Three-quarters of Romania’s population would be affected if the country were hit by a strong earthquake, according to a document of Romania's General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations (IGSU).

The infrastructure would be “critical” in several areas, and the equipment for rescue missions would be ineffective or absent, reads the same document, cited by local Mediafax.

The earthquake which took place on March 7, 1977, the most tragic natural event in Romania’s recent history, left 1,570 people dead. Over 11,300 people were wounded and 39,200 houses were damaged.

The impact of a strong earthquake would be significant in Bucharest, said the State Secretary Raed Arafat. It would involve casualties, injured people, collapsed buildings.

He said that Romania needed to make quick steps to prevent and reduce the negative effects of such an event.

editor@romania-insider.com