Event 15. 15 April 1979, Montenegro
On 15 April 1979 at 7h 19min 46sec am local time coastal region of Montenegro was hit by catastrophic earthquake (M = 6.8, I = IX-X). Towns and villages were severely damaged, numerous cultural heritage sites were almost completelly destroyed and some 150 people were killed. The hypocentre was in the sea close to the coast, between Bar and Ulcinj, at a depth of 13 km (Herak et al., 1996). Tsunami induced by the earthquake was registered by several tide gauges. Record from nearby Bar, shows that sea level first went up and then rapidly receded; the initial wave height was 45 cm and the oscillations continued for more than 24 hours. The Dubrovnik tide gauge recorded the tsunami waves of few centimetres wave height. The tsunami waves propagated fast over the South Adriatic Pit and were recorded at Bari tide gauge, having initial wave height of some 10 cm and 30 minutes period.
According to newspaper reports the tsunami had strong effects in the port Bar, at Ulcinj and in the Boka Kotorska Bay where one person was drowned by the tsunami wave.
āIn the port of Bar, the Sunday earthquake crashed against the bank a large Italian ocean ship, which then stranded as if it were an egg shellā (Vjesnik, 1979).
ā… policemen at Ulcinj told us that at the time of the earthquake, the sea receded for three meters away from the coast …ā (VeÄernji list, 1979, of 16/04).
āā¦ (Branimir VuÄetiÄ) was maintaining his boat on the coast, while Luka CvijetkoviÄ (58) and schoolboy DuÅ”ko TripkoviÄ (8) were watching him. When the earth shock, the student VuÄetiÄ grabbed the boy TripkoviÄ and they found a shelter by the side of road edge. ā¦They did not notice when a water wave 3 meter high came behind their backs. In a furious blast, the sea āswallowedā 50 meters of road, but also the three of them. The whirl pulled them to the bottom, where the student VuÄetiÄ got caught by something hard. Somehow he managed to free himself and dived out where at the surface he found the boy TripkoviÄ and saved him from the certain death. Sadly, he could not help Luka CvijetkoviÄ. He saw him in a whirl for a moment, and later his body was found 2 km awayā (VeÄernji list, 1979, of 21 and 22/04).Ā I = 7, R = 4.