Fri, 29 March 2024
The Daily Ittefaq

6.6-magnitude quake hits off west coast of Cyprus: USGS

Update : 11 Jan 2022, 10:43

A powerful earthquake with an initial magnitude of 6.6 struck the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Cyprus, and tremors were felt as far away as Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel and Egypt, seismologists and residents said.

The quake, which occurred at 3:07 a.m. local time on Tuesday, was centered about 49 kilometers northwest of the city of Polis in Cyprus and at a depth of two miles underground.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) estimated a magnitude of 6.6 at a depth of 19 kilometers (12 miles), making it a very shallow earthquake. The European Mediterranean Seismological Center (EMSC) put the magnitude a little lower, at 6.5.

The quake occurred on Tuesday

It shook buildings in the capital Nicosia, 130 km away, and the few people who were awake went out into the streets.

There was, however, a low likelihood of casualties and damage from the quake, the USGS said in a preliminary assessment.

 

More on this topic

More on this topic