On December 23 , 1972 , a magnitude 6.2 earthquake leveled the capital city , Managua . The earthquake killed 10,000 of the city 's 400,000 residents and left another 50,000 homeless . About 80 % of Managua 's commercial buildings were destroyed . President Anastasio Somoza Debayle 's National Guard embezzled much of the international aid that flowed into the country to assist in reconstruction , and several parts of downtown Managua were never rebuilt . The president gave reconstruction contracts preferentially to family and friends , thereby profiting from the quake and increasing his control of the city 's economy . By some estimates , his personal wealth rose to US$ 400 million in 1974
magnitude 6.2 earthquake
1972 Nicaragua earthquake
Sandinista National Liberation Front