A new exhibition, ‘35/77. 35 years after the 1977 earthquake' featuring photos by Marius Amarie is on at the National Museum of History in Bucharest (12, Calea Victoriei St.). The exhibition reflects the devastating earthquake that hit in Romania in 1977, and will be open to the public until April 7, 2012.

Measuring 7.2 on the Richter scale, the earthquake struck Romania 35 ago, on March 4, 1977. Over 1,500 people died, over 11,000 were injured, 32,900 buildings collapsed or were badly damaged, and 35,000 families were affected. The damage amounted to some USD 2 billion. In Bucharest, 32 high buildings were severely affected, and another 130 houses were damaged. Several Romanian artists died that day, such as actor Toma Caragiu, poet Veronica Porumbacu, critic Mihai Petroveanu, and poet A. E. Baconski and his wife.

Romanian photographer Marius Amarie was 17 at the time and managed to capture the scenes of devastation with his ZENIT E camera in Bucharest. His photos from the immediate aftermath show the shock and confusion of people still trying to figure out what was happening. The exhibition is open between Wednesday to Sunday.

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com