The Loma Prieta earthquake at 5.04pm on 17 October caused extensive structural damage in San Francisco, in Oakland, and in smaller communities to the south. It measured 6.9 on the Richter scale, which is comparable to the event which devastated parts of Azerbajan nearly a year ago. A major difference was the scope of destruction. While the Armenian disaster caused disruption which resulted in a death toll of over 2000, the fatalities in California were less than one 10th of this.