UPSC Prelims 2001 Q62: Current Affairs – Disasters & Humanitarian Issues
A great landslide caused by an earthquake killed hundreds of people in January 2001 near
- (a) San Salvador
- (b) San Jose
- (c) Managua
- (d) Guatemala City
Answer: (a) San Salvador
Explanation
Place of the great landslide caused by an earthquake in January 2001
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Earthquake | 13 January 2001, magnitude 7.7, off the coast of El Salvador |
| Landslide | Las Colinas, Santa Tecla — a suburb next to San Salvador |
| Deaths | About 800 in all; hundreds buried by the Las Colinas slide |
| Other options | San Jose (Costa Rica), Managua (Nicaragua), Guatemala City (Guatemala) |
The January 2001 earthquake in El Salvador set off a huge landslide at Las Colinas in Santa Tecla, close to the capital San Salvador, burying hundreds of homes. It came a fortnight before India's own Gujarat earthquake of 26 January 2001.
Answer: (a) San Salvador.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) CORRECT. The Las Colinas landslide was near San Salvador.
- (b) Incorrect. San Jose is in Costa Rica; it had no such disaster then.
- (c) Incorrect. Managua is in Nicaragua.
- (d) Incorrect. Guatemala City was not the site of the 2001 landslide.
Key point
January 2001: El Salvador earthquake (13 January) and Gujarat (Bhuj) earthquake (26 January).
Remember
January 2001 landslide: Las Colinas, near San Salvador.
Common mistakes
- Confusing the Central American capitals.
- Mixing it with the Gujarat earthquake of the same month.
- Choosing Guatemala City from older earthquakes there.
Exam tip
Link the date to the country, then to its capital.
Sources
- United States Geological Survey — M 7.7 El Salvador earthquake, 13 January 2001
- ReliefWeb (UN OCHA) — El Salvador earthquake January 2001 situation reports