The 1977 Bucharest Earthquake occurred on 4 March 1977, 21:20 local time, was felt throughout the Balkans, had a magnitude of 7.4 and its epicenter in Vrancea (in the Eastern Carpathians ) at a depth of 94 kilometers.

It killed about 1,570 people and wounded more than 11,000. Among the victims was the Romanian actor Toma Caragiu .

About 35,000 buildings were damaged, and the total damages were estimated to be more than two billion dollars. Most of the damages were concentrated in the Romania's capital, Bucharest, where about 33 large buildings collapsed (most of which were built before World War II and not reinforced) were destroyed. After the earthquake, the Romanian government imposed tougher standards for the building construction.