination with poor roads, was very time-consuming. Therefore, the lost time did not play to the benefit of the victims; few of them were saved.
In total, 1, 500 people, 25 aircraft, 24 helicopters, 66 cars took part in the rescue operation. On the 4th day, the number of involved equipment increased to 267 units. It was on those fateful days when an earthquake struck Sakhalin that 5 minutes of silence was applied for the first time, when all the equipment fell silent once an hour, work stopped and conversations stopped in order to hear people under the rubble.
The city, which died in an instant, was decided not to be restored. In its place was built a memorial and a chapel. A cemetery with buried inhabitants is located nearby.
After the tragedy in 1995 on Sakhalin, the earthquake swept over a number of territories, although with less damage. In 2003, Altai mountains suffered, in 2006 - Kamchatka, in 2008 - Chechnya.
